Thursday, September 11, 2008

Puerto Vallarta

The beach at our hotel
Our hotel was really green and had lots of ponds and activities. We would definitly recommend it to people traveling with kids. The food was awesome too, we were eating non-stop
The biggest pool in Puerto Vallarta
Mike's new buddies. He played volleyball with them like everyday. But I did manage to beat him in ping pong. It felt pretty good......


This is downtown Puerto Vallarta. We went there one day and were not that impressed. There was a couple of cool things (like this old church) but other than that it was very similar to downtown LA. Mike said he felt like he was at work but much more nervous since he didn't have his gun. He kept turning around and grabbing me. It was a little freaky. The city there is very poor. No one has air conditioning and it is super hot and humid and many of the apartments didn't have roofs, windows, etc.
This was a tour we went on that took us on an old bus through the jungle. Half way up the mountain the tour bus got stopped over a river and stuck in mud (it rains there every night for like an hour). We all had to get out, get back it, and go backwards down the steep one lane dirt road, it was so curvy the little 4 year old behind us kept throwing up! Then we got stuck again. Mike and this other guy borrowed a shovel from some farmer and dug the bus out, then pushed it out of the mud. We were stuck there for like an hour while Mike and this other guy were digging and pushing!! Oh yeah did I mention our bus driver was full on drunk, after our first stop when we got back on he reeked of liquor and was passed out on the seats. Everyone was like, hummm...........We really got to experience authentic Mexico on this trip........
This was an awesome trip! We took a boat to this secluded beach where they had kayaks and snorkeling equipment, it was super pretty and fun.


They had igunas like this around the ponds at our hotel. Mike loved them.

So our trip to Puerto Vallarta was super fun! It was nice to be away and relax! It may sound like I am complaining during this entry, but I am just giving a review of Puerto Vallarta in general. I will say that after going to Cancun (during the same month 3 years ago) it doesn't compare at all. The beaches in Puerto Vallarta are rocky and dirty colored, and the ocean is totally muddy. And super warm, the ocean feels like a spa, which doesn't feel nice since it is also 90 degrees and super humid so you are mostly dripping in sweat. We went on a snorkeling trip and we couldn't even see our hand in front of our face because the ocean was so muddy. Again no comparison to Cancun's crystal clear waters, tropical fish, and white sandy beaches. (We also had Cayman Islands to compare with and Cayman's water is way cleaner than PV) We enjoyed ourselves but I don't think we will be heading back down anytime soon. A couple who we met who has traveled all over the world said it wasn't really fair to compare Cancun beaches/water with any others since the only other similar comparison in the world is Greece. So we are thinking Greece for the next big trip!! Any input from anyone out there who has traveled would be nice!! We are glad to be home with the kids too and thank Donna for staying with them, it was so nice of her to stay with the kids for a week! Savannah and Cole LOVED it and talk about Nana Donna everyday.

9 comments:

Ryan said...

Amazing Pictures!

Shannon said...

Although I haven't been to PV, we think Cancun just can't be beat. Larry and I talk about going back often but we want to wait for the boys to get a little bit older. I'm glad you guys enjoyed yourselves and were able to get away together.

Derpina Derp said...

Looks like fun! I love the pics. We need to go somewhere sans kids sometime. I bet it would be AWESOME! We've got a week banked with our timeshare. It's all a matter of deciding where to go.

Anyway, our trip to CA is BOOKED! We will be staying in Anaheim Oct. 10-16th, but we'll only be at Disneyland Mon 13th-Wed 15th so if you guys wanted to meet up one of those days, that would be cool! We're not sure what we're going to do Fri/Sat/Sun. Any suggestions?

Kindle here:
We would love to hang out with you everyday if that was possible because you guys are so awesome. If you would like us to come to your house or you to come back down to So. LA to hang out there that would be cool too. But there are so many things to do and we do have some plans that can be changed so let us know. Erin thinks that just sounded creapy, but I think that would be cool. Have a good night. Later

Melissa said...

Despite everything, it looks like you guys had a great time... rekindling "the life before kids" romance.

Natalie and Jay said...

Wow! It looks like you guys had a fabulous time. Beautiful pics. I would think you guys would be sick of the beach, sand and sun by now - after all, you live there. Are you still wanting to go next summer with the whole family? We're still game - just waiting to hear where we're going.

Nana Donna said...

I talk about my two SoCal kids alot! I loved tending them! They were so good for me, the only bad time was the "Tuesday from Hell," but I'm really glad everything bad fell on the same day, that way I got to really enjoy the kids. I miss them.

Rebecca said...

sounds like fun! PS - you don't even barely look pregnant Nikki! Lucky girl!

Stephen, Nadia, Mia y Ella said...

Hey Mike sounds like you guys had quiet the experience. You need to continue to practice that spanish and sometime come to Peru with us, how bought this December. We can party again like if it was Saturday Night Disco Skating. Or like the time we went skinny dipping in Dimple Dell Canyon. Weeee

Cute family, you should have a dozen of them. We will see if we can come visit you some time.

Lisa said...

Looks like a fun trip. I have to agree that the Caribbean side is much much better. Nothing beats the blue water. By the way, you don't look pregnant at all! I've got a huge belly and don't think I'm that far ahead of you. Must be cuz you're tall! : ) Oh, and since we found out we're having a boy, one of our top names happens to be Cole. We might be copying you!