Thursday, December 8, 2016 Sunny with a light breeze – 72 degrees
A voice in the hall woke me up at 6:00 AM which was alright since I had set the alarm for seven. Today was our first day off the ship. I went out to the balcony to see that the ship had docked quietly in the tropical city of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Another cruise ship, the Veendam, was docked nearby.
After breakfast, we boarded a bus to carry us to the “Old Town.” Our local guide Armando, was a soft-spoken 82 year old former high school teacher who called us Muchachos. Our first stop was the famous seaside boardwalk, the Malecon.
The Malecon is lined with ships, restaurants, hotels, and artists selling their wares along the beautiful Banderas Bay. The tropical Sierra Madre Mountains rise in the distance.
The next stop on our tour of the city was La Inglesia de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe.
The cathedral tower is topped with a wrought-iron crown “hoisted by angels” which was designed to resemble one worn by the Empress Carlota of Mexico in 1864.
We avoided countless street vendors and after a while, the bus drove us up the coast and out of Puerto Vallarta. Armando said his 104 year old mother still lived in the hills nearby. We returned to the Old Town and had a chance to walk around, explore, and take photos.
We returned to The Island Princess in time for a late lunch and discovered that the crew had decorated the ship for Christmas. Garlands were hung everywhere, Christmas trees filled empty corners, and holiday music played in all the public places. What a great surprise!!
Later at night, we enjoyed a tasty dinner in the Bordeaux Dining Room. We shared a table with three new couples. Two missionaries who had worked in Ecuador, retired teachers from Clearwater Florida (originally from North Carolina), and a quiet couple from Montana. Jeff and I both had borscht and chicken pot pies – very good comfort food!
