Sunset Pictures are the Best!

Aren't these sunglasses cute? Well, they are no longer. Madi was spinning around on the promenade deck, went a little to close too the rail and woosh her sunglasses were swept right off her face into the wind and instantly lost down into the ocean.  She was a little shocked at how quickly it all happened and a little saddened that she lost her fav pair of shades.

La Paz - Del Tecolote Beach

This part of Mexico had the most interesting landscape.  If you looked inland you would think you were in Arizona (lots of saguaro cactus). Across the ocean was a red rocked island that looked like a part of St. George. Down one side of the beach was lava rocks and the opposite side looked like some of the cliffs we see at Lake Powell. Such a unique place. Madi and Sara were the most excited about all the shells everywhere. Collecting is always the most fun.

 Let the shell seeking expedition begin...

Madi is taking Derek to show him a place she found that she called "Shell Heaven". Later, the whole family got into searching for shells. Now we can all claim that we have been there.

 Success! Millions of beautiful seashells.  So this is what Shell Heaven looks like:

 

Elegant Night

Our lovely table in the Black Pearl Restaurant

The funnest quote from Madi was the first night when she read the menu and asked Sara,

"What's your main?"

Meaning what would she want for her main course.  We laughed about it for a few nights after.
I loved watching these kids learn to order off a complicated menu and see their manners
evolve throughout the week.

Sara's mainstay meal: Hamburger with french fries. Mostly she would eat this on the deck by the pool. I don't think she even missed one day.

My favorite guys!

Cabo Wabo and Cabo Again

Amongst all the shopping, Derek wanted to find the famous Cabo Wabo Cantina he's heard about. Everyone knows one of D's favorite groups is Van Halen. The group came here in the 80's bought this cantina and wrote the Cabo Wabo song.

A second day in Cabo? ....we won't complain.

I believe this is one of the nicest places in Mexico to vacation. We decided to try a different beach so we went to Medano beach and I think everyone else from the ship decided on that beach too. The swimming here was ideal for the kids and the water was similar to that of the Carribbean... so crystal clear.

Jake found a puffer fish while swimming.

New Friends & More Memorable Moments

Madi and this nice gentleman talked for a good 10 minutes outside this restaurant.  He knew English very well and was teaching her some Spanish words. To watch their interaction was quite sweet and one I want to remember.

Sara purchased this homemade doll from another little girl on the street. Another great moment to recall.

The boardwalk in Puerto Vallarta.  They have really made some nice upgrades since Derek and I were here few years ago.

A masterpiece sand sculpture - Incredible!

It's always so nice to return back to the ship and enjoy some down time. - Swimming and Hot Tubs

 I am so enjoying being with these great kids and seeing them have such a good time together!

A game of "May I" in the lobby  - Fun Times!

Canopy Nogalito - Puerto Vallarta

Happily waiting our turn for instructions.

We spent most of the morning on 14 ziplines.  The feeling of flying through the trees at top speeds was pure exhileration -  SO FUN! A few hikes in between made for good exercise too. The most exciting part was zipping through a tunnel, not knowing what was on the other side and seeing the ocean view from the top zipline.

Here we GO!!

My favorite of Sara. She really took it to heart when they told her to lean back.

Halfway through already???  If they'd let us, we would be happy to stay here all day!

 Towards the end were twin zip lines for racing each other.

Sara and Madi were the first ones up.

Victory - it was close race but, I beat Kayli.

I think Alli beat Jake, but he claimed her stopping pads were closer out than his.

Derek raced a younger pal and I think there was an age advantage for sure.

I was impressed with how brave the kids were especially Sara and Madi. It's hard to tell from pictures, but some of the drops were 200 ft high with speeds close to 40 miles an hour.

Our tour guides were hilarious (so many jokes) and we really had a BLAST!!