2013 brings many new adventures...

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...

Mark waiting outside the Airport

Minutes after the two biggest bear hugs ever!!!!!

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!

Day one...fresh off the plane...

Shrimp Tacos at La Terrazola Beach Restaurant

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...

Andy & Mark finally arrive in Sayulita on the bus from the Airport

Christmas dinner at one of the only restaurants in town...Wood fire Pizzas...

The beach vendors sell everything on the beach...cups full of Pineapple, Coconut and Watermelon...

Andy and his boys.....

Me and my Boys!!!!!

Just another day beach day!

Mark and Andy try stand up paddle boarding on Fisherman's Beach

Going out for a night on the town...New Year's Eve

Dinner at Mary's

Going for a jungle hike to Playa Carricitos 

Looking for Iguana's in the trees.....

Nature's Beauty

Playa Carricitos

Ready for a rest from hiking...

Resting...

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!

Playing games during the rain storm...

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...

Welcome to Sayulita Karl

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...

Logan hanging out in our pool at the Casa

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...

Ready for a day of sailing....

"ALLY CAT"

Yummy breakfast!

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...

Dylan & Karl helping put up the sails...

Life is Good!

My camera could not capture the moment...

I gave up trying to photograph them and just watched in awe...

The caves at the Marietas Islands

Look at those cute snorkeler's

The Caves...

A beautiful day for a kayak 

Three very hungry boys...snorkeling is hard work!

Logan on Whale look out!

Dylan and Karl riding off the back of the catamaran on the way home

PERFECT DAY!!!!

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)...

Last dinner in Sayulita...at our favorite Italian Restaurant...

Mark saying good bye to the boys...

Last morning at the Casa...

Travel day breakfast at the "Tropical House"

Waiting at the bus stop for our bus to the airport...

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... :)

Sayulita sunset the night the boys flew back to Michigan... 

Feliz Navidad....Christmas in Sayulita 2012

Mark and I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year...

Christmas Eve in Sayulita

Although we miss our family and friends during this holiday season, we are enjoying the eclectic festivities of our new home.  It is difficult to imagine the cold weather and snow back in Michigan, when everyday it is sunny, hot and 80 degrees...The locals have done their best to get in the holiday spirit and have decorated the plaza with a tree and several gringos have decorated their casa's with lights.

Many Tienda's painted their windows with holiday messages

Christmas tree made out of cloth and chicken wire

We celebrated Christmas Eve by eating tacos on the street (literally sitting in wood chairs on the street) at our favorite taco restaurant...(Itacate...)...Shrimp tacos for me, Arrachera & Chorizo tacos for Mark...accompanied by a cold Pacifico...

"Itacate restaurant"

 After dinner, we spent time walking around the village, just enjoying the sights, sounds and people watching...the last few days there have been tons of new arrivals in town...mostly gringos that are renting casa's for the holidays...all of the restaurants are busy as were the street vendors...The plaza was full of people singing and dancing...what a great place to sit and take it all in...

People watching in the plaza

We capped off the evening with a visit to our favorite "Tienda'" to do our nightly grocery shopping...first stop was the bread man (who sells his fresh bake goods out of the back of his pick up truck)... just a few other items were needed as well... (eggs, yogurt, bananas, garlic, avocado, and organic peanut butter...)

They don't come any fresher than this...

Bread man, he makes the best whole wheat bread in town....

We took a stroll down by the ocean, almost a full moon tonight, watching a few die hard surfers waiting for their last good wave...and then it was a beautiful walk back to our casa, under the guidance of our flash lights...

A wonderful Sayulita Christmas Eve...

Night time palm (looks like snow in the background)

Christmas day we will take the local bus to the Puerto Vallarta airport where we will wait for the arrival of Dylan, Logan and Andy...a short taxi ride back to Sayulita (approx 35-40 minutes) and get them settled in to our casa....we are very excited to have them join us for a couple of weeks and to show them our new world,  our new life...our new daily adventures....

Sayulita Sunrise

They are looking forward to spending lots of time at the beach, surfing, boogie boarding, stand up paddle boarding, snorkeling, scuba diving, sailing, kayaking and a little time relaxing and reading...I am sure we will have many great adventures together and tons of stories to tell...

Mark's new board shorts and boogie board, the waves were huge today

Practicing stand up paddle boarding on a calmer day

Surf boards and stand up paddle boards for rent on every corner

We wish you all a safe and happy holiday season with your families and we look forward to hearing from you when you get a chance...

See you in 2013......

Random fun that happened this week....

Every day is a new day down here...just when we think we have heard and seen it all, there is a new surprise waiting for us around the corner...making life a ton of fun and very interesting to say the least...

Sayulita celebrated their Guadalupe Day festivities from Dec 4-12...however, it took us until December 7th before we knew what was really happening...each morning around 5am we were woken up by the loud sounds of cannons...there would be between 6-10 loud booms at 5am and then a few more around 5:45am...we found out that this 5am wake up call is so that the town folk can make sure they make it to mass at 6am each day during this week of honoring Guadalupe...Each local neighborhood had their own parade, band and celebration during these 8 days and there was music, costumes, dancing in the streets and prayer times in the church...it is quite the week long celebration and after a few days we were use to the 5am wake up calls...the Guadalupe Day Celebrations culminated on December 12th, with more festivities and partying in the plaza...a big procession of Guadalupe floats, fireworks, cannons, bands playing, horses dancing and people dressed in costume...it was such a cool event to be a part of...Catholic mass took place at approx. 7pm and the rest of the evening was a party...complete with a home made Bull running around shooting fireworks out of it in the plaza...we have never seen anything quite that crazy before...

This is the home made Bull that a person wore on their back and had fireworks shooting out of it...CRAZY!

Getting our Mexican cell phones was another interesting experience...since we can not call Mexican phone numbers from our cell phones from the USA...we were told it would be best for us to get Mexican cell phones so that Mark and I could communicate with each other when we are apart, as well as be able to call our property manager, the water truck, the CFE (Electrical guys), restaurants in town and any of our new friends that we have met...everyone has one of these cheap cell phones...They do not require contracts, you just add minutes when you need them...the basic LG phone cost approx 299- 399 pesos (less than $25 - $35 usd) and it comes with 25 free minutes per month for the first 3 months...after that talk time costs 1 peso per minute...you have to make sure you use all of your minutes up with in the month, otherwise you lose them...anyways, we ventured out the first week were arrived in Sayulita to purchase our new cell phones, only to find out that the person working in the store did not speak any English at all and the cheaper phones we wanted to buy were all sold out...so we decided to wait a few days and check back...so each week for the past 4 weeks we would stop into the cell phone store a couple times a week and see if they had any new phones and see if anyone spoke English...and each time we would walk out empty handed...finally, this past week, there was a guy working in the store that spoke just a little bit of English and they had 2 of the phones that we were hoping to buy...so we took the plunge, we bought two of them...the guy opened up the boxes, made a call to Telcel, programmed the phones to work and sent us out the door...however, when we arrived home, we found that he had programmed them in Spanish and we could not unlock the phones to even make a call...so the next day, Mark took the phones back to the store and two very nice girls helped him program the phones in English, unlocked the phones and showed him how to make a call...so we are good to go...and we even made and received our first calls yesterday and they work great...you just don't want to have too long of a conversation with the person on the other line, since you only have 25 free minutes a month...

Buying our Mexican Cell phones at Telcel and the guy speaks a little English :)  Almost like a Verizon store ....

These were all of the phone options that we could purchase.

Tuesday was a big day....we spotted our first Whales of the season...sitting on our terrace having breakfast, looking out across the ocean... first we spotted the water spout, followed by the Whale rising out of the water...the sea was very calm, so it was easy to spot them...it was so cool and they were not very far off shore...since that first sighting we have seen many more, usually in the morning...It is just the beginning of their migration from North to South...for the next 3 months there will be plenty of sightings as well as close up encounters on the Whale watching cruises...we will be able to watch them breach out of the water as well as be playful in their pods...They are amazing to watch and hope to see them up close some day soon...

Also on Tuesday, Mark was invited by our property manager Ramon, to ride in to Puerto Vallarta to go to Home Depot and Costco...since I had to work (lots of clients to talk to and vacations to book), Mark decided it was a great opportunity for a chance to check out two of the more popular "Americanized stores" in Puerto Vallarta...He was very curious to see what products were available at the Home Depot store (I think he was going through Home Depot with drawl and had to have his tool fix)...and we made a short list of stuff to purchase at Costco (if they had the same items that we were use to back in the states)...It was great to find out that our Costco membership card from home is accepted down here and we could use our American Express card to pay...The trip into Puerto Vallarta would take approx 45 minutes and they departed around noon...knowing that it was going to be an all day event...I did not expect them back until after 6pm....
They drove in Ramon's 1980, 2 door mustang, which is currently in a restoration mode...Mark said the entire car was gutted out inside...from the seats, to the doors, to the dash board to the floor...he was not totally sure it was drivable...but it made it down the jungle road from Sayulita to the highway 200, in to Puerto Vallarta without a problem...after several stops...The pool supply store, the bank, Carl Jr.'s for a quick lunch (hamburger and fries), Home Depot, Costco and Sam's Club...they had had enough of shopping and made their way back to Sayulita...it was a successful shopping trip...they found the correct screws at Home Depot to fix our sliding doors, and Mark came home with some goodies from Costco....One professional boogie board, two Tommy Bahama beach chairs (with the cool back pack & cooler), some peanuts, Ceasar dressing, Raisin Bran cereal, Parmesan cheese, Brookside Dark Chocolate Acai Berries (yum!), a bottle of Tequila and some toilet paper....a very success shopping day at Costco..

Mark sporting his new back pack Tommy Bahama chair and boogie board!

We have been trying to find a Mexican blanket or throw to put on the futon couch in our living area...we are not thrilled with the brown blanket that is currently on there, so we have been on a mission to find some thing that we like... not too expensive, soft for sitting on and something local...Every Sunday is the local Mexican market downtown Sayulita...some locals come from 1-2 hours away, with truck loads of home made crafts, jewelry, pottery, furniture, clothes etc...and others offer flea market type items...it is fun to go and browse and practice some of our newly learned Spanish phrases...such as " Cuanto es"?  (How much is?)
We were walking through the market and came across one of the clothing vendors and there hanging on the end of a rack, was a woman's black T-shirt that said "Saugatuck Michigan"...(small world)...only 20 pesos (approx $1.75)....we also found several blankets we liked...now to decide on which color and find out who is offering the best price...Every Sunday Market is a different experience, with new vendors, products and foods for sale...we always look forward to a stroll into town on Sunday... :)

I would have purchased this had it been my size... :)

Got to love the vendors who show you every color of blanket for sale....

Sunday Market....

Appliances are brought by pick up truck to the Plaza every Sunday to sell...



This week also brought with it a little trauma for me...I broke a crown/tooth on Wednesday ...  my bottom tooth , back molar...!  I guess my tooth did not like the flax seeds in the tostada that I was eating...anyways, the piece that broke off  left a jagged peak...not so much fun to talk or eat, when my tongue was getting shred to pieces by the jagged edge...so finally, today I called one of the two dentists in Sayulita to see if I could get an appointment, he said because it was an emergency he would fit me in...I had read good things on line about this dentist (he is Italian and speaks good English),  so I walked into town and sat in the waiting room, while he was with another patient...since I had experienced dental work in Mexico before (Cancun & Mayan Rivera), I pretty much knew what to expect...small waiting room, one dental room, no other staff, old magazines to read, sort of modern equipment and inexpensive prices...Dr. Roberto was very nice, he was able to file down my jagged peak so that I can now talk with out injury  and he didn't even charge me for the service...however, he basically told me that I need a root canal, a tooth buildup and a new crown...the process will take 3 to 4 visits, approx 2-3 weeks and cost approx 5,800 pesos...that's a great deal considering all that will have to be done, but not too much fun for me, especially over the holidays...ugh!  Maybe I will wait and have my tooth fixed after my boys go back to Michigan... :)

Dr. Roberto's waiting room at the Dentist office...

Last, but not least we were having a quiet dinner on the terrace tonight, just about sunset (6:00pm local time), listening to the ocean waves and all of a sudden there was chanting, drums beating and a big fire...the villa complex below our terrace seem to be having a ceremony of some kind...so I quickly went online and checked out the calendar of events for Sayulita and sure enough...there was a "Fire renewal Ceremony" going on tonight from 6pm-7:30pm...
It stated that the fire was brought in from Talpa de Allende (from the Sierra mountains near Puerto Vallarta) specially for this ceremony...there was going to be face painting, a heart opening Buddhist meditation and the opportunity to draw sacred geometry collectively, and it would end with a "gong bath"....it all made no sense to us...as we sat there and listened for over an hour to the drums beating, and chanting and watching the fire do its thing...we wondered who the participants had been and had they experienced what they had hoped they would...?

The village of Sayulita sure is an eclectic group of people, where the surfer dudes get along with the yoga and pilates crowd, where the local Mexicans can celebrate their culture like they have for thousands of years and where the gringos can respect and enjoy the beauty of the land...
It sure is a magical place and we are so glad that that we found it...and we still have to pinch ourselves each day as we realize that we truly are blessed to be able to live here...

Have a great week....

From San Pancho to Grand Velas

The last 2 weeks have been quite busy and a ton of fun, full of many adventures...

Although each day seems to be a carbon copy of the one before...Pure sunshine, light breezes and 80 degrees....it is easy to have all of the days run together and to forget what date is actually is...(we hear that the temps do cool down a bit in December - February, where the high's might be in the high 70's and low's in the high 60's...not complaining...)

We decided to venture out and take the local bus from Sayulita, North to the next village, which is called San Pancho (or some maps have it listed as San Francisco)...we had heard great things about the village from some gringo friends in town and were anxious to check it out...It was a Sunday and we knew that the town would be more busy with locals and we would get to experience some true Mexican culture...
We walked to the bus stop from our casa (about a 10 minute walk) and arrived to find another couple sitting at the bus stop waiting for the San Pancho bus as well...we started chatting with them and found out that they were from Bozeman Montana...we waited a while and when the bus arrived at the bus stop, we found out that this bus was going South to Puerto Vallarta and not North to San Pancho...and that the next bus North would be approx 40 more minutes...we decided to ask one of the local taxi's sitting at the bus stop how much he would charge all 4 of us to go to San Pancho...he gave us a quote of 100 pesos total (50 pesos per couple)...so we decided to take the taxi...it is only a 10 minute ride on the jungle road and our taxi dropped us off in the center of town...from there it was a short 5 minute walk to the beach...what a beautiful beach it was...long, sweeping, quiet and very few people...the surf at San Pancho is not the best for swimming or surfing because of the undertow...so it is not as popular as Sayulita's beach...
We decided to take a walk along the beach (and Alex & Susan decided to go for a swim and wander around town)...the beach was at least a mile long and it was a great walk...we found our way back to the beach road (which was a cool, old cobblestone road) and happened upon a golf course (who knew?)...it is only a 9 hole course, but what a cool location, set in the hills, with plenty of trees and flowers...we walked up to the club house and found out that it had just re-opened 2 months ago, after being closed for a very long time...new ownership...anyways, we got the scoop on the cost to play 9 holes, club rental and continued on our walk, we loved the quiet peaceful neighborhoods and the local markets, almost no tourism at all in San Pancho...we stopped at several restaurants to check out menus and decided on Maria's for lunch...Shrimp and fish tacos were their specialty...sat out on the patio and had a nice lunch...when we were leaving the restaurant we ran into Alex & Susan, who were just about ready to have lunch at Maria's as well...we said we would wander around town some more and then walk to the bus stop to check out the bus schedules back to Sayulita...The walk from the bus stop to the beach is approx 1 mile...so needless to say we did a lot of walking that day...back and forth...Alex and Susan wanted to have a drink on the beach before heading back to Sayulita and asked us to join them...we spent the next 2 hours just chatting with our new friends and having a drinks...The unscripted adventures are always the best...you never know who you are going to run into and where the days journey will take you...
We walked back to the bus stop, flagged down a big city bus, asked them to drop us off in Sayulita and the cost was 15 pesos each...however, this bus was not one of the very local buses and would only drop us off on the highway exit at the Pemex station (gas station)...we would have to walk from there to the village of Sayulita (again about 1 mile walk)...no worries...we had good walking shoes on and arrived back in to town just as the sun was setting...we invited Alex & Susan up to our casa for cocktails later in the week...however, Susan ended up cracking her ribs while surfing and Alex threw out his back while surfing and neither of them could walk up our hill...I saw them down on the beach later in the week (before they had to fly back to Bozeman) and talked to them for a while...what a fun couple...they love Sayulita and will be back for vacation again someday soon...

Local Bus

Sayulita bus stop

San Pancho Beach

San Pancho Beach

Las Huertas Golf & Beach Club

Beautiful golf course

Maria's Restaurant San Pancho

Still a very a happy couple!

San Pancho is a very eclectic village

Small casa in downtown San Pancho

Streets of San Pancho

A work in progress

Fresh Mahi tacos

Drinks with new friends Alex & Susan

Our Next Adventure was not so much an adventure as it was a work trip (sort of...I guess it really was like a mini vacation)...part of my job of being a travel agent is to go to different destinations and resorts to check them out, so that I know all of the details to sell them correctly...Since I specialize in selling vacations to the Caribbean, Mexico and Hawaii, those are the main areas that we get to travel to most often ...

Before moving to Sayulita, I had not visited the Puerto Vallarta and Nuevo Vallarta areas that often...we usually visited the Caribbean side of Mexico (Cancun & Mayan Riviera , since they were more popular destinations for my clients)...this past February was Mark's first visit to the Puerto Vallarta area and he fell in love with the beaches, the mountain scenery and the people...that is part of the reason we decided to move to the Pacific Coast of Mexico...anyways, when the opportunity came up for me to go down to Nuevo Vallarta (approx 25 minutes from Sayulita) to stay at a beautiful 5 star all inclusive resort (called Grand Velas Vallarta) for 3 nights to check it out...I couldn't say no...so we locked up our Casa in Sayulita, jumped on the local bus and headed South towards Nuevo Vallarta...what a trip...we took the bus to the exit ramp for the Nuevo Vallarta area, got off the bus and flagged down a taxi and the taxi took us to the resort...total cost only 36 pesos for the bus and 50 pesos for the taxi...when we arrived at the resort we were met with a welcome drink, a cold towel and a neck massage...great service from the friendly staff...we were given a beautiful oceanfront master suite (our room was right on the sand, steps from the ocean) and the food and drinks were amazing.  The resort has 3 infinity pools that all ran into each other, a world class spa, a first class gym and 3 gourmet restaurants...We walked the beach for miles and saw many other all inclusive resorts that I sell in the area...It was a very relaxing and productive work/vacation.  When we checked out of the resort, we wandered down the street to the Paradise Village Yacht club, where we met up with a clients of mine (Brad & Kathleen) from Newport Beach California.  He and his wife had just cruised in their yacht down from Cabo San Lucas and happen to pull into the Marina just as we were leaving the resort... we were able to meet up with them and have a drink on their boat and trade lots of travel stories.  It is crazy when you are thousands of miles away from home and you can meet up with a familiar face...

Lobby at Grand Velas Vallarta

Infinity pool

Beach beds to relax on...

The sunsets on the Pacific Coast are the best!

What a Beautiful resort

Celebrated our 560 week wedding anniversary!

Christmas in Vallarta 2012

Paradise Village Yacht Club...

Best sunset so far...

View of our resort from the Presidential suite...

A great dinner in the French Restaurant

We continue to be amazed at how much fun we are having living in Sayulita... the village, the people, and the adventures have all exceeded our expectations.  Each morning I step out on our terrace and look at the Pacific Ocean, smell the flowers and feel the ocean breezes and pinch myself...I can't believe that we get to live here....and although we really miss our family, friends and co-workers back home a ton...we are so thankful for this opportunity to live our dream.