As you know if you've read my previous cruising blogs, we enjoy cruises with many days at sea. This one was no different. It took us 5 days to creep along the US and Mexican coasts to Puerto Vallarta. We enjoyed our usual on-board activities of walking the promenade, reading, knitting and napping. We also listened to the bands/performers who entertained in various venues scattered about the ship. This time there were few educational presentations although we did attend a lecture given by the ship's navigator who gave us a virtual tour of the bridge. On Valentine's Day we booked a meal at Sabatini's to celebrate.
On February 15th, we arrived in Puerto Vallarta. The place was discovered by the Spanish in 1525 and by Hollywood, in the 1960s ("The Night of the Iguana" was filmed there). In between, it was a sleepy fishing village. We had signed up for a tour that would take us into the Sierra Madre (Mother Mountains) to a 17th century mining town called San Sebastian del Oeste originally settled by those in search of gold, silver, and lead.
The tour began with a long bus ride through the city and surrounding countryside. Our fist stop was a small bakery/café (Panaderia) huddled next to the El Progresso Bridge which spans a wide ravine. We then crossed the bridge and arrived at the Hacienda San Sebastian, a family-owned tequila distillery. We sampled some of their unique tequilas (made from the blue agave plant) flavoured with coffee, chocolate, vanilla, and almonds. I had fun taking photos of their chickens, too. Maybe I drank too much tequila?
A San Sebastian coffee plantation called La Quinta Mari was our next stop. The high altitude coffee is grown under orange and lemon trees. Our guide, Juan Carlos, when he discovered I loved lemons, picked one for me to eat. We also had a tiny cup (size of a shot glass) of organic coffee. Afterwards we sat down to an authentic Mexican lunch of tortillas, beef, chicken and pork fajitas and lots of different salsas. We washed it down with local beer (or lemonade). Juan Carlos assured us all the food and drink was made with purified water.The town of San Sebastian is quaint with its white-washed haciendas and town square but our first stop was the church. What an amazing building! Originally built in 1608 in what is called the Spanish Baroque style, it was rebuilt in 1868 after an earthquake destroyed it. Its vaulted ceiling was painted in pastel blue and rose so different from other churches we've seen. We next visited the local museum, Casa Museo Doña Conchita Encarnacion. Here one of the descendants of the original seven families who owned plantations around the town explained her rather complicated lineage. Due to Spanish laws regarding land ownership, men often married their cousins or aunts.
We had time to relax in the village square where I photographed flowers while Glen made friends with a local dog. The bus ride back was uneventful except we did pass a bullring, Lienzo Charro "Miguel Prieto Ibarria", an aspect of Mexican culture rarely explored on guided tours.
I returned to our cabin with bug bites. I believe the dogs at the coffee plantation had fleas (I did not pat them) but if there is a biting bug around, it will find me. So if you plan a tour into the interior of Mexico bring plenty of sunscreen and insect repellent.
See my Grand Princess photos here and my Puerto Vallarta pics here.
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