Sunday, November 1: Beginning Dia de los Muertos festivities.

The guys in the room next to ours have been celebrating in their room since 3 A.M.  I'd be happy to show them to the cemetery. 

My husband and I finally give up the thought of sleeping late and go down for breakfast. After eating we rest a bit in the lovely, breezy open air lobby and then start an exploration over to the marina, just a few blocks from the CasaMagna Marriott. The neighborhood around CasaMagna is lovely, condos, a tennis club. The marina is tucked away off a side street that you would never really notice unless given directions. It's Sunday morning and most of the shops and restaurants are closed, doesn't look like much goes on here, but we've been told it's a different story at night. We have a coke at a little sidewalk cafe trying to wake up after a night of little sleep, and watch a fishing boat come in and the fishermen cleaning a Dorado that was caught; we are also keeping our eye on an iguana that has slithered out of the bushes by the cafe in front of us.
It feels terribly hot in the sun on our walk back to the hotel, it's the humidity more than anything, but we gratefully go in to Champion's Restaurant within the hotel that is heavenly cool and the lights are dim. We order sandwiches and a nice cold Corona while we watch football games on the multiple big screens. A wonderful refuge from the bright sun and the heat.

A nap recharges our batteries and we're ready to jump in a cab and go in to El Centro and the Malecon to explore some more in downtown PV as sunset approaches. We ask the cabbie to let us off in the plazita in front of the church of La Virgen de Guadalupe to listen to the municipal band that plays on the bandstand every Sunday evening. The plazita is full of people strolling around talking and waiting for the music. There are vendors of ice cream, balloons, and agua fresca; and kids playing chase. The band is warming up and the birds in the trees that fill the plaza are chattering loudly and seem as excited as the people waiting for the band to start. The church bells toll every half hour and at 6:30 the band begins with a waltz. A group of the older local citizens begin to dance in one corner of the plaza. It is simply from times past and beautiful. The sidewalk against a building on one side of the plaza is decorated with ofrendas, altars beautifully decorated with flowers and papel picado in honor of those who probably danced here at one time in the past.
One musical piece after another is played with couples dancing and sometimes changing partners. My husband and I wanted to dance but felt we would be intruding on what should belong to the Vallartenses only. The best dance I think was a Paso Doble danced to the music of a bullfight as the matador enters the bullring. Dramatic, graceful, with heart and passion.

We continued our exploration down the Malecon. A bride and groom are having their pictures taken in front of the arches on the Malecon. Then it's over the bridge of the Rio Cuale again and we're looking for the restaurant La Palapa that we've read about. It's dark by the time we get there, but no problem, the tables on the beach are lit by candles as is the walkway leading to each table. We opt to eat in the open bar area that has ceiling fans and is just across the walkway from the beach. We order a wonderfully chilled Chilean Chardonnay, and we decide to order multiple tapas instead of a full meal so we can sample a little of many things. Ceviche de Atun, Camarones Coco, Ravioli dumplings with a seafood filling. All so good. There is a wonderful guitarist and flute player that make the night seem magical.

A cab ride back to the CasaMagna and we call it another wonderful day.