Today was a busy day. The entire group (save one or two who were injured or ill) boarded a 60 foot powercat and headed South on Banderas Bay toward Yelapa. On the way we stopped by these small islands (or large rocks, take your pick) and saw the blue footed booby birds nesting in the crevices. We saw manta rays in the waters and watched the frigates and brown pelicans soaring overhead. We then moved on towards the peaceful and isolated cove of Majahuitas. Situated on the southern coast of the bay the Majahuitas is accessible only by boat. We snorkled for an hour or so (and burned our backs of course). We saw pufferfish, snowflake eels, an octopus, and many colourful reef fishes.
Back on board, we headed off towards Yelapa, another location accessible only from the water, where we disembarked and toured the village before ending up on the beach for drinks and lunch. Sadly, we couldn’t go in the water as there were numerous man-of-war jellies littering the edge of the water. It was hot enough that some people braved it anyway, but after getting a few jelly stings at Majahuitas, and being really nailed in the chest by something that caused me some serious pain for a couple of hours, I opted to enjoy a chair on the beach, listen to the waves wash up on the beach, and wave off the beach vendors trying to sell us beads and pareos.
Towards dinner time we reboarded and cruised back along the edge of Banderas Bay to the cove of Las Caletas where we disembarked again and were guided to tables set for us on the beach at the edge of the ocean. As the sun sank we were invited to move into the jungle to an outdoor theatre. The heat and humidity were stifling, but the entertainment was wonderful. It was a Mexican version of Cirque – Rhythms of the Night – that included humour and history all wrapped together with wonderful music.
After the show we were back on the boat and headed back to Puerto Vallarta. Along the way the crew entertained us with dancing and humour.
We were out for a twelve hour day, and as exhausting as it was, it was absolutely fabulous!
