Puerto Vallarta – Something for Everyone

On April 16, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Mexico5 Comments

Puerto Vallarta, on the Pacific Coast in Mexico, has a wide variety of activities that will suit anyone’s vacation style. Especially for those who live in the western half of the United States, Puerto Vallarta is an easy destination to reach with flights that are convenient and typically affordable. Obviously, it is a resort area with plenty of resorts that range from five star, all-inclusive, resorts to more humble places to stay. Most places do not require you to purchase an all-inclusive meal plan and with the abundance of restaurants in the downtown area, we would recommend that you don’t so that you can spend more time dining out.

Whether you just want to sit on the beach with your toes in the sand and a drink in your hand or you want to fly through the jungle, there are activities for everyone. Obviously, there are the typical beach activities such as parasailing, jet skiing, and paddle boarding, which you can get from almost any of the beaches in the area. If you are more adventurous, you can go snorkeling or diving in the beautiful blue water of the Pacific Ocean. You can also charter a boat to go deep sea fishing or, during December and January, you can take a tour to go whale watching. For a more relaxing time, there are plenty of dinner cruise options from private catamarans for a romantic dinner, a sunset cruise with drinks and music, or a fine dining experience that will take you on a tour along the coast. There are pirate ships with raucous shows that are fun for everyone or you can take a ship to an island to watch a performance tracing the history of the people who settled the area followed by torch-lit dinner on the beach.

If you are even more daring, you can go zip-lining in the jungle across deep mountain ravines, including the location where the movie Predator with Arnold Schwarzenegger was filmed. You can also rent ATV’s and roar through the forest and along one of the many streams in the area. There are tours that will take you hiking in the hills that surround the city or take you on an off-road experience with a professional driver. If you enjoy golf, there are several courses in the area for you to play a few holes while enjoying the beautiful views. Needless to say, there are also plenty of stores and restaurants to explore and depending upon the time of year, many of them offer drink specials and discounts that you can get from your resort. There is also a thriving art district where you can find something a little more special to bring back home with you if that is something that you desire.

Regardless of your vacation style, Puerto Vallarta has something that will meet your needs. With a variety of beautiful beaches, the historic downtown area with the Zona Romantica, a boardwalk area with small restaurants and pubs that look out onto the ocean, you can do something different on every day of your vacation. Don’t forget to take time to relax, though, as that is the main reason to head to the beach for vacation. Take time to sip on a margarita and simply watch the waves crash on the beach and feel the warmth of the sun on your skin.

Never Let Go

On August 16, 2016August 16, 2016 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Photo Challenge2 Comments

When we saw that the topic for Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge for this week was hands, a couple of thoughts came to mind. First, we don’t take too many pictures of our own hands unless we happen to be holding something of interest, usually a glass of wine ;). Secondly, that we hold hands whenever we are walking together. When we were in Spain, some school girls chuckled when they saw holding hands and commented to each other that they thought that we were “cute”. So, instead of using a photo of us holding hands, we looked through our pictures and tried to find some images that included hands.

Watching the Show on the Pirate Ship in Puerto Vallarta

Flamenco Dancers at the Resort in Estepona Spain

Weathered Hands of the Old Woman in Bolivia

Seeking Adventure

On February 8, 2016 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Mexico17 Comments

We’re not exactly thrill seekers, but we do like to push our limits at times and do things that take us out of our comfort zone. One of the nice things about resort destinations these days is that they provide all sorts of opportunities for those that would like to do something a little more adventurous. Whether you are into diving, snorkeling, paddle-boarding, swimming with dolphins, sharks, turtles, there is something for everyone. When we were in Puerto Vallarta, we decided to give zip lining a try and we weren’t disappointed.

The stairs leading up to the first platform

Our Youngest Daughter About to Take the Plunge

At the time that we travelled to Puerto Vallarta, the swine flu was at its peak in Mexico City and there was a lot of concern about travelling to Mexico. Despite the fact that there were no cases of the swine flu in Jalisco, the state where Puerto Vallarta resides, the airline that we had originally booked our flight on had cancelled. Fortunately we were able to get onto a different airline, but the net result was that while we were in Puerto Vallarta, we practically had everything to ourselves. So, when we booked our zip line tour with Canopy Tours, we ended up with pretty much a private tour.

It was quite an amazing time flying through the jungle over huge canyons. It is also the setting of the Predator movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. We all have a bit of a fear of heights, so this wasn’t an easy task for us to leap off the platform and soar through the air with rocks and boulders hundreds of feet below us. The guides continued to encourage us to be more bold with every attempt, at first going with us and then convincing us to let our hands go from the trolley and hang upside down as we flew backwards with only the harness to keep us from falling. They offered to adjust our harnesses so that we could go face down, “Superman” style, but we chose not to take our chances with not being able to hold onto anything at all.

At the end of the tour, feet a little shaky as we got back onto terra firma, we had a shot of tequila and waited for them to give us the DVD with the film that they had taken of us (don’t worry, we didn’t include that in the post). From there we went to feed the monkeys that were in a large caged preserve. Clearly the monkeys were quite used to the tourists as they climbed all over us, even sitting in our hands and taking the food. Although it isn’t like seeing them in the wild, it was still a lot of fun to interact with the monkeys and have them be so friendly.

Even though our experience was a little unique since it was just the three of us, our guides, and a couple of their girlfriends, it is definitely something that you should consider doing if you get the opportunity. Perhaps it was partially because the guides had their girlfriends with them and they wanted to show off that they pushed our boundaries as much as they did, but at the end of the day, we were grateful for the experience. We would have never imagined ourselves flying upside through the jungle canopy, but now we couldn’t imagine ourselves having not being so daring.