Hola, Puerto Vallarta! Part 5

Before you read the last blog about PV, check out Part 4!

Taking a selfie with the PV sign in the marina.

We are not very good at selfies.

Although our last day in Puerto Vallarta, a Thursday, wasn't a full day there, since our plane didn't leave until 3pm or so, we woke up with ample time to do some wandering and calmly pack our things before we were due to head to the airport.  By this point, I was pretty sure I was coming down with something moderately gross (not COVID - thanks, rapid test results!), so instead of doing a real run, we took a walk around the area, including through the marina itself.

A gorgeous sunrise, courtesy of dissipating storm clouds

Making friends in the marina

When we'd gone for a run a few days earlier, we made note of another set of crocodile warning signs all around the marina, to match the set we saw each day on the beach at the Marriott.

Chris posing with one of the warning signs

What we didn't anticipate was actually seeing any crocodiles, but on our last morning, the marina didn't let us down:

You can see his head poking up near the top of the shot

It's a real life crocodile!

By the way, this dude was MASSIVE.

He was so big, he looked like an animatronic instead.

It was super creepy.

I also took a picture of a crab.

I PINCH!

Continuing our stroll around the greater marina area, we made a quick pit stop at Starbucks (Chris said the Marriott's coffee wasn't that good, and at least Starbucks was using local-ish beans here), before heading back to the hotel and our final buffet breakfast at La Estancia.  

I finally had my chilaquiles!

They were outstanding - the green sauce option

was the way to go for sure.

Since we had plenty of time, we took a stroll around the grounds one last time, before heading back to our room, cleaning up, and finishing our packing.  Since it was either "hang out in our comfy room" or "go to the airport a few hours earlier than necessary," we stayed put until just before check-out time, lounging in bed and reading our respective books.  After checking out and relaxing in the swinging chairs in the lobby for another hour or so, we figured it was finally time to call an Uber and head to el aeropuerto.  Checking into our flight and dropping our bags was easy and painless yet again, so we wandered through the airport, scanning the duty-free shops for anything we couldn't leave without (which was: nothing), enjoying a light lunch, and reading a bit more.  

Eventually, it was time to board the plane; the flight was only about half full, so we had an entire row to ourselves - we didn't even have to share armrests!

Stay on your side!

I made use of my window seat to grab some snaps as we took off, wishing PV adios until next time!

The control tower

Hotels in the marina area,

including our Marriott

A shot of the marina from above,

including a Holland America cruise liner

parked for maintenance

One last look at the Marriott and its beach

The flight home was easy; it's about two and a half hours each way, and the flight was actually a bit shorter than advertised.  We hit the ground, reclaimed our bags, walked around 4 miles inside Sky Harbor through Customs (through parts of that airport I've NEVER seen), caught the shuttle back to the Parking Spot 2 lot, and made it to Jet Pet to pick up the monkeys before they closed for the day.  Finally, the pack was back together once again!

Even though I picked up some sort of bug on the trip (seriously, who knows from where or who - we were in masks almost 24/7, didn't spend time around anyone we didn't know, we're vaccinated against all sorts of things, etc.) and didn't feel great for a few days afterward, we still had a wonderful time.  Everyone we met on this adventure was so kind and welcoming, and they were more than willing to help us figure out where we were going, where we needed to be, what we were trying to order, and so on, even though my Spanish is limited, to be generous (I did put in about 70 days of study on Duolingo, though, before we went, which did help).  Given that it's so close, relatively, we'd love to spend more time in PV in the future, should the fates decree as much.

Later!

Amy

P.S. - I know I normally close out these travel blogs with a picture of some sacked-out doggos.  However, this one is slightly different.  Zoe has really sensitive skin, and if you've met her, you know that she never does anything at less than 110%.  That often results in her messing up the pads on her paws, putting cracks in them, peeling chunks of skin off them, etc.  We've gotten used to checking her feet every day, and when they need some TLC, coating them in Neosporin and covering them in socks, to ensure she doesn't just lick all the ointment off.

When that happens, you sometimes end up with great photos like this:

Behold, the saddest dog in the world.

It's for her own good!