Day 2

One and all,

As reported yesterday, we are here in Puerto Vallarta. We got settled in and then tried to venture out. Partially, we were starving, and I also wanted to test the back. It was a bit of an ordeal. Hobbling down (I am attempting to keep the drama to a minimal) the hill, we did, indeed, have to stop, sit and rest a number of times before reaching an intersection. Our intention was to have a drink and some dinner at Mi Patio es su Casa, the old Candela from years past. As I was gasping for breath and trying to calm the stabbing hot wire running down my thigh, Polley went ahead to see if Mi Patio was open. NOT! So there we were, middle of the street with little around us, deciding what to do next. As with the Star of Bethlehem, we spied a light coming from a second story establishment that had once been a bar. We slowly (believe me, very slowly) made our way up the steps and came upon 4 people at a bar. Come to find out, this new place, Uno Mas (One More), was not open. However, Tony, the manager and Wayne, the bleached blonde,hippy Canadian pseudo Vietnam vet owner with a kind of Scots accent invited us to join them for a glass of wine and a beer. Things were in a bit of disarray, but we shared a drink and put there Grand Opening (February 4th) on our calendar. However, there was no food.

So with thigh throbbing (alright, perhaps a bit too dramatic), we headed for a pizza place (any place!) further away then either of us would have liked. Scrambling for chair and some relief, we sat and had a pleasant, though rather mediocre, dinner. The one saving grace was that the place was directly across from a Taxi stand. We took a cab as far as the road would allow and then crawled (again, a bit dramatic) our way up the remaining 83 steps. Home!

The night was warm and pleasant and we did not climb out of bed until nearly 9 am. We had started at 2 am Pacific Time the day before. A lovely morning in which we continued to set up the apartment and make lists of things we were missing. Then it was our second descent on the hill. Destination, La Puente del Fuente, our favorite daytime little hang out. Now equipped with a cane, provided by our landlord, we made it there. It was great to see everyone, Jose, Raphael, Alexandro, and the rest of the gang. They do have the best calamari and we did partake, along with a little wine and beer. Then the adventure really began. We caught a cab to take us to a small local grocery. They had none of the supplies we needed, so then it was on to a larger grocery store (supermercado). I have always wanted to take a cab and tell him to wait for me, like they do in the movies, so we did. Polley and I went in, with the leg pounding like a taut base drum (more drama!), I sent Polley to get cat food (of course) while I got the other items. Polley had misheard me and was combing the store for tequila (the words, of course, are very similar) and so when I got the checkout stand, she was no where to be found. Now the leg was really a mess and I am mumbling to myself language the drill instructor had used in Full Metal Jacket, wondering where the bitch had gone! Paying for everything, including the cat food I had sent Polley to find, I go out to the cab, hoping she might be there. NOT! So, now, I return to the store,pushing old women and children out of the way with my cane, and begin, truly, shouting out Polley's name in a kind of wounded wolf howl. She answers, in a similar mournful cry. For a brief moment, mating comes to mind, but I dismiss it. There she comes, hobbling down the aisle loaded down with everything we had needed and that I have already bought. I tear the groceries from her arms and shove her into the waiting cab, grabbing my thigh that seems to covered in agent orange. The poor cab driver, with no English, senses a level of tension and speeds us up the hill, as close as motorized transportation can take us (within 83 steps, more or less), where we begin the final assault. Home, at last, we cling to each other, having survived day two in PV. More to follow.