Where We Are - Puerto Vallarta

February 2016 - Puerto Vallarta Mexico

We are on the final stint of this winter's travels revisiting Puerto Vallarta for a month. As I mentioned in this post we haven't been here since 1994 so it will be very interesting.

The bus ride here was enjoyable as always. There are only 24 seats on these buses and they are reserved. Our favourites are the seat 2 and 3 at the front of the bus.

We are going from 5,000 feet above sea level to sea level through the Sierra Madre Mountains a distance of 303 km.

Leaving Guadalajara we will make a stop on the outskirts in Zapopan. A lone rider amidst all these buses, cars and heavy duty trucks getting onto the highway.

Starting our descent, probably not the best time to choose to have lunch, especially when the coke bottle falls on the floor, luckily the lid was on, but it took a while before we could open it.

 There is a dramatic change in scenery from the arid dryness to the seaside.

Almost there.

We end up with the only cabbie in all of Mexico who can't understand McDonald's until John shows him a photo. Gerard meets us and takes us to our "home" for the next month. He is a great greeter and points out all the things I wish someone had shown us in our rental in SMA, such as where the fuse box is, extra light bulbs. There is great wifi and we are over a mall with 120 stores and restaurants as well as several banks, Subway, McDonald's and a large grocery store.

This is a gated / guarded community. The owner even called to make sure we were settled.

There are buses into the Old Town or Zona Romantica as it is known.

We unpacked and went to the seafood restaurant outside our door for a beer before doing groceries.

Obviously we were settled in quickly.

Tostada stand and a garden centre.