A Very Busy Thursday, January 24!

As my still hazy consciousness flickered awake at the first signs of daybreak (in Mexico those signs include a variety of roosters crowing and the 7 a.m. demented braying of a donkey), dulled by a late night and couple of glasses of very mediocre red wine, I was suddenly aware of a line from Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night:

Sir Tobey Belch. . . . Does not our life consist of the four elements?

Sir Andrew Aguecheek. Faith, so they say; but, I think, it rather consists of eating and drinking!

Yesterday, our lives rather consisted of eating and drinking. It started out with us getting dressed for a day-long journey to the little, isolated beach town, Yelapa. It is a beach town of about 350 people, located 25 or 30 miles south of Puerto Vallarta. It is only accessible by boat. There are vendors all over town selling water taxi tickets and we gave in on Wednesday, for a trip Thursday morning. So, we got to the Zona Romantica pier about 9:50 a.m. only to be told to go get a beer because the boat was not leaving for another 40 minutes. Let the drinking begin!


As we sat awaiting embarkation, we struck up a conversation with a couple from Ottawa. They were accompanying us on the journey. They were new to PV, but were enjoying the escape from the cold northern temperatures. The small talk helped the 30 minutes fly by and soon we were climbing into the boat with all the confidence of drunk on a unicycle! The day was clear and warm and we were off!

It was a very exciting 45 minute ride out. The water taxi loaded to the gunnels flew over the water. It was not the most comfortable of rides as we were all sitting on flat benches and as I said, stuffed in. I became intimate with a fleshy Saskatchewan hip on one wide of me and the over-developed “muffin top” of a man from Missouri with a “Save Water, Drink Beer t-shirt that they apparently had in just one size and it wasn’t his! I think water taxi drivers are just Mexican taxi drivers with a desire for a little more room for error. Anyway, it was a relatively smooth day on the ocean and we all unfolded ourselves out of the boat at Yelapa.






Yelapa is just this small village that has a glorious beach and a half a dozen restaurants just waiting for the boats to arrive. As I said, it has only 350 people, but now has a couple of hotels and some condos (of course) are going up. Up until 2002, there was no electricity and things were run off generators. I did hear a story that around 2000 a Yelapan girl married an American engineer. When he went to visit her hometown, he was so appalled by the lack of power, that he became a driving force to see that the place moved into the 21st century.

Once we got off the boat, our guide for the day, Chico, lead us up to the falls, which is the primary site in Yelapa. We made a single-file journey for about 10 minutes up the side of a hill. The mostly paved path lead wound through the village, past a few vendors, of course, who were setting out their wares. Finally, we cam to the falls. With places in the Northwest like Multnomah Falls, it was nothing to write home about (except that I am), but it was a lovely setting. There was a small café there and we paused, had a couple of beers and had numerous Kodak moments. Continued our contact with the couple from Ottawa and then made our way down the hill and headed back through the village, this time for the beach.












The beach was lovely, clean and sandy and sat in a lovely bay. Very peaceful except for the occasional vendor trying to get you to take a picture with the Iguana (for a price, of course). It had been a pretty full morning, so we decided to sit down at a place, also called Chico’s, for some lunch.

The lunch was fabulous! It may be the best meal we have had in our trip thus far. It was a Seafood Salad. It was not cheap, about $17.00. But Polley and I split it and it was divine. It was really 3 salads: octopus salad, mahi mahi ceviche and a shrimp salad. Everything was so fresh, the tomatoes were juicy and sweet. Beautiful to look at and we savored every bite.






Clouds began to move in as we were finishing lunch, so we just sat at the restaurant and had a beer and struck up a very nice conversation with two old gentleman whol asked if they could join us. They were both medical doctors from Iowa. Very interesting people who had been coming down with their wives to PV for the last few years. By the time we discussed the ways of the world and the positive qualities of people from the Northwest, it was time to catch the launch and head back. The return trip was every bit as exciting, perhaps even more so as it was clear the driver wanted to get home as quickly and in the most direct route possible.

Polley and I bid adieu to the friends we had made and after working the kinks out from the return boat ride, started back for home. We did stop to take these photos, which Polley had been wanting to share with everyone. Can you guess the couple. The iguana plays himself, but the sculpture is a non-likeness of Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor! We only tell you because I am sure you could never guess! It is at a restaurant at the bottom of the hill where we live. We pass it at least once a day! I don’t know if we mentioned that Elizabeth Taylor had a house right near our place. She no longer owns it and it has, in fact, fallen into disrepair. She apparently bought the place in the early 60s when Richard Burton was here shooting “The Night of Iguana.” She wanted to be close by to keep an eye on Richard who was co-starring with Ave Gardner. He had a house across the alley way and there was a bridge built so that they could go from house to house. I will need to get and add a picture of the bridge which is still in surprisingly good shape.






It was perhaps our busiest day of our stay thus far. Thursday evening wanted to return to “Que Pase,” this little, funky bar where the band that we were first introduced to at “The Wedding” were playing again. It was the last night for the drummer, Dave, who was headed to another gig in Thailand. They were great. We particularly loved the flute and sax player, Bobby (long beard) who we talked to at the break. He is from Glasgow, Scotland so we had much to talk about in terms of his homeland. He is very good. The three of them were joined by a harmonica player, who we also talked to. He is a retired computer geek who loves to sit in an improvise with the group. Great fun.

A very drunk little lady of 75 who was celebrating her birthday was insisting on people dance with her. They have been coming to PV for 25 years, but her husband recently had a heart attack and, though he was at the bar, moves very slowly and she was clearly up for more. She got me dancing with her and when I mentioned Polley was 70, she would settle for nothing less than that we all three dance. Later she dragged Polley and some others to the dance floor, as you can see. It was quite a night and a fun end to a very long day!

A Warm, Lovely Weekend

Our third weekend has passed and the weather in Puerto Vallarta is showing signs of improving. The nights have been quite cool and we have found ourselves either choosing a place to have a meal or just a drink that is indoors or have had to take coats and sweaters to stay warm enough outside. Part of our problem is that we did not do a very good job of anticipating the cool weather and both of us have little or nothing of the long-sleeve variety. Or what we do have provides little variety!

A couple of weeks ago I talked of us having breakfast with Eric, Greg and their friends Pat and George. At that time, I included some shots of us all at the restaurant, the Lindo Mar. While we all went in a car to breakfast, Pat had mentioned that one could walk along the beach from PV south to the hotel. With the weather improving, Polley thought it might be a nice adventure of a lovely Sunday morning. So, I got up early to see if I could scout the route, so that we could do it later. During the my exploration, I came to see how much walking we are doing each day. It is 4/10s of a mile to the ocean, along the Malecon. From there we turn south to the beach that I have mentioned that we so much enjoy: La Playa de Los Muertos – enchantingly called “The Beach of the Dead”!. That is 1.15 miles from our place. Normally we take our time and it is about half an hour of walking to get there.

Sunday morning, from the place we sunbath and drink, I worked my way along the beach for another mile, trudging through sand and working my walk along an often rocky path before climbing up to the highway and coming the reetaurant. Total, about 2 ½ miles. From there, I turned back and headed home to let Polley know we could make it there on foot. An hour later, we turned around and headed to the restaurant. When you have little else to do, time and distance become rather meaningless when retired.

Without thinking about it, we arrived on a Sunday and the place was packed. We had about a 20 minute wait, but what I found intriguing was that while there was certainly an adequate number of American and Canadian tourists, there were a very large numbers of Mexican families. It was a buffet brunch that was a mix of traditional Mexican staples and those things you might expect at any North American buffet/brunch. There was a fellow fixing omelets to order, but there was also a woman making tortillas by hand and cooking quesadillas to order. Beans, rice, a Mexican stew and a gringo stew, two types of potatoes and sausage and ham were all part of the meal. Food was nothing special, but the atmosphere, due largely to the energy of the Mexican children was a joy. It was also helped by the gorgeous setting. We certainly had plenty to eat, which, of course, necessitated walking back to ease our dietary consciences about what we had consumed. I have included a few pictures of the setting and one of Polley standing beside the boy and the seahorse which stands at the south end of La Playa de Los Muertos.

It was a very nice day, but I realized that I have done 8 miles and the day was only half over!

Weather continued to warm up even more today. We placed a call home to check in with Rae Minten and then headed down the beach, stopping along the way. We now find it difficult to make it past 10 or 10:30 without at least a Corona, preferably a Margarita! Very warm at the beach, but we are beginning to be tan enough for people to consider us locals. I have recently been stopped a number of times by those I assume are just arriving, seeking information about stores, Pilates studios, ATMs, etc. Occasionally, I even know the answer!

3rd Week Comes to an End

You can certainly begin to see a pattern to our days here. Four days have slipped by since I last posted an update (not counting Polley’s recounting the adventures of the wedding dress). The weather was unseasonably cool. I overheard someone quoting a coffee barista that in 30 years he could not remember it being this chilly. Certainly by Portland standards, there is little to complain of. However, as this is high season, temperatures have dipped into the low 60s during the day and into the very low 50s at night. We have often gone out with a long-sleeve sweater or a sport coat in the evening. Thursday we went to a bar after dinner, called Que Pase? The band that had played at the wedding was doing a gig at this place. We had enjoyed them during the reception that we thought we might take them in again. The bar looked to be in doors, but, in fact, while you went in through two doors, the place was largely open to the sky. We had not dressed for it and by 10 p.m. we needed to leave as we were simply too cold.

I am not sure if we mentioned meeting two girls from Australia. They had basically sold everything and were traveling the world. They had done South America and the US, but decided to settle, at least for a while in Vancouver, British Columbia. We met them on Thursday night for drinks and had a great time talking about their travels, and their future plans. They are looking to buy a landscaping business in Vancouver and eventually take up residency there. Also got some good insights into our next travels. We had become increasingly interested in both Buenos Aires, Argentina and Australia. Having prolonged discussions, I think Australia will be next winter’s destination. We decided that due to the size of the country, we needed to tackle it while we still get about with ease. Argentina will just have to wait. At least, that is what we are thinking at this point in time.

We did the Artwalk again Wednesday evening. That is a small version of First Thursday that happens each Wednesday evening. We did about half a dozen new galleries in a pretty high end part of town. We really didn’t see a lot we were taken with, and the prices ($5,000-$20,000) made everything out of the question. Very little temptation this time around.

We did make it to the beach a couple of times. If you were right in the sun, it was fine. When clouds passed over, it was quite cool. The beach we go to has some great bodysurfing and I usually venture out for 20 minutes or so about half a dozen times each visit. We are still regulars at the gay beach and part of the problem is that I get very little reading done since the conversations are often so outrageous! Pedicures, manicures, massages, cute waiters, late night parties, the tales go on and on! They all seem to be having a great time and believe me it is certainly a lot more interesting than what you hear from the retirees: aches and pains, the best breakfast deal, effective laxatives, and the plunge in the stock market. Boring!

We also have settled into a number of restaurants that we have enjoyed and have not been very adventurous. We are trying a new place tonight, but it was back for fajitas last night at Fajita Republic. We snacked at Que Pase during the music concert on some pretty good Mexican appetizers Thursday evening. And ate for free at the wedding.

Weekends are kind of wild here. Last night (Friday) loud music and noise went on until nearly 4 in the morning. The amazing thing is that no one seems to call the authorities to complain. And it is loud. We had some no-stop polka beat going all night. As I say it stops about 4 am, but after 10 minutes of silence the roosters can no longer stand the quiet and figure it must be their turn. Needless to say, we did not sleep well last night. Tonight we are approaching it from the “can’t beat them, join them.” We are going to head out a little later and see if we can party a little longer.

My walks in the morning have been taking me more and more into the true Mexican sections of the town. Things are much simpler there. People seem to have and need very little. I am actually aware of how much like the native we are living in our place. Everything is open to the air and as I look in doorways, I see that things are sparsely furnished. However, you get a strong sense of community as neighbor greets neighbor, on the street and in the open market. Kids seem to feel safe as they play in the streets. However, one of my favorite things to do is walk by the number of schools near 8 in the morning. It is a madhouse as parents are walking and driving their uniformed children to school. Polley and I have happened into the streets near one school around 1 p.m. when some are getting out. It is like a festival with street vendors there to sell fruit and drinks to the kids as they flood out of the school courtyard and onto the streets. Traffic literally comes to a halt as boys and girls run up and down the streets, laughing and playing. Very delightful.

Well, as we come to end of our 3rd week here, I think I have brought you up to date. This next week we hope to have a drink with Neal Higgins, formally of the UP Business School and also join Pat and George for a meal. Otherwise, we continue to plow through our pile of books (many provided by friends and relatives) and Polley increases her typing speed on a daily basis.

Dedicated to Frances, Rae & Jacqueline

Last night (January 15) we went to a wedding on the beach at sunset – it was lovely, as you might imagine -- but the rest of the story – how we ended up at a wedding in a place where the only people we knew were our landlord and his wife – will give you the best laugh you’ve had all week.

On Saturday, we came back from the beach to find a note under our door from January (landlord’s wife) saying, “Help, I’ve taken on a project that I realize I can’t do myself.” It seems she was in a dressmaking shop, where a young woman was trying on what was supposed to be her wedding dress. It was made of lime green charmeuse. The seams were all puckered and it was covered with oil spots. Also, the neckline was a deep V which revealed the scars the girl had from breast cancer surgery only two months ago. January listened to the people in the shop assuring the girl – her name was Carla –that they could fix all the problems in time for the wedding in 3 days! Carla is crying, her darling fiancé (Keith) is trying to comfort her, saying she’ll look beautiful no matter what, and January can’t stand it. She tells them there’s no way the problems with the dress can be fixed – let alone in 3 days – but January sews and will help them. She goes fabric shopping with them, and helps them choose a pattern, then discovers that they don’t have it in the correct size. January sews, but has no idea how to alter a pattern – she herself in a perfect pattern 12. Suddenly, it comes to her that “Polley will know what to do.”

So, that pretty much took care of our “spare” time for the next two days! It was worth it though – both bride and groom were thrilled with the dress – I’ve never seen two people happier. However, I am asking myself if in addition to being a cat magnet, am I a sewing project magnet, too ?
Where will it end?

We stayed at the wedding until midnite,at which point the bride went into the pool, in the dress. A number of other people went in too, fully clothed. See photos.

Mid-January Update

My dreams of the “Everyday” blog dwindled quickly. Actually, it is no doubt a good thing as I can’t imagine anyone wanting to read them very often. Since my last notes, we have settled into a regular schedule. I am walking about 4 ½ miles every morning. I notice that when I did it at home, I plugged in the ipod and went on my merry way (mostly listening to Spanish lessons!). Here, my hour+ walk has no musical accompaniment. I love the take in the sights and sounds of the city. Some are provocative and intriguing, others are over-weight Americans and Canadians getting there first shots of coffee in the morning. There is a lot of “walking the dog!” And like me, a good number of walkers and joggers out in the fresh morning air. It really is delightful.

Saturday, I made my first foray into the Mexican open-air market to buy the ingredients for salsa and guacamole. Actually, after putting one too many Serrano chilies in the salsa, I quickly added the avocado to make it tolerable. The market is in the very Mexican part of town and very few gringos venture that far off the beaten path. I love it. My Spanish, while certainly very basic is getting to advanced basic. I booked our tickets for a week-long trip to Guadalajara and San Miguel de Allende and did it all in Spanish. Of course, later I’ll report where we actually went and how many miles we were off target!

We have actually eaten in a couple of nights. I must confess to missing the football playoffs, so we stayed in and I watched some very good games. Actually, it worked out great because, surprise, surprise, Polley got involved in an emergency sewing project. As I understand it, and believe me, I tried to distance myself as much as possible (partly because the games were on, of course!), our landlord’s wife, January (yes, that is when her birthday is as well) was in a store where a Canadian woman, who had come down here to get married discovered that the dress that was made for her, was a disaster. So, January volunteered to make the girl a new dress. While January sews a good deal, she mostly does pillows and curtains and some of her own clothes to a pattern. This girl did not fit the pattern and there was serious work to be done. The next thing you know, Polley and January, for two straight days are drafting a pattern, fitting the muslin, cutting the dress and putting it together. It does have a happy ending: we are attending a sunset wedding tonight, Tuesday, January 15th.

As I say, most eating has been simple and in our house. We have sampled some very bad wine, however. Just when you think it can’t get any worse, another restaurant surprises you. Sunday evening we did try a place that Eric had recommended: Esperesso Pizza and Pub. Decent Italian wines and we had a very nice arugula salad and an intriguing-sounding paninni with shrimp and corn, lettuce and tomato and something called “special rose sauce.” Never quite sure what that was, but while we might avoid that particular paninni next time, we certainly will doubtless go back.

Today, was the first truly overcast day. It was muggy this morning and Polley and I stayed in and read until about noon, then went for a glass of even worse wine on the Malecon. We are due for rain on Thursday. We were out last night for just a glass of bad wine and met two fascinating Australian girls who had set out to travel around the world. The had been to South America and the States. They got as far as Vancouver B.C. and decided to stop and work for a while. One works for a Landscape Gardner who loves PV and brought them down with him. Sat and talked with them about two places we are considering for next January, Buenos Aires and Australia. We ran into them again today and hope to have an extended discussion of the two places in the next day or two.

I guess that catches you up with the most significant activities in the last few days. We are kind of working at making our lives interesting, but we are so enjoying the boredom of routine, that it is difficult.

Stay well and more soon.

The Malecon

While walking along the street of Puerto Vallarta can be hazardous, there is one saving grace, The Malecon. It is about a mile-long stretch of promenade that runs in the "Viejo Pueblo," or Old Town of PV. As you can see from the pictures, it runs right along the ocean and is a favorite spot for tourists at night and for early joggers and walkers in the morning hours.

Besides being a wonderful place to walk, they have filled it with interesting works of art to entertain you as you move along. I have put together a little sample of the works. As you view the photos, you are moving from North to South along The Malecon. In between the permanent works of art, there are ephemeral artists working in sand. When we first arrived, the sand sculptures were tied to the Christmas and Epiphany celebrations. There was a nativity scene all made out of sand. That was partially removed, but the 3 Kings were retained until after Epiphany. Now, we have OUr Lady of Guadalupe, and some sort of strange alien creatures or those out of Lord of the Rings. It is always changing and is always fascinating. The Malecon comes alive at night, but Polley and I have not stayed up very late. More of those photos to come. Ffor now, enjoy the walk along The Malecon

Our home in Toulouse

I am more and more convinced that if you keep at it, things will happen. As with Mexico, we were a bit discouraged about finding a place to live that we could afford in Toulouse. Not only is the dollar very week, but prices in the city seemed high and every contact we made seemed to be farther and farther out of our price range. However, a young Ph.D. student at Berkley, who is French seemed to respond well to us and to our pleas. She has offered us her little studio. It will be small, but, after all, we are in France. As you can tell from the photos, it is small, but looks have a lovely balcony where Ariane says she eats most of her meals. It is about 20 minutes walk from the center of town, but seems to have a very nice little neighborhood around it, and is about 5 minutes from the Canal de Brienne and then on to the Garonne River. We are obviously very excited, and thought we would share the pictures with you.

I am still working with Blogspot, so the order is not as I might choose them, but it does give you some sense of the place, from all 4 walls.