Family Travel with Colleen Kelly

Colleen Kelly: Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Sun, sand, and beauty awaits.

Adventure on every corner and artistry like nowhere else.

Hi, I'm Colleen Kelly, and this is Family Travel.

Welcome to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Located on the southwestern coast of Mexico in the state of Jalisco, Puerto Vallarta is home to wonderful history, food, art, and excitement for people of all ages.

In this episode of Family Travel, my husband Greg, our daughter Dunovan, and family friends Nick and Lizzie join me to explore this incredible city.

My sister Katie also happened to be in town on business and made a little room on her schedule for adventure.

In this episode of Family Travel, we'll visit Puerto Vallarta's beautiful Botanical Garden.

Satisfy our appetites with some of the best street tacos in town, set sail for a swashbuckling adventure, try out our culinary skills, visit the largest vehicular suspension bridge in the world, and enjoy some fun in the sun at Las Caletas.

Pack your bags, we're headed to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

My name is Colleen Kelly.

When I was single, I lived abroad and traveled the world.

Then I became a parent and wondered, how would I ever travel again?

So, I set out to find a new way to travel and get back to exploring the world family style.

I'm here to guide you on how to get the most out of your family vacation.

Pack your bags and join me, Colleen Kelly.

We're going on vacation.

Funding provided by Ted Tetzlaff, attorneys for your personal and business needs.

The first stop on our Mexican adventure takes us to Vallarta Botanical Gardens.

On the drive down, families may catch a glimpse of Los Arcos de Mismaloya.

One of the most incredible features of Puerto Vallarta are the natural land formations like Los Arcos.

Founded in 2004, the Vallarta Botanical Gardens serves as an ecological hub for the preservation and propagation of Mexican plant life.

One of the big draws of Puerto Vallarta is its ecotourism.

What better place for ecotourists to come than Vallarta Botanical Gardens?

With their commitment to conservation, beautiful nature trails, and relaxing Horcones River, it makes Vallarta Botanical Gardens a must stop for anybody looking to unwind, enjoy a peaceful day in the fresh Mexican air.

Marcos: What you can do here in the Vallarta Botanical Gardens, well, the thing is that the botanical garden is open for everyone who wants to visit.

You can visit all the 28 acres here inside the garden.

We have 10 different trails.

Easy, medium, and really hard trails for those who like to walk.

We have our river down there, the Horcones River, and also we have more than 20 species of birds in the area.

We have military macaws that we conserve inside the Botanical Gardens.

Also at night, we hear that we have gaurs in the area.

Colleen: Our first visit was to the Visitor Center.

There, Marcos showed us the beautiful display of tiles that had been laid in honor of various donors who had visited the gardens.

A little trek down from the Hacienda de Oro is the Horcones River.

Families will love going for a dip and warming their feet in the sand.

Further up from the Hacienda de Oro, we also got to experience some of the local birdlife.

Botanical Gardens is dedicated to the preservation of birdlife including the military macaw.

As we hiked up further up the trail, we finally came to the Bridge of Dreams where it said that if you close your eyes and cross, your wish will come true.

Finally, we came to the chapel where many happy couples have tied the knot.

There's so much romance in the air, it may even inspire you to renew your own vows.

With so much to see and learn, the garden's an educational hot spot as well as a wonderful place for a family to unwind.

As you can see, it's absolutely beautiful here.

What a great way to kick off our vacation.

After a day at the botanical gardens, we've all worked up a big appetite.

We're ready to dig into some of the local cuisine with Vallarta Food Tours.

We met our guide, Manuel and headed to the street for an evening taco tour.

That is great.

Manuel: I'm Manuel, hi.

Colleen: Hi.

Manuel: Nice to meet you.

Greg: Nice to meet you.

Colleen: Oh my God.

This is awesome.

We're excited.

Manuel: Well, welcome to Vallarta Food Tours.

We're doing a special story for you guys tonight.

We're walking around the streets of Puerto Vallarta and we're having our local tasty dishes.

We're starting here in this plaza in the main square.

We're heading off that way so we can try our first tasting.

Colleen: Okay.

Are you guys ready?

Greg: Yes, I'm ready.

Colleen: All right, let's make it happen.

Greg: Okay, Let's go.

Colleen: The tour began with a traditional drink of fermented coconut punch with palm tree sap.

With many tacos from so many beautiful taco stands, it could be hard to know where to start.

Our guide, Manuel, led us to this stand with such grace and ease.

Finally, we landed on a place to sit.

They just brought this to me, this is way too much for me.

You're all going to have to share this with me.

[laughs] The meal was fantastic and Manuel's company was greatly enjoyed.

Manuel: We love family-run restaurants and this is one of my favorite seafood restaurants.

In this case, this family, all the staff, they're the same family.

They started back in 1989 with just a small stand selling ceviche and working their way up.

They moved to the first restaurant with only four tables in 1997 and seven years ago to this bigger restaurant.

Colleen: Why do you do the tours?

What made you start them?

Manuel: Good question.

One, I love street food.

Two, I love the research on street food.

I like to go around trying new places.

Greg: Talk to people, finding what the stories, the history, the families, meet them, yes.

Manuel: Meet the families, meet their background.

Find out how they started doing this.

That's what really makes it interesting for me.

Colleen: I think it's fair to say everyone had a good time.

Because if there's one thing that brings people together, it's food.

Let's toast, ready?

Thank you for taking us to this amazing place, a local place.

Manuel: A local place.

Colleen: What do we say in Spanish?

Manuel: Salud.

All: Salud.

Colleen: Our final stop on the tour was La Casa Dulce, a wonderful little candy shop here in Puerta Vallarta.

The family-run shop opened in 2015.

Most of the candies are from the region except the chocolate which is produced in Wahaca.

Among all the candies, one of them is the most prized.

The [unintelligible], caramel peanuts with sesame seeds.

La Casa Dolce produces their own.

High seas, rough tides, and swashbuckling adventure awaits.

One of the prides of Puerto Vallarta, the Marigalante Pirate Ship.

It's one of the premier attractions for families visiting the area.

The day begins with breakfast on board the ship.

Passengers can choose from either an American Or Mexican breakfast.

After that, the crew kicks off one of the greatest pirate shows around.

There's music, adventure, and even walking the plank.

As the journey comes to its halfway point, the ship finds its destination at the magical Majahuitas Island.

Adrian: Well, we did a lot of activities that could make the families to come to our pirate ship.

We're going to start as an activity we have onboard with the pirate ship.

Our crew is fantastic.

We have the beach, we have beach activities as snorkeling, kayak, treasure-hunt for families.

We have volleyball and enjoy the best beach that we have here in Majahuitas Island.

Mr. Bui: He actually enjoyed it.

He's so fascinating about treasure.

First time ever he saw the treasure in real life.

Mrs. Fuentes: We love Puerto Vallarta.

It's not only fun for us but for any age type from little ones to seniors.

Everything is very good.

We are so happy in Vallarta.

Colleen: With so much fun for the family, you'll absolutely want to explore the high seas with Pirate Ship Vallarta.

For foodies like my husband, Greg, a great way to spend your day in Puerto Vallarta is by visiting Gaby's Restaurant.

Here you can indulge in some authentic Mexican cuisine or even create your own with a cooking class taught by Chef Julio Castillion.

Families come from around the world to learn the art of cooking from Chef Julio.

A chef who is committed to the gastronomical arts of Mexico.

The class begins at Emiliano Zapata, a traditional Mexican market where we acquire all our locally sourced ingredients for the class.

All that's left to do is grab the rest of the ingredients and head back to Gaby's for our class which we'll soon use to make some delicious tortillas.

Chef Julio: Let's go to make some tortillas, okay?

Colleen: Okay, yes.

Chef Julio: So you are here in Mexico, let me explain to you something.

When Mexicans try to make a decision between what taco stand to choose, we always choose the taco stand where we hear this noise.

[slapping sound] Immediately we know in our mind, "Oh, don't choose this one.

Choose the other one because it's handmade tortilla."

To make the perfect tortilla, you need to make handmade tortillas.

Here I have a part of my will of my grandmother.

Colleen: Oh, this is from your grandmother?

Chef Julio: We have grandma's fresh tortilla.

Colleen: Wow, that's cool.

Chef Julio: First thing, you need to have a skill with the fire, how do you say, high fire.

Very high.

Colleen: Yes, high fire.

Chef Julio: You need to have the process.

Colleen: Caliente.

Chef Julio: Remember at the market, we bought some of the masa.

We call it masa, or corn dough.

First thing, please, around your hands- Greg: Do you have to work it a little bit?

Chef Julio: Yes.

Colleen: There's that noise.

Chef Julio: Yes.

That's the marketing technique of the taco stands to say, "Hey, Ben, we're right here."

Press.

Colleen: Oh, that was so fast.

Greg: You saw how he did that, right?

Colleen: Yes.

Greg: Wait a minute.

Colleen: And next, it's my turn to give it a shot.

Chef Julio: Press.

Colleen: Let's see how I did.

Greg: Great.

Chef Julio: Then like a [unintelligible].

Colleen: Oh, look at that.

As Chef Julio explains, always with your palm to the sky, with half the tortilla hanging off your hand, lay the tortilla flat on the skillet.

12 seconds on one side followed by 24 seconds on the other.

This, Chef Julio says, is the secret to making perfect tortillas.

And next, everybody got to give it a try.

We then learned how to make salsa.

Chef Julio: Our next thing to do is salsa.

We have already tortilla for making our tacos, but taco is not complete if we don't have good salsa.

And the best salsas in Mexico, all we really need to use is this thing.

We call in Mexico el molcajete.

It's made from lava rocks from the volcanoes of the middle of the country.

Colleen: Wow, that's cool.

Chef Julio: You need to use your muscles now.

Colleen: Maybe I should do it then [laughs].

Greg: Yes, I think so.

Chef Julio: Okay.

We have all the spices right here.

We already have the charbroiled tomatoes, garlic, serrano peppers, and onions.

This is for salsa roja de molcajete.

Okay, let's do this.

It's simple, just put everything inside here.

Colleen: You said you need muscles.

Do you want me to pound these for you?

Chef Julio: More- they look like this.

Colleen: Yes, you do need muscles.

Greg: When you roast the tomatoes and garlic, do you put any oil on them or just burn it on the grill, just roast it?

Chef Julio: Yes, a little bit of the oil.

Your turn.

Colleen: Look at that.

Do they make it like this?

I mean, most of them actually do it this way?

Chef Julio: In the present, we have electricity.

We use a blender, so we make a competition.

The same ingredients in the blender and the same ingredients on the molcajete.

Greg: Taste them.

Chef Julio: Tastes better, this one.

Remember, lava rocks from the volcano have a lot of minerals that add flavor to the salsa and every Mexican knows that.

Colleen: They do, huh?

Okay.

Chef Julio: Yes.

Colleen: I like this way.

Oh my gosh, I want to try this.

How is it?

How did he do?

Greg: Good?

I'm earning my keep over here.

Colleen: That is so fresh.

That is so good.

I can feel the kick.

It was now time to make our own fajitas, complete with flamb.

Greg: Wow.

Colleen: Wow, what a show.

For me first?

Female Speaker: Good?

Colleen: It's so good.

I love fajitas anyway, but I don't think I've ever had a fajita that I went to the market, picked up a produce- Greg: Made the tortilla.

Colleen: -made the tortilla.

[laughs] Greg: Made the tortilla and then cooked it.

And the salsa.

Colleen: At the end of class, there was only one proper way to end it.

As Chef Julio put it, we were in the State of Jalisco, the land of tequila and mariachi.

Chef Julio: You know the common way to say cheers is "Salud".

I have another one.

Follow me.

We need to say, "Arriba".

Everyone: Arriba.

Chef Julio: Abajo.

Everyone: Abajo.

Chef Julio: Al sentro.

Everyone: Al sentro.

Chef Julio: Adentro.

Everyone: Adentro.

Colleen: As Puerto Vallarta has transformed over the years, it's become a cultural hotspot for talented artists.

With galleries spanning the coastline, families coming to Puerto Vallarta will want to make sure they take a pic.

In Puerto Vallarta, art is celebrated.

Whether it's on the historic Malecn or one of the many wonderful art galleries.

The talent on display here is one of the most culturally enriching and visually pleasing around, especially when paired with Puerto Vallarta's beautiful coastline.

Those visiting during the right time of year can partake in Puerto Vallarta's fabulous artwalk, but that shouldn't stop anybody from enjoying one of the fabulous art galleries year-round, like Galeria Colectika curated by Kevin Simpson.

Kevin: Hi, guys.

Welcome.

Hi, I'm Kevin.

Colleen: How are you?

Greg: Hi Kevin.

Greg.

Kevin: Welcome to Galeria Colectika.

Colleen Kelly and Greg: Thank you.

Kevin: This is our collection of Mexican folk art.

Colleen: Beautiful.

Kevin: Come on in.

Let me show you around.

Colleen: With so much fantastic artwork on display, the family and I were thoroughly impressed.

Kevin: These are sacred hearts.

That's what we call Milagros.

Milagros are little tin objects like this hand here.

For example, if you had a bad arm, you take this to the church and pray on it for it to get better.

What happened was they just got piled, do these things and decided to put them on here and sell them to people.

So, it's your own little miracle.

Colleen: I like that.

Yeah.

That's cool.

Look at that, that's beautiful.

Female Speaker 1: Yes.

I love it.

Colleen: As Kevin led us around, he eventually brought us to some of the more museum-like pieces.

Kevin: For example, this would be considered a Shaman's chair.

Colleen: Look at that.

Greg: Shaman's chair.

Colleen: What was a Shaman?

Because they probably don't know the shaman.

Kevin: The Shaman is like a medicine man.

He's the one who guides you through the ceremony.

He's the healer of the community.

Then when they do ceremonies, they also put these out for the gods.

These are god's chairs.

Colleen: They have their own chairs.

Kevin: They have their own chairs.

Colleen: To say thank you to the gods.

Kevin: Well, when they created the world, they actually got tired.

They say the blue deer [unintelligible] took the antlers of his elder brother and twisted them in the form of a chair so he could sit down.

Colleen: I think they need these for mothers because we get tired all the time.

Kevin: What's kind of funny though, because I asked them once, "Why did you make them so small?"

He says, "Well, if God is so great, what does he need a big chair for?"

[laughter].

Colleen: That's funny.

Those visiting Puerto Vallarta, you'll absolutely want to check out the art scene down here in Mexico.

Adrenaline junkies start your engines.

We're about to take to the ATV trails at Canopy River.

When we first arrived to Canopy River, the family enjoyed some fun times in the sun, relaxing in the hammocks and soaking up the refreshing Mexican air.

That relaxation won't last long when there's excitement to be had.

The trail we're going on will take us through the mountains of Jalisco.

Pressing through the jungles and gripping our steering wheel's tight, our journey has taken us to Jorullo Bridge, which is just a bit further up the trail.

For those who want to cool off on their way up the bridge, you can stop for a swim at the El Salto waterfall, which stretches in at over a hundred feet.

Along the way, families can enjoy El Salto Waterfall and do you get a little dirty?

Yes.

Well, that's half the fun.

Finally, our trip brings us here to the Jorullo Bridge, the largest drivable suspension bridge in the world.

Fans of the show know I am afraid of heights, so crossing this thing was no easy feat for me.

Thankfully, my sister, Katie was right there by my side.

I'm a little nervous, really.

My heart is pounding.

Katie: I'm very nervous, but here's the thing, I'm driving, you should be more nervous.

[laughter] Oh my God.

Colleen: My God, [unintelligible] I don't know if we should go slow or fast.

I don't know if I want to get off because- [crosstalk] We're going slow.

No, I am not looking over there.

Katie: Don't look.

Colleen: What's that annoying-- Oh my gosh.

Katie: Hurry up.

Colleen: I'm trying.

470 meters in length and 150 meters above the ground, it is a sight to behold.

While you're here.

Canopy River has much to offer.

From zip lines to new rides and more, making it a great destination for your family vacation.

There's only one last stop on our trip, and that's to Las Coletas with Vallarta Adventures.

What was once home to legendary film director, John Huston, now serves as a modern attraction for tourists from around the world.

A handmade tortilla is a great way to start off the day here at Las Caletas.

As a tour and activity operative Puerto vallarta, Vallarta Adventures is a great way for families to get adventurous.

We began by meeting some of the friendly and adorable sea lions.

These rescued sea lions are given excellent food, shelter and medical care.

Once they are nursed to full health, they are then released back into the wild.

Gareth: We're involved with animal rescues in a number of ways.

In Mexico, there is a network of companies that are designated to help when, for example, a whale might get caught in fishing nets.

We help with rescues or in disentanglements of whales or dolphins or any marine mammal.

Our dolphin centers are designated rehabilitation centers.

In fact, I've just come from there, where I've learned the story of Lucy, a Californian sea lion who we found in Cabo San Lucas, with a fractured pelvis, a fractured spine, and through seven months of 24/7 care we've brought her back to the point where not only is she able to move again, she can actually make the two meter jump out of poolside.

That is absolutely incredible.

We're very focused on rehabilitation, on rescuing animals, and on doing what we can to help any wildlife in the local community.

Colleen: Another fun and educational experience Las Caletas is a sea lion encounter where families have the chance to swim with an actual sea lion and learn about their physiology, feeding habits and behaviors.

Our marine mammal specialist, Lucy, introduced us to our sea lion for the day, Lucas.

Lucy: Lucas is a California sea lion he was rescued when he was only six-months-old.

He was found in Cabo San Lucas.

Right now he's a very handsome teenager.

He's seven-years-old.

He's going to keep growing.

Right now he weighs about 161 kilos.

That's about 300 pounds, but in a few years, he's going to be about 700 pounds.

He's going to have a big presence and going to make him very sexy for the girls.

Colleen: Greg and the kids loved getting up and close with this beautiful creature.

Lucy: Look at him, he's taller than you.

Colleen: Such a beautiful creature and the day was absolutely gorgeous.

Another one of the main attractions to Las Caletas is the zip line.

From on top of a cliff, families can get a great view of the secluded beach and all it has to offer, a true slice of paradise and a great opportunity to get your heart pumping.

First up was Donovan.

Next up, Lizzie got to have her turn.

Last but not least, was Nick.

All in all, it was a fabulous family experience.

There's so many adventures activities.

You'll want to wear comfortable clothes and sturdy shoes.

Don't forget to wear your swimsuit under your clothes if you decide to take part in any of the aquatic activities.

We opted for a little parasailing.

The view was amazing.

Puerto Vallarta Mexico right now is [unintelligible].

We're 80 feet in the air seeing this beautiful world.

Katie: We're like 80 feet in the air.

Colleen: Okay.

I just don't want to think about it.

I'm so grateful I got to step outside my comfort zone and experience this wonderful paradise from so high up.

With hearts pumping and wind blowing, Katie and I came in for landing.

Next, I got to witness one of my favorite parts of the trip.

My husband Greg and our daughter Dunovan up in the air as father and daughter.

Dunovan: Get a little relaxed, and then whoo!

We really got a gust there.

Colleen: Then Nick and Lizzie got their turn.

Lizzie: They're in the sky.

Colleen: Although people say teenagers are hard to please, there's no question that ours had a blast here.

With so many fun activities to enjoy, it's impossible not to have fun here in Puerto Vallarta.

We explored Mexico's natural side at Vallarta Botanical Gardens, soaked up the local culture with an artwork and a street taco tour, and set sail on the high seas with some swashbuckling pirates.

While the kids enjoyed Puerto Vallarta's endless adventures, Greg was in his element during our cooking class at Gaby's Restaurant.

I conquered my fears crossing the longest vehicular suspension bridge in the world.

Even though we have to say adis to Puerto Vallarta for now, we will definitely be back.

From my family to yours, happy travels or as the locals would say, "Viajes felices."

Thanks for watching Family Travel in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

I'm Colleen Kelly.

Enjoy making memories on your next family vacation.

Colleen: Funding provided by Ted Tetzlaff, attorneys for your personal and business needs.

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