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When you head to one of the greatest deep sea fishing locations in the Pacific…well…
you FISH!
While in Puerto Vallarta, my husband decided that we absolutely needed to book a fishing trip. Checking around on the internet, we had yet to make a decision on a charter and were lying around on the beach, when we were approached by a gentleman offering to take us out on his boat.
After speaking with him a bit about the expedition, he seemed sincere and we decided to book the trip with him. Paying him a $100 deposit, we arranged to meet him the next morning at the nearby marina. A little later, however, I must admit, that the idea that he may have just collected money from us and would not actually show entered my mind! Probably not the savviest decision on my part!
A quick cab ride the next morning, while the sun was rising, deposited us at the marina and thankfully, Hector was there…loading up his boat and waiting for us!
Boarding Hector’s thirty-six foot cabin cruiser, The Miramar, we made ourselves comfortable and were soon motoring out of the harbor into the open water.
As the sun ascended, the calm blue water spread before us like an open road. Half asleep, we suddenly heard the captain shout. Opening our eyes and following his gaze, we spotted spray shooting up from the ocean’s surface. A Bryde’s whale was breaking the surface and we spied it’s slender, bluish-grey body make its way through the water. It surfaced and dove a few times before we were unable to locate it any longer. Such excitement! Not to be outdone, a pod of bottle nose dolphin decided that it would be fun to follow the boat. More fun for us as we watched them from the confines of our craft.
Excitement aside, Hector began placing the fishing rods in their holders at the rear of the boat…five in all…trailing the lures in the dark blue water behind us.
It didn’t take long…the bonitas were biting! A strong, fighting fish, we all took turns struggling to pull them in one by one, even though they were not the largest fish we had ever caught. A few Spanish mackerel even took the bait! Pretty soon, the sun was high, the air was warm and our live well was teeming with a multitude of fish.
After three full hours of fishing, it was finally time to turn and make the return hour-long journey. One of the best parts of the day, however, was yet to come. Unable to take our catch home with us, Hector had brought the necessities to make cerviche. We marveled as he made quick work of cleaning our haul throwing the entrails out into the water…the seagulls swooping in for a free meal.
We watched, mouths watering, as he chopped red onions, white onions, jalapeno, tomatoes, cucumbers and limes. Letting the concoction marinate for a bit, it was soon time to taste the fruit of Hector’s labor…
Muy delicioso! Hector’s cerviche was spicy and probably the best I had ever tasted! SO good that I had to steal his recipe (which I fixed when I got home with some fresh fish we caught in our lake)!
Enjoying our light lunch, we sailed back into the marina. Our fishing adventure had come to an end! Thanking (and tipping) Hector and his captain, we gathered our belongings and disembarked The Miramar, hopping onto a local bus for the short journey back to our hotel.
Though we did not venture out for an entire day’s trip, nor did we catch any larger game fish, the journey out on the Bay of Banderas was a fun and exciting one!
Things to keep in mind…
A valid Mexican Sport Fishing License is required before fishing in Mexican waters. Fishing license are usually included in the booking price (as ours was) or can be purchased from the charter operator.
One rod per person in the water at all times.
It is prohibited to sell the catch.
You need to be at least 250 meters away from swimmers in order to practice sporfishing.
For smaller fish, expect to book a four or five hour charter and remain in the Bay of Banderas. For larger, sport fish, expect to book a full day’s charter and a lot more time in the boat making your way out to the fishing grounds.
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Puerto Vallarta Fishing Charters
A swift cab ride from the airport had us arriving at the Hilton’s Puerto Vallarta All-Inclusive Resort, not long after our arrival and we were lounging on the beach, cocktails in hand, by two-thirty. Sunny skies and blue water! What more could you ask for?
The Malecón was renovated in 2011, making it more pedestrian friendly. The waterfront area is filled with beautiful sculpture, restaurants, bars, museums, free shows, duty-free shopping and souvenir shops. As we made our way south, we took lots of pictures, shopped, made friends and visited Our Lady of Guadaloupe cathedral, the city’s endearing landmark with its wrought-iron crown tower.
A long way from the Pope’s Italian abode, the Dublin Castle, originally built in the 13th century, on a site previously settled by Vikings, has served many functions…military fortress, prison, treasury, courts of law and the seat of English Administration in Ireland for 700 years.
In 1938, it was decided that the inauguration of the first President of Ireland, Douglas Hyde would take place in the castle. Since this time, the complex has hosted this ceremony ever since as well as official State visits, State dinners, informal foreign affairs engagements, state banquets and government policy launches. The castle also acts as the central base for Ireland’s hosting of the European Presidency approximately every ten years.
My next destination was the State Portrait Gallery and the State Dining Room. The room, filled with a collection of portraits of Irish Viceroys gracing the walls since 1849, has acted as the area where State dinners were held and continue to be held today. The dining table is set with Waterford crystal and the Irish State dinner service, featuring the national emblem, the gold harp, so that tourists can get an idea of what a dignitaries might enjoy.
Built in the last century by architect Ricardo de Jaxa Malachowski, it stands on the site of an older church, San Miguel de Miraflores. Though the beauty of its grand colonial exterior clearly outshines the interior, the interesting stained glass detailing the scenes of life and miracles of Jesus and the image of the Miraculous Virgin, from which its name is derived, on the altar are worth stopping in to pay a visit.
As the tour guide assembled our group at the entrance, we all stared up at the great adobe and clay monolith to our left. A massive structure, it is truly amazing that it has not succumbed to the development of the city which surrounds it on all sides.
Guided around the plaza that surrounds the pyramid, we were briefed on the history of the pyramid and the Lima people who resided in this area and gazed upon the displays designed to give tourists a representation of life when the pyramid was built. Separated by a large structured wall dividing it into two separate sections, one side was an area of offering and for religious ceremonies and another served as an administrative area.
Our guide enlightened us with much information detailing the changes that Huaca Pucllana endured around the year 700. By the year, 800, the highest parts of the site became an elite cemetery of the Wari culture. Many tombs and burial bundles have been unearthed on this apogee, the most recent being in 2010, when the remains of an affluent woman were discovered along with four children, who were believed to be sacrificed to accompany her to the after-world. Open tombs can be inspected which contain various elements such as clothing, household items and ritual objects.
Finally, we made our way down the pyramid and back to our entry point, which was also our exit.
Soon on our way, after an early departure, rain threatened our journey on and off until we arrived at our first stop, Skogafoss Waterfall. Though there wasn’t sufficient time to climb the long winding stairway to admire the largest waterfall in the country from the top (82 feet and a 200 foot drop), I was able to photograph the cascading waters very near its base, only getting slightly wet from the massive amounts of spray that the waterfall produces. As the rain temporarily cleared and the sun peeked out around the clouds, a beautiful rainbow was visible near the base of the waterfall.
Signs line the pathway to the beach warning of danger from the rogue waves that roll in with full force from the Atlantic, but when you arrive at the beach, there is no shortage of people daring the tide…laying on the beach, trying to get their best photgraphic shots of the rolling waves and getting as close to these monsters as possible. Spying a few soaked tourists, I stayed as far away as possible.
The adjacent, small village of Vík í Mýrdal, with 450 inhabitants, lies directly under the Myrdalsjokull glacier, which sits atop the volcano Katla. Speculation is that since there has not been an eruption since 1918, another may be brewing causing glacier melt and flash flooding which could decimate the village. Regular drills are held in the village directing residents to the local church which sits atop a hill hopefully protecting it from the floodwaters. If you are driving the ring road around the island, it is important to keep this village in mind as it is the only service center between Skógar and the west edge of the Mýrdalssandur glacial outwash.
Leaving Vík í Mýrdal, we were finally on our way to Sólheimajökull glacier, driving past beautiful countryside views. Donning my ski pants, hat and gloves while enroute, I readied myself for what we would encounter.
Soon, we were making our way up the trail, heading toward the glacier. Carrying our crampons on our axes, we walked along the edge of the glacial lake to our staging area. A beautiful rainbow stretched like a bridge across the lake and we could not wait to make the climb up to the glacier. After a quick lesson in strapping on our crampons, we were ready.
Entering through the main Famedio, a Neo Medieval style memorial chapel made of marble and stone, I first stopped to gaze upon the beautiful blue ceiling and the tomb of novelist, Alessandro Manzoni before making my way through each of the hallways. I particularly loved walking along the outer edges of the open-aired corridors so that I could admire the building’s architecture, the courtyard and the ornate tombs that line the area.
Before making my way into the cemetery’s immaculately groomed grounds, I then walked the full length of the building’s lower level, exiting at the center, where I could examine the map and the locations of the cemetery’s famous occupants. In this area is also a structure comprised of metal tubes and black and white stones centered with a small clay bowl placed inside the main formation. Surrounded by memorial plaques, I was informed by a fellow bystander that it is a monument to the 800 Italians who perished in Nazi concentration camps and the bowl was filled with soil from the Mauthausen concentration camp.
Wandering the grounds, through the avenues of trees, should be reserved for an unhurried pace as to absorb entire beauty of the surroundings and that’s just what I did. It was impossible not to want to stop and inspect each monument, so detailed and individualized were they. Many of the tombs and funerary monuments are of such an extravagant size, it is almost as through you are walking through a neighborhood of homes.
Opened in 1952, the park is named for George Maduro, a Jewish law student from Curaçao. After fighting the Nazi occupations forces as a member of the Dutch resistance, he died at Dachau concentration camp and was the only person of Antillean descent to be awarded the Knight 4th-class of the Military Order of William. After World War II, his parents donated the necessary capital to build the park in honor of their only son and a replica of his birthplace in Curaçao was added to the park in his honor.
Having traveled throughout the Netherlands, I have seen much of its beauty and many of its municipalities. As I moved to the rear of the property with reproductions of many of the Netherlands’ cities, I developed a game to check out each city exhibit before reading the accompanying signs and identify it by its buildings and landmarks. As an avid photographer, I especially enjoyed positioning my camera to get the best shots of these tiny cities…with the results, in some cases, you have no idea that you are looking at a photo of a model, so detailed are the displays.
Another attraction, explains the beginning of the Netherlands in 1572. Hof van Nederland (Dutch Court) is located at the rear of the property and unlike the small-scale displays, is life sized. The best part of the entire park, however, is that the entirety of the net proceeds from the park go towards various charities in the Netherlands!