Live from Westerdam on her New Years cruise

[Copper10-8]

Have you checked out America's Test Kitchen? Or heard anything about it?

 

I have not personally, No because my culinary "skills" and interest are severely limited to being able to make a peanut butter & jelly sandwich............

 

But the male half of our dinner table mates has, as recent as this morning, and he really liked it

[Copper10-8]

Day 5 – 01/04/2017; Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico; Westerdam pulled into the Terminal Maritima / Muelle de Cruceros Puerto Vallarta at approximately 6:30 AM. Once inside the basin, Captain Mark, using his side thrusters, turned his ship 180 degrees using available space (which wasn’t much at all, an admirable job) until her bow was facing westbound alongside the original dock on the south side adjacent the quayside market. Already ten years ago now, during 2007, Puerta Vallarta gained a new cruise dock which now allows three large cruise ships berthing space. The latest dock is located on the north side of the harbor adjacent to the Navy base. The other two cruise ship docks are on the east side (across the street from the Wal-Mart) and the original one where we were at today. We would be the only cruise ship in town today.

 

Puerto Vallarta is located at the center of the 25-mile wide Banderas Bay (Bay of Flags) and alongside the Sierra Madre mountain range (Think Night of the Iguana: “Baaadges?? I don’t got to tchow you no stinkin’ baaadges”). The name honors former governor Ignacio Luis Vallarta. The 2010 census reported Puerto Vallarta's population as 255,725 making it the fifth largest city in the Mexican state of Jalisco, and the second largest urban agglomeration in the state after the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area. The climate here is tropical (and can be humid) with sunny days most of the year. The rainy season takes place from July to September. Puerto Vallarta's proximity to the Bay of Banderas, the agricultural valley of the Ameca River, and the important mining centers in the Sierra Nevada have given the town a more interesting past than most Mexican tourist destinations. Puerto Vallarta was a thriving Mexican village long before it became an international tourist destination. Tourism was a major economic activity because of the climate, scenery, tropical beaches, and rich cultural history.

 

The economy is based mainly on tourism and construction (lots of building going on in and outside of the City) with a small percentage derived from agriculture and tropical fruits. Puerto Vallarta was once named ‘La ciudad más amigable del mundo’ (The Friendliest City in the World), as the sign reads when entering from the state of Nayarit. Today, the presence of numerous sidewalk touts selling time-shares and Tequila render the city's atmosphere more akin to tourist-heavy resorts like Cancun and Acapulco, but overall the city's reputation remains relatively undiminished.

 

Tourism in Puerto Vallarta has increased steadily over the years and makes up for 50% of the city's economic activity. The high season for international tourism in Puerto Vallarta extends from late November through March (or later depending on the timing of the college Spring Break period in the USA.) The city is especially popular with US residents from the western U.S. because of the sheer number of direct flights between Puerto Vallarta and Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Denver and Phoenix. The city is also popular with tourists from western Canada with a number of direct scheduled and charter flights from western Canadian cities.

 

Puerto Vallarta is also a highly popular vacation spot for domestic tourists. It is a popular weekend destination for residents of Guadalajara (tapatíos), and a popular national destination for vacations such as Semana Santa (the week preceding Easter) and Christmas. Also in recent years Acapulco has experienced a rise in drug related violence and consequently Puerto Vallarta has absorbed a lot of the Mexico City resort vacation business (Acapulco has long been a common destination for tourists from Mexico City). The city has become a popular retirement destination for U.S. and Canadian retirees. This trend has spawned a condominium development boom in the city.

 

Rapid growth in tourist volume in Puerto Vallarta has given rise to rapid growth in hotel and rental apartment construction. This growth has spilled over from the city limits into Nuevo Vallarta in the neighboring state of Nayarit. The area is one of the fastest growing regions in the Americas.

PV is divided into three major regions: the northern hotel and resort region (Nueva Vallarta), the Old Town/Rio Cuale region (Viejo Vallarta), and the Playa los Muertos “Beach of the dead” (how cool of a name is that?) region. In Spanish, Puerto Vallarta is frequently shortened to "Vallarta", while English speakers call the city P.V. for short. In internet short-hand the city is often referred to as PVR, after the International Air Transport Association airport code for its Gustavo Diaz Ordaz International Airport.

 

We had breakfast in the Lido this morning. Puerto Vallarta’s local time is always one hour ahead of the ship’s time and in times past we were told to stay on the latter. Not anymore however, since the ship’s clocks went one hour ahead at 0200 early Wednesday morning. The game plan was to grab a taxi, readily available a short distance from the gangway, to downtown PV and to Restaurante ‘La Palapa on Playa los Muertos, in particular. We arranged a price with the cabbie and off we went southbound Avenida Medina Ascencio in one of those Nissan Sentras (they make those bad boys here in Mexico and call them Nissan Tsurus – haven’t figured out yet what a Tsuru is but, then again, what is a Sentra?). down the Malecon (the boardwalk next to the waterfront) and down the cobblestoned streets of Viejo Vallarta with whitewashed Spanish homes on both sides. After about a 15-20 min. drive, we wound up at the beach and, more specifically, at La Palapa right on it (the beach).

 

La Palapa restaurant combines an excellent cuisine, friendly and attentive service with a really nice tropical beach setting. We got a table right smack adjacent the beach walking path on a nice sunny day in PV. That, coupled with a cerveza and a good lunch made it a perfect lunch date. While waiting for our order to arrive we spent some time watching a dude in the ocean attempting to master the still relatively new craze of ‘flyboarding’, using high-pressure water jets and standing on a “fly-board”, this form of water sport sees participants propelled through the surf and high into the air before once again plunging under the waves. The guy we watched spent more time below the surf then ‘soaring’ above it, but it doesn’t look that easy to do.

 

After lunch, the ride back to the marina in yet another yellow ‘Tsuru’ cab, partly climbing the foothills of the Sierra Nevada via Hwy 200 aka ‘Libramiento’ including going through the by-pass tunnel, was uneventful, arriving there at 3:00 pm with a 4:30 All Aboard time. The tunnel is part of PV’s main highway and road arteries that connect the northern to the southern part of the city without having to drive through the frequently busy downtown area as we did on our way to the restaurant.

 

Westerdam left PV at about 5:15 pm on a north-north-west course en-route back to San Diego. After dinner, we went to the 10:00 pm show, tonight featuring illusionist James Cielen with also brought on stage with him as his assistant, Bonnie, one of the WEDM dancers who did an outstanding job, as well as two little Pomerian dogs, Simba and Nala. Some his “tricks of the trade” left you wondering “how did he do that”.

 

For the late-night entertainment, comedian Kevin Jordan, Yes, he with the flashlight” had us all in laughs in the Queen’s Lounge! Kevin is a very, very funny guy! Pic is a look at Puerto Vallarta upon our arrival

Edited January 6, 2017 by Copper10-8

[erewhon]

Thank for your interesting reports.

[TiogaCruiser]

Adding my thanks also-

 

And my thanks for your previous live-from thread(s) also.

Your New Years thread from a few years back inspired a cruise (twice) to Mexico. (I "had" to go back because the San Sebastián shorex got cancelled the first time due to insufficient interest.) That was one of the BEST shorex I've done.

And the cruise is one that I will plan to repeat in the future, as it is so easy for us SoCal residents to Amtrak to, and I really like the ports (especially Mazatlan).:D

[crunchii]

We'll be on Westerdam (and PV is one our stops) next year, so I read your report with great interest!

 

By the way, tsuru means crane (bird) in Japanese.

[Copper10-8]

We'll be on Westerdam (and PV is one our stops) next year, so I read your report with great interest!

 

By the way, tsuru means crane (bird) in Japanese.

 

Hey, thanks a bunch for solving that 'mystery' - Enjoy Westie and her happy crew! :)

[Copper10-8]

Adding my thanks also-

 

And my thanks for your previous live-from thread(s) also.

Your New Years thread from a few years back inspired a cruise (twice) to Mexico. (I "had" to go back because the San Sebastián shorex got cancelled the first time due to insufficient interest.) That was one of the BEST shorex I've done.

And the cruise is one that I will plan to repeat in the future, as it is so easy for us SoCal residents to Amtrak to, and I really like the ports (especially Mazatlan).:D

 

We did that tour to San Seastian several years back, flying up there from PV airport in a Cessna Caravan and landing on San Sebastian's dirt strip; very cool! On last week's voyage, we noticed that "a day in San Sebastian" is still offered but now you get there by van. They must have improved the road system to get up the mountain; agreed, a really interesting shorex

[sammygoose]

Thanks Copper 10-8 . I really appreciated the detailed background information you provide on your trip reports. We are leaving next month on the same cruise. :)

[Copper10-8]

Thanks Copper 10-8 . I really appreciated the detailed background information you provide on your trip reports. We are leaving next month on the same cruise. :)

 

Enjoy Westerdam and Mexico Sammy! :)

[TiogaCruiser]

We did that tour to San Seastian several years back, flying up there from PV airport in a Cessna Caravan and landing on San Sebastian's dirt strip; very cool! On last week's voyage, we noticed that "a day in San Sebastian" is still offered but now you get there by van. They must have improved the road system to get up the mountain; agreed, a really interesting shorex

 

You FLEW there :eek::eek: on the shorex 2 years ago? Somehow, I missed that "little" point in your livefrom thread. And THIS chicken would have missed a really cool trip if it was still a plane ride.

 

The road was really good. It took about 90 minutes of driving. The area rather reminded me of some of the Orange County canyons, but a bit more rural. We stopped for a break and got fresh made tortillas right from the molcajete and comal, with fresh cheese. (That even beat Gonzalez market.) also fresh pan dulce de guayava. Next stop a distillery (small in home) and we got to taste tequilas and other distilled spirits from agave. (Of course I dutifully brought a bottle home to DH.)

 

Next was touring a couple of the haciendas, one of which was the lunch venue. Really good food (soup, salad, veggies, carne asada, etc.)

 

Next stop across the street a coffee " plantation" ( the coffee was really good). (Except for the bakery the businesses were all in SB). And we spent probably an hour and a half walking through the town. Our guide Ruby was excellent.

 

Sadly the description HAL had in the shorex book didn't give hardly any detail, and nothing about the distillery or coffee plantation. Several other pax I talked with later said they would have gone had they known. It was cancelled the first Mexican cruise I took ( and it was my main interest).

[easyboy]

Enjoying your review.