Monday, November 2:  A 7 A.M. wake up call rings as requested. We have a day trip planned up the north coast in to Nayarit to visit San Pancho, Sayulita, Bucerias and whatever else we can squeeze in. We've found a private tour driver through a friend met online, Paco Ojeda (www.paco-ojeda.com), who in turn asked a concierge for Hotels Boutique de Mexico for assist, who referred us to our driver. But first, our morning cup of coffee out on the balcony just in time to see a cruise ship coming in. We go downstairs and grab coffee and muffins from CasaMagna's Mangos Deli and enjoy them on the patio by the pool. Puerto Vallarta is on the same latitude as Hawaii, but I don't recall the birds in the palm trees in Hawaii that I've seen here; black birds and some yellow breasted birds flitting about. Chirpy little things.
Adrian Ibarra meets us in the lobby and we are ushered out to his new Chevy Suburban to begin the day. Adrian is part of a family owned private tour company in PV (www.ibarrapuertovallartatours.com) and we immediately feel comfortable by his easy going style. My husband takes the co-pilot seat and I sit in back in the middle of the bench seat for a good view. Adrian is bilingual and we easily slip back and forth between English and Spanish. We head out on Carretera 200 up the coast deciding to take the highway up the coast as far north as San Pancho and start the in-town visits there wending our way down as we come back home going off the highway into each little town.  As we go past Bucerias on the highway we see the Bucerias cemetery off to the right that is busy with people setting up for the Dia De Los Muertos activities for today;   Adrian calls the cemetery the "timeshare forever".

San Pancho (San Francisco):  As we turn off the freeway in to town there is a bridge painted a familiar orange; Adrian tells us it's the Golden Gate of San Pancho; we thought it looked familiar. The dirt road bounces us along through the town towards the main plaza. I see a clinic sign for flu and Dengue Fever. We are definitely in the tropics here. The jungle is thick all down Carr. 200 and into the town. The plaza is decorated for Dia De Los Muertos  with ofrendas and paintings of El Muerte and La Catrina.We proceed to another little plazita and a group of Huichol Indians are setting up tables to sell their artwork. I buy some beautiful beaded bracelets from a beautiful young Huichol woman.
Sayulita: Next on the agenda, the place I've read more and more about on the internet and am even subscribed to the weekly online local El Sayulero newspaper. As we drive in I feel like I've been here before. Cobblestone streets that lead to the main plaza and cobblestone street spokes leading down to the beach. Walking around the plaza I am completely taken in by the sights, smells and sounds; we walk past a woman at a street stand cutting and squeezing oranges for juice and the freshness of the smell is like none other I've smelled before. The color in the shop windows and on the buildings are bright yellows, blues, oranges, pinks; I think all of my senses are heightened by the thrill of finally being here. Lunch on the beach at a restaurant called Beach Party that Adrian has recommended. It's shrimp tacos all around and I have never tasted anything so scrumptious. A simple saute of small shrimp, diced tomato, onion, and chile morron placed in a lightly toasted flour tortilla. Out of this world! As we eat we watch the surfers and endless parade of people and beach vendors selling silver jewelry, sundresses of many patterns and colors, and all kinds of trinkets.The sun is a brilliant yellow in an even more brilliant blue sky. This is heaven on a hot day.
We move on. Punta Mita: We drive by this enclosed enclave of private beaches and high end hotels. We drive through El Anclote a village of local fisherman that used to live on the shores of Punta Mita.
La Cruz de Huanacaxtle is a small village with a cross in the town's entry made out of the wood from a Huanacaxtle tree.
Our next stop is a restaurant off Carr. 200 right after La Cruz, Paraiso Escondido, a large open air restaurant that specializes in steaks and seafood. The view from here is magnificent to the north and across the bay to Nuevo Vallarta.
Bucerias is another small town of cobblestone streets with interesting vendor's stalls along the streets.
The day is coming to an end and Adrian returns us to our hotel. We make plans to meet him again on Friday for a trip down the south coast of Vallarta.
We take a little rest, freshen up and head down to CasaMagna's lobby bar for a change in scenery; nice view of the lush gardens and beyond that the bay. We talk to the bartender, Juan, and discuss religion, racism, and raicilla (a local tequila-like drink). We can't quite pull ourselves away from the bay and sit out on the pool lounge chairs near the beach before dinner at Las Casitas. The pool area is quiet and cool and we can talk over a glass of wine and see the lights of the Malecon across the bay.
Dinner of a ribeye steak for the husband and I have the Huachinango.
We leave the balcony door open and fall asleep to the sound of the waves.