Just a Few Days in Nuevo Vallarta

Chris, Katy, and I just returned from a two-and-a-half-week vacation in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico.   I know,  a two-and-a-half-week vacation sounds a little extravagant, right?!?!  Sometimes life puts you in situations you never expected, situations that push the limits of your comfort zone and make you wonder, "how did we get to this point?"  We made the most of one of these situations by choosing arrangements that required us to take an extended vacation at the same time.  We have absolutely no regrets about this decision!

We rented one of four suites in Casa Leta, a house located in a quiet residential area in Nuevo Vallarta.  The property owners, Bill and April, live on-site and were super hosts.  They went above and beyond in making our stay comfortable.  After one particularly important day, Bill and April left fresh flowers for us in our room for us.  Their kind gesture made my love cup so full that I couldn't do anything but cry.  They really were super hosts!

The Bird of Paradise bloom reminded me of Hawaii!

We spent most of our vacation relaxing in the beautiful home where we stayed, taking advantage of the on-site services, the sounds of and sights of the wildlife, and the occasional pizza night.

Our room was filled with hanging parrots, a few of which you can see here.

The gorgeous patio overlooked that lovely garden space.  We spent a lot of time here reading, playing games, and even napping a bit.

Enjoying the hammock in the garden.

The garden was lovely in the cool evenings!

Katy with Coco, one of the resident dogs at Casa Leta.

Katy enjoyed having a chair just her size!

Exploring the neighborhood via bike.  How awesome that Casa Leta had a bike with a seat just for Katy!

Jackfruit growing in the neighborhood.

We saw so many iguanas in the garden during our stay.  This is one of the larger ones.

The iguanas came in search of food from their habitat in the mangroves growing along the canal that ran behind the house.

Feeding the iguanas healthy spinach.

Happy to feed the iguanas!

Lovely views of the canal from the back of the garden at Casa Leta.

April saved a pizza crust just for Katy to make.

Bill working the wood-burning pizza oven.  It only took a few minutes to cook a pizza
in the 700 degree oven! My favorite pizza was ceasar salad. 

Katy preferred swimming in the pool at Casa Leta over the nearby beach.  Several days, she swam multiple times.  By the end of the trip, she was so much more comfortable in the water than when we arrived.

At the local beach.

Eating at a restaurant on the local beach.

The view from  the restaurant - not too shabby!

Who wouldn't love a pool like this?!?!

At first, Katy would only leave the shallow water on the stairs if someone was holding onto her.

1...

...2...

...3!  At the end of the trip, she jumped in without anyone to catch her!

The pool was stocked with lots of fun things!

At the end of the week, Katy was proudly swimming (floating and doing the doggie paddle)
 by herself. 

Bill and April also hosted a kid's party while we were staying at their place, and they were kind enough to invite Katy to attend as well.  Katy loved the craft table at the party, and she finally overcame her fear of taking a turn at hitting a pinata!

Someone was excited for the party to start!

Katy spent a lot of time at the craft table decorating hats!

Katy tried to fit her hat in her suitcase when we returned home, but it just didn't fit. 

The party scene.  Katy was excited about the brincolin until she realized it was wet from kids fresh out of the pool.
My girl is all about order.

The pinatas.

Actual clay inside the pinata.

Adorable dinosaur cupcakes.

We did leave the house to explore a bit.  First, we took a series of buses to Boca de Tomatlan.  Although long, the bus rides were scenic and cool since it was early in the day.

Boca de Tomatlan.  We waked across this little river that flows into the ocean to access the start of our hike.

So many water taxis!

From Boca de Tomatlan, we hiked about a mile to a small beach called Colomitos.  Katy did well with the hiking, which included lots of uphill stretches and a narrow foot bridge.  Chris carried her a few times, but she didn't like it much because he was sweaty.

Crossing the foot bridge.

Katy hiking like a big girl!

The hike followed the shoreline.  It was very scenic.

The stairs to Colomitos - Katy did well on this hike!

Colomitos was very pretty, but it was also packed because it was Sunday, the one day during the week most Mexicans don't work. We quickly tired of all of the competing, portable stereos blasting what seemed to be the same song over and over.

Colomitos is a small beach cove.

The sand was not fine or soft, which made for very clear waters. 

The water taxis coming to shore to pick-up people would bounce around in the waves right next to swimmers.  It was a little crazy to watch.  This water taxi is picking up a group of students from our hometown!

A very pretty little beach cove.

We planned to continue hiking to Las Animas, another beach further up the coast, but Katy was too tired to continue.  So instead, we took a water taxi back to Boca de Tomatlan.  The bus rides home were equally scenic as the rides to Boca de Tomatlan, but it was hot and we were tired.  We wanted to be anywhere but on slow-moving bus after slow-moving bus.

I got excited as this bus approached because it was a Mercedes and I thought surely it would have AC.  I was wrong.
Katy was equally unimpressed.

Our last bus took us in a different direction than we expected, so we got off and found a taxi to take us the rest of the way.  Katy's sense of relief at finally being in an air-conditioned space was instant - she collapsed into my chest and sighed the rest of the way home.

The next time Katy and I ventured into Puerto Vallarta, we opted for a taxi.  We started our day at the Los Mangos Library.   We sat in the children's reading room for about an hour and read several books.

Mango trees surrounded the library.  Actual, Mango trees were everywhere we went. 

The children's reading room.

Colorful mural on an exterior wall.  Mexico is full of color!

We found a playground across from the library, but Katy was in no mood to visit it.  I have to admit, it didn't look anything like the playgrounds Katy is accustomed to visiting in Texas.

After walking to a nearby super market to pick-up some groceries and eat lunch, we took a second taxi to a bookstore, where I loaded up on some new Spanish books for Katy.  And then it was time to head home.  It was a nice day, although not exactly an average tourist outing.

Our second Sabbath in town, Katy and I visited the Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Puerto Vallarta.  I felt somewhat odd arriving in a taxi, but it beat taking a bus.  The teacher for Katy's sabbath school class was an elderly woman who couldn't operate her CD player well.  As a result, she spent much of the class searching for the right song while she mumbled to herself.  At one point, as Katy squirmed and asked to leave, the teacher asked Katy if she was bored.  Poor Katy - even I was bored by that point!  But, it was nice to hear the same lesson and songs (translated into Spanish, of course) and even see some of the same props we use at home.

There are lots of cobblestone streets in Puerto Vallarta.

Felt bibles - a sabbath school staple across the world.

Bells and tambourines - another sabbath school staple!

The church service was very simple and thankfully in the only air-conditioned space.  I was also thankful the pastor annunciated well so that I could understand most of what he was saying, especially when he stopped mid-sentence to ask me if I could understand him.

Chris rented a car for three days during our final week in Nuevo Vallarta.  Our first day with the rental car, we visited Bucerias, a small beach town north of Nuevo Vallarta, and Playa de Destiladeras.  Playa Destiladeras was our favorite beach we visited.

Charming Bucerias.

Paletas!

There were so many cool murals on buildings in Bucerias.

Another pretty mural. 

An local artist's studio filled with colorful pottery.

Bucerias.

Lovely Playa Destiladeras

Making a sand angel...?

So wide, clean, and empty. 

Our second day with the rental car, we explored the mountain roads near Mismaloya.  We  stoped for lunch at a lovely little restaurant perched over the ocean, and we also visited the Puerto Vallarta Zoo.  The Puerto Vallarta Zoo is easily our most memorable zoo experience!

On our way to the zoo. 

Lunch with a view!

We took our time at lunch because it was so beautiful. 

We found a tiny town on a mountain road. 

Los Arcos

The Mismaloya River

This place advertised the filming location of the movie Predator, which excited Chris.

We finally made it to the zoo!

At the entrance, we bought a bag of food to feed the animals. 

We were the only guests at the zoo.  It was awesome.

The free-roaming geese begging and hissing for food.  

Katy was excited to find the giraffes, her favorite animal. 

Katy enjoyed feeding the little gerbils.

These monkeys took peanuts right out of Katy's hand.

Feeding a bear!

Holding baby tigers!

The baby tigers were only one month old.

At first she was scared.

But she finally came around!

Our third day with the rental car, we visited the Malecon in Puerto Vallarta.   I was looking forward to visiting this iconic Puerto Vallarta sight, but it turned out to be a bit too populated and developed for me.

The food was nothing special, but the view was nice.

The waiter brought Katy water in a cup from the bar.  She looked a little silly.  

We tried to visit the Malecon the day before but it was packed for a 100 year celebration.

I was excited to see this dome up-close!

It's always risky when you ask a stranger to take a picture for you. 

Sometimes you just have to take a selfie.

During our final days in Nuevo Vallarta, my timid little Katy finally warmed up to Bill and April's eight-year-old granddaughter, Eva.  Katy and Eva spent our last two days in Nuevo Vallarta playing together, and Katy loved every minute of it.  Katy was so enamored with her new friend that when Chris and I left the house one day to eat lunch, we had little choice but to bring Eva with us as well.

We ate some wonderful, inexpensive meals in Mexico.  One of our last meals was breakfast in a small, cozy, outdoor restaurant.  Three courses, including fresh bread and fresh-squeezed juice, for about $7!  It was delicious!

Our seven dollar, three course breakfast. 

When it was time to head home, it was hard to say good-bye to our generous and loving hosts.  So instead, we promised to return someday.  Hopefully this is one promise we keep. 

One final view of the canal.

With Bill and April.