Week 6 February 15-22 Bucerias Happy Hour

The primary reason we are in Mexico is to experience the culture, however we are pulled back each year because of the many friends we’ve made in Vista Bahia. It has now become like a family where we share the fun and laughter, and the sadness of losses. The social time each day is a highlight to share stories and discuss the day’s events. For example today Rose had a fish almost fall on her lap while sitting by the pool. Apparently a large bird swooped down and picked up a puffer fish from the ocean. It flew overhead and the fish puffed up and was able to release itself from the birds grasp. However it landed in a plant pot that was next to Rose…the fish died on impact. I’m happy to report that Rose has recovered from the shock.

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Week 6 February 15-22 Bucerias Market

Anyone visiting a traditional Mexican market will see similar items for sale – vegetables, fruits, cloths, shoes, hardware, kitchenware, electronics, puppies and purple chicks. Yes, purple, yellow and green chicks! Only in Mexico! The market is very popular with the locals who are purchasing many of the items on sale.

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Week 5 February 14 Valentine’s Day in Puerto Vallarta

Being in Puerto Vallarta on Valentine’s Day is a must-do. The hotels and restaurants on the beach in the old town are so tightly packed – they all blend into each other, sometimes not knowing where one restaurant starts and the other begins. Often it is the colour of the chairs or tablecloth that differentiates each one.  However on Valentine’s Day they all appear to be one establishment when each palapa is decorated with garish Valentines. It appears that the 2012 VD celebration involved a contest with the best (garish) palapa. There were bottles of champaign and roses on many tables. It was a fun day, which ended with dinner at a Spanish restaurant(La Pena Andaluza) by the river. It was very romantic table – overlooking the river and market below.

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Week 3&4 January 27 - February 10 Bucerias – fun with friends

Friends come in many forms, but mostly human, but, as usual, Julie has made friends with a few cats that we are feeding almost every day. It’s amazing how Julie can quickly domesticate a feral cat.

While in Bucerias we’ve made new friends from all over N. America. Many are in our age group and are regular visitors to Bucerias, leaving their frigid climate and coming to Bucerias to have fun in the sun. I was a bit shocked to see some people (who probably have grandchildren) going wild at the Drunken Duck pub. What son or daughter would think their highly mature parents are having wild parties and dancing on bars (as they did in Coyote Ugly)! I haven’t danced on bars yet, but, given enough booze and encouragement, it might happen eventually.

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Week 2 January 21-26 Bucerias (Blessing of the boats)

This is a perfect time to come to Bucerias, January 16-24 for the festival of Our Lady of Peace, patron Saint of Bucerias. There are celebrations which included a visit by the carnival with many rides, vendors and foods. It is a crazy time, with the carnival taking over many of the streets in the centre of town. There were nightly fireworks and the celebration was concluded on the last day with the blessing of the boats – when colourfully decorated boats, with balloons and flowers arrive across the bay from La Cruz de Huanacaxtle to Bucerias. This year, for the first time, the boats were preceded by four swimmers and two paddlers. What an awesome experience! The beach was filled with on-lookers waiting for arrival of the boats. Each boat’s arrival on the shore was met with applause from the crowd. The surf was high, making their arrival to shore-line very difficult. When all boats arrived there was a procession to the church led by the village priests.

While the boats where arriving, there was a procession of the local horse riders. They were awesome, with many of the riders on horses trained to dance to the music of the marching band. This is a must-see event.

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For more information about the Bucerias festival check out the following link.

http://www.pvmirror.com/fromthenorthshore/213/ladyofpeace.html

Week 1 January 11-20 Bucerias

Let Your Worries Drift Away and Celebrate Your Freedom.

We were pleasantly surprised when Craig and Shirley (Julie’s sister and brother-in-law) decided to book 2 weeks with us, and extremely fortunate to book a suite close to ours. This was the first time we’ve been on vacation together and the first time in Mexico (not counting a day visit to Tijuana) for Shirley and Craig. We were not sure if they would enjoy the Mexican culture and the lifestyle at Vista Bahia, but it appears they fit right in, especially when Shirley was able to properly pronounce “Bucerias” and Craig knowing how to tell the bus driver where to stop “pare a Star Bay por favor”. What fun in the first week, which included visits to Puerto Vallarta, La Cruz and Sayulita, and on January 19 we celebrated with 20 other guests and owners from the condo with a potluck dinner. The night was very special, with a wedding being celebrated next door. They had miniature hot air balloons (also called sky lanterns) being released that filled the sky. Each guest lit their lantern fuel pad, made their wish and released them. The lantern’s skin was transparent and therefore all these lanterns in the dark sky made a beautiful sight. What an awesome evening! We were able to obtain two of the sky lanterns, which were released into the sky by Shirley and Mario. 

Shirley has adapted very quickly to bartering with the local merchants, and able to find the right vendor at a suitable price.  Shirley mastered the art of “walking away”, with merchants often chasing her to make the sale.  Well done Shirley!

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About Bucerias

Bucerias is located north of Puerta Vallarta and Nuevo Vallarta, but is more of the typical Mexican town rather than a tourist destination live PV and NV.  There are a few resorts at the south end of Bucerias, but the centre of town is more traditional – with beach front restaurants and many merchants selling souvenir trinkets, and only a few fine dining restaurants.  There is church at the city centre, but the souvenir vendors dominate the area. However change is happening. Older buildings in the centre of town have started to disappear, being replaced by high-rises.

The beaches are great with many miles north and south to walk, and warm waters for swimming.  There's also high surf in some areas and great for buggy boarding.  And there's lots of wild-life with eels, rays and puff fish on the shoreline.  Fishing is good from the shore and there are many divers seen collecting oysters that are immediately brought to local restaurants.

About Vista Bahia Suites

Life at the Vista Bahia Suites is quite unique because it is an older and small complex, and occupied mostly by visitors from Canada and the US.  Vista Bahia is an old hotel converted about 15 years ago into a strata and all units are individually owned. We are renting from Leslie and Kosta who are Canadians from Whiterock, BC and are now living full time in Bucerias building a home.  Our condo is about 2km from Bucerias centre and therefore it is very quiet – except for the crashing waves 50 meters from the building.  The beach is great for swimming and some people are fishing from the shore.  There is a pool and outdoor patio to BBQ and have group functions.  The view is awesome and we met some wonderful people, mostly from colder areas of Canada and the US.

France September 25-26 Our last two days in Paris

So little time and so much to see! Hard to believe the holiday is coming to an end, and there was just not enough time to do everything we wanted in Paris. And there are so many other cities worth visiting in France. This has be an amazing experience!

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