Our flight was delayed getting into San Diego and we had barely enough time to get some food and get back on the plane. We cut it a little close. They were doing the 'this is the final boarding call. If we close the boarding doors they will not reopen' announcement as we ran on.
We got the rental car and got our first Mexico tacos and then went to the Airbnb condo. It was dark at the beach by the condo but we found hermit crabs crawling across the beach.
We got up and had a lazy morning. We wanted to have some adventures but not the really fun stuff until Juliet arrived later that evening. Our Airbnb was right on the ocean!
While we played at the condo, Merril went to go check out if we could rent kayaks to go to a group of islands called Los Arcos. There was a guy on the beach who asked if we needed a boat because you can't take kayaks out of the bay. His name was Antonio and he had a little Chihuahua named Benny Blanco. Merril set it up to meet him on Thursday and he would take us snorkeling and show us some of the beaches.
Merril came back and we decided to go exploring in the rental car. We got caught in a group of VW convertible bugs. So we opened the sunroof and all the windows in the car to make buggy mode. The air was so nice that we often drove with the windows and sunroof open.
We found Los Muertos Beach Pier. We looked it up. There was a shipwreck here, thus the name Death Beach.
We played in the ocean by the pier and watched the pelicans dive for fish.
We ate dinner by the ocean and headed back to the condo for the night.
We ate lunch at an acai bowl place because Merril had never had one.
And Juliet made is safely from Salt Lake City airport and we picked her up and headed to dinner and the beach!
We chilled and played in the ocean.
We found a churro stand behind a supermercado and they were the freshest churros! We ate them as we went into the grocery store and again as we came out. So good!
Friday morning, Juliet and Maxine did yoga on the beach. Merril went running by the beach during their class. We meet Antonio and Benny and went snorkeling at Los Arcos. We saw cool fish, a sea turtle, a spotted ray, and some deflated puffer fish.
We ate lunch in the beach in Mismoyola. Antonio took us back to the beach and asked if we wanted to hike to a waterfall the next day. We agreed! Antonio was funny and his little taco bell dog liked to sit on our laps. He was a great boat captain.
Later that afternoon, we hiked from Boca on a trail in the jungle to Playa Colomitos. Mikayla was getting a cold before we left and didn't want to hike back because she wasn't feeling that great and coughing. I didn't want her to ride back alone so I went with her on the water taxi and there was another lady getting a ride. She had a pet, Peppe the goat. It got us back to Boca way before the hikers. As we walked through town, we found a michocana ice cream shop, which I definitely wanted to come back to! We got the crew and got the ice cream. Then Merril spotted a taco stand and we ate some of the greatest al pastor and asada tacos! We went home bushed.
We met Antonio and Benny the next day for a hike to a waterfall that was just right. We ate a mound of guacamole at a little taco stand at the waterfall. Antonio took us to another private beach for lunch and playing in the ocean. It was a nice lazy afternoon! We got ice cream again and watched the sunset.
The next day was Sunday and we started the day with church. We visited another beautiful church in Puerto Vallarta. We walked in the beach and found these rocking horses. We went back to the condo and chilled for the rest of the afternoon. We lounged in chairs in the shade by the ocean and took naps. Some people swam. We watched the sunset. We also got a $100 fine for hoping the fence to get to the beach. We have a key card but Mark and most of the rest of us would do it occasionally when someone else had the key card. Whoops. 😬 We paid it and decided to be more careful in the future.
We wandered back into the city that night for more street tacos and to wander the shops. Went back and crashed.
Woke up the next day and flew home. Our flight to San Diego was the same as Juliet's so we got to fly with her part of the way. Then she continued on to Salt Lake and we went to Vegas.
I felt like this was a really great vacation. I wish Mikayla felt a little better and then she got a wicked sunburn. Juliet felt achey one night with a little fever but woke up the next day fine. Not sure what that was about. People got along. It was a great trip! Puerto Vallarta was lovely!
