Our adventure to Puerto Vallarta started with a snowstorm!  It doesn't usually snow in Seattle in early April, but we awoke to 4 inches of snow the morning we were to leave.  We had a slow stressful drive to the airport, but we made it and were soon listening to Sheryl Crow singing about soaking up the sun.  We were ready after a long winter.

     We arrived in Puerto Vallerta and picked up our rental car, which didn't look like it would last the week.  It was a short drive to our hotel and we discovered that one of our timeshare properties was right next door. It had a better pool area, so we signed up for a guest pass.  The sun, surf and sand combined with a tasty Margarita  put us in immediate relaxation mode.

     The next day we decided to expore the coast north of town. We stopped at Punta Mita and checked out the shops along an active waterfront.  We continued up the road into the rolling hills and  dropped into the picturesque village of Sayulita.  The cobblestone roads led to a beautiful beach that was populated with surfers and sunbathers.  Shops restaurants and street vendors shared the area by the waterfront.  The cobblestone street was bumpy and steep ramps to the sidewalks were a challenge, but we were able to explore most of the area.  Debi had lunch at a waterfront restaurant and watched me as I snorkeled in the warm water next to the cliffs. We enjoyed a beautiful sunset as we headed down the coast back to our hotel.

     We awoke to the sound of construction at the new hotel that was being built next door.  We didn't appreciate the noise, but were impressed by how much was being accomplished by the hundreds of workers, who were working without the aid of modern equipment.  We decided it was best to spend the day elsewhere and headed toward downtown Puerto Vallerta.   We had heard there was a zoo in the hills so we started looking for it. Our directions weren't very good so we ended upon a wild goose chase that got us lost on the winding streets above town.  We finally gave up and headed toward the ocean and found our way into the downtown area.

     We wandered along the malecon for about a mile and checked out the shops and haggled with the street vendors. We ended up purchasing a stunning fingerprint painting from noted artist Jorge Lopez.  We were quite impressed by the amazing sand structures that lined the beach. It was very easy to get around on the paved walkways. We followed the road south of town and  enjoyed the spectacular view from the cliffs  above the ocean .

     We relaxed at the hotel for a couple more days and headed home suntanned and relaxed.  We were glad to see  the snow gone and were ready to start our spring.