Somehow, our time in Puerto Vallarta has come to an end. When we arrived, six weeks sounded like such a long time. Now, I’m wondering where it all went!
Our last couple of weeks have been a fun mix of celebrations, family time, and soaking up the last of our favorite place in Mexico.
We were here for Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), which is such a beautiful celebration. The colorful decorations, elaborate altars, and incredible displays along the Malecón were something to see.
We also got to celebrate Halloween, handing out candy to local kids on the boardwalk right in front of our condo. It was so much fun seeing all the little costumes and excited faces. And the candy was gone so fast we had no worries about eating it all ourselves. A Halloween miracle!
This past weekend, our son Alex and his girlfriend Jenna came down to spend a few days with us. We had a great time just hanging out together, playing board games, enjoying nachos and drinks at the pool, and heading out for some good meals.
Of course, we had to take them to the famous Pancho’s Takos. You can’t come to Puerto Vallarta and not have those delicious el pastor tacos! We had an eventful beach dinner one night at Langostinos, where we got up close and personal with some waves under our table when the tide started coming in. We walked home a little damp and sandy after that.
Our best meal was at La Palapa on their last night here. (It was so good that we’re heading back there tonight for our last dinner here.)
Before Alex and Jenna headed home, they climbed up to the mirador (view tower) overlooking the bay. Shawn did the climb with them while I took photos from the comfort of our condo balcony.
Once they were on their way home, we had just two more nights to ourselves. Not nearly enough time to squeeze in all the things we’re going to miss, but we gave it our best shot, including visiting our favorite felines.
Today is our last full day, and we’re spending some of it saying goodbye to our friends at the pool bar. Raul, Lupe, and Kevin have taken such good care of us these past six weeks, keeping us well supplied with snacks, drinks, and plenty of laughs. It’s amazing how quickly people become part of your daily routine when you stay somewhere this long.
And, of course, we have to say goodbye to Tiger, our adopted pool cat. We’ve been bringing him treats and giving him attention throughout our stay, and I’m pretty sure he thinks we’re part of his staff now. I’m not sure he’ll miss us quite as much as he’ll miss the treats, but I’d like to think we’ve developed a special bond.
We’re really going to miss our morning walks, the beautiful views from our balcony, the nightly pirate ship fireworks, our favorite restaurants, all the relaxing time at the pool, and the familiar faces we’ve gotten to know. There’s something special about staying in one place long enough that it starts to feel a little like home.
The good news? We’re already booked to come back next year! So this is more of a “see you later” than a goodbye.
Tomorrow we head back to Arizona, where reality is waiting for us in the form of getting our house ready to list. After six weeks of our most stressful decision being what time to go to the pool, we’ll be making slightly more stressful decisions about what to pack, donate, sell, or throw away.
I’m guessing there will be considerably fewer margaritas involved. Maybe.
But for today, we’re going to enjoy one last afternoon by the pool, take in those views, and maybe order one more round.
The packing can wait a little longer.
Safe travels home. Looks like you had a wonderful time!