The second leg of my journey was from Mexico City to Puerto Vallarta. I flew Aeromexico once again and I can’t say enough about their great service. I’ll have to dedicate a post to Aeromexico, I was just that impressed.
Leaving Mexico City
The haze was considerably heavier when I left the city but made for a dramatic skyline. Take off was flawless. I will never tire of taking off in an aircraft. I can’t imagine how many times I have been in this situation and I still find it exhilarating.
On route to Puerto Vallarta
The flight to Puerto Vallarta is just over one hour in duration. On the way you can see a vast array of agricultural terrain. Nearing the coast you will fly over Lake Chapala. This day the sunshine was peeking through the cloud cover and exposing the lake in such a picturesque way.
Once you have passed Lake Chacala and Guadalahara, you will floating over the Sierre Madre mountain range heading towards the Bay of Banderas. This is a gorgeous mountain range, covered in jungle and absolutely serene. Before you know it, el capitan will announce the decent into Puerto Vallarta.
Touch Down at PVR & the Airport
Puerto Vallarta Airport can be very chaotic to say the least! I was flying domestically this time but in the end, you are still coming out the same bank of doors as all of your fellow travellers. If you are arriving internationally, you will first line up to go through immigration where you will present your passports. Then you will proceed to the baggage area for pick up. I have come into this airport and their was no wait for baggage and conversely I’ve had to wait over 30 minutes for the carousel just to start up.
After you have your bags, best of luck finding the end of the queue for customs. Keep trying, it will seem like utter chaos but at least this line moves quickly. Once you reach the front, there will be a button to press. Green light, lucky you, you can proceed to the exit. Red light and you will have to either pop your bags into an x-ray machine or lift them up onto a table for a brief examination.
Shark Tank. Please be aware once you leave the baggage area you will proceed through a hall dubbed the shark tank. It is aptly named so because of the time share agents that will use every tactic in the book, to get you to stop and speak with them. Please, unless you want to forego hours of your valuable vacation, just walk swiftly to the exit doors.
Once outside and you recover from that initial blast of hot humid sticky air, you will find your transportation. If you have already booked a shuttle or your package provides one, you will find the crews here holding placards. Should you need a taxi, the federal taxi stand is just ahead a little to the right. You can simply proceed to the sitio and a person holding a clipboard will show you where to make a payment. There are three companies that sell federal taxi fares and their prices are all within a few pesos of each other. Another option for taxi payment is just inside the exit doors and over to the right. You can purchase your taxi fare here from any of the three booths. Again, they are all selling the exact same product, just three different companies, so it doesn’t matter which booth you use.
You have arrived at one of the most vibrant destinations in all of Mexico! I hope you enjoy this city as much as I do.
