RLS benefits

Not surprisingly, Will often gets the itch to move while on vacation. A touch of RLS. While I could most certainly make do with lying prone by the pool, my beau needs to get out and go. And usually, I benefit from these urges. While in Mexico, we embarked on two "excursions."

The first, to the Marieta Islands. After breakfast, Will and I boarded a panga with guides Dylan and Carlos, and boatman Francis, and headed seaward. The morning before we'd watched humpback whales breaching in the bay and had our eye-balls peeeeeeeled. Unfortunately for us, no whales (boo) but we did encounter a pod of dolphins, a giant sea turtle and a giant manta ray - about the size of Will's old Lincoln (yea).

The Marieta Islands are a protected wildlife sanctuary and marine preserve, home to a dazzling array of sea life and dozens of bird species, including the rare blue footed booby, found only in the Marietas and Galapagos islands.

We had the island to ourselves for about 45 minutes. We explored caves. Roamed beaches. Went snorkeling. And then settled in for lunch - at the precise time a tour boat from Puerto Vallarta pulled up.

We felt like Wall-E and EVE.

And promptly left to snorkel in the deep. Did you know fish, and seagulls, really like tortilla chips? Will does now!

It was a wonderful day away from Verana.

Our second excursion was a self-guided hike to Cathedral Falls, about an hour and a half from Yelapa "proper." A rocky dirt path leads you through Yelapa's residential district, up some gentle slopes and into the farmland/forest. After scrambling under a fence (marked by the universal "go under" symbol) and down some rocky cliffs, we arrived at the falls.

After a 20 minute wade, the Wall-E/EVE experience recurred and we skeedaddled.

If such a thing occured, Verana's experts advised us to hike 25 minutes past the Alice in Wonderland fence. So, we did and were greeted by sandy spots for sitting, rocks for sun-basking and cool pools of river water, cascading toward the further-down falls.


The only downfall to Will's RLS-inspired excursions? My inability to enjoy a post-journey Pacifico.