Try Puerto Vallarta for a quick weekend get-a-way

This was not my first visit to the land where the setting sun is bigger and more fiery than any place else in the world, and it spreads like orange mercury over Banderas Bay before disappearing behind the horizon.

But this visit was more enjoyable than many in the past. For one thing, it was just me and my better half, which in today's hectic world of kids, sports, work, church and the ever-dreaded housework, was a nice escape to say the least.

This golden colonial escape was Puerto Vallarta.

Puerto Vallarta has been on the map forever, but it was made famous in 1964 by a doll-faced child starlet who grew to become one of the silver screen's most striking beauties. I'm talking about Elizabeth Taylor who along with Richard Burton turned Puerto Vallarta into a Mecca of the stars in the '60s during the filming of "The Night Of The Iguana."

All eyes turning to Mexico was a natural result of Elizabeth Taylor simply walking the town's cobblestone streets. The two lovers were magnets for publicity during this era. Well, Dennis and I have been married for over 16 years so I'm no Elizabeth Taylor and he's no Richard Burton. (Good thing or we would also have seven-plus plus marriages.) But we couldn't have had more fun during our quick three-day visit.

When visiting Puerto Vallarta there are basically two areas to choose from -- in town or out of town. Out of town is the Nuevo Vallarta area, best known for great beaches by Puerto Vallarta standards -- most in-town hotels don't have a great beach. Nuevo Vallarta is about a $10 cab ride from town. So if you are looking to lay and bake, this is the area for you.

If you want to traverse the city like an ant -- looking in every shop, crack and corner, and taste from one of Puerto Vallarta's 900 restaurants -- stay in town. This trip we stayed in town at the Crown Paradise, an adults only resort.

Ah, no cannon ball jumping children in the pool, no crying, no nagging and no one else's lovely little children either! Since we were scheduled to be in the Mexican Riviera in a month, we vetoed the beach thing deciding instead this was a trip in need of speed.

The first day we did an ATV tour. The brochure showed people flying through water-filled creeks with a look of sheer joy. This may happen, but there hadn't been a rain in weeks, so we renamed our three-hour ride the "Let's drive in the heat and eat dirt tour." One good thing is I looked like I had a great tan. Yes, I was a golden goddess until I took a shower and my ultra dark dirt tan washed off, and I was transformed back into the ghostly white tones my Irish heritage has afforded me.

In all fairness, the tour was a good one, and we did get to see the countryside, which leads me to believe the best part of the vacation was the resort I had just left.

The next day we resumed our quest for a need for speed by attempting to rent a Harley-Davidson. "Oh yes, they rent motorcycles downtown," the bell man piped in. We hopped in our cab, which darted through traffic like a bat out of hell. Little did we know this would be the most speed we would get while in town. We couldn't help but roar with laughter as we found that one old dirt bike was the best the town had to offer.

After that cab ride, I told Dennis I was sure we'd become a hood ornament to some other crazy cab driver. We settled instead for some little contraption that was a hybrid between a Volkswagen beetle and my size nine shoe.

With our little buggy gassed and ready to go, we hit the malecon which is downtown's main drag. A seawall and sidewalk run along the bay, and restaurants, cafes and shops are across the street. Normally you'll see some interesting sculpture along the walkway, including the bronze sea horse that has become Puerto Vallarta's trademark. All these sights are there, but in our microscopic buggy we couldn't see over the exhaust pipes of the delivery trucks.

A car is a hindrance in the downtown (old town) heart of the city. Most people cab it and then do sight-seeing walks. Your travel agent can give you a map and walking tour with your package.

Finally, we explored where no man has gone before, and we were out on our own in the countryside. We were climbing the dirt logging roads with the wind in our hair and the sun at our back. There was a sheer drop on one side, and no guard rails. Our little buggy was at warp 10 (about 30 mph), which is a good thing because out of no where darted two huge iguanas. I screamed. Dennis jerked the wheel to the left. This iguana, however, must of had nine lives, because like greased lightning he escaped without one scale out of place. It really was a fun day of exploring.

Puerto Vallarta is a wondrous colonial town, which even with my numerous visits, always holds a new and exciting adventure. And for a quick weekend get-a-way there is no place better. Friday charters run during certain seasons, normally January to the end of August.

Carolyn Kempf is president of Elite Travel Inc. in Cape Girardeau. ( 334-1234 or www.elitetravelinc.com)