A glimpse of beach and art in PV

The very first time I was in Puerto Vallarta I saw these arches down in the centre of town. That was in 1974 and PV was a much smaller place. Some of the spots remain, like Los Arcos Hotel and Daquiri Dick's where I recall swimming in the warm water and loving it.

I still love it. I love the creamy surf that floats up on the smooth sand. Jan and I have spent at least half our time here at the beach.

The rest of the time has been spent exploring the galleries in the old town....

Today Jan bought a painting, not this one and not in this gallery, but it's very Mexican and gorgeous.

Yesterday we took a catamaran out to the Marietta Islands about 24 kilometers from the marina. They are an ecological preserve so you can only go ashore at one small beach. It's home to many brown and blue-footed boobies plus other sea birds.

We had the chance to snorkel or kayak there. We chose snorkeling. Jan even managed to do it with her wrist brace on.

I managed to get a couple of jellyfish stings but it didn't spoil the day. the last part of the trip involved swimming under a stone arch into a hidden beach, which was quite spectacular.  Of course the tiny beach was crowded with people from several tour boats so it wasn't as hidden and private as we thought it might be. Still, a peak experience.

Here are the blue-footed boobies perching on a float and flying by. 

Two last photos from the day--me at the bow of the boat and the sunset over the swimming pool at our hotel.

Tomorrow we fly back to Victoria, somewhat tanned and very relaxed. A week's getaway at this time of year is a nice way to get through early February.