dolphins, statues, and good food

Howdy again!

After a nice rest, we woke up early this morning to get some breakfast and then head over to a water park with dolphins. As it turns out, starting in May the water park doesn't open until 11, so at first we had a few minutes to kill.


But once we got into the tank with the dolphins, it was all worthwhile!


We have photos and videos to prove how much fun we had, but those are for later. Anyway, after that we headed back to the hotel to change and rinse off the salt water a bit, then headed into the town for lunch.

Puerto Vallarta is a cute town, with lots of little shops and cobblestone streets. One of its best features is a boardwalk that runs the length of downtown, called the Malecon.


The first thing most people notice about the boardwalk is the series of statues down the northern section. A couple of these were truly breathtaking, and some could better be described as unique. I took a lot of photos, so we'll post them to picasa when we have a better connection.



One of the other things we noticed down there were intricate, beautiful sand sculptures. The artists were there, touching them up, as well as asking for tips, actually. I tossed in a fiver. Five pesos, that is. Okay, I'm cheap, but these artists appreciate every penny.


This photo does not do justice to the level of detail involved in these sculptures. Le sigh.

In some ways, this town reminds me too much of the US. It's got Home Depot, Costco, Walmart, the usual car brands, and all the chain restaurants you expect (Starbucks, Chili's, Baskin Robbins). We've been having authentic mexican food, risking our digestive tracks by eating salsa and blended margaritas (yes, Jerry had one too, though he didn't quite finish it). Trust me, the local food is worth the risk of food poisoning.

Speaking of chains...


After all was said and done, Jerry had a spa appointment involving a chocolate wrap, and I did some reading by the beach. We had a fantastic dinner by the marina at a restaurant called Tikul. It was delicious, and the kind of service that always serves from the right and clears from the left. The asparagus soup with garlic flan [sic] was delicious.