LET'S START AT THE END

Well I was going to do one long post on my cruise to the Mexican Riviera but then I decided to break it up.

I'm still pretty sick. My cold has gone into my chest and I have a cough that sounds like a fog horn. I think I have fever too so please forgive me but I got some of these photos out of order and just wasn't up to redoing them.

Our first stop (which was really my last port of call) will be in Puerto Vallarta.

We decided to take a shore excursion through the ship. We were going to take a double decker catamaran to a private island that you can only get to by boat.

Now, we knew others had been here years and years before us because there was a pyramid ruien here. This was the first real pyramid I had ever seen and even though it was a small one it was surreal knowing how long ago there were men here who built this by hand.

This photo is out of order because it was on the island and towards the end of the trip that I saw it but I wanted to share it with you.

As we were on the catamaran we went by some beautiful rock formations. The water was the most beautiful green. I've never seen water this color before.

It almost felt like I was on a ride at Disneyland or something. Everything was just a little to perfect. I had to remind myself that this was not man made. God made all this beauty. Wow!

Here we are docked and walking on the island. It felt like we had stepped onto the set of Survivor or something.

These chairs were set up for us to use and was where we spent most of our day. We were in the shade most of the time and this was just steps from the water.

If you wanted, you could swim out to these little docks and sunbathe.

Strange from this shot the water looks more blue then green. In real life the water here was just as green as in the other pictures.

There were paths to walk on if you wanted to explore. It was a tropical jungle feel and every turn led to another view that just left you feeling in awe.

They served a wonderful Mexican lunch and we sat here to eat.

Let me tell you, the feeling was something out of a dream or movie. I never knew life could really be like this. The sights, sounds, smell, taste and feel of everything was pure Heaven.

There is no electricity on the island. The bathroom was all lit up with lovely candles. At night you can come to the island and you would be greeted with Tiki Torches and candles everywhere. I'm sure that would be a lovely site.

There are generators so they can do all the behind the scenes things like wash the dishes, cook the food and so on. However, we never once saw where any of the behind the scenes activities took place. They take great care to give you a true deserted island feel.

There were streams of water flowing.

Darling little hutches could be found scattered around the island. Perhaps this is where they store things??

While we were relaxing on the beach I noticed some movement near me. The next thing I knew this rather large iguana came crawling out from behind a rock.

Poor guy. He seemed sort of scared. We got some fruit from the lunch area and we fed him. He really liked the pineapple and melon.

I did get to pet him but then he ran off. But, he wasn't the only wild life on the island.

I got to hold a little monkey. I think he was a squirrel monkey. He was so tiny and light. I wanted to take this little guy home.

There were also wild parrots and some that were tame that you could hold.

We got to stay about 5 hours before the bells rang saying it was time to go back. So we went back to our catamaran and took our hour trip back to the ship.

I have to say this was one of the most beautiful and peaceful days of my life. I could not have asked for a better day. I loved everything about it.

The water was so warm. We spent hours in the water. I didn't even mind being in a bathing suit. Which if you know me was something I didn't think I was going to do. But, everyone there was so nice and no one gave a 2nd thought to what anyone else was doing. So I felt very comfortable.

If you ever get a chance to go here I hope you do. It's called Las Caletas and it cost $86 to go to. That was for your catamaran ride, drinks and snacks on the boat, entertainment on the boat, the use of the island, lunch and all the beauty and relaxation one could consume.

Tomorrow I will post about our horseback ride along the beaches in Mazatlan. Oh my!

Hugs,
Joanne