FINALLY**Day Three- Puerto Vallarta--The Adventure!
We got up and stated day three off with butterflies in stomach and anticipation of our upcoming adventure. We decided to go to The Oceana for breakfast this morning. We had a beach side seat with a beautiful view of the crashing wave to enjoy another delicious meal.
After breakfast we went back up to our room and got our things ready. Then went down to the concierge and requested a taxi. We were quickly on our way to the Maritime Port. The ride to the port took us back through "town" where we checked out all the shops we wanted to stop by tomorrow after visiting the flea market.
We arrived at the Port and paid the $2 port tax and went and checked in at Vallarta Adventures. We were directed to a waiting area where we were soon greeted by a
adv
enture guide. He told us when and where to be in the upcoming minutes. We sat and talked like giddy school girls about the day ahead of us. We were shortly summoned to join in a group and get aboad the R.I.B(inflatable raft with a motor...like the coast guard uses) that was going to take us across the bay to the next destination of our adventure. It was beautiful seeing the coast line and pointing out our hotel that was tucked away in the midst of lush green mountains. We even got to see flying fish and sea turtles!
We arrived in a tiny little cove. The last cove on the Vallarta that you could reach by car. Anything after this cove you had to take a water taxi to get to that town/village. We were greeted by a younger, small man who thought he was God's gift to women..lol. He was funny though! From there we walked up the shore to an area where we got instructions of what we
were to do next. There we waited for a few mintues and listened to this guy tell jokes and hit on all the cute single ladies. Our ride then arrived. We loaded up the group into two huge Mercedes Benz utility trucks that had been converted and padded to take multiple people on a bumpy ride. We strapped in and headed up the mountain. We drove through little villages with almost unlivable housing and conditions. Made us very grateful for what we have. We drove past two Tequilla factories. And we drove and drove and drove some more. And it was a bumpy ride!!
Finally we reached are final destination. On the top of a mountain. We were quickly escorted
to the "fitting area" to get geared up for our mission. We got helmets and carabiners strapped to safety harnesses. We were going zip lining through the mountains of Puerto Vallarta!
Just when we thought we couldn't go up any further they took us to a barn where we were going to add yet another form of transportation to our day. We were going to be ridding burros up the mountain to where the zip lines were set up. We sat and listened to a Spanish speaking rancher trying
to speak English explain to us how to ride these things. Not sure if I got all the instructions, but oh well! We saddle up and headed up the mountain. It was no short trip(30-40 min.) and it was no easy trip. I was pretty scared at times! But what an experience.
This was it, we truly had reached our destination...Whew! When we arrived we met the guides that were going to be "showing us the ropes". They were super fun. We hiked up to our first zip line where they gave us a demonstration and taught us the do's and don'ts for the day. It was go time. We went down ...what a rush! After the first zip we hiked up what seemed to be an entire mountain to our next zip line. As you are zipping there were valleys, waterfalls and gorgeous scenery to view. It was breathtaking! After about six zip lines we got to a big river area.
We tromped through the water to a huge waterfall. We got hooked up and did a 100ft repel down the waterfall. SO FUN!
When we got through with the waterfall repel to be greeted by another zip that took us right over another smaller waterfall. The guides so graciously would pull the zip line down jsut at the
right time so that when you got to the end you would be fully submerged into the icy cold water. We did a few more zips, climbed through woods, and over bridges and came to another water fall. This time it was free fall repel.
We did two more repels after this waterfall. The last one was a double one that Matt and I got to race down. I was ahead but lost in the end. We hiked through the trails, and in and out of small rivers to get back to base. They had some snacks and water there waiting for us. We hung out for about a half and hour and then loaded back up onto the trucks to head back down the mountain. We got to talk to the tour guide that started the tree top adventures. It was neat to hear his story and about his life in Puerto Vallarta. I love meeting different people and hearing their stories. So fascinating!
We made it down to the mountain and back to the waiting area for our boat. We got on the boat and headed back to the port. We were pretty exhausted but thrilled with the adventure we had been on that day. It was a incredible experience!
When we got back to the hotel we decided to do a low key dinner. We dressed up and went to the "fancy" restaurant. We knew it would be quiet and calm--no kids were allowed...hehe. The restaurant was called Portofino. They served some of the best Italian I've ever had. We were savoring
every bite. I had Cream of Asparagus soup that was OH so YUM! I also got Lasagna that was just as good. Matt got some tenderloin or something...I can't remember. Probably because I was so into my own meal! After dinner we called it a night. We were both exhausted and ready to get rest and enjoy the next day.
This was definitely a day I will NEVER forget!
