Visitors from Canada

I've still been very busy with the final things the board needs to do to set up our homeowner association but it is starting to slow down a bit. Our friend Sharon is visiting from Edmonton and is of course very happy to be out of the snow and into the sand. She arrived on Sunday and is here for a week. Monday we went into Puerto Vallarta of course on our usual "tour" of the Malacon, Los Muertos Beach, old town and then lunch. This time we went to the Cheeky Monkey, which is a great bar overlooking the ocean and malacon. Because it is on the second floor, the views and people watching are excellent. The food is good and the beer and margaritas are only $10. pesos (about $1.00 Canadian). I'm always the driver down here so can never really participate. I have to get Gail behind the wheel next year! This is not fair!

I found out this week that there is a turtle camp (really a hatchery) in Nuevo Vallarta, about a ten minute drive from here. Volunteers patrol the beaches at night to watch for female turtles coming ashore to lay eggs. Then when she is finished the eggs are dug up and taken to the hatchery where they are released about 45 days later. It's an exciting program because all five species of sea turtles are found in Mexican waters and all five are endangered. When the program began in 1993 there were 400 nests found in our bay (El Bahia de Banderas- The Bay of Flags). Last year there were 8000!

Most nights at 6:30 you can go and watch the release of the baby turtles. We went last night and unfortunately, it was only the second day this month that no babies were born. We'll definitely try again though as this is such an amazing and magical thing to see. Hopefully, we'll be able to see some while Sharon is here. Sorry, Rosalee, Dale and Michelle that I did not know about this while you were here! You will just have to make a return visit!

Today was a another beautiful day in paradise. I picked Carol and Shannon up from the Decameron and took them home for lunch. It was nice for Carol and Sharon as they worked together at the Royal Bank and had not seen each other in about 20 years. Carol and Shannon are having a great time at the resort and it was very nice to see them. Oh, and I was hired again today for the summer, which is a good thing, REALLY! I have so many plans for things I want to do here so hi ho hi ho it's back to work I go.

It's sad to think that we have less than a month left here. We start our long drive north on March 25. I hate to think about is, especially as I heard that Victoria had SNOW today.

It's Not All Fun and Sun!

Sorry for the long delayed update. If you can believe it, I was silly enough to agree to stand as secretary for the new Homeowners Association Board (after the previous one quit in a snit). I have been incredibly busy.

In the meantime, I need to back up a bit and try to remember what we did when Dale and Michelle were here. They were such good sports about me being so involved in meetings. Instead of being toured around all the time, they had to spend a couple of days doing nothing but eating, drinking, swimming and sunning on the beach! A hard way to spend a holiday yes?!

One day I dropped them off for a canopy/zip line adventure, which they loved. Another day, we went to the market in La Penita in the morning and stopped for a few hours on the way home in Sayulita so they could boogie board (see before and after pix). We also went out for dinner a few nights, once to El Brujo, which was fantastic. It was our first trip there and we decided to go because some other owners here love it so much. They are right on the beach, within easy walking distance and have been offering a free drink (huge and delicious margaritas for us) for people living at Los Amores (which is the name of our complex). Wow, the fajitas were excellent, sizzling hot and very reasonably priced. The service was top notch too. Michelle was serenaded by an old Mexican guitar player. Come to think of it, as soon as Michelle arrived here, we got excellent service everywhere. In the markets, all the vendors had a brother for her or told her she would be perfect for them! Shy as she is, she was able to beat them way down on the prices of everything she bought. We also took them for tacos on the street in La Cruz. I ordered gringas for everyone because they are so delicious and filling. They are little beef filled tacos with veggies and pineapple and come with three different sauces,which you really have to be careful in applying. Some are HOT! It's hard to believe that they have been home for well over a week now.

So, for me, my days have been consumed with meetings with lawyers, notaries, the developer, the board members and the new administrator we've hired. I really mean it when I say consumed. I spent at least 8-10 hours daily just about all last week working on this because we were negotiating the takeover of the complex from the developer. Thursday, I had a meeting with the notary at 10, the lawyer at 11, back home in the afternoon to work on the agenda for the big meeting with the owners on Saturday, back to the lawyer at 4:30, back to the notary at 6, all followed by a board meeting here at our house at 8pm. Friday was a little calmer. Saturday we had a meeting all morning for the official takeover, then the Homeowners first Annual General Meeting which lasted 4 1/2 hours. Because I am the secretary, I was keeping the minutes, which I have yet to get typed and emailed out to everyone this week.

Finally, at 6pm it was all over. A little later eight of us all went out for dinner as it was Valentine's Day. I forgot to mention that the day Dale and Michelle left, our wonderful next door neighbours Robin and Sergio arrived back in town for a week. So, in addition to them and us, Jack and Ann and Paul and Sue came along as well.

We went to a great Italian restaurant called Frascati's in La Cruz. They had advertised a special set menu of:
Heart Shaped Crab Stuffed Ravioli with Lobster Sauce
Beef Medallion with Blue Cheese and Apricot and Steamed Potatoes and Vegetables
Hazelnut Mousse with Mascarpone.
One glass of Moscatto wine per person. The price was only $320 pesos per couple or about $32.00 Canadian. It was great and the service excellent. It was so nice for me to be able to unwind after the busy week I'd had. We hitched a ride with Jack and Ann so I was able to have wine with dinner. La Cruz is about a ten minute drive from here.

Sunday afternoon, many of the owners met at the large palapa to celebrate the turnover. So once I get the minutes all finished I will be able to calm down and life will get back to normal. Gail has been very patient with all of this but I keep telling her she has to as she encouraged me to take on the role!

I don't have a lot of photos but enjoy the few I've posted.

Dale, Michelle, Rumba the Dog and Super Bool

Dale and Michelle arrived Saturday afternoon to enjoy a week of fun in the sun. Yesterday, we were up early (yes, even Michelle) to go for a long walk on the beach. We went through the market in the town centre where Michelle bought some bling. Then back to the beach as far as the Decameron. On the way, we passed a woman walking her yellow lab. I fell in love with "Rumba" as she was so funny chasing and catching a coconut. At home, we see dogs carrying driftwood, here it's coconuts! Down by the Decameron, Dale, Gail and I sat on a beach towel while Michelle went into the ocean for a dip.

Back home for lunch, then around 5pm we headed into Puerto Vallarta for the evening. I parked just before the Malacon so we could walk the length of it all the way into the Southside. I think we tired these girls out with all the walking! We stopped at CyC's on the beach for a drink, which was great because it was 2 for 1 Happy Hour. Of course, I was driving so not so much Happy for me! Dale ordered a bucket of Corona's because, even though she normally doesn't drink beer, hey, it's Mexico!

On the way back to the Malecon from the Southside we passed the Burro Bar which had a sign outside advertising "5pm Super Bool". I thought we would pee ourselves laughing!

It was the best night to go into PV as we were there to enjoy "family night" on the Malecon. It's a Mexican tradition for entire families to go out on Sunday night to enjoy time together. We love seeing all these happy people holding hands and walking in entire groups from grandparents, parents, teenagers, kids and babies.

We had planned to go to Bubba Gump's for their famous shrimp but because it was Super Bowl Sunday, there were no tables available, so we went to the Cheeky Monkey instead. We shared a bunch of appetizers rather than dinner and it was just right.

We were home about 11pm and all were very tired, so it was straight to bed for all. A very successful first day in Paradise for the McManus'!