Puerto Vallarta

We absolutely loved our time in Nuevo Vallarta and more so, in old Puerto Vallarta. We had a wonderful visit with Sam's brother, Dave, who gave us an excuse to be on "vacation" and travel into town daily to explore and eat at our favorite street taco stand! Sam, Dave, our friend Josh and I discovered this stand the first time into old town together. We ate there for lunch and loved it so much we ended up returning there for dinner! Can't beat 6 pesos (less than 60 cents) for a wonderful taco with homemade corn tortillas made right in front of you! And no, we never got sick!

We planned to leave shortly after Dave returned to the states, however, as we've learned time and time again, things do not always go as planned. (I'm starting to develop some of that Type B personality that Sam so easily possesses.) We spent one whole day (Monday) searching for canvas that we could use to make an awning for our boat. This would allow us to sit in the cockpit with some shade and also help to keep the inside cabin cooler while we're on the hook (at anchor for you land lubbers). We met a wonderful woman, Ann, from sailing vessel Sun seeker, who was willing and able to sew the material together for us in two days! She is originally from England, moved to the states, and eventually took off cruising with her husband a few years back. They now live in Nuevo Vallarta.

the faucet

On Tuesday Sam took the sink apart to try to detect the source of a small water leak. In doing so the leak got larger and the faucet needed to be replaced. So, back into town on Wednesday in search of a new faucet for our galley sink. (I tell you, I was starting to feel quite proficient with the Spanish language until Monday and Wednesday required me to talk in measurements, fabrics and faucets.) The one word I had for faucet in my Spanish dictionary was unknown to the locals and hence I got to play Charades and Taboo with them in order to communicate our needs. We walked many miles and covered multiple hardware stores. Some we were unable to visit due to siesta. Many stores close from 2 to 5 pm. In old town we took a break from searching and went yet again to our favorite taco stand. From there we asked a "local", a Brit who had been living there for a year, where we might find a faucet. His answer: Where else but Wal-Mart! We decided to further explore out of the town and walked into a village where we found a tiny hardware store. None of the people spoke a word of English! Now that was a true experience!!! We eventually communicated our needs and secured a tiny faucet that would work as a last resort. On our way home at night we stopped by Wal-Mart and sure enough found a faucet for less than half the price we'd seen in the city. The checkout girl laughed at Sam and all we could figure is she was wondering what in the world a gringo would be wanting with a faucet! Thursday was installation day which to our relief and perhaps for the first time EVER, took less time than expected.

time to sail on - almost…

Our plan to leave on Friday was pushed back due to an invitation from Ann (the canvas lady) to go hiking with a group of people. The hike was 1 1/2 hours during which time you crossed a river at least 20 times with water up to your knees. We crossed over the river a couple times via swinging bridges. Since horses and cows roam the area you have to be careful where you step. At the end of the hike was a beautiful waterfall where you could swim.

The plan was then to head out on Saturday. Once again we could not leave for two reasons. First, sailing vessel Maya pulled in with our friends aboard. We couldn't up and leave before spending some time with them. Second, there was a chili cook-off on Saturday evening at the marina. This is one of the yacht club's two largest events of the year. All money raised is donated to a local school. So, after hanging out with friends at the yacht club Friday night until it closed we decided to stay just one more day! As I'm writing this I'm realizing I entitled this email "leaving" paradise. So let me close by saying that we finally pulled out of paradise on Sunday morning around 6 am. More “sea stories” coming soon

Sincerely,
Sam & Sally
S/V Moana
Currently somewhere off the coast of Mexico

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