New Year and Puerto Vallarta

Puerto Vallarta is only a 5 hour drive from here, so we knew we wanted to go sometime while we were here and spend some time at the beach. Laura suggested New Year's Eve and that sounded great. We set off about 3pm. We planned to stay in a small village called Lo De Marcos in Nayarit, about 1 hour north of Vallarta. Laura promised it would be quieter than other beaches, especially Vallarta. We arrive around 7pm. Laura knew the owners of some bungalows, so we booked them. The price was a bit high for Mexico, but this is the most popular time for Mexicans to vacation, and it was a big place with 2 bedrooms and a kitchen, right on the beach. Unfortunately, we didn't realize when we booked it that bungalow is not a hotel, which means we had to provide our own towels, toilet paper and anything else we might be used to at a hotel. Disappointing, but would have been ok had the toilets worked. Also one of the 2 showers had no shower head and the hot water was only on if we bugged the manager to turn on the water heater. Dave wanted to change but being a smaller village there weren't a lot of other choices, much less any that were vacant. Laura promise of a quiet beach was great though. We visited a few other beaches and they were all so crowded.

We spent lots of time on the beach. Riley and Jocie loved playing in the surf which was thankfully very mild. Jane wasn't as brave, but enjoyed it too. We built sandcastles and searched the tide pools for fish. One day the local fisherman brought in a net that was full of 3-day-old fish that they couldn't sell so they let the kids throw them to the birds. Dave enjoyed himself reading a lot and taking pictures and video.

One day we went into Vallarta for lunch and a little shopping.

Another day we went to lunch in a nearby town called Sayulita. It was very touristy and crowded, but also looked like lots of fun. Maybe we'll come back and stay there.

Another afternoon we drove to San Blas and took a boat trip down a river to a crocodile nursery and a freshwater spring called La Tovara. Riley and Jocie were the only one's that swam, but they had fun jumping off the rope swing platform (both were too short to reach the actual swing).
It was very relaxing and fun. The kids loved it almost as much as me. I've always loved the beach. We're thinking of taking another beach trip when my parents get here next week. Maybe Manzanillo this time.