Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

October 09, 2013

My mother and I set sail from San Diego on the Soul Train Cruise, my first and hopefully last cruise experience. (It wasn't the cruise, it was me. I was seasick for 3 days.) First stop: Puerto Vallarta. In the 60s, this former Mexican mining town transformed to a world-class destination that Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton once called home.

Mom and I were only in townfor 36 hours, but it was enough time to enjoy the beachside sculptures along the Malecon, grab lunch (and drinks) at La Bodeguita del Medio (aka L B del M), a favorite hunt of Naomi Campbell's, then dinner at The Blue Shrimp, and lunch the following day at Pepe's. Along the boardwalk, we window shopped to check out the Huichol at galleries and further inland, downtown, we grabbed souvenirs from the excellent (and expensive) silver shoppes. Finally, we trekked about to marvel at the "crown" sitting atop Nuesto Señora de Guadalupe before heading back to the ship.