We're in Puerto Vallarta (Part 2 of 2)

S/V Pacific Mystic
Eric & Valerie Wagoner
Wed 17 Feb 2010 00:01

Leaving Mazatlan in the afternoon – 2/6/2010

 

Pictures of the coastline as we leave…

 

 

 

 

Eric, with a smile on his face, after hooking up Hydro-Dave.

 

 

 

A little later on that day…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A humpback whale gives us her sundown salutations.

 

 

Stop at Isla Isabela – 2/7/2010

 

Approaching Isla Isabela in the mid-morning…

Rocks that look like a giant turtle in the distance on the east side of Isla Isabela.

 

The two rocks, a little closer.

 

View from our anchorage south of the rocks.

 

Valerie and Miette, taking a nap after dropping the anchor at Isla Isabela.

 

View of the beach on the east side of Isla Isabela from our anchorage.

 

View of the sea caves on the southwest side of Isla Isabela as we sail by after lifting anchor.

 

 

Arriving at Marina Vallarta north of Puerto Vallarta – 2/8/2010

 

Views of Marina Vallarta

View of El Faro (The Lighthouse). There’s a bar at the top.

 

Palm trees and palapa.

 

 

Preparing for docking.

 

 

 

Iguana sunbathing on the marina walkway

 

 

Trip to Guadelajara: 2/12/2010 – 2/13/2010

 

We took a bus to Guadelajara (it is approximately a 5-hour ride from Puerto Vallarta).

 

Eric, inside the library named after his favorite Mexican writer.

 

Eric, in front of Guadelajara’s cathedral in the historical center.

 

Valerie, inside Mercado Libertad, which the Guadelajarans claim is the largest indoor market in the world.

 

 

Eric, resting in our hotel room before dinner

 

Guadelajara’s cathedral

 

Statue of Minerva, the protectoress of the city

 

Another cathedral

 

 

 

Valerie, in the courtyard inside the Museo Regional de Guadelajara

 

Guadelajara has a tradition of supporting popular art, that is art made by ordinary people and representing ordinary people. The above painting was made in 1853 and is a portrait of a local priest painted by a local artist.

 

This was the tag next to the painting.

 

“Fray Francisco Rodriguez

(Cura de la Paroquia de Cocula)

 

Alejandro Rincon

Oleo Sobre tela, 1853”

 

 

Eric, on the Plaza de Armas, in front of the Palacio de Gobierno. The Belle Epoque rotunda behind Eric is a gift from the French people.

 

 

 

Celebrating Andrew’s 25th birthday – 2/15/2010

 

The highlight of our stay in Puerto Vallarta was to be able to hang out with Andrew of ‘Rocinante’. We hadn’t seen him since early December, when ‘Rocinante’ left La Paz to come spend the Winter in La Cruz, small resort town at the Northwest tip of Banderas Bay, about 10 miles north of Puerto Vallarta. We arrived here just in time to celebrate Andrew’s 25th birthday!

 

 

Andrew and Valerie after a few drinks at the bar at the top of El Faro (the white and blue lighthouse building in Marina Vallarta.)

 

Eric, after even more drinks…