Travel Delay

One and all,

It appears that each blog must begin with an apology. This time, I am offering my regrets for the 3 day delay in reporting on our activities. In part this was caused by a delay in our travel plans. Our good friends, Alice and Beth (of Everyday Wine) are coming down here on Saturday. They will be based in Sayulita, a little, but very active village located about an hour and half (by slow and painful bus) from Puerto Vallarta. We had originally planned to get up there on Wednesday and be able to offer photos of our journey on Thursday, but for a variety of reasons as we scrambled from one thing to another, we finally said, as us retired people can, "We don't have to go today, we can just go tomorrow," so we did!

Our intention was to locate the place Beth and Alice would have for the week. We also wanted to get a sense of just how far it is in terms of travel time. So we took the now infamous PV city bus our to Walmart and from there caught an inter-city bus for Saylulita. One and a half hours later (probably only 30 miles) we were let off in a dusty field which they refer to as the Sayulita Bus Station. From there, you hike up the hill and over the bridge to the main Plaza

It is a very active place. Sayulita feels very young. It reminds me a bit of my surfing days in Santa Cruz in the early '60s. We followed the instructions provided by Beth's landlord, up another dusty road off the square

and eventually, about 3 streets up the hill, to the left, found Casa Jaqui

Obviously, Beth and Alice have higher standards than we do (photos of our place on Sunday). AS we say, it appears to be "a great place to visit and I would want to live there.

Following our discovery of their week-long home, we headed back down the hill and had lunch at a family-run restaurant, Aaleyah's, which I had found recommended on the web. It was excellent and run by such nice people. The restaurant is named for the daughter, who is 13. She is bright, personable and I expect her to be the CEO of some Mexican corporation by the time she is 16!

The bus ride back was a bit faster, but the shock asborbers had obviously been removed in the dead of night. It was punishing. By the time we caught a cab, from the spot they end the line for the return, we were exhausted. Fortunately, lunch had filled us up and all we had to do was fall into bed, at about 7!

The two days prior to that were more or less routine.The usual stuff: a cat in yet another cute pose, paws crossed

Another "AFGPVS"

One thing we have learned down here, is to never anticipate the success of the sunset. When it does not appear promising, occasionally magical things take place. This happened Wednesday evening when we nearly decided to pass on the beach at sundown. Yet, we were provided this very unique sky.

And we had a first in all our years down here. Wednesday, as we crossed the bridge to Old Town, people were staring down the river. High up in the trees on the shore were two giant Iguanas

You can only see the one here

But, further down, there was another, at least as large. Right in the midst of the city. Amazing!

So, it has been active. We look forward to Beth and Alice's arrival, although I must admit that we don't relish the "Mister Toad Wild Ride" on the bus. As we road along, I imagined James Bond on the bus, "Shaken, but not Stirred! More soon.

 

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