In January 2005, Gesa & I flew to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico where we joined some friends. A whale watching trip to Banderas Bay was the highlight of the trip.
Whale in Banderas Bay
View from our hotel at dawn
Souveniers for sale
Street scene in downtown Puerto Vallarta
Local school kids studying biology
Mexico
Mexico
Mexico
This iguana was posing nicely along the banks of Rio Cuale
The Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a famous PV landmark. It is known for the crown on top, held in place by angels (a replica of the crown worn by Empress Carlota during her brief time in Mexico as Emperor Maximilian's wife)
Leaves along the Rio Cuale
View of the beach & downtown Puerto Vallarta
Most street signs are made of hand-painted white tiles
Many buildings in Puerto Vallarta have a Mediterranean look
Pelican at Sunset
Mexico
Interesting bronze sculptures along the beach boardwalk ( Malecon in local lingo) create an interesting outdoor museum
Malecon
Malecon
Para-sailing is a big tourist attraction
Mexico
Humpback whale showing off. Between January & March each year, the whales spawn here at the Bahia de las Banderas
We also saw dolphins. It's very difficult to photograph both the dolphins and whales; you never know where they surface and in less than a second, they are back in the water again
Whale watching boat in Banderas Bay. We took a smaller boat which enabled us to get closer to the whales.
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It's an awesome sigght to see the humpback whales that close
Pelicans searching for food just before sunset
Thousands of pelicans live in Puerto Vallarta - it's a wonderful sight to watch them riding the thermals.
Beachfront in Puerta Vallerta
A perfect sunset on the last day of our vacation