Ajijic, Jalisco, Mexico - Home to Puerto Vallarta

The time has finally come for us to leave our beloved Ajijic and our precious apartment - April 29th has finally arrived.  After about six weeks of packing, big push at the beginning and at the bitter end, we are all moved out, stuff in storage and ready to go.  All this seems a little surreal leaving what has been our home for the past year, leaving good friends and familiar surroundings to travel north to Canada then on the the Netherlands. Our new found boat, Otter, awaits!

We are heading east passed Tequila, Jalisco. Yes, there really is a town called Tequila which is about and hour and a half from the Lake Chapala area. Just like there is the Champagne district in France, there is the Tequila district in Mexico.  The blue agave from which tequila is made is grown abundantly in the area around the town of Tequila. Below is a small sample of a field of blue agave. 

Our Mexican home is about a five or so hour drive to Puerta Vallarta and that is was our destination for that first day.  We did not make the drive in the winter so thought we better get our PV fix before leaving Mexico. It is one of our favourite beach destinations. Supposedly the new highway, which is being worked on, will decrease the trip time in half. With any luck the new highway will be completed by our return.

The coast is much more humid than the dry climate of Lakeside that we left behind. The actual temperature was about the same but the humidity made it feel much hotter but very tolerable.

Our favourite little beach town, once you have arrived on the coast, is San Francisco or nicknamed San Poncho. Yes, in Mexico even towns might have a nickname. We stopped at the local recycling depot, parked and walked to the beach. The sand was too hot to walk on barefoot. Yah, we have wimpy feet.  If I didn’t have delicate feet I might have missed this lovely creature. All vegans shut your eyes for the third picture below. Such an unusual sight I just had to take this fellows picture and his catch of the day. 

We wandered around the beach and the town looking in little galleries and shops.

Being the creatures of habit that we are we are stayed in the same hotel we stayed in last year this time. We also stayed there for the past few other visits to Puerta Vallarta.  The hotel is the Comfort Inn by the airport. It is on Highway 200 or Blvrd. Francisco Medina Ascencio.  They have a pool, free underground parking, breakfast is included to get you on your way in the morning, it is right on the bus route into town, it is very clean, staff are friendly and the price is right in the off season, especially.

We ended our day talking another walk from our hotel through the Marina District  to The Mayan Palace. PV area has amazing sunsets.

Have you ever tried walking about 6 km in the heat and humidity of Puerta Vallarta? Well, we did, walking from our hotel to the Sheraton Buganvilas for coffee. Not that bright of a move on our part. We thought it would be a good way to loose a bit of chub but proved to be a good way to get a sore back and become tired, fast. We also discovered how noisy the main roadway was in Puerta Vallarta. Sure we took side trips into the Galerias Vallarta, Las Glorias Mall and into a shop that sold boating supplies. Anyway, lesson learned.  We were in no way used to the kind of heat.

Las Glorias Mall was its usual amazing self. It has ponds filled with turtles and/or Koi. I can't think of a single mall anywhere else that has such lovely touches.

When staying close to the Marina District we like to walk the Malecón looking at the boats, etc. We ate at a little taco and beer vender. Below is the vegan taco selectionselection - delicious.