Sea Lions and Seaside Shops

Day 12: Puerta Vallarta

I think I have been to Puerto Vallarta before on a cruise, but it didn’t look familiar. As I recall, we went for a ride into the mountains with a sketchy van driver at the port for a tequila tour and tasting, where I felt obliged to buy some so we would get back to the ship safely. This time was a very different experience.

Our tour group gathered in the morning. Our excursion was a sea lion swim and lunch. Previous days were pretty hot, so I thought it would continue to be so since I was getting in the water. Silly me! The temperature was around 75 degrees (F), so it was a bit chilly. Our group was unexpectedly larger than planned, so the guide took 5 of us who must have seemed savvy (he was right – we had New York, Chicago, and London), and stuck us in a cab since we all couldn’t fit in the van. While we waited for the rest of the group, I made friends with a beautiful tow-headed boy who just turned one and was very proud of his high-five skills. He was visiting his grandma for the first time. 

This little lady said hello while she was waiting for some humans to play with.

Once the rest of the group arrived, it was off to the pool. The taxi crew plus one other got assigned to the Cool Group (2) and were told to just jump in and swim across to the other side of the pool. Leery of the cold, off the edge I went. Sometimes it’s just best to jump straight in. The water wasn’t as bad as I anticipated. But the air was cold say we mostly stayed hunkered down in the water.

We met Marina, who is 17 years old, I think. She suffers from cataracts so she’s had a few surgeries and they keep the pool covered with sun shades to protect their eyes. After our briefing about keeping the sea lions safe and how we were to interact, Marina slowly swam by each of us so we could reach out and pet her. Then I volunteered to get my picture taken first, where we did a bunch of silly pictures – kissing me on the cheek, smiling, waving, and sticking our tongues out. Then she gave me a bear hug and I almost cried. It was such an intimate moment. I have gotten close to that feeling with dolphins, but they need to keep moving most of the time and this contact was just different. She was also watching us before we got in the water, waiting for us, and her big brown eyes reminded me of my dog, Seamus, who passed recently. He had that same intense look.

Best feeling ever

Not sure why this lady is smooshing her nose against the glass, but it was adorable.

Met some rescued Macaws

For those fellow animal lovers reading this, I kept a very careful eye out for anything sketchy. I love to be around animals, but I would not do it at the expense of their health and well-being. These are South American sea lions that cannot be released back into the wild for health reasons. And they seemed very calm, connected with their handlers, and eager to interact with us. They said it was because while each one has their own personality and can choose to interact or not, sea lions are pack animals and if they are not able to be around other sea lions, humans work very well as a substitute.

Once we were done, we cool taxi kids jumped into another taxi back to the port. There I met a friend and we got another taxi to the Malecon, the boardwalk district of Puerta Vallarta. As we walked along the seaside, we saw street performers, tourists, restaurants, and souvenir shops. I took so many pictures – there was something special around every corner. 

The surf was strong

I finally found my souvenir spoon (more on that another time), so we headed back to the port. I stopped in the Pharmacia to see what they had to offer. I was shocked at how many American drugs are sold over the counter at such cheap prices. I bought some and felt so very illicit as I carried them back to the ship. But it is all perfectly legal – for personal use only. I’m not emulating “The Cleaning Lady” (If you haven’t seen this TV series, look it up. I am hooked!).

I definitely got all my steps in and closed those circles on my Apple Watch. I met with the crew for drinks, then later went to the main dining room and sat at a shared table for dinner with a lovely couple and their son from Montreal, and a man from New Jersey. It was a great meal and great conversation.

We are on our way to Los Angeles where we will say goodbye to about 900 passengers, and take on the same amount who will be cruising LA to LA for the world cruise.