PUERTO VALLARTA!!

LAND HO!  We weren't sure what to expect in Puerto Vallarta.  We heard there were some good beaches, and many sculptures along the boardwalk worth seeing.  As we got off the ship, the first little booth we passed had a man with a little donkey in it.  This animal was THE softest thing I have ever felt, and Aspen was entranced  The man took it, picked it up and put it right in her lap.  I'm amazed we didn't have to come back to the states packing this donkey.

The part about coming into ports that not many of us like is being bombarded by all the people trying to sell you services, a taxi ride, a tour, drinks, overpriced trinkets... etc etc. We learned to look the other way, and NEVER EVER ask questions about their goods.

Usually when Hayden and I take trips into ports, we like to rent a car, drive OUT of the touristy parts of the city, and see some authentic parts of the country.  Stop somewhere and have food at a local place, or try to hit a "memorable location" while there (thanks to Wikipedia).  When traveling with a party of 8 people, however, it makes doing just such things, a bit more tricky. 

Our first destination was the beach, and there was one in front of a large bank of hotels right down the pier from the ship.  The beaches were beautiful... the humidity in the air was so thick it looked like fog... the boys loved the water, and Aspen had her first WAVE adventure.  She loved building sand-castles with Austin.  However, they had been building them pretty close to where the waves were coming in.  Aspen got very defensive about her little project, and when the waves destroyed her little sand creation while she was REBUILDING it, she had had enough of waves.  She would NOT go into the waves at the next beach place we stopped at later in the trip.