Monika’s Birthday 2018 – Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Oh my God! Another Monika birthday. You know how she loves birthdays. It is her special day of the year, which often runs into several days or weeks! You may recall some week-long backpacking trips into the Sierras, or was it battling a Pacific storm on the cliffs of Point Arena, or climbing the backside of Yosemite’s Half Dome, or jumping out of a perfectly good airplane at 18,000 feet? Should I mention cruising around Cuba in a 1957 Plymouth? This year, Mexico was the draw. What better way to celebrate a birthday than swimming with dolphins, eating tacos, enjoying a few margaritas, standing under a waterfall in the jungle—or how about watching the progress of class-5 hurricane Willa from a rooftop in Puerto Vallarta.
What a Ride!
We had (yeah, I get to go too) been invited by old friends, Fred Walti III and Karen Rutherford, to stay at their slightly remodeled adobe home a short walk from the beach in Puerto Vallarta. OK slightly more than remodeled, like a gourmet kitchen, a pizza oven, two barbecue area and walls covered with a beautiful Mexican art collection and great views from the fourth floor sunning deck overlooking the bay. Oh, I forgot the outdoor swimming pool on the 3rd floor just down the hall from the master bedroom. I lost count of how many other bedrooms there were but do check out their website, http://www.coronaadobe.com.
Heidi, the playful Sea Lion
To our delight, Eduardo Payan, our longtime Mexican friend from Chihuahua, decided to help celebrate Monika’s birthday. We hadn’t seen each other for years. It was high time to catch up. Dinner was celebrated at the old town Mi Pueblito Restaurant right on the beach. It was Oaxacan night. A dance group performed various dances from that state.
Wanna dance Birthday Girl?
Livening things up a little, after a fun swim with the dolphins, Chris Collard, (ex-editor of Overland Journal), and his wife Suzy joined us on a local bus to the famous Botanical Gardens and then hopped on a boat to Yelapa, a fishing village and old hippy hangout. You can only get there by boat. We strolled through the village, swam in the 80° clear water, hiked to a jungle waterfall, shopped at the local stores and hung out at one of the beach palapa restaurants where we met Mario, the iguana. (He was vegetarian.) Sometimes we did exactly what you are supposed to do on a beach at a remote fishing village—-nothing.
The weather was hot and humid, to be expected this time of the year, and then Hurricane Willa showed up totally uninvited to the party. Rated as a Class 5 disaster for the beach towns along the Pacific coast including Puerto Vallarta, we jumped on the last taxi boat out of Yelapa back to La Boca where we caught a bus to town. The entire port of Puerto Vallarta was already closed. Never a boring moment. Everyone hunkered down. The town was quiet, the restaurants were closed, the stores along the Malecón (boardwalk) were boarded up. In the end, nothing happened in PV. A bit of wind, a bit of rain and some higher than normal waves. The city returned to its normal vibes. Life was good and Monika’s birthday, once again, was full of new experiences. She can’t wait for the next one, well maybe mine will get in the way first…….
- We are celebrating Monika’s birthday dinner at Puerto Vallarta’s Mi Pueblito’s Restaurant right on the beach.
- Monika received the longest birthday kiss ever – from a dolphin!
- The two powerful noses of the dolphins were pushing Monika on her soles high up into the air. Quite a strange feeling.
- Gary is hitching a ride.
- We learned a lot about the dolphins and posed for a lot for photos! A group picture with our friend Eduardo Payan.
- Sea Lion Heidi was especially fond of Eduardo.
- A final group picture with our longtime Mexican friend Eduardo Payan from Chihuahua.
- We visited the pretty Puerto Vallarta Botanical Gardens.
- In the jungle, everything is BIG.
- This red barked tree was our favorite. No wonder, it is called “Tourist Tree” or Gumbo Limbo (Bursera simaruba)
- There were many flowers we did not know their names of.
- Ferns invited photographers to capture their display of light.
- Butterflies were everywhere.
- We enjoyed a pretty sunset and dinner at a beach front restaurant with Chris and Suzy Collard.
- The taxi boat ride from Puerto Vallarta to the fishing village of Yelapa was 45 minutes.
- Our hotel was directly across the bay from the village Yelapa.
- Monika celebrates her birthday standing underneath a waterfall in the jungle.
- Monika has a new friend named Mario. He is at least 20 years old and vegetarian.
- Gary is doing what he came here for. Nothing.
- The beach at Yelapa.
- Combining the atmosphere of old Mexico with the luxury of a modern home, the Corona Adobe offers an unusual way to experience Puerto Vallarta.
- View from the third floor swimming pool at Corona Adobe.
- Corona Abobe’s neighborhood.
- More with curiosity than apprehension did we watch the approaching Hurricane Willa from Corona Adobe’s 4th floor viewing deck.
- View from our bedroom of the pretty Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe church, a city icon dominating Puerto Vallarta’s downtown.
- A peak into the gourmet kitchen/living area at Corona Adobe.
- The Plaza with its old bandstand was quite charming.
- The Old Plaza’s bandstand was colorfully decorated . They must have known Monika was coming to town.
- A typical street in downtown Puerto Vallarta.
- Along the Malecón (boardwalk) of Puerto Vallarta stood several interesting bronze sculptures. Some were rather strange.
- Another intriguing bronze sculpture along the Malecón.
- Why not? It’s Monika’s birthday!
- Caballero Gary lost his horse!
- Voladores de Papantla (Flyers of Papantla) on the Malecón performed day and night.
- We ate some great tacos prepared by these two ladies at Las Hormigas (the ants) near the old market.
- This man sold us some freshly caught trigger fish, one of our favorite reef fish from the Pacific coast of Mexico.
- We had never seen a full double rainbow over the ocean. Where was our wide angle lens????
Monica – wishing you a very happy birthday. Sounds like you and Gary had a wonderful time in P.V. thanks for the photos. glad the hurricane missed you all. Roger and Elizabeth
Thanks for the vicarious experience of sharing Monika’s birthday. You two do live life to the fullest!