Day 26 West - 01/27/22 - Puerto Vallarta

Continuing our tradition, we booked a snorkeling excursion for our last port of call on this voyage, Majahuitas Cove Catamaran Snorkel & Yelapa Bay Beach.  The sail into Puerto Vallarta occurred during daylight and we arrived shortly after 9am. Fir the first part of the sail in we watched a presentation on the snake dance by the Mexican cultural ambassadors.   It's a very pretty sail in. The staff Captain brought the Zuiderdam into the harbor and did a 180° counterclockwise rotation docking us at the Puerto Majico pier which adjoins a big tourist shopping mall.  

 

Per normal, we met in the Main Stage which was pretty full.  It seemed like clearance took a long while, but eventually Ian gave the clearance announcement.  Shore Excursions then began calling groups for disembarkation.  Our group was finally called and we left the showroom on the left side, got stickered, made our way down to A deck, carded off the ship and formed a line at the pier.  There we had our digital tickets scanned, and walked over to the adjoining pier where our catamaran awaited.  

 

Once aboard, we received life jackets which we did not have to wear. Onboard was a group of 11-12 from Iowa from the Lazy H campground.  They all had matching t-shirts with the original port stops written across the backs.  They were definitely in the party spirit.

 

We headed out past the Zuiderdam to the open sea.  Our route took us south closely along the coast where Ricky Ricardo, our cruise director, narrated the sights of PV.  The Arches were the first major natural phenomenon we encountered and there were lots of tourist boats surrounding it and snorkelers in the water.

 

As we approached Majahuitas Cove a family of three humpback whales (mother, baby, and a male) breeched and it was impressive how close to shore they were. While I got a few pictures , the onboard photographer got a really good picture.

 

At the cove about 20 of us went into the water.  The sheer quantity of fish was stunning and overwhelming for photography, and the water clarity was not that good but okay. One guide brought up an urchin and a spider starfish for snorkelers to handle and he stirred up a rockfish. After a half hour of snorkeling we were directed to swim to the beach where drinks were free.  I was last to get there and needed to swim out to the boat to get my glasses.  By the time I got back, our time was up.  

 

While eating lunch onboard, we motored over to a little landlocked fishing village of Yelapa where we transferred to shore in 20' dinghies. It was challenging to exit the dingy at the dock.  From there we hiked up the steep paved  pathway which snaked through the village and ended at the impressive Horsetail waterfall which is a slender stream of water spilling several hundred feet into a pool suitable for swimming.  One person in our group braved the frigid water.

 

Afterwards we walked back down to the pier, boarded our dinghy and motored over to the nearby beach where we enjoyed ceviche and sodas. We then took dinghies back to the catamaran which motored us back to the port via the rough open water.  Along the way, the crew put on a cheesy classic rock show.  There was also an opportunity to purchase a thumb drive with pictures on it; however it was $110 so we passed.

 

We re-boarded the ship, dropped our gear, changed clothes, and headed back off the ship to pay a visit at the Walmart across the street.  It was a typical design inside and well stocked.  We only bought a postcard.  Walking back to the ship, the sky to the west was a brilliant red illuminating the broken cloud cover producing a beautiful streaked twilight sky.  By the time we re-boarded the ship for a final time this cruise, the sky was dark.  

 

With an on board time of 6:30pm, two of the Mexican Cultural Ambassadors were the last two passengers to board and their arms were full of craft goodies for an upcoming project.  Back on board, I watched the night sail away. Three lighted towers, each crowned with a white star slowly became a last beacon as we sailed into the night towards our destination of San Diego.

 

The main stage dance and piano show of In Tandem was a repeat for us and didn't appeal, so I edited snorkeling pictures while Angela used the hot tub.

 

With two more sea days, we're about to end our 28 day voyage.



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