A Warm, Lovely Weekend

Our third weekend has passed and the weather in Puerto Vallarta is showing signs of improving. The nights have been quite cool and we have found ourselves either choosing a place to have a meal or just a drink that is indoors or have had to take coats and sweaters to stay warm enough outside. Part of our problem is that we did not do a very good job of anticipating the cool weather and both of us have little or nothing of the long-sleeve variety. Or what we do have provides little variety!

A couple of weeks ago I talked of us having breakfast with Eric, Greg and their friends Pat and George. At that time, I included some shots of us all at the restaurant, the Lindo Mar. While we all went in a car to breakfast, Pat had mentioned that one could walk along the beach from PV south to the hotel. With the weather improving, Polley thought it might be a nice adventure of a lovely Sunday morning. So, I got up early to see if I could scout the route, so that we could do it later. During the my exploration, I came to see how much walking we are doing each day. It is 4/10s of a mile to the ocean, along the Malecon. From there we turn south to the beach that I have mentioned that we so much enjoy: La Playa de Los Muertos – enchantingly called “The Beach of the Dead”!. That is 1.15 miles from our place. Normally we take our time and it is about half an hour of walking to get there.

Sunday morning, from the place we sunbath and drink, I worked my way along the beach for another mile, trudging through sand and working my walk along an often rocky path before climbing up to the highway and coming the reetaurant. Total, about 2 ½ miles. From there, I turned back and headed home to let Polley know we could make it there on foot. An hour later, we turned around and headed to the restaurant. When you have little else to do, time and distance become rather meaningless when retired.

Without thinking about it, we arrived on a Sunday and the place was packed. We had about a 20 minute wait, but what I found intriguing was that while there was certainly an adequate number of American and Canadian tourists, there were a very large numbers of Mexican families. It was a buffet brunch that was a mix of traditional Mexican staples and those things you might expect at any North American buffet/brunch. There was a fellow fixing omelets to order, but there was also a woman making tortillas by hand and cooking quesadillas to order. Beans, rice, a Mexican stew and a gringo stew, two types of potatoes and sausage and ham were all part of the meal. Food was nothing special, but the atmosphere, due largely to the energy of the Mexican children was a joy. It was also helped by the gorgeous setting. We certainly had plenty to eat, which, of course, necessitated walking back to ease our dietary consciences about what we had consumed. I have included a few pictures of the setting and one of Polley standing beside the boy and the seahorse which stands at the south end of La Playa de Los Muertos.

It was a very nice day, but I realized that I have done 8 miles and the day was only half over!

Weather continued to warm up even more today. We placed a call home to check in with Rae Minten and then headed down the beach, stopping along the way. We now find it difficult to make it past 10 or 10:30 without at least a Corona, preferably a Margarita! Very warm at the beach, but we are beginning to be tan enough for people to consider us locals. I have recently been stopped a number of times by those I assume are just arriving, seeking information about stores, Pilates studios, ATMs, etc. Occasionally, I even know the answer!