Introduction
The first port we stopped at in Mexico was Puerto Vallarta, home to some really good Tequila. Puerto Vallarta was pretty hot and humid, I was definitely sweating bullets. We constantly had to reapply sunscreen so we didn’t get sunburned, however, I got sunburned anyway.
Information
Puerto Vallarta is known for its beaches, luxurious resorts, and marine life. The population is 530,000 and the main language is Spanish although English is widely spoken. They also have a reputation as an art center with many galleries and sculptures around town.
Some local things to eat are Chocolate, Mexican cacao adds an exotic taste to local chocolates, and boy did they taste good! Micheladas, A blend of tomato juice, beer lime juice, and spices with chili peppers in a glass rimmed with chili flakes and lime. Ceviche, fresh raw fish of either shrimp or octopus, cured in citrus juice, herbs, chili peppers, onions, coriander, and other seasonings. Guacamole. Tacos al pastor, marinated meat and slow-cooked, served on tortillas, onion, coriander, lime and salsa.
There are many places to explore in Puerto Vallarta like the romantic zone, also known as Olas Altas, brings a lot of visitors with its authentic Mexican style, cobbled streets, and picturesque color. There you can enjoy drinks like coffee or a traditional dish with trendy mixology to satisfy one’s thirst.
Our Experience with some Tequila
My friend and I were going on an excursion while the rest of the group went and explored Puerto Vallarta. Our excursion was a Tequila tasting one that was won while we were sailing. It was an amazing experience that I got to share with my friend and I highly recommend experiencing it; If you’re of age.
We rode a bus that took us from the port to different places and saw more of the culture; with some nice refreshments at each spot. We saw a lot of cool and interesting things on the bus ride. In addition, the places we visited were shops and would cost you a pretty penny so we didn’t get anything; there were some really, shiny, and gorgeous diamonds though at some of the shops!
Sculptures
We were able to see a gorgeous ocean view and all the cool statues on the boardwalk. One of my favorite sculptures was a merman holding a trident while out-stretching his hand to a mermaid. The statue was called “Triton and Siren” and has been around since 1990. The merman in the sculpture was meant to represent Triton who in Greek Mythology is the son of Poseidon, God of the sea, and Amphitrite, Goddess of the sea. While the mermaid is actually a siren, which was the Greek name for mermaids.
To the left was another sculpture with a man standing with his arms outstretched and head facing the sky. The statue is named “Lluvia (Rain)” and has only been around since 2020; it was the 34th sculpture placed along the edge of the Sea.
Exploration
Along the boardwalk was a man that was painted to look like a sculpture which was really hard to see the difference because of how good it was. The only reason I realized it wasn’t a sculpture was because there was a sign right by him that read “Welcome. When taking the photo don’t forget your cooperation thank you tips”.
On the boardwalk with the painted man was such a breathtaking view of the ocean and it really felt like I was in another world.
It was funny because while taking pictures a local saw me and posed for me to take her picture, I thought It was so nice and her picture turned out really well!
We had an hour to look around a part of town and it was quite nice. There was a central plaza with a cute gazebo, the whole place was littered with birds, and it was really humid outside. My friend and I had the great opportunity to explore a church and got some great photos; It was a beautiful church and we spent most of our time there.
Tequila Distillery
Finally was the Tequila Distillery which makes the Tequila Puerto Vallarta is known for and exports a lot. The place was really pretty and we got to see the guava plants that get processed into Tequila. We got to taste eight different Tequila, four of them were flavored and the others were differently aged. I didn’t really like the aged ones too much but I’m not much of an alcohol person. The flavored ones were really good and I would definitely buy them whenever a chance arises.
The flavors of the Tequila were Chocolate, Almond, Mango, and Coffee; I will say the Almond one was my absolute favorite then the Coffee one, the Mango one was good but overly sweet, and then I didn’t care much for the Chocolate one.
It was quite interesting to hear how they make the tequila and what you should pair each tequila with, I could tell you all the exciting facts I’ve learned but why would I deprive you guys of an experience of a lifetime.
Once the tasting was finished we had about half an hour to wander before our bus came to pick us up, so my friend and I went to eat some awesome build-it-yourself tacos from a little restaurant on the property. Unfortunately, I didn’t get any pictures of the food before we started eating because we were absolutely famished and couldn’t wait to dig in.
Board games and PJs
Sadly our great exploration had to come to an end and we got back to the cruise shift, our excursion took the entire time we were at port and it was time to board again. Apart from my friend and I changing we noticed that our room got serviced and they left a cute towel shaped like an Elephant on one of the beds.
And when our group all met back up, we just played board games and ate food enjoying each other’s company. Then we parted ways and went to bed.
Hey people!!!!!
Good mood and good luck to everyone!!!!!