Puerto Vallarta

 January 24, 2023

It was still dark when I pulled back the curtains and looked out. What was more surprising was that a busy highway was running right past our window! We were already docked in Puerto Vallarta! With our early morning arrival we had considered room service for breakfast but decided to just do our normal routine and get breakfast at the buffet. We are creatures of habit...Bob got his bowl of oatmeal and I had a couple of poached eggs on half of an English muffin.

A beautiful sunrise.

Our neighbor for the day...Navigator of the Seas

We walked right off the ship with no line. A gal from the Mexican department of agriculture was standing at the end of the gangplank checking to make sure no one was bringing food off the ship We had none, but she still asked to search Bob's backpack. I stopped to ask one of the shore excursion staff on the dock where we should go to call an Uber to get into the old town. She suggested walking out of the port area a short distance to a parking lot and call from there. Two other couples were heading the same way and I asked if they planned to get an Uber (hoping they had more of a clue than me!)

Souvenir tents inside the port area. One tent was even a pharmacy!

They said they were going to take a public bus...and at that same instance, one pulled up. Before we had time to ask any more questions, they said "come with us!" We had no Mexican currency but just that fast one of the guys bought us tickets from the driver! The price in U.S. cash would equal 50 cents/person but he refused to let us pay him.

The bus was standing room only and the center aisle was completely filled. Bob wasn't even able to get up the steps by the driver and stood by the door. We hung on for dear life as the bus took off.

The bus was constantly stopping and as a few people got off, more got on. At some point a young gal pointed to an empty seat indicating that I should take it. Bob worked his way further down the aisle, but never had a seat. I tried to keep an eye on our new friends (who now had been shuffled to the back of the bus) because I had no idea where we should get off.

They motioned as our stop was coming up and I quickly tried to get down the steps and out the door before the bus roared off. We were at the Malecon...exactly where I wanted to go. The friends invited us to hang out with them, but at that point I didn't want to impose and I actually felt comfortable on our own having done enough research on what there was to see.

Sand sculpture on the beach.

We strolled along the water front and eventually over the Rio Cuales. Many interesting statues line the walkway and we were entertained by pelicans diving head first into the water from high altitudes. The boardwalk was quite crowded and I tried to distinguish between the locals, the vacationers, the ex-pats, and the cruisers.

The sculpture of the little boy on the seahorse has become the official symbol of Puerto Vallarta. The statue has been washed away by storms into the sea not once, but twice and both times located and returned to the malecon.

The Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Inside the church.

Rio Cuale

We walked as far as I intended and on our way back we got to witness the guys who climb the tall poll and then hang by their feet as the ropes spin them round and round all while they go lower and lower until they  reach the ground

On our previous visit to Puerto Vallarta we had taken a walking food tour that stopped at several street food vendors. Bob wanted to see if we could find someplace selling tacos so we walked inland a couple of blocks from the waterfront. Using Google Translate, I asked a lady working in a pharmacy where we could find a street taco place. (I swear every third storefront was a pharmacy advertising all of the drugs they sold OTC that would require a prescription back in the states.)

Her directions were unclear, but we headed in the direction we thought we should go. We passed by two ladies who were speaking in a mixture of Spanish and English so we asked them. One of the women spoke fluent English (I assumed she might have been an ex-pat) and she instructed us to go back one block and around the side of Woolworth's. She said there was a stand that served great tacos and she ate there often.

And we found it! The owner was OK with us paying in USD so we each ordered the daily special advertised on a cardboard sign hanging from a tree ($70 pesos each). At the official bank rate the total price for the two of us would have been $7.45 so when the lady working there (wife of the owner maybe?) said $9, we were fine with the price. Bob gave her a $10 bill and she gave him back $30 pesos (~$1.60 USD) so that actually made the cost about $8.40 USD. I wondered why Bob hadn't given her exactly $9 to avoid getting back pesos in change, but he had a plan.

Each of our meals consisted of 3 tacos, a cup of broth, and a large cup of some type of purple colored drink. Plastic plates were slipped inside of a plastic bag...no waste and easy cleanup! We sat on wooden stools at a counter next to where the man was assembling the tacos. He had a large pot with the meat that had cooked until it was tender. The meat was finely chopped and folded inside of two layers of soft corn tortillas which he then dipped into the grease floating on top of the broth where the meat had cooked. The greasy meat-filled tacos were laid on a griddle until they were crispy. The serving of broth was also dipped from the large stock pot and onions and cilantro was added. We enjoyed both the food and the experience!

All aboard time was 2:30 so when we finished eating around noon we decided we should head back to the ship. Again, I was planninng to take an Uber but Bob was convinced we should attempt the bus...but on our own this time. We found a bus stop sign a block and a half away and knew to watch for a bus with "Walmart" written on the front windshield. The $20 peso bill that Bob got as change for our meal was exactly the price of two bus fares. When we got on the bus we took the only two available seats which gave us a chance to look out the window as we traveled back to the port. (We hadn't seen a thing from our standing positions on the morning bus.) Once we reached Walmart it was an easy walk across the street back to the Zaandam.

This photo was taken from the ship. It is almost as if the ship was docked in the Walmart parking lot!

Back onboard, we sat on the back deck and spent some time catching up with stuff online...T-Mobile has full service in Mexico. The weather was warm enough that I decided to go for a swim and Bob went to walk some laps around the promenade deck. He stopped by the pool later just long enough to say he was going to play pickleball.

When the sail away party started cranking up by the seaview pool, I moved back down to OUR deck to get away from the crowds and was able to watch Puerto Vallarta fade in the distance as we sailed back out to sea.

My view from the lounge chair on OUR deck. (Too lazy to stand up to take the photo!) 

After dinner (Mexican night at the buffet) we went to the show "Humanity" put on by the Step One Dancers on the World Stage. HAL has done away with the traditional production shows of the past and now feature dancers who "interact with technology". In other words, canned music and a lot of wild videos projected on a screen behind the dancers. The same show had been performed on our Alaska cruise last spring and I didn't care for it then. With the Zaandam's small stage and single video screen the show was even less impressive.

From the theater we made our way to the Explorer's Lounge for the classical duo's 8 pm show. I am not a musician, but I can certainly appreciate their talent. Amazing.

Next we moved on to the Mix Bar and listened to Clara Vee on piano. She had been absent the first couple of nights, but was back. I had been worried that she might have had Covid, but she said she had just been "a little under the weather" and apologized that her voice was a little raspy. She was a great entertainer even if she wasn't at her best.

And speaking of Covid...as we were leaving our cabin in the morning there was someone from the medical center at the door of a cabin across the hall from ours. She was masked and gloved and when someone came to the door I heard her ask "how are you feeling?" The reply was "not very well." It appeared she was doing a Covid swab test. I've heard that people who get quarantined on a ship with Covid have a red sticker on their door but we never saw any. Very few people are wearing masks on the ship and only a small percentage of the crew are masked. We will see how things go as the cruise progresses. (Update: I followed a Facebook group for our cruise and did see a couple of people mention they caught Covid at the end of the cruise.)

No need for any wake up call to be set before going to bed. Tomorrow is a sea day.

Puerto Vallarta

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Saturday, April 28

My day began in panic mode. I turned on my phone and immediately the time switched to an hour earlier. I was sure that the ship time and local time were different and this was going to be a big problem. Our scheduled (and prepaid) tour was to begin at 10 am LOCAL time but if that was actually 11 am “ship time” then it was going to be cutting it too close to get back on board the ship by our designated time of 3 pm.

We stopped by guest services on the way to breakfast and they said ship time and local time were the same. Still not convinced, I texted my kids at home and asked them to please check online and tell me what the current time was in Puerto Vallarta. My daughter-in-law texted back right away confirming what I had just been told. This should have been good enough, but I went one step further and called the tour company just to make SURE. With their reassurance, I finally relaxed and quit worrying.

The welcoming committee.

Months earlier, I had booked (and paid for) the Original Downtown Tour with Vallarta Food Tours.  The tour began in the old town of Puerto Vallarta, about a 15-minute drive from the ship and our plan was to use Uber. I was concerned they couldn’t get into the secure port area to pick us up so we started walking. The Walmart across the street seemed like a good place to request a pick up. 

A trip to Walmart was the excursion plan for many passengers!

On our way, numerous taxi drivers offered us rides, but none spoke English well and their prices seemed high so we pushed on. We saw the public buses lined up in front of Walmart. I knew they would be cheaper than Uber and that it was possible to catch one to downtown. We started walking back and forth trying to figure out which one might be headed in the direction we wanted. I’m sure we looked like clueless tourists because another taxi driver walked up and offered us a ride downtown for $10. He spoke fluent English and I knew the Uber rate would be close to that so we gave up on the bus and went by cab. (Turns out that was a good move since we found out the bus we wanted was going in the opposite direction of those we were contemplating.)

The driver was familiar with where we wanted to go (the gazebo in Cardenas Park) and even gave us a little commentary on what we were seeing on the drive. It was 9 am when we arrived, an hour before the scheduled time for the tour. A farmer’s market was just getting set up and we walked around looking at some of the booths. Vendors were selling food and crafts and I think I could have been content just browsing there and sampling the local foods.

To kill some time, we walked down to the beach and sat watching two groups of young people playing some type of game where they had their ankles tied together and were trying to walk as a group. (A team-building experience perhaps?) The weather was absolutely beautiful…bright blue skies and not too hot or humid.

As the time for the tour got closer, we walked back towards the gazebo. I was getting desperate to find a bathroom but the only thing we had noticed was a sign next to some steps leading down below street level…”Baños 7 Pesos.” The stairs led down to a dark, underground parking garage and on the far side I could see a baños sign. We walked across the whole garage and found a lady behind a table. Using hand signals and a couple of Spanish words, I explained that we wanted to use the restroom but only had US dollars. Seven pesos was equivalent to a little over 30 cents so I pulled out a dollar bill and she shook her head yes. I then motioned that the dollar was for BOTH of us to use the facilities. She hesitated for a second, but then agreed and handed me two wads of toilet paper. The restroom wasn’t great by US standards, but much better than some that we had seen over the last few days!

Feeling quite relieved, we returned to the gazebo and sat down to wait for our tour. At precisely 10 am, a gal named Amanda walked up and asked if we were there for the food tour. This surprised me because the park was filled with people shopping at the farmers market but yet she was able to pick us out! Amanda also found the other 2 people who had booked the tour and off we went…walking at a brisk pace through the streets of the city.  

Our first stop was a food stand on a street where construction work was being done. At each stop, Amanda explained what we were going to be tasting and gave a little history behind the food. Using the map they provided AND the Vallarta Food Tour website, here is a description of where we ended up.

Stop #1 - Robles Birria Tacos – Originating in the state of Jalisco, this slow-cooked meat stew is marinated in aromatic red chiles and served up in delectable tacos.

The little food stand was very busy and had a long line of customers waiting to be served (a sign of a good food!) but Amanda was able to bypass the line and put in our orders. (A second stand just feet away served the same type food, had lower prices but yet almost no customers.) 

While the food was being prepared, Amanda returned with small cups of broth from the meat that had been cooked overnight. Amanda said that often she drinks the broth for breakfast! It wasn’t necessarily something I would want first thing in the morning, but it was very tasty. The tacos made from the stewed meat were also very good…probably my favorite of all we tasted during the tour.

Stop #2 - Mariscos Cisneros. Known for their stuffed pepper tacos.

While we were at this food stand, there was a very, VERY loud “boom”. Being in a large city, my first reaction was “was that a bomb?” Before I had a chance to run for cover, Amanda explained that it was from a celebration at the Catholic church across the street.

As we were walking...

What a mess! We have seen some sketchy wiring in our travels and
Puerto Vallarta ranks right up there with the messiest!

If you have been reading my other posts, you know we always have to get a photo of my paramedic husband in front of any ambulance we see!

Stop #3…Roadside Flavored Water. Although we were walking on the sidewalk, most of the business seemed to come from drivers who would pull up and order from their car.

Orange containers:  Lime with chia and peppermint, plum, passionfruit, pineapple and basil.  

The very large silver container had the speciality drink:  horchata. A drink made from barley, cinnamon, vanilla and sugar. This was Bob's favorite!

On our way to the next stop...

Stop #4…Tacos El Cuñado. Carne asado tacos. This place has been in business for over 45 years. The stand did have a few outdoor tables which gave us a chance to sit down. The first two places we just ate standing (or sitting on the curb.)

Stop #5…Vallarta Factory. After crossing over a small stream on a very wobbly suspension bridge, our next stop was at a chocolate shop where we got to choose a sample. 

Getting across this bridge was hard. Amanda told us to walk straight down the middle, but with the bridge swinging, I was back and forth and must have looked as if I was drunk!

Connected to the store was a coffeeshop where you could also buy hand rolled cigars!

The man in the background is hand rolling cigars.

Bob is not a coffee drinker but did like our sample...cinnamon & chocolate were added to the coffee.

Stop #6…Mariscos El Guero. A seafood restaurant where we sampled different kinds of ceviche and hot sauces. This was a sit-down restaurant...much appreciated after all of the walking we had done.

Amanda led us towards the Malecon (the Spanish name for an "esplanade along a waterfront") for our next stop.

Stop #7...Tuba by Concepcion – This was a sample of a refreshing drink made out of coconut cream and topped with a mix of apples, walnuts and a “secret” ingredient that no other Vallarta tuba vendor has.

Stop #8…Church of Our Lady of Guadelupe, one of the landmarks of Puerto Vallarta. This was close by and is one of the iconic landmarks in Puerto Vallarta.

Stop #9…Gaby’s Restaurant – Our seating was upstairs and we were served two different kinds of moles. We had a trio of drinks that Amanda instructed us to drink in a certain order...lime juice, then tequila, and finally a chaser of sangrita.

After several attempts, I've decided I'm not a fan of mole.

The colors of the Mexican flag!

Stop #10…La Azteca candy store. Amanda gave us samples of several kinds of candies and the we each got a wrapped piece of coconut candy to take with us.

It was around 2 pm when we finished and Amanda took care of requesting an Uber for us using the app on my phone. She walked us out to the street and talked to the driver when he arrived, making sure he knew where we were going. This was a big help since the driver spoke no English. When we got within site of the ship, the driver turned…but not at the correct place. Bob was trying to do hand signals to indicate that we wanted to go to the “boat”, but the driver wasn’t understanding. I quick pulled up Google translate app on my phone and it told me that cruise ship in Spanish was “crucero”. It must have been correct, because he did a U-turn and took us right to the entrance of the port.

By the time we walked onto the ship, I was tired and very hot. I checked the app on my phone and discovered that we had walked well over 12,000 steps during the tour…far more than my recent foot surgery was up for! Bob, on the other hand, headed outside to start walking laps around the ship to get MORE exercise!

With the earlier departure, we were able to make it to the Crow’s Nest for the 4 pm team trivia. No win for us, but a fun time. I returned to the cabin to shower and get dressed for dinner. And what did Bob do? He went to the gym!

Dinner (for me) was mushroom soup, seafood pot pie, and a “no sugar added” chocolate dessert that was extremely rich. Not sure how that works, but I enjoyed it.

Getting to the theater 30 minutes before show time meant we got some of the last seats in the balcony. The show was a performance by Chris Pendleton…billed as a comedian and violinist. Sort of a strange combination of talents, but what was even more surprising was that Christ was a female! She had the whole theater in stitches with her humor and then switched gears and amazed everyone with her violin and vocal talents. One of the best shows of the cruise!

The clocks got turned back an hour before bed. I’m not sure I could ever do a Panama Canal cruise in the opposite direction and LOSE time instead of gaining it! Tomorrow the Zaandam will be in Cabo San Lucas…the last of the Mexican ports and one that requires a tender.