The family celebrated the arrival of Spring 2013 in Puerto Vallarta (that's Vayarta), Jalisco (that's Halisco) province of south western Mexico (that's Unidos Estados Mexico (Mehico) or officially the United States of Mexico).
This was our second visit to the coastal city in the last five years. About 1600 miles due South-SE from San Francisco this beautiful one time collection of fishing villages is now a bustling city of over 250,000 at the foot of the Sierra Madre mountains. With a lush green jungle as backdrop you have large sweeping vistas of the azure Pacific stretching out for miles. The main city nestles along the shore of a bay called Bahia Banderas or Banderas Bay. Banderas or Flags was the name derived from Spanish invaders who saw the locals defending themselves against them with colorful feather flags.
This time we spent around a week chilling out and enjoying local foods from freshly made tacos and queso (variety of cheeses) to a crisp Chile Relleno (like a mirchi pakora except with cheese and mild chilli), fresh caught langustine (or smallish lobsters) to local Dulces or candy (my favorite was the coconut and milk version very similar to Maharashtrian Khobre wadee).
Our residence for the duration was a property in Mismaloya at the soutern end of the Bahia. More rocky coves than beachfront this is an idyllic locale away from the typical 'All inclusive bustle' of the larger properties in center of town (aptly called CENTRO).
One day was spent strolling the local district called zona romantica - for its beautiful views and scenic location along the Cuale River. Art dots the sidewalks for a gallery side seat - both on canvas as well as in sand and glass and woven from fiber.
Another day we switched gear and got into some extreme sport. We decided to to fly amidst the jungle canopies like our ancestors or monkeys might have. The art is known as Zip Lining.
By attaching ourselves to a harness which hooks into a pulley on a braided steel cable you let yourself go from a ledge and literally fly over couple hundred foot chasms at around 30 km per hour till you reach the opposite side of the valley. Gravity does wonders in getting you across and the heavier thy weight the faster you reach the end - remember physics 101?
Another day was again devoted to some reflection - both spiritual and artistic. Local churches offer a view in to the religion and history of the place - the cathedral of our lady of guadalupe is photogenic and an easy walk up from the Malecon or the promenade that stretches for a mile along the ocean. There is some other architecture within the slopes of the city going away from the ocean that is also worth strolling for.
We traveled on the local bus
which was 7 pesos one way from anywhere to anywhere with a fairly regular service. That was fun in and of itself. Unlike the crowded BEST or PMT buses of yesteryear these actually have doors that close when the passangers are picked up and also offer a fairly quiet ride. Typically no one has to stand since there is a regular supply of buses to go from A to B.
What we realized after a week of this so called chilling was that we really did not need Google or any other techno help other than the trusty camera to document our wanderings for posterity.
The family celebrated the arrival of Spring 2013 in Puerto Vallarta (that's Vayarta), Jalisco (that's Halisco) province of south western Mexico (that's Unidos Estados Mexico (Mehico) or officially the United States of Mexico).
This was our second visit to the coastal city in the last five years. About 1600 miles due South-SE from San Francisco this beautiful one time collection of fishing villages is now a bustling city of over 250,000 at the foot of the Sierra Madre mountains. With a lush green jungle as backdrop you have large sweeping vistas of the azure Pacific stretching out for miles. The main city nestles along the shore of a bay called Bahia Banderas or Banderas Bay. Banderas or Flags was the name derived from Spanish invaders who saw the locals defending themselves against them with colorful feather flags.
This time we spent around a week chilling out and enjoying local foods from freshly made tacos and queso (variety of cheeses) to a crisp Chile Relleno (like a mirchi pakora except with cheese and mild chilli), fresh caught langustine (or smallish lobsters) to local Dulces or candy (my favorite was the coconut and milk version very similar to Maharashtrian Khobre wadee).
Our residence for the duration was a property in Mismaloya at the soutern end of the Bahia. More rocky coves than beachfront this is an idyllic locale away from the typical 'All inclusive bustle' of the larger properties in center of town (aptly called CENTRO).
One day was spent strolling the local district called zona romantica - for its beautiful views and scenic location along the Cuale River. Art dots the sidewalks for a gallery side seat - both on canvas as well as in sand and glass and woven from fiber.
Another day we switched gear and got into some extreme sport. We decided to to fly amidst the jungle canopies like our ancestors or monkeys might have. The art is known as Zip Lining. 
By attaching ourselves to a harness which hooks into a pulley on a braided steel cable you let yourself go from a ledge and literally fly over couple hundred foot chasms at around 30 km per hour till you reach the opposite side of the valley. Gravity does wonders in getting you across and the heavier thy weight the faster you reach the end - remember physics 101?
Another day was again devoted to some reflection - both spiritual and artistic. Local churches offer a view in to the religion and history of the place - the cathedral of our lady of guadalupe is photogenic and an easy walk up from the Malecon or the promenade that stretches for a mile along the ocean. There is some other architecture within the slopes of the city going away from the ocean that is also worth strolling for.
We traveled on the local bus 
which was 7 pesos one way from anywhere to anywhere with a fairly regular service. That was fun in and of itself. Unlike the crowded BEST or PMT buses of yesteryear these actually have doors that close when the passangers are picked up and also offer a fairly quiet ride. Typically no one has to stand since there is a regular supply of buses to go from A to B.
What we realized after a week of this so called chilling was that we really did not need Google or any other techno help other than the trusty camera to document our wanderings for posterity. 
There is a telling subtext on the tee in the last shot on WHY you don't need Google!
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