Random observation: Mexican dairy products are looser than their Yanqui counterparts. Butter collapses rather than spreads; yogurt is flaccid in the spoon. It all TASTES fine, but the consistency is consistently odd.
This morning we connected with our “Escape to Paradise” tour at 9AM and certainly had a day of it. The bus picked people up from two additional meeting points, and then we were sorted out by tour itinerary. Our tour began in downtown Puerto Vallerta, and though we had seen a number of places before, we learned a little something from the tour guide at each stop. One of the features of sidewalks downtown is a river of smooth “river rocks” winding through each slab of concrete (indeed, I saw fresh concrete being poured around the mold for the river-rock insertion, it was unusual to see that empty groove down the middle of the square). On the long waterfront promenade called the Malacon, the stone inserts are in much more interesting patterns. Turns out these are traditional representations of local items (the sun, a tarantula, a scorpion, various marine life) which alternate styles between the two neighboring states which “greater Vallerta” spans.
The main church is an olio of varying styles because it was funded “as-you-go” and at a point the money dried up altogether … so people started trucking in their own boulders & bricks from home to keep things progressing. Very nice!! And to cap it off, the vendor selling freshly candied local fruit came highly recommended. We picked up coconut and also pineapple and are pretending it’s at least a little healthy
After soaking up some downtown history, we stopped at a jewelry store where items are often customized right on the spot. I found a chain which, with any luck, will allow me to again wear the intricately-carved jade piece I bought many years back in Hong Kong.
Finally, we were awarded some free time to wander the local flea market. Happily, only a very few key purchases called out to be made before we met up with the bus for the second half.
Clambering back onto the vehicle, we set off for the mountains. This actually retraced our route to the Botanical Gardens for a good way, but we were able to stop at several lovely overlooks and soak in views of Banderas Bay. A bit before the Gardens, we turned off of the main road and jolted down to a boutique tequila distillery.
Our guide, who looked “barely legal” to these parental eyes, assured us that he was the third generation involved in the business … but quipped that they’d been open legally for a scant three years. He explained that their agave fields were further inland so the plants wouldn’t be tainted with the salty sea air. The process of cleaving, steaming, and pulverizing the bulb of the plant is extremely laborious and done mostly by hand … with the assistance of the occasional mule! They make 3 flavors and 2 unflavored versions (aged for different periods) of their tequila. Though it’s not stocked in stores, the production level doesn’t support that, we recognized the label from the shop at the Botanical Gardens. Indeed, we were to meet it again in a small-volume environment!
We enjoyed generous samples and then had to gather our wits and decide what to purchase. A good assortment among us…hope it all makes it back to Glenview!
After wrapping up at the distillery, we bussed across the street and down a steep hill to a delightful fish & seafood restaurant right on the bank of a river. The weather was perfect and we enjoyed our meal in an open-air setting. Not being a shellfish person, I opted for a grilled, small red snapper. Linda & Claudette bravely ordered the “combo plate” for two … a split whole lobster, the same red snapper I had for lunch, 2 crabs, several shrimp cooked in several ways, a mahi-mahi fillet, and at least one other hunk-o-fish on the monster serving platter. They bravely dug in and pretty much finished it off … but no one felt the need for dinner THIS night.
A nice feature of the bus tours is that though you get picked up from only a few “meeting places,” at the end they deliver you right to your hotel door. Pretty good thing, given all the tequila & beer that the group had consumed. Home around six, we just hung out until we all started yawning.
No comments:
Post a Comment