Puerto Vallarta, Day Six

So this was probably the highlight of our vacation: our boat trip to Yelapa.

We got up early in the morning and walked to the Marina where they told us the Yelapa Princess would be. We briskly walked the entire Marina to the other side where the tour booking agent told us to go. We walked past it. Nothing. We planned more than enough time to get there, but we couldn’t find it! So we see someone on a boat and ask where we can find the Princess and he tells us that it is in another Marina! The first dude totally pointed to the wrong marina on the map!! And we couldn’t walk to the other one, so we ran to the street and hailed a taxi cab. OMG. We happened to run into the street where the taxis take a break. There were TONS of taxis, but none of them was in the mood to take us but some guys saw us and started whistling and hustling the drivers, when the one they were hustling didn’t hustle enough, they hustled someone else for us and zoomed us to the right marina just in time!

We got there, paid our marina fee and walked to the last dock possible to the Yelapa Princess. They took a photograph with a captain’s hat as we boarded and we went straight to the top deck since we wanted a good view. We realized that we were some of the first ones that actually got on board. Hm, I guess we forgot we were running on Mexican time!

This tour went from 9 am to 5 pm, a whole day, and everything was included! First things first, they gave us breakfast. It was a little odd because they gave us a piece of toast, jam, and some fruit with juice. The odd part is that they served it on a styrofoam tray, like what we buy our prepackaged meat on at the market. There was nothing wrong with it, it just gave me a weird feeling. Kinda like feeling ill towards touching a plunger, even if you just saw it spat out by the machine that makes it and know that it has never been near a toilet. It just seems tainted from its inception.

Anyway, as we headed out, the day was overcast with spots of sunshine. It made for blah photos but a really nice ride. I slathered on all the sunscreen and put our feet up as we enjoyed the view and talk of the coast. It was the same route that we took on our bus ride the day before, but this time we saw it from the water. It was really neat as we recalled the stone-paved rodes that we took in the neighborhoods as the names would start to click in our heads. We saw resort after hotel after more resorts. We made it to the downtown area, right by the Malecon (boardwalk). Our Lady of Guadalupe stands out amongst the buildings downtown very beautifully with her crown up high. Apparently that crown is a fiberglass replacement since the original fell off and collapsed in an earthquake circa 1994.

As soon as we passed most of the houses and resorts, the hills’ lush green color really began to jump out at us. The boat crew began to start serving drinks around this time (remember everything was included? Yeah, alcoholic drinks were included, dudes!) so Juan took a tequila sunrise and I took a blended margarita. We really were in a tropical paradise!

Most boat tours stop at Los Arcos (the Arches) to snorkel. Instead we passed right by it and enjoyed the views, but we had other exciting places with less people to enjoy! Los Arcos though is home to thousands of pelicans, egrets, herons, and other migratory birds as well as countless tropical fish underneath. They are beautiful! I have to say that I felt just a tinge of jealousy as we cruised on by them, but I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best at our next locations.

Sure enough, we make it to our first location, Majahuitas. It was this rocky little sheltered area where we were going snorkeling! So they tied the boat to the rocks and let us have at it. They had masks and snorkels for us, as well as the cheapest PFD’s money could buy. The sort that looks like an upside down U that hangs around your neck. It was choking me so by the end of it I had unsnapped it and used it as a floaty stick and stuck it through my underarms from the front. I could finally breathe comfortably!

The visibility was not too great, but if you were careful and patient, you could begin to see a lot of fish. I saw a lot of little fish that blended in and hid in the rocks, I saw schools of what looked like little sargeant majors, but best of all was when we came back to the boat, a school of about 20 King angelfish literally swam right under me (some I actually felt on my skin) and went straight to the boat because they were tossing bread over the side. They were gorgeous (click here to see someone else’s photo of them in PV)!!

It was really cool because Juan and I had never snorkeled. I know. I know. But now I have, got it? :p

So we dried off and enjoyed the ride to the beach of Yelapa. It was this adorable little town with houses along the coast that looked like they belonged in Disneyland. The boat we were on was too large to actually dock at the sandy beach, so we needed to ride water taxis in. They piled as many people as they could into each one and brought us on the beach only a couple hundred feet away. It was pretty funny because it totally looked like we were refugees. But that doesn’t matter. We were on the beach and we were staying there for about an hour.

I know some of you were worried about my toesies while I spent so much time on them walking around in the beach. Well, they look like they were doing pretty damn good, doesn’t it? lol! I seriously took this photo thinking about how far my toes had come and how my poor friends were back home working their butts off while I laid on a beach chair under a palapa (palm umbrella). I had a good little giggle and took it all in, sighed, and then just sat and enjoyed the view.

We were hungry at this point, so Juan ordered a shrimp cocktail, I ordered some guacamole and chips. We ate, lounged, rested. It was nice!

After our hour, we needed to board another water taxi to take us to the opposite side of the little bite of a harbor. This is where we were going to start our walk to the waterfall!

I wasn’t prepared for it. It was about a ten minute walk straight up winding through the town. And dude, me=out of shape. My throat was burning by the time we got to the top, but boy was it worth it! Being here during the wet season meant that there was a lot of water flowing, it was fantastic! We all marveled at the waterfall and how it crashed down into a little swimming hole and then went off down the mountain. We all kinda stood around, waiting for the brave ones to go on in. The climb down was a little scary because it was stone steps over a foot high that were wet and looked a little green/black, so it made one think they would be really slippery with moss or something. Well, fortunately, it was simply the color of the stone.

Juan and I climbed down and floated over the zillion stones surrounding the steps. IT WAS FREEZING! But it wasn’t so much that we would be inducted into the Polar Bear Club or anything. It was just cold and exhilarating! It was so much fun! We swam to the waterfall and posed for a photo right under the pounding splashes. I laid a little low in the water because I was already sun burnt and the pounding water on my shoulder was not making it feel better, although the cold water was! It was so neat, but after a little while, the adrenaline wears off and the cold starts to seep in your bones, so we got out and warmed up. I continued to take photographs for my big panoramic that I wanted to do of the waterfall.

Am I ever happy with the way that came out! Woot! We are right there at the bottom, and to be really enjoyed, you need to see it larger. I am getting that baby printed out pretty big and framing it.

After that we strolled back down the hill and enjoyed the scenery (like beautiful flowers and leaf cutter ants). Took the water taxi back to the big boat and finally had our real lunch. I was starving!

They gave us roasted chicken with rice and veggies which tasted deliciously after having been out in the sun all day and just chillin watching the water on our way back. Because of the long ride back (almost two hours?), the activities leader started to get the dance floor going with a bunch of line and group dances, including but most definitely not limited to La Macarena, Achey Breaky Heart,and El Payaso Loco. It was a straight out cardiac workout and it was crazy because it was hot where we were dancing. Juan loves to dance, so to be a good sport, I danced as well and lasted almost all the way but I was dead tired and drew the line at Macarena.

We got back to dock right at 5pm and we were so tired but elated. I thought we would stay in our room the rest of the night, but nope! We got dressed, had dinner, and then went to the club/pool table. Well, this night there were actually a few people in there so we didn’t get a table right away. Instead, Juan and I watched everyone else play. Finally, when we saw a natural break, Juan asked if he could play (we later played doubles). Juan is pretty good and I suck, but dude, this night we rocked. It was scary! I blew Juan away with some of my across the table shots and this bangin’ combo that made everyone’s eyes pop out of their sockets. I dunno where it came from but it totally made us look like pool sharks (in the not so good way!). Fortunately, the people were cool and we made fast friends, even though they were leaving the next day. Wish we’d have met them earlier! It was so crazy because in the beginning, the guy Juan was playing was pretty good, but not as good as Juan, and the guy even stepped up his game compared to when he played some other guy. He said he went to pool halls and regularly played for money. I am glad it never went there (I have never been comfortable with that) but I got nervous as I saw him texting like mad. Then he looked up at me (I hadn’t played yet) and asked if I could play as well. I said no, not really, my husband is the one that likes to play. He continued to text. A few minutes later, two of his friends show up to watch the game and challenge us to those doubles. :O And then I go and rock the casbah! It was insane!

We finished off the night with Juan giving them tips because we obviously deflated their stamina. We didn’t let them win and they never won on their own against us. Dude, I am never that good. Juan raved about it for days!

Day 6 photos start here.