PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO – MAY 9TH

It’s 11 p.m. (before we change the clock back tonight) and Michael is fast asleep.  We danced earlier in the evening and with today’s shopping excursion, the poor guy was dead tired.   I promised myself that I’d get all the ports on the blog before we get home and I think I’ll succeed in doing that.  Michael and I have talked over the last week or so about how fast these 3 ½ months have gone.  It probably isn’t the cruise, itself, but life in general.  The older you get, the faster the time seems to go.  But as I’ve discovered in the lyrics of a new song I’d never heard before until this cruise, “The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time.” 

Late afternoon yesterday, we were sitting on our balcony enjoying the cool breeze and saw a few sea turtles in the water.  They looked small to me but Michael reminded me that we’re about five or six decks up.  

I thought I’d have much of tomorrow and all day Saturday to pack, but we received two invitations today that will cut into tomorrow’s available time.  Beside it being the last formal night, with music beginning at 4:45 and dancing at 7:00, 9:15 and 10:15, we’ve been invited to the “Farewell Tea Dance” at 3 p.m. (the first time we’ve ever had afternoon tea on this cruise) and a formal invitation to visit the Bridge by our Captain, Jon Paul Bryant (affectionately known as J.P.), at 10 a.m.   I’ve got a haircut scheduled at 1 p.m. in the middle of the day as well.  So, while I thought I had a lot of time, I don’t really.  So, after dancing at 7 tonight and listening to music finishing up at 10 p.m., I told Michael I have to start on my packing or else I’ll start getting nuts – and he knows how I get when I get nuts.  So, after packing up two of my three suitcases, figuring out what I’m wearing during the next two days and on the way home, I thought I’d do my part of Puerto Vallarta tonight. 

Overall, I’m not crazy about Mexico (far too many warnings from our State Department and, except for beaches and resorts I’m not interested in, there’s not much for me here) but I do like Puerto Vallarta.  First of all, we’re not in the rainy season which extends from mid-June through mid-October when it gets hotter and humid and the temperature was actually quite nice today.  

Spanish explorers visited the area in 1525;  for the next 400 years, PV remained undeveloped until Hollywood celebrities discovered this sleepy fishing village in the 1960s. The home that Richard Burton bought for Elizabeth Taylor is just around the corner from the Our Lady of Guadalupe Church.   PV is located on the Pacific coast on the banks of a sweeping inlet called the Bay of Banderas or the Bay of Flags, the seventh largest in the world.  It has a population of approximately 255,725.  

We had a wonderful time here in 2016 and when I saw on the itinerary we were coming back, I had three things on my “to do” list.  ONE, shop at Sucesos Boutique which I discovered in 2016, TWO, visit the nearby Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe and THREE, return to El Bucanero for lunch and a margarita.  Well, I hadn’t realized or didn’t notice our arrival and departure until last night.  We were arriving at 7 a.m. and leaving at 2:30 p.m.  Perhaps the Church might have been open but certainly the boutique and restaurant would not be. 

I know, I know, it’s not the end of the world but this was the first port I was really looking forward to since our safari. 

After being awakened by the “gentle” sounds of the mariachi band that was singing and playing at 7 a.m. on the dock while passengers were heading off the ship (Michael, of course, didn’t hear a thing), I was still lamenting the fact that our plans were completely ruined and tried to figure out which one we’d end up doing.  (I really shouldn’t complain at all – the crew had a drill this morning and with the small amount of time in port, there was not much opportunity for them to visit the Walmart right across from the dock.  They will be back again next week when the ship turns around in Los Angeles and returns to Fort Lauderdale.)  The boutique and Church were downtown and would take at least a half hour with traffic; the restaurant was near the dock.  Shopping would take more than an hour and trying to do all three, or even two, would’ve meant worrying about getting back to the ship in time. 

Muttering to myself all morning, “why are they taking us to Port Chalmers for the entire day when the whole town is closed and then give us so few hours in PV?” we left the ship around 10 a.m. with me thinking we’d look at the souvenirs being sold right on the dock and then walking over to the restaurant for lunch.  Michael had something else in mind.  

Knowing how much I LOVED the clothing I bought in 2016 from Sucesos Boutique, he talked to a taxi driver and arranged for two hours of his time getting us downtown, waiting for me to shop and returning us to the ship.  Hiring cabs throughout the world for a specific time is done all the time so long as you know NOT to pay until you’re returned to the ship.  When Santiago, the driver quoted a price of $80, I immediately said “no” and told Michael, “let’s just go to lunch.”   Ignoring me (or knowing how I get), he continued negotiating until the price got down to $50 and we were on our way.  Sure enough, it took a half hour to get to the shop, after stopping for directions in front of a restaurant where we saw this guy counting wads of money on the table (no doubt in our mind, he was a drug dealer although I may be unnecessarily maligning the poor guy, but I doubt it) and a phone call to Andrea at the boutique.   

We got to the shop, Michael sat in the “husband chair” and critiqued all the items I tried on, chitchatted with Andrea and Hector Lomeli, the artist who designs the clothing, and we left the shop at 11:30 a.m., on time to return to the ship by noon. 

After navigating the very narrow streets in the downtown area, and passing by a funeral procession behind a hearse traveling to the cemetery, we got back to the dock a little after noon, thanked Santiago who moved to PV 30 years ago from Guadalajara after visiting and his not-then wife would not let him return, and we said “adios.” 

Needless to say, I didn’t buy my magnet from this shop across the street from where Santiago parked his wonderfully air-conditioned vehicle.    

 

 We found a great magnet and a Dia de los Muertos shirt for Michael and decided it was too far to walk to the restaurant, eat and walk back to the ship.  

 Perhaps our lunch back in 2016 was a moment in time not to be duplicated or re-visited.  We came onboard, said hello to the Walker Black Duo that we sailed with last year in Alaska and only learned last night they’d be joining the ship and enjoyed an evening of dancing and music.  I told Michael that I’d be interested in coming back here for a few days, even though I’m not at all interested in pools or beaches.  The downtown area has a lovely waterfront, I’d love to visit the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe, roam through the cobblestone streets, enjoy a margarita or two, and, of course, visit Sucesos Boutique. 

MICHAEL’S OBSERVATIONS:  Our driver, Santiago, highlighted our trip to Sucesos by telling us a little bit of the history and the current state of affairs in PV.  PV is a growing community and as Santiago pointed out that it has more construction cranes than any other city in Mexico.  He said that many Americans are moving here and retiring because of the lower cost of housing and the beautiful sandy beaches and water.  The thing I noticed most since our trip in 2016 was the increase in traffic.  In many ways, PV faces the same problems that we have in Seattle.  There are only two roads that will get you in and out of the city which increases commuting times and congestion.  I find this to be a very friendly and beautiful city and would love to visit it sometime in the future.