Rave...Puerto Vallarta!

Well, we were excited to arrive in PV....it was my first day to show Mom Mexico, not to mention a town that I know well. My friends who have lived there for years were out of the country, so we were on our own. The ship docked very close to the main street, which made it easy to just walk over to the bus stop. This was a good choice because it was only a few pesos, as opposed to $5 each for the taxi. Besides, taking the bus has "flavor", it feels real! The bus was very full, but Mom got a seat and I stood, holding on for dear life with both hands to the bar overhead. The bus went very fast for a block, then abruptly stopped within an inch of the bus already there...it made surfing seem like a cakewalk!!! When the buses pass each other, there are maybe inches between...since Mom was sitting next to the window, it made for a couple of nervous moments. I eventually got the seat next to her and we laughed with a couple of American women sitting in front of us about the experience. This went on for the 4 mi. into old town Vallarta, I gave the women some directions and suggestions, and off we went.
We walked along the Malecon, which is a stretch of sidewalk along the beach side of the main street, and bordering the part of town with all of the touristy restaurants, shops and galleries...there are wonderful sculptures now, as well as impressive sand sculptures. When we got to the town square, we walked up to the cathedral...I took the opportunity to take some photos, as I have never had a chance to go in when it was so empty. We sat and had a quiet moment, and then continued on our walk. We wound our way through the streets and dodging traffic, down to a walkway along the tree-lined Cuale river, where there is an outdoor market, and further down, to the restaurant where I was taking my Mom for a celebratory lunch.
I can't say enough about Le Bistro...it is beautiful, even more so after a recent redo, soothing, and sitting next to the river. We dined on mushroom soup, lobster enchiladas, and a nice glass of white wine. At night they have live jazz, but in the daytime, jazz was still softly playing over the sound system. Just perfect...
The rest of our day was spent strolling, looking in shops, making a few purchases, sitting in the park, having a margarita at a beach bar, and finally choosing to go back to the ship for dinner. We hailed a cab for our return trip, and except for a momentary regret because of the empty beer cans on the floor, we had one of the best cab rides I've ever experienced in Mexico...slow, careful...and we arrived in one piece!!