WHALE WATCHING TOUR COMMENTS
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Alfredo,
Thanks for sending Jerry's photos. There was some nice shots of the baby whale breaching. I'm putting together a DVD photo presentation of my PV trip so this will work great for showing our whale watching tour. What was the name of the Captain of the Vikingo? Bill said it was Emmanuel and I thought his name was Miguel.
Thanks again,
Lorraine
Alfredo:
Thanks for the photo! Jim and I had a great time and agree with you that it was a great day, esp. considering it was the first day of the season! We enjoyed meeting both you and Patti. I especially liked your introduction to whales and your obvious love for the species you study. I saw many other boats out there and was always greatful that I was on your boat. I respected the way you would back off from the whales if you felt we might be impacting them. I look forward to coming back to P.V. for more whale watching adventures with you.
Grea
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Hey Afredo!
We're still talking about our mornings on the boat. The humpbacks were spectacular (and their song was chilling), the dolphin feeding frenzy was crrrrazy, and it was quite something to witness the Minke whale and calf in the bay! Thanks so much for the opportunity to learn more about and spend time with all those incredible creatures. Our photos are almost ready so we'll send you anything of interest. Hope to do it again one day... it was a real highlight on our trip and in life!
Matt & Mel
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Alfredo
Thank you again for the most memorable time my family and I have ever had on a whale watch. I still cannot believe that fate was with us to see such beautiful animals so active in their own natural environment. Then to have the 2 Orcas show up - my children are still talking about it. It was a 10th birthday both Megan and Patrick will remember.
Thank you
Trish
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Alfredo,
We had a wonderful time with you last week. What a great experience that was. I have been whale watching several times in Hawaii and even last year in Puerto Vallarta, but last week was the best.
All of us thoroughly enjoyed the trip, and have been talking about it non-stop....
Thanks
Kathy
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Hi Alfredo
We can't thank you enough for the marvelous whaling adventure!! You knew it was our dream to see the humpbacks in the wild and your patience was rewarded well with a breaching whale!! It was a thrill of a lifetime and we appreciate all your efforts to help this dream come true! Hearing the male sing through the hull of the boat without the hydrophone was exciting too! Thank you again!
Kindest regards,
Arlene and Dan
Long Island, NY, USA
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Hi Alfredo
...I'll be sure to look you up if I do return to the same area to see if your still running your trips. It was such a beutiful day, the first of the season, and it was great to see the whales. Some of my photos weren't bad at all!! My only regret was that I was a bit under the weather and a little stressed because I was leaving that day. However, your friendly company, and your vast knowledge and passion for the wildlife, soon had me relaxed, and I thouroughly enjoyed the thrill of seing these magnificant animals up close.
Hope your still having the same fun and excitment watching the whales just now, I remember you telling me it was one of the best times.
Thanks for the memorable day out.
Liz
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Hi Alfredo,
I wanted to thank you again for the wonderful time we had whale watching. What a wonderful day we had seeing so many whales and dolphins, manta rays and one sea turtle. I could not have asked for a better guide to take us on our adventure.
It is easy to see why you are so passionate about your job, it was like nothing else in the world existed as we observed those awesome creatures. I found it to be a very spiritual experience. My husband wanted to go out whale watching everyday after that, and he was the one who thought I was crazy for being so excited!
We are coming back next Feb with my parents. So have a great year and hopefully we will see you next Feburary if your still doing these tours.
Respectfully,
Suzanne,
Michigan, USA.
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Dear Alfredo,
Thank you for being such a wonderful guide! Your passion for the study of the whale population in the bay at Puerto Vallarta was so evident!
I believe that you provided the best experience possible! I far exceeded my expectations. Gracious!
Betsy,
New Jersey, USA.
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Hi Alfredo,
It was so nice to open my email and have a thank you note. We really enjoyed our trip to Puerto Vallarta and our tour with you. I wasn't sure what to expect but it truly exceeded my thoughts. It really has made me appreciate the natural beauty of our world. You were an exceptional guide with so much knowledge and an honest passion for what you do. It was obvious how much you are dedicated to the research of the whales. Thank you again, and when my cousin and I return, we will probably see you again.
Stacey,
Ontario, Canada
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Hi Alfredo,
We want to thank you for the wonderful time we had on our tour. We not only saw whales and dolphins, but to hear the whales was a big thrill. You did everything to make our trip a wonderful memory that we will have for a very long time. Your knowledge and love of your work shows in all that you did. Thanks again!!!!!!!!!!
Ray and Norma,
Missouri, USA
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Hi Alfredo..... I'm Leslie, and you took me and 2 of my daughters whale watching on Dec. 29th. Thank you for your nice note. We enjoyed our outing with you SO much !! It was absolutely very cool, and truly the highlight of our week in PV. Your knowledge of the whales that you shared with us was very interesting, as was our being able to listen to the whale singing. We thank you so very much for that great morning. We wish you the best in this new year.
Leslie,
Colorado, USA
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...Your tour was not just the highlight of our trip to P.V. We told everyone we could while in P.V. and will continue to tell anyone who will listen.
Thank you for your tireless efforts to educate the public while learning about the marine life and their environment. We believe this is so important as the world gets smaller every day. We all must do our part or pay the ultimate price. ...
Angela and Mike,
Michigan, USA
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...the Discovery Tour with the whales/dolphins was the best of the entire trip! We not only saw several calves, but also got some time in with the bottlenose & spinner dolphins. The guide was super - and we spread his name around to everyone looking for something to do!
Jeff & Chris,
Michigan, USA
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Excellent experience!!
Susan,
Ontario, Canada
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Great captain & guide, Their passion for whales made the trip!!
Erik,
California, USA
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Excellent tour. I will recommend this to others.
James,
Manitoba, Canada
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...During our recent whale watching excursion, you handed out questionnaires asking us to rate your tour. It has been a couple of weeks since then and I am still bothered by my lack of ability to adequately express how the experience affected me.
When asked by you to comment I wrote, "Awesome!" but as time passes, I am constantly surprised at how much more the trip meant to me. I often find myself lost in thought about the sights and sounds we encountered watching the half a dozen whales you found for us. And, of course, in particular, the mother and infant with which we spent a good portion of the morning.
You were careful not to promise something we may not witness and I know we were blessed by the opportunity to observe the joyous behavior of the mama and baby frolicking in the Bay of Banderas. But in retrospect, you were absolutely correct... our participation with this aspect of nature and nurture was more than moving, it was and continues to be, SPIRITUAL.
I feel forever changed... and for that I am eternally grateful.
P.S. Please feel free to use this correspondence as a letter of endorsement and recommendation but if there is just one thing I can suggest to my fellow tourists, take along extra, extra, extra film!
Lindsay,
Canada
WILD DOLPHING TOUR COMMENTS
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...We had a wounderful trip and fell in love with PVR. We had the most fantastic time with Alfredo. We were all in agreement that he is the greatest guide and it is great to meet someone who has as much passion as he does for his job.
Nate
U.S.
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We have visited Vallarta 3 times and have been lucky enough to see dolphins whilst out cruising the bay before,however nothing I have ever done could compare to the morning spent with Alfredo and Tommy. I enjoyed the talk about the history and evolution of dolphins discovering amazing facts such as dolphins originating on land. When Alfredo said we would definately see dolphins I hoped he was right, sure enough within 10 minutes of sailing we spotted our first dolphin. We spent several hours watching these wonderful mammals playing and enjoying their life in the wild. I particularly enjoyed the fact that Alfredo allowed the dolphins to dictate our time with them and so we saw the most natural exhibitions.The baby dolphin was truly cute beyond belief.
I would say to anybody thinking of swimming with dolphins in the aquarium, dont do it see them acting naturally in the wild is more enjoyable than seeing any sad dolphins held in captivity. Believe me I am a converted customer.
Thanks
Cheri & Steve
England.
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Hi everybody !
Recently i made the dolphin watching tour with Alfredo and his crew. In the week before this tour i didn't saw one dolphin in the area around the hotelzone, but Alfredo promised me that we will see them, and he was right !
After 15 minutes we saw the first dolphins, and soon there were a lot of them. I saw them jumping, swimming around the boat and could have a close look at them before/under the boat.
Amazing !
We also tried to swimm with the dolphins, but the friendly animals choosed there own direction... That was a pitty.
I can recommend this trip to others.
O.k. , the price isn't cheap, but you will have great satisfaction of it, and Alfredo is doing a good job.
Thanks Alfredo !
Harry,
Holland.
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Hello from Nevada.
Just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed the Dolphin Watching tour during my visit to Puerto Vallarta. One cannot explain the feeling you get when you first come on the family of dolphins we saw. I had tears in my eyes at the sheer beauty. As we watched them playing in the water I felt an incredible sense of joy. As for our tour guide, Alfredo made our trip most enjoyable with his knowledge and what a wonderful personality. I would recommend this tour to one and all.
Pamela,
Nevada, USA
BIRD WATCHING TOUR COMMENTS
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Alfredo,
Bev asked me to respond to your last e-mail. She is recovering from eye surgery. She wanted me to convey to you our appreciation for your hospitality and regional birding knowledge. All in all, we identified over 40 species, 24 for the first time. The sighting of the Vermilion Flycatcher was the highlight of the trip. We can't wait to return to the region to take advantage of your mountainside tour.
Best Regards, Don
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Thank you so much for being our wonderful bird guide. Next year when Bill and I come, we will certainly book our tours with "Discover Pacific Tours". Both Bill and I were very impressed with your knowledge and respect for nature. It is very important to support the ethical touring operations in PV such as your company "Discover Pacific Tours". I will pass the word.
Lorraine Zoesch
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Dear Alfredo,
Thank you for the wonderful birding experience. Your personalized tour, off the beaten track, near a tiny Mexican village was a unique experience, from the bus ride through the mountains to the quiet walks through back woods trails dotted with flowers. It was so different from the usual tourist tours! We got to see so many beautiful birds, (my personal favourites were the pygmy owl and the painted bunting), and shared interesting conversation about modern day Mexico. The morning was a perfect contrast to the glitz of our all-inclusive resort.
Annette LeBox
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Hi Alfredo,
I had a wonderful time birding with you. The 69 different species the first day were amazing. I particularly liked the river "delta", the village, and the waterfall. The macaws, parrots, and parakeets are gorgeous. I will keep in contact and refer my brother and friends. You are an excellent and personable guide.
Thank you.
Karen Terrell
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Hi Alfredo;
Just wanted to thank you again for taking us birdwatching in the foothills on the 5th. Henrietta and I enjoyed it so much. Also, thanks for all your tips and suggestions.
We loved Puerto Vallarta. Next time we intend to spend more time there, an extra day or two. Maybe we could take your marsh tour. It was a lot of fun birding with you.
I'll pass the word around. You are an excellent guide. Keep up the good work. I'll be in touch.
Jerry
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Hi again,
I'm back home and still thrilled with the success of the morning birding with you in the August "off-season". You even helped me during the rest of the week on my own because of the suggestions and the local list you supplied me with. My Life List shot over the 500 mark!
I was able to get out into the neighborhood my last three mornings and so amazed to see several of the birds we had seen with you. On the last morning a Mot Mot was there and it landed right across the narrow street for a full view, plus the Masked Tityra. In addition, I was able to find both the Streaked-back and Orchard Orioles, the Red-billed Pigeon, and Bat Falcon--all within a block.
So thank you again for adding so much to my time in Puerto Vallarta.
Beverly
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Hi Alfredo
We just got back from Mexico and I wanted to thank you for the outings in PV. Everyone in the San Blas Tour Group was jealous of the Lilac-crowned Parrot since they were neither seen or heard. The group also managed to somehow miss San Blas Jay! In addition, we only saw a very small flock of Mexican Parrotlets - about 15 birds. Nothig like the hundreds that so fascinated me in the bean field.
Of course we got many good birds in San Blas, but the effort to bird with you in PV was definitly worth the effort. I wanted you to know that.
Thanks,
Alan & Ann Miller
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Dear Alfredo,
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We had a great day with you last Tuesday; we truly didn't expect to see such good birds. You are a great guide! I hope that all of your birding clients are as fortunate as we were . . . . . .
Karen & Stewart
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Alfredo,
We (especially me) had a great time birding with you. Thank you so much!! I went birding on my own around our condo the following two mornings and was able to quickly identify some of the same species we saw with you and to add a few more. Here are some more sightings. I'm pretty confident that I identified these birds, but let me know if any seem unlikely.
Muscovy Duck Yellow-crowned night-heron Elegant Quail Willet Red-billed Pigeon Tropical Kingbird Social Flycatcher White-collared Seedeater Grayish Saltator Streak-backed Oriole
There were quite a few orioles and several saltators. I was glad we had talked about them. Also, you were right about the kiskadees. They were everywhere.
(..)
Thank you so much. Birding with you was the highlight of my visit. I got 22 life birds!!
Carole, USA
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...our tour with you was the highlight of our trip. We got to see the real Mexico and you were a good resource of information about the local culture. The birding was WONDERFUL! I did see on our last morning here another Mexican Hermit at the entrance to our hotel. Although we did not do any more serious birding, I managed to see about 10 more new species around the hotel. Thank you again for making our trip memorable!
Aimee,
USA
