Sunday, November 26, 2023

A New Healthy Way to Experience Vallarta Botanical Gardens🌺

 Before We Started Walking to the Bus

Ready for Thanksgiving at VBG
Thanksgiving dinner at Vallarta Botanical Garden is one of my favorite reasons to visit. This year, we took a slightly different approach to this adventure.

Where is the Tuito/VBG Bus Stop?

We decided to ride the Tuito bus, which gave us a good walk looking for the bus stop. The location seems to change from year to year. After asking a few locals, we found it at the right corner at Calle Aguacate and Basilio Badillo. At a fare of 50 pesos per person, the bus saved a significant amount of money since Uber would be at least 300 pesos more each way.

When we arrived at the beautiful gardens, I offered Jon an alternate way to enjoy it this year. We would first look at the gorgeous orchids and other tropical flowers. There are so many varieties, I'll just show a few here.

Then we would check out the newest pond and see how the plants and fish are doing. We watched the many varieties of dragonflies flit about for quite a while. Can you see the gorgeous dragonfly on the end of the stick? Click on the photo to enlarge it.

Rather than hike the many trails we have in the past, we chose to go to our favorite sites, find a bench or chairs, and sit quietly while we looked at the beauty around us. The Rhododendron House, the Conservatory, and the Holstein Tropical Plant House are always nice places to relax, so we sat and enjoyed the serenity and surroundings in each.


During this visit to VBG, I wanted to watch the birds and butterflies more than in the past. We were glad we hadn't brought Sophie, our Mexican Chihuahua, because she would have scared them away. Three of the adult Guineafowl followed us into the Tropical Plant House, looking for a puddle to drink from.

We wandered through what I call the Butterfly Garden near the River Trail. Looking for a quiet place to sit, we found this gorgeous bush with a nearby bench to rest on while we watched the activity around this lilac-like shrub.

We saw Yellow Winged Caciques, hummingbirds, a Great Kiskadee, three chachalacas, and several colorful birds we couldn't identify. The butterflies and moths danced around the blossoms. Here's a short video:


By that time, we were hungry and ready to head to the Restaurant La Hacienda de Oro. We wandered through the Cactus House on our way to check in for our American Thanksgiving dinner. Everything was yummy, including the pumpkin pie and real whipped cream!

I love these peaceful experiences that include nature and good food. I've written five books about our adventures in Mexico in the Healthy Living in Mexico series. I hope you will download and read them, FREE with KindleUnlimited.

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2 comments:

  1. What a lovely place to walk and sit and see and experience all the beauty of nature around you. You have much to be thankful for!

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    1. Thank you for you nice comment, Emily. Yes, I have much to be thankful for!
      Terry

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