That's all folks...

We'd had such a great day on Thursday that it seemed even worse torture to have to go home on Friday than it might otherwise have done at the end of a holiday. 

So, Alexis came up with a genius plan to make ourselves a takeaway breakfast, head down to the beach at sun-up, drop off at Dee's coffee house to collect an americano, and then sit on the sand, wringing the absolute last drop out of our trip.

The plan worked beautifully: the breakfast was perfect (apple & papaya, followed by feta, olives, tomatoes and red peppers), the sun shone, the waves crashed in, the pelicans dived and swooped, and the water taxis went back and forth from the little pier.

We were only there for 2 hours, but somehow we managed to distil an essence of our whole 13 day trip into that short time, ready for us to take back home.

During some of the wetter periods of the holiday Alexis and I had had the chance to talk about a lot of things: ideas, thoughts, concerns, our respective pasts and our hopes for the future. As a result of those conversations, we're heading home with a list of exciting plans, projects and resolutions for the years ahead, which I am sure will shape us as individuals and as a couple. 

The Puerto Vallarta trip was wonderful in itself, with fantastic memories of whales, dinners, scenery, bars, rain, parties, dancing and tequila, but it also has a wider significance for me, as a point of resolution of the past and a new beginning.

Return to Archie's

The last full day of our trip proved to be something of a highlight, because the sun came out! 

From dawn till dusk we had bright clear blue sky. We headed straight for the beach and found a spot near Daiquiri Dick's, where we'd enjoyed our New Year's Eve celebration. We swam in the sea, soaked up the rays, listened to yet more drummers and trumpeters as they blasted their way long the shoreline, and then nipped in to the restaurant for lunch, where the waitress recognised us and even remembered Alexis's name. Back on the beach again, we bought a ring each from one of the wandering hawkers, as a memento of the trip, watched the brave souls taking off and landing on their parascending trips, and basked in the warm sun as it slowly dropped towards the hills over Caletas at the south east end of the bay.

We returned to the apartment to start packing, then went back out to enjoy our last dinner, returning to Archie's Wok. I hadn't noticed the first time I was there but on the back of the menu was an article all about Archie. He had been an Asian chef working on Santa Barbara in the 70s and had decided to up sticks for Mexico. He worked as a chef in local eateries and got to know the guy who was building John Huston's hideaway house in Caletas. After being introduced to Huston, Archie started cooking for him when he entertained his famous guests (Burton, Taylor et al). But Archie's big plans came together when he opened the Wok restaurant, and here we were, enjoying a speciality ying-yang Margeherita (with sake), fine Asian food and a glass of cool white wine in the open courtyard in the very same place that Archie started all those years ago.

Our last dinner was wonderful and capped off a great day. We'd seen the best of Puerto Vallarta, more than making up for the cloud and rain in the previous week, and we'd regained that sense of calm and well-being that results from a day in the sunshine.

Archie died in 1993, but the restaurant aims to maintain his high standards and welcoming atmosphere. It certainly worked for me, so I raised a small toast to Archie and to Puerto Vallarta. 

Return to the Cafe

Earlier in the week Alexis had wanted to return to Cafe des Artistes, the restaurant where we had our Christmas Eve gastronomic extravaganza, but they were full. So, we returned on Wednesday evening, New Year's Day. We had a table in the garden, which is more like a mini-jungle than anything formal, with tables on multiple levels causing the poor waiters to run like ants up and down the steps. We had fewer courses, but the food was just as good. The violin player serenaded us, accompanied by the pianist down in the main building (connected by wireless radio with the piano music piped through speakers across the restaurant, if you're wondering how they got the piano in the jungle bit. Sounds tacky, but actually was really slick). When the violinist got to the table next to us one of the guests stood up and sang an aria, rather well if truth be told (well, certainly better than I could). It really is quite a place.

The we took our stroll along the Malecon promenade, mingling with the families, couples, tourists, street vendors, entertainers and the bar staff trying to get you into their novelty establishment.

 "Zoo Bar" had giant animal statues; "La Vaquita" had a giant cow, which swung out over the pavement below, and a trapeze over the bar for the use of adventurous customers; "Hilo" had a giant bronze statue of a woman - a sort of Britannia-figure carrying a scythe. All were three storeys high, open to the ceiling, and blasting out all variety of music. I suspect they came into their own in the early hours, but tonight we just had a couple of beers in Zoo, then called it a night. 

New Year's Eve

Daiquiri Dick's beach restaurant was the venue; Los Bambinos the entertainment, on a makeshift stage on the beach; there would be fireworks and champagne to bring in the New Year; and throughout it all, it rained. They had set up gazebos and umbrellas, but the water still has to go somewhere, and it came down the sides of the parasols in torrents. The waiters were drenched, some people had to move tables to get under shelter, buckets were placed in strategic places but filled up in seconds, but the band played on. The party hats came out, the tuneless hooters accompanied the band, and Alexis ordered me two shots of anejo tequila to get my dancing legs working. 

Then the rain stopped, we walked out on the the beach, watched the firework displays being held at every hotel from one end of the bay to the other, and dodged the rockets being let off a few meters from us on the sand. And we danced. The tequila made me think I was doing a passable salsa/mambo style, but compared to the locals I doubt I was doing anything of the sort.

Our waiter desperately sought us out in the melee, presenting us with a bill that in the UK would have looked laughably small for the food and entertainment we'd had.  Poor guy probably thought we had done a runner.

Then we started the walk home, but turning the corner we were faced with a main street completely filled with people, with massive speakers at each end, video screens hung across between the buildings, and the whole crowd dancing like mad Mexican things. So I also danced like a mad Mexican thing. Thank goodness no one has any video. I didn't recognise any of the songs, but Alexis shouted and waved her arms with everyone else at the appropriate times, so she was in her element.

Finally, we really started walking home, and then of course it started raining again. By the time we got home we were both completely soaked, but it had been a very, very memorable night.

The sun, at last...

Last night we had our first sunset in a week, 

And this morning I woke up to this...

Just such a shame we go home tomorrow...

No cash in Sayulita

We'd always anticipated getting a hire car for a few days, to get out of town and spend some time on other beaches. As it happened, we didn't bother because of the weather, but by New Years Eve we'd not seen the sun for 6 days and we were going a little crazy. So we managed to get the last car from the little Dollar booth in town and drove off up the coast.

We arrived in Sayulita around midday - a mad bohemian mash-up of little streets, funky shops, bars, restaurants and a beach that was rammed with beautiful people. We had a quick lunch then as we're are beautiful people ourselves, we joined the crowd on the beach. The sun came out briefly; a father and his two small sons played terrible mariachi music on trumpet and drums; a troupe of tattooed, tanned and dreadlocked drummers accompanied a unicyclist balancing on a little plank of wood and juggling at the same time; surfers did their stuff, kids played in the shallows, and the world seemed all rather warm and fuzzy.

Alexis found a really nice necklace from a street vendor, but I'd forgotten to get more cash and so I couldn't afford to buy it. I scoured the town for an ATM but every one in town (and there were plenty) had some kind of handmade sign saying it wasn't working. New Year's Eve and there was no cash in Sayulita!

Finally I joined a queue in a grocery store and managed to get some money from the last functioning ATM in town. The guy quickly added a wire clasp to the necklace and my afternoon was complete.
Unfortunately the return journey was very wet, very dark and very slow. The traffic was terrible and we ended up having only an hour at home before heading into town for our New Year celebration. But I was so glad to have had the chance to take the car and get out for an afternoon.

Wait for the mahi-mahi

Monday afternoon, after drying out and warming up after the whale watching, we ventured out for lunch to a beach restaurant called Daiquiri Dicks, where we had booked for New Year's Eve. We started with a Margeherita as we read the menu and I spotted a rather nice fish wrap, with mahi-mahi. The waiter said it would take 25-30 minutes to cook, and asked if that was ok.

Now, if I was in Knutsford for dinner one evening and they said my choice would take 25 minutes, I would almost certainly change my mind. My meal would probably arrive after 15 minutes and so, by clever selection, I would have saved myself 10 whole minutes.

In Puerto Vallarta, of course, I said I would wait for the nice mahi-mahi wrap and, by the way, lets have another round of Margheritas. The meal was wonderful (and early) and we got into a deep discussion of the type that we never have the time for in our normal lives. Another Margeherita followed, then coffee, and before we knew it we'd managed to take 3 hours over a quick lunch.

The weather was still rubbish, but we could have reached over the little wall to touch the sand, there was a dolphin doing leaps out in the ocean, and we were in our little Margeherita bubble for a few hours.