Adventures In Our Own Backyard - Monkey Mountain, Wibit And Star Wars!

Yes, a bit dated but here it goes.

It was Christmas school vacation time and the kids had a break for about three weeks.  Seriously?  Three weeks?  Yep, that is how the school calendar is set up for this time of year so we had to have some things to do since the house was not in any condition to move into just yet.

Mom was home for Christmas(yea!) so for once she had some chill time during the holidays.  While she was here she motivated us to head off to a local hike that I have been wanting to do for a long time.  Monkey Mountain.

Literally beginning just 5 minutes up the road the trail summits at a prominent peak between Sayulita and Higuera Blanca.  It was great to be in the woods and on a trail again.  So much of our outdoor lives back in Park City was spent in places like this during the summer and winter.  Not so much here since the water and beach is our preferred destination for getting out and getting after it.

"Monkey" profile?

The peak provides views of Sayulita to the north and Higuera Blanca and Punta Mita to the south.  Provided one does not take a wrong turn(which we did), a round trip is less than half a day so it is perfect for a late afternoon or early morning adventure with not a lot of time.  Sayulita based "Mexitreks" takes guided trips as well and is how Ashley knew the route for our hike.

Trace is king of the world..his world at least

The kids have never known "hiking" here.  They have essentially grown up ocean people and "flatlanders" but took to the adventure of a hike with not one single complaint.  They were always driven to see what was around the next corner or get to our goal, the summit.  Super fun!

At the summit

Wibit, yes Wibit, is in Bucerias and is a inflatable floating island attraction just off the beach.  If you have ever seen the TV show "Wipeout" then you know essentially what Wibit is.  Trampolines, rope swings, slides, climbing walls and floating walkways sit just a little ways into the ocean.

Photo from Wibit's website

We arrived with a couple other families just as the place opened for the day and we had the place to ourselves.  With the floating obstacles moving underneath you with incoming waves, the slippery inflated amusement park was a challenge for everyone.  The kids of course found the biggest challenges and happily splashed down into the water.  The adults quickly faded as muscles that have not been used in years suddenly were asked to perform climbing, swinging and just plain falling down into exhausted heaps.  An hour was totally enough for pretty much everyone as late morning Cielo Rojos waited on the beach.

Wibit Island

What would Christmas break be without some movie time.  We ventured into Puerto Vallarta to go see the latest Star Wars installment, The Last Jedi.  A new "VIP" theater has been built into a large pedestrian shopping plaza complete with recliners, waiters, food and liquor selections.  Sushi, a Modelo Negro and a Don Julio tequila was delivered to my recliner without me having to move or miss a single scene from the movie.  Considering our whole family went to the movies, had dinner and drinks the cost was ridiculously reasonable compared to the US.  Movies in Mexico have been an excellent value provided you can find the English movies with Spanish subtitles.

Ozzy, Ashley, Trace, Alex and Ava

We are just beginning the next school vacation during Semana Santa as I write this but wanted to catch up on some old post writing.  We will be looking for new adventures this vacation as well.