Night travelers

Night travelers

leaving behind

patterns in the snow.

Lost butterfly

Suspended in flight,

a forgotten burst of colour,

cheering the eye

while the landscape

turns white and still.

Colours of Mexico

Sayulita

Yesterday we drove to Sayulita for a wander through the shops and a delicious lunch. Although the town is very touristic, it still holds touches of authenticity. A temporary bridge was placed over the river after the original one was washed out during flooding.

From our restaurant, we watched groups of wannabee surfers attempting to ride the waves to shore. The teacher stood effortlessly on his board, yelling instructions.

In the town square, artisans worked on beaded creations

Last night we were invited to have dinner at Nestor and Rosie's house, high above Puerto Vallarta. They served a wonderful meal for eleven guests from Canada and the USA. Trucks with tired engines laboured up the road beside the house, drowning out conversation. Motorcycles without mufflers struggled to reach the top. Their home has a gorgeous view but the sound effects would keep me awake at night!

Beachcombing

Our mother taught us well. 

We can still find hours of entertainment, pleasure and mystery on the beach. 

No video games, tweeting or twittering for us!! 

We marvel over the shapes and colours of shells, 

exclaim with delight over shards of sea glass, 

risk wet feet to recover heart shaped rocks. 

Our pockets are filled with treasures as we climb 186 steps 

and the steep roadway back to Quinta las Pinas.

Snorkeling near Yalapa

We loaded into the boat around 11am with Nestor and his family to head over to Yalapa. Enroute we stopped in a small bay to snorkel. The schools of fish were amazingly colourful, surfacing to munch on bits of tacos. Doug jumped in first followed by Dorothy, Tara and finally me. The fish swam between and around us. I spotted at least six different varieties including beautiful clown fish.

Dorothy joins the fish!

In Yalapa we jumped off the boat into the water and walked through town to Domingo's Restaurant on the beach for lunch. In order to get there, we rode across a narrow channel of water on a makeshift raft that held five passengers.

Another beautiful Mexican day!!

Saturday hike

We started the day on Saturday with a four hour hike through the hills and back alleys of town. Peeking through gateways into the villas on the hillside we saw swimming pools, stained glass windows and sculptures. Wandering down below, along the river, we were greeted by children playing in the dirt road and colourful exhibitions of laundry.

Clever guy

perched on a rock

in the river

tanning and laundering!

During a much needed break, we rested our feet at a small cafe, drank tasteless coffee and fresh orange juice, shared scrambled eggs and hotcakes. The total bill was $12 for five of us.

Before climbing back up to Quinta las Pinas, we stopped at a local Farmer's Market for goodies. There was everything from gourmet chocolates to home grown pineapples. Even the SPCA was displaying several cats and dogs for adoption. 

A jump in the pool was a welcome relief after the uphill climb back home!

Later, it was Dorothy's turn to cook another amazing meal of Bul-ko-kee, thin strips of beef marinated overnight in a garlic soy sauce before being skewered for the bbq. She also grilled colourful veggies and made a very tasty rice dish. Delicious!

The night air was filled with fireworks! 

Today we're off to Yalapa by boat for a day of snorkeling and swimming.

Life is tough in PV!

Doug makes fresh coffee at the river cafe!

Tonight's sunset!

Walking every day

Shopping every day

Eating gourmet meals every day

Getting eaten every day- damned bugs!!!!

PV - Day 1

Recovering by the pool after a full day of walking & shopping!