Well... I haven't been very diligent in writing lately and for good reason...or at least I will use "my boys" as a good excuse...
Christmas day was a beautiful day...not only was the weather wonderful (Sunny & 83 degrees), Dylan, Logan and Andy (Wendell) all arrived on time in Puerto Vallarta...Their Delta flight had left on time from Detroit @ 6:00am (changed in Atlanta) and arrived in Puerto Vallarta as scheduled at 1:15pm...Mark and I took the bus from Sayulita to the airport (approx 45 minutes)...only 25 pesos per person one way...and were waiting outside of customs when they walked out...Of course, I started crying and gave them all a great big bear hug, so happy to see them...they were tired from traveling, but happy to be in Mexico...
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| Mark waiting outside the Airport |
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| Minutes after the two biggest bear hugs ever!!!!! |
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| Andy's suit case strapped to the roof of the taxi cab... |
If you walk across the pedestrian bridge at the airport to the other side of the highway, the taxi's are half the price to get back to Sayulita (approx. 300 pesos)...so we rolled their luggage to the other side, only to find out that the taxi's on that side of the highway can only accommodate 4 people and luggage...and there were 5 of us...so after a quick discussion it was determined that Dylan, Logan and I (and the suit cases) would take the taxi back to Sayulita and Mark and Andy would take the city bus...(Andy was up for the adventure and liked being right in the culture)...and he liked the price of only 25 pesos... :)
We arrived long before the bus and were able to use the neighbor's golf cart to get the luggage up our hill to the casa...The boys were hungry, so they changed into shorts and we grabbed the beach gear and headed to the first beach restaurant that we could find...Their first introduction to "fish & Shrimp tacos"...and they loved them!
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| Day one...fresh off the plane... |
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| Shrimp Tacos at La Terrazola Beach Restaurant |
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| Mahi fish tacos.... |
So the adventures began...Andy would be with us for 8 nights and the boys would stay for 15 nights...for the most part the weather cooperated, warm and sunny, good beginner's surf, lots of whale sightings and clear starry nights...
It was a blast having them here in our new "home" town...we had so much fun showing them the village & plaza, introducing them to our new friends, recommending our favorite restaurants, going for hikes, spending time on the beach, shopping at the markets and spending some quiet evenings at the casa reading...
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| Andy & Mark finally arrive in Sayulita on the bus from the Airport |
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| Christmas dinner at one of the only restaurants in town...Wood fire Pizzas... |
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| The beach vendors sell everything on the beach...cups full of Pineapple, Coconut and Watermelon... |
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| Andy and his boys..... |
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| Me and my Boys!!!!! |
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| Just another day beach day! |
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| Mark and Andy try stand up paddle boarding on Fisherman's Beach |
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| Going out for a night on the town...New Year's Eve |
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| Dinner at Mary's |
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| Going for a jungle hike to Playa Carricitos |
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| Looking for Iguana's in the trees..... |
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| Nature's Beauty |
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| Playa Carricitos |
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| Ready for a rest from hiking... |
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| Resting... |
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| A great day of hiking to a secluded beach |
We even broke down one night and watched a college bowl game via live streaming on Dylan's laptop...
It rained all day on New Year's day and was a little cooler temperature (70 degrees) The locals tell us that that is very unusual for this time of year...it was Andy's last day in Sayulita and he and Mark decided to walk down our hill to town in the pouring rain to bring back dinner...they only found 2 restaurants open (since most of the restaurants are either open air or are located actually on the streets without a rooftop)...Our favorite Italian Restaurant to the rescue...The pizza and pasta tasted great!
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| Playing games during the rain storm... |
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| Mark and Andy brave the elements to bring back dinner... our Hero's.... |
On the day that Andy flew back to Michigan, Dylan's College friend, Karl flew in from Minneapolis...so it worked well that Dylan, Logan and Andy took the bus to the airport...(I had to get caught up on some work and Mark wasn't feeling well)...They met Karl's flight at 10:30am, and then they had a little time to sit and chat before Andy had to fly out...the three boys took the bus back to Sayulita...Karl would stay until January 9th, like Dylan and Logan and they would all fly home on the same date...
Both Dylan and Karl are in training for Track (they are on Michigan Tech's track team, Dylan runs the 800m and Karl runs the 1600m)...they had to rise early every morning and plan out their run...many days they would run between 6-9 miles before having a big breakfast and heading to the beach for the rest of the day to surf, stand up paddle board, boogie board or read...
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| Welcome to Sayulita Karl |
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| Getting some ice cream after dinner, it was a little chilly that evening |
Logan took advantage of of his down time from College to read several books, relax in the pool and spending time at the beach every day to relax and soak up the sun...He also was able to meet up with his friend Ari (that he met when he studied in Costa Rica last December)...Her family happens to have a beach house in Punta De Mita (which is the next town South of Sayulita)...She was staying at her house for a week, on her break from College and Logan and her made arrangements for her to drive to Sayulita to have lunch and then Logan was able to go back to her house and spend the rest of the day hanging out with her. She also invited the Logan, Dylan and Karl back to her house a few days later to hang out and enjoy their last day in Mexico...
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| Logan hanging out in our pool at the Casa |
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| Logan & Ari.... |
One of the highlights of their visit was taking a day trip, sailing on the Ally Cat Catamaran (http://www.allycatcharters.com/ out to the Marietas Islands in the Bay of Banderas... to snorkel, kayak, stand up paddle board and best of all, to get up really close to the Whales...It was a beautiful sunny day and for the most part the waves were small, at least to begin with...(that was a good thing for me, since I get seasick walking...thankfully, Debi from the Ally Cat had a wonder drug for seasickness...it does not make you drowsy, you can drink a beer with it and it makes you feel mellow...and apparently you can only buy this medicine in Mexico)...
We loaded up in vans in Sayulita, drove 15 minutes to the Marina in La Cruz and boarded the Ally Cat around 10:30am...let the sailing begin...they served a wonderful continental breakfast, open bar, fresh cooked lunch and lots of fun music...we spotted many whales on our way to the Marietas Islands...Captain Noah would detour and take us as close to the whales as he could, so that we would be able to view them up close...it was an amazing sight to see...we also had dolphins swimming along side our catamaran...
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| Ready for a day of sailing.... |
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| "ALLY CAT" |
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| Yummy breakfast! |
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| All about comfort...comfy pillows too! |
Once at the Marietas Islands, the boys would jump off the boat and go snorkeling over to the island beach and caves...they had a blast...I was able to get off the boat and take a kayak around the area as well...It was a perfect day and tons of fun...
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| Dylan & Karl helping put up the sails... |
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| Life is Good! |
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| My camera could not capture the moment... |
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| I gave up trying to photograph them and just watched in awe... |
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| The caves at the Marietas Islands |
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| Look at those cute snorkeler's |
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| The Caves... |
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| A beautiful day for a kayak |
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| Three very hungry boys...snorkeling is hard work! |
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| Logan on Whale look out! |
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| Dylan and Karl riding off the back of the catamaran on the way home |
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| PERFECT DAY!!!! |
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| Dylan had way too much fun! |
The two weeks with the boys just flew by... I was thankful that I was not too busy with lots of work, so that I could spend a lot of time with them...It was great to watch them discover and explore our village...and to see them relax and take time to chill before heading back to school...Lots of great adventures and memories...We took the bus back to the airport and said our good byes...of course, I left them with great big bear hugs and crying...(Just as I had greeted them 15 days before)...I don't think you ever get use to saying good bye to your kids, especially when you know that you won't see them again for a while...(Next time we will see each other will be for Dylan's graduation from Michigan Tech on May 4th)...
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| Last dinner in Sayulita...at our favorite Italian Restaurant... |
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| Mark saying good bye to the boys... |
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| Last morning at the Casa... |
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| Travel day breakfast at the "Tropical House" |
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| Waiting at the bus stop for our bus to the airport... |
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| Saying good bye at the airport :( |
I miss them a ton already and they just left a week ago...back to Michigan Tech, where 2 feet of snow was waiting for them and the temps were in the single digits (with minus below wind chill factors)...Logan will play Broomball, Dylan will train for track season & nordic skiing...and they both will enjoy all of the Winter sports that the Upper Peninsula has to offer...(Winter Camping, Ice Climbing, XC skiing, Snowboarding, Snow shoeing...etc)...They have just started a new semester of classes (Dylan's last semester as an undergrad)...and Logan will be heading off to New Zealand soon for study abroad...Their time in College has just flown by...
Mark and I are so happy to be spending the Winter in warmer climes...although, once in a while I miss cross country skiing on the golf course and Mark misses playing Hockey with the guys in our old neighborhood...However, we don't miss it enough to fly back to Michigan quite yet... :)
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| Sayulita sunset the night the boys flew back to Michigan... |
