Returning home after one last morning at the ranch

Today we have to leave Rancho Primavera relatively early, before ten. This is both because check out time is at that time and we have a relatively long drive to the airport and we want to ensure we get there in time for our afternoon flight. So in the morning we mostly just walk around the cabin watching the chachalacas and searching for interesting birds.

As we walk we finally see something that we assumed is happening but didn’t see yet, a horse crossing the lake. The ducks seem surprisingly unimpressed, if it would have been a human they would have flown already a long time ago.

And then we notice something out of the corner of the eye and right next to our patio a russet-crowned motmot has arrived. We looked for it unsuccessfully since we arrived at the ranch and now we see it less than one hour before we leave, that is how it goes. It is quite silent also, when we turn our head it is gone, like a ghost.

We do one last tour of our beautiful cabin. Excluding the hard beds the stay was quite worthwhile and we would return in a blink if only we would have enough time off from work.

The patio was especially beautiful, we even saw the motmot here, and here is where we eat our last breakfast which is actually the desert from the previous day with a few more other provisions that we have to finish.

Then we drive to the “visitor center”/common area where we wait for the host while doing birdwatching at the feeders with lots of beautiful birds coming in.

This time especially we have some great views of the hummingbirds visiting the feeders, the cinnamon hummingbird we have taken good photos before but the violet-crowned hummingbird is new.

After taking our goodbyes we want to leave but the horses decide to block our way for quite some time. We learn that it is feeding time and they wait for food in the nearby stall, when that gets resolved we can leave.

On the entrance road is a nice pond that we never stopped to visit and we also never made it here on foot. So we stop now for some photos, it is quite overgrown and while beautiful it is not likely that any birds will land here.

We feel a bit of sadness when we leave El Tuito, we never expected to enjoy the area and the ranch that much. For certain it was a great place for us that like to hike and also want to do wildlife watching.

The return is mostly uneventful, descending we pass a blockade that is just setting up, phew, and then on the coastal road we do our best to avoid the “sleeping policeman” that are quite common as we approach Puerto Vallarta.

The traffic through downtown is slow going but not as bad as it was on Saturday evening. And then we soon recognize the final turn and we are on the four lane divided highway which is usually faster going.

Today it is not that fast, probably due to the cruise ship that we noticed has docked in the harbor, but fast enough that we make it with time to spare to buy gas and return our car, for the second time.

At the airport we are again confused by a long lime that we think is the security line….it is not, it is the check in line for an airline while the security line is much faster. Passing through it is easy and then it is time to search for the lounge where we plan to spend most of the time prior to our departure.

The lounge is large enough but doesn’t have that much food. In fact the hot part is more empty than full most of the time and when full it has breakfast type food and nothing for lunch. There are some sandwiches but overall it is a bit disappointing. Still we have a good place to sit away from the craziness outside…

And craziness it is. When we exit we are surprised how full the terminal is. Multiple planes are leaving at the same time and everyone is harried and trying to get in front of the line.

With that many planes leaving our plane has a delay but then finally we are in the air and have one last look at Vallarta and surrounding area, we can even see our first hotel in the distance.

The flight is short and soon we are in Phoenix after a beautiful vacation in a location that we discounted previously as we assumed it is only a beach resort, but it is so much more if you go just a little bit outside the tourist areas.

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