Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco - Mexico

 This morning I was wandering around the decks on my usual morning walk and out in the distance I could see where the huge Mexican mountains (Sierra Madre Occidental) were plunging straight into the ocean. It was like our Great Dividing Range … but right at the oceans edge.

 It was a warm misty morning and today will be our last day in a port in Mexico. 

Unlike Huatulco, today there was an horizon and a pretty yellowish sunrise, a bit like we get in Australian if there is bushfire smoke in the air.

  The oceans on this cruise have been an ever changing feast of colours and this morning in the ships wake it was a yellowish green and the ships wake was tipped in off-white!

Today we are back on one of our included HAL big bus tours.

Our thoughtful tour guide was wanting to get us all in the FMM (Festa Mexican Mood) so Tequila shots were handed out within the first 10mins and happily received by a bus load of willing FMM supporters! 

 First is a 30 minute drive to a beach restaurant to have Tortillas and Margaritas for lunch.

The water so blue.

The sands so white that the sunnies never come off. 

The restaurants atmosphere, location as well as the great music play list with the likes of The Champs “tequila” so many ✅’s, 

Fillings for the tortillas all in beautiful bowls on such a colourful traditional woven cloth we so yummy!

But my dear readers my heart is still back in Huatulco where the ancient grain tortillas were just simply the best I have ever had.

The bus trip through the old town revealed quite a modern town, well maintained yet still with some older traditional areas but it appears not to have as many of the social issues that we have seen at some of our other recent cruise stops.

Visited a stunning 1912 church with it’s decorative wrought iron crown, siting on top a hill over looking old town and the beach below.

Beautiful decorative brick work to the front two sides showing great skill and care in construction.

Where as the sides of the church that were not generally seen by the people were almost medieval in appearance with only some structured brick work but mostly stone and rubble.

The congregation were in mourning for Pope Francis and the church was decorated beautifully as you would expect.

Being there on that day with only a few of the bus load of the subdue “FMM people” was super special.

I just love all the workmanship!

Back on the bus and off to The Mayahuel stage production, it was put on in a tiered theatre back in town and was just a superb stage production showing the traditional people in huge fabulous feathered head dress with painted athletic bodies all the while recreating dances and conveying their stories from a bygone era. 

Telling in dance the story of a big storm and about the agave plant being hit by lightning. Then after that storm the cave dwellers coming out to discover and taste for the first time … that new sweet flavour of the agave plants that had been cooked by the lightning.

Then the awesome feeling of “mystical pleasures” that they experienced for the first time or, into days terms they were 

“p***ed as newts” … 

This feeling of pleasure came from drinking some of the agave juice weeks later unbeknown to them … fermented. … 

So my friends TEQUILA was born!

This incredible show depicted 

Love - Lust - Myth - Creation - Fire - Water - Earth - Air 

To watch the dance of fire was truly visually stunning and dramatic in a darkened theatre after several more tequila's.

Just saying that OH&S in Australian, on a indoor stage with lots of very FMM viewers with so much 

🔥🔥 🙀 🫣 🙀 🔥 🔥

would not let this sort of show be preformed inside … on a stage with curtains and combustable feathers on so many heads 😂  

but as I’m writing this blog we all some how survived!

All making this show for US, one of the BEST ever depiction of a traditional and cultural show that we have ever seen while travelling around this wonderfull world we have. 

💚 💜 🔥 🙀