Monday, November 5, 2012

Ocean Grill…paradise! We took the bus to Boca de Tomatlan where Oscar picked us up in a panga named Live, Love, Grill…how fitting.

 The ride from Boca to Colomitos Beach was very fun. We were amazed with the lovely restaurant that Alfonso has carved from the cliff and jungle.

 The tables are right on the water and he even has a “Loo With A View”. Alfonso’s menu is awesome. We all had the parrotfish with Ocean Grill Sauce. It was accompanied by grilled veggies, plantains and a pineapple salsa. His house margaritas were something else! They were flavored with fresh ginger and fresh mint. Five Star Dining!

After lunch we headed to the private little cove of a beach that was fed with fresh water from two small waterfalls. Ruth and Rick found a diversity of tropical fish along the rocks, including many types of large angelfish, parrotfish, a pufferfish, trunkfish, sergeant majors, lots  of the little neon blue fish, sea urchins, sardines and many others that we could not identify.

Wilson, the Great Dane (mixed with some Blood Hound we think) came to the beach to play with us. Oh my….he would stand over a whole person and trap them underneath and then would slobber all over. He is only one year old and is a HUGE puppy, but he sure needs some manners! He also would come up, stand on your towel, eat your crossword puzzle book and just stay there. Ruth tried to distract him FOUR times with the big stick and by swimming out in the bay.

We loved Alfonso and Ocean Grill and can’t wait to return!

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Brunch at La Playita is our favorite. We made careful plans for brunch at 8:30 am so we would be finished in time for the Bronco game, which we had figured would start at 10:00. While at brunch we figured the start time was really noon. We goofed that calculation up! So, we all headed back to our rooms for some R and R until time to head out to Casa Isabel for the game and a great view.

We loved our experience at Casa Isabel. We had the entire place to ourselves. Our waiter was so charming, giving us a tour of several rooms and his kitchen. He also introduced us to his dog, Jan.

Peyton did not let us down, either. A great day!

Friday, November 2, 2012

Dia de Los Muertos! On Thursday night we went to a gathering at the park near Vista del Sol condos. They were giving out Mexican hot chocolate and Pan de los Muertos. There was a crowd gathered around a stage and they were beginning the show...and the rain came. Everyone scattered and we missed the show. But, it was great seeing all of the people of Vallarta celebrating All Souls Day (November 1).

The next day, Friday, was All Saints Day. We were lucky to have Dan as our tour guide. He took us to the city cemetary.

 The people of Mexico have such a nice custom. They gather at the grave sites of loved ones to remember them. They bring flowers, candy, and other favorites for their family members that have passed. It is a happy family time to remember their loved ones.

There are flower vendors near the cemetery, so you can easily purchase a remembrance.

 Barb brought a remembrance for her mom and her dad, which she placed on a grave that had no other attention. I put my flowers on the grave, too.

Kids come with painted faces.

 The families whitewash the grave sites to make them pretty. I loved these two boys who had obviously been painting in the cemetery. I gave them a couple to Beanie Babies and asked if I could snap their pictures.

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Halloween! We always start at Andales to hand out candy to the armies of kids that come through in costume. Loved the baby in the bucket. We actually see him carrying her around town in that bucket daily.

 This little scarecrow was my favorite!

 Ruth gave this little girl an extra pair of Dracula teeth. Mom wanted a pair, too! Que linda!

Several years ago, costumes were not the thing. Instead, the mothers sewed little frocks or shirts from Halloween fabric, like the little gal below. Now, Halloween American Style has arrived in Mexico.

This year we brought 300 pencils to hand would with our two Costco bags of candy that we lugged down. The pencils were wildly popular, so we will repeat pencils next year. Even adults asked for pencils.

The costumes were very creative. They used to say "Queremos Halloween" in a little song. Now it is just Halloween. Some say Trick or Treat. And we did get a couple of Tricks from the kids. Many carried Huevos blown and filled with either confetti or flour. The custom is to "break" the egg on someone's head with resulting confetti hair or lots of dandruff. We used one on Jorgen. Ha ha!!

We moved to Sol's Cafe Bohemio for dinner. Sol is in rare form on Halloween. He had several costume changes throughout the evening.

We had a wonderful night with friends Bill and Barb and Kathe and Jorgen. We also ran into Don and Pat from our condo.

Ruth and Kathe sang La Paloma Cucurucucu again with our favorite mariachis, Veracruz.

Oh, good and bad news. The camera decided to work again after we messed around with the focus a million times. We know it won't last, so we will take lots of pictures now! The bad news is that the $10.48 white watch broke. Short life....Walmart.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Today we discovered that our camera is no longer in the land of the living. This summer some sand got into it at Lake McConaughy and it has been threatening to quit since then. I guess a photoless blog is not as interesting, but I will give it a try. Maybe I can get pictures from friends along the way to add.

At sunset our friends Cynde and Dan came up to our condo with their cousins. We had a nice time chatting while watching another not too spectacular sunset. Too many clouds. Later we walked over to No Way Jose for another great meal. We all enjoyed the mariachis and the interesting entrees. Rick had a really good mole chicken. Ruth had her usual chili en nogada, which is a stuffed chili with a walnut cream sauce and pomegranite seeds. So pretty!

Monday, October 29, 2012

We passed through the Malecon on a morning walk and saw this lovely piece of tile artwork.

 Today was a lazy day pooltop. Later, Kathe and Jorgen came by for a drink and sunset watching.

We walked up Aquiles Serdan, through the little neighborhood to one of our favorite restaurants, Encanto. Enrique and Jaime take great care of their guests. Kathe and I have been practicing La Paloma Cucurucucu and we sang with the mariachis. Very fun!

After dinner, Rick and I went over to Cafe Bohemia to make sure we had reservations with Sol for Halloween. We stopped at Andales on the way home for some dancing. That place is a riot!

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Today we took a walk up Isla Cuale to look for the new pedestrian bridge linking Isla Cuale to Gringo Gulch.

Rick on the bridge over the Cuale River to Gringo Gulch.

Richard Burton bought Liz Taylor a home, Casa Kimberly, in Gringo Gulch and a home for himself across the street when they were filming Night of the Iguana. He had a pink bridge built between the two homes so they could discreetly meet.

 We walked around the corner to find Hacienda San Angel, a highly recommended Boutique Hotel that has amazing meals. There is a funky rope connected to a little pulley that you pull and it rings a huge bell in a tower inside the compound. Pretty amazing. We got a quick look around and made reservations for another night.

This pulley contraption rings the large bell in a tower inside. Pretty incredible!

Next we stopped by the Cheeky Monkey for a $1 beer and a view of the Malecon.

After a dip in the pool tp cool off, we headed to El Torito to watch the Bronco Saints game. Fun to watch them actually win!