Not long after I arrived here, a friend wrote and asked me if "drinking" was a part of the culture in Mexico. I answered with a resounding YES!! Since then I have learned just how much.
One can assume that the natives in Mexico had alcohol long before the Spanish arrived with their wine. Tequila and Raicilla are both made from a regional cactus. So getting drunk here goes way back. There doesn't appear to be any laws about drinking. It is quite common to see men (never women; they drink at home) walking down the street with a plastic cup of beer, or a whole bottle. You also see people in cars with bottles or cans of beer, including the driver. The Mexicans love to party and booze is a big part of their parties. One morning I saw hundreds of bottles strewn all over Plaza Cardenas left over from some other festivity that I also missed.
The Malecon is just one long line of bars where the tourists get loaded. Every street in Puerto Vallarta has four of five bars and most corners have a tiny grocery store that sells liquor. Occasionally you will see some guy passed out on the sidewalk. He isn't really homeless, he just could not make it home.
The ex patriots who live here full time, or just spend the winters here have taken up the culture of drinking with abandon. In the Zona Romantica where I live there are "neighborhood' bars and everyone has their favorite, but pub crawls are also the norm. The most popular is Apache's. Unlike most bars, they do not open until 5:00. During the height of the season, if you want a seat outside, you had better arrive at 4:00 when they start putting out the tables and chairs. Well we really don't have anything to do, so people congregate in the afternoons at bars. Now you understand why I try to occupy my time with Spanish, the gym, and adopting parks.
Each bar has their "happy hour" when drinks are cheaper. Some places like Apache's offer "two for one" which means if you slip over to the third drink, you are stuck for a fourth (it is free, right?) Yes, I must admit many nights I have staggered home after four Margaritas. But compare to some people here who will drink all day and into the night, I look like a teetotaler.
There are also night clubs and discos that don't even open until 10:00 at night. I have never been to one, but I am told that they don't really get busy until after midnight and you can drink until dawn. Luckily it is cheap to drink here, especially during "happy hour" when a bottle of beer is about $1.00 and a blended strawberry margarita can be had for as little as $2.50. Apache"s is a little more up scale, but at two for one, you can still get pretty drunk for not much money.
I don't want to leave you with the impression that I am a total souse that you will one day find lying on the sidewalk, or curled up in some door way. For one thing, I never drink far from home. I don't start drinking until about 5:00 when Happy Hour starts (unless, of course I am at the beach). I usually leave by the end of Happy Hour (about 7:00). I may have a glass or two of white wine when I do get home, but HEY I am already home. Also, maybe you can understand why these Blogs don't always get out on time.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Saturday, May 14, 2011
PLAZA CARDENAS
Three short blocks away, my street runs into a large plaza. It is the largest plaza this side of the river, but I had never paid much attention to it until my coffee shop reopened on the square. It always reminded me of a small Pershing Square because of the underground parking garage. Nothing of any note surrounds the square.. It is where I saw the dance group led by the drag queen and where I saw the body of Christ being led up the street. All of which I would have missed had I not been at my coffee shop.
A friend of mine who was visiting told me it used to be one of the most beautiful parks in Puerto Vallarta. There were lots of trees and lush tropical plants. Now it is mostly concrete with some planters. Like all squares in Mexico there is a large gazebo and at one end is a small amphitheater. Fortunately they managed to save the large trees from the old park, and I guess the large statue of Mr. Cardenas ( I have to assume that for their is no plaque on it) The planters have grass and small shrubs now. But the grass is dead and many of the small palms and shrubs are dying.
About five years ago, someone came up with the "brilliant" idea of putting a garage under it, so the old park was dug up. Never mind that Mexicans won't pay for parking and most gringos either walk or take cabs. The parking lot is almost always totally empty. The one good idea they had was to put in public bathrooms; something this town could use judging from the smell of the side walks. But alas the entrance to the bath rooms is locked. You can see the signs giving you the times of day it is open, but you may not be able to see the padlock on the gate. I have never seen it open.
Then someone (maybe the same someone) came up with another "brilliant" idea., Lets build a huge building with commercial and residential to create a need for parking. So there is this enormous building that takes up the entire block facing the plaza and rising over eight stories high. It too is completely empty. You can see the condos with balconies that would either over look the park, of from the higher floors the ocean; none are occupied. The story I heard is that the builder used beach sand in the concrete to save money and as a result the salt is already eroding the concrete. The City says, it must be torn down to the ground. Someone did not pay off the right person.
Whoever built that enormous structure must have lost a fortune, the garage makes no money for it is always empty, so no one will pay to water the park. They city says it is the responsibility of the garage and the garage refuses. So, the plants continue to die.
Then I came up with my own "brilliant" idea. For some time I have thought of volunteering for some kind of charity work. Something to fill my time between going to the beach, the gym, Spanish class, shopping, and of course my "pub crawls". But I can't stand being around old people (they are much too cranky); children make me nervous, and I faint at the sight of a needle. I do love animals, but the shelter is clear across town and I see enough dog poop on the side walks. I have no real skills or talent (which made finding a job pretty iffy as well), so what could I do. Then it came to me, I will adopt a park!!
One thing I am good at is watering, but where would I get the water. I can't even get bottled water delivered to my apartment, how could I come up with enough water for a park? Then, I thought I will start my own charity to "Save the Park" The regulars from my coffee shop when it was on Olas Altos certainly looked wealthy and when they find out that it is now located on this square I am sure they would be sympathetic. But they all flew North (along with my hummingbirds) and won't be back until November or December. Of course the rainy season will occur before they get back here. The truth is I am basically lazy, so, I have decided just to pray for an early rain.
About five years ago, someone came up with the "brilliant" idea of putting a garage under it, so the old park was dug up. Never mind that Mexicans won't pay for parking and most gringos either walk or take cabs. The parking lot is almost always totally empty. The one good idea they had was to put in public bathrooms; something this town could use judging from the smell of the side walks. But alas the entrance to the bath rooms is locked. You can see the signs giving you the times of day it is open, but you may not be able to see the padlock on the gate. I have never seen it open.
Then someone (maybe the same someone) came up with another "brilliant" idea., Lets build a huge building with commercial and residential to create a need for parking. So there is this enormous building that takes up the entire block facing the plaza and rising over eight stories high. It too is completely empty. You can see the condos with balconies that would either over look the park, of from the higher floors the ocean; none are occupied. The story I heard is that the builder used beach sand in the concrete to save money and as a result the salt is already eroding the concrete. The City says, it must be torn down to the ground. Someone did not pay off the right person.
Whoever built that enormous structure must have lost a fortune, the garage makes no money for it is always empty, so no one will pay to water the park. They city says it is the responsibility of the garage and the garage refuses. So, the plants continue to die.
Then I came up with my own "brilliant" idea. For some time I have thought of volunteering for some kind of charity work. Something to fill my time between going to the beach, the gym, Spanish class, shopping, and of course my "pub crawls". But I can't stand being around old people (they are much too cranky); children make me nervous, and I faint at the sight of a needle. I do love animals, but the shelter is clear across town and I see enough dog poop on the side walks. I have no real skills or talent (which made finding a job pretty iffy as well), so what could I do. Then it came to me, I will adopt a park!!
Saturday, May 7, 2011
LOOSE ENDS
After more than twenty posts (I am as surprised as you are) it seemed like a good idea to go back over some of the Blogs that left some questioned unanswered.
While I still enjoy my little apartment, I have decided to move when the lease is up in December. I want a quieter street and something more suitable for guests. I have had one guest and it worked out fine except for the sofa bed (which is a hassle to move and open) and the noise on the street was almost more than my friend could stand. I am looking at some of the dead end streets off B. Badillo (but that will wait a few months). Since I quit spending money buying stuff for my apartment I have managed to live within my budget.
The plants are all thriving (those that I didn't kill). The hibiscus is amazing with blooms over 10 inches across. The yellow vine finally started along the trellis and had covered it almost completely from one end to the other. Then one day while trimming back the mint I cut one vine off at the root (I was very unhappy with myself ,and NO I was not drunk.)
The clock on the bell tower has been started and restarted half a dozen times. It runs for a few days, but has said 8:15 for over a month. The bells still drive me crazy. I guess during weddings they ring all nine of them at once. Explosions (gun, fire crackers ??) are more frequent and oddly enough are almost always followed by the bells. More of this later..
The baby "iguanas" turned out to be geckos. They never got much bigger and remained the same ugly grey pink. I now have a whole family of them up there pooping on the wall. Now, I think they may be coming inside at night for I have found what look like "droppings". I no longer leave a light on for them to catch bugs, I would really like to get rid of them. Since I live in a cage with no solid doors, dirt and dust freely flow in and also critters can freely come and go. (But I don't want to think about that or I will go crazy). Within one week the dozens of hummingbirds went down to two or three (maybe they fly north from here). The feeder began to leak honey all over the deck so I took it down. Next winter I will try again.
I thought I had the buses down to a science then got on the wrong bus on my way to pick up my money from Telecable (Yes, it took four months and dozens of calls and visits, but I did finally get it). Half way there I looked out and did not recognize anything. I realized I was on a different street so the only thing I could think to do was to wait until I recognized something. It was the Sheraton Hotel. I got off and started walking inland hoping to find a street or something I knew. Finally a No. 3 bus came by that said "El Centro" I thought it would take me back home, but it was headed in the opposite direction. After four buses and two and a half hours I got to Telecable to collect my money.
Regular bottled water delivery still eludes me. I have had maybe a dozen one time deliveries. Each time I tip them more than the cost of the water and ask them to return next week. NOTHING!! Even the manager of my building is baffled. One explanation might be that the leather goods store hangs a leather poncho over my street number, but that would not explain how they deliver the first time. .
Of all the day trips, Boca remains my favorite. (It was also the cheapest and the closest) but I intend to seek out more new places to visit. The gym is going quite well. The "smiling Adonis" (whose name turns out to be David) has spent hours teaching me new exercises. Last week he said that next we would work on my legs. I looked at him and said, "My legs are the only good muscles I have got. Do these look like 74 year old legs to you?" He laughed. The truth is I hate leg exercises (but I do have good looking legs). I have just started my Spanish class (it may be my next blog).
I still go to the beach, but only about once a week. I fear it may get too hot for me as summer approaches. My fans run all day and night and I can't sleep with out air conditioning and it is only May!! What will August be like? I still enjoy it here, everyday is a new adventure. I also solved another mystery. Every evening a boy in green pants runs down the street banging on a gong. He is announcing the arrival of the trash truck, so you had better bring your garbage to the designated corner. It is a primitive system, but it works. Kind of like Mexico.
It is still difficult crossing the "pot holed" cobble stone streets with out being hit by a truck or bus. The urine soaked sidewalks are still an offense, but the new sidewalk on B. Badillo turned out very nice. There are now four blocks of new wide sidewalks and planters. Some of the small plants have disappeared (I think they are stolen) but the trees are all doing well. In a few years it should look beautiful, but unfortunately the Mexicans have yet to figure out underground utilities.
Mexican love to celebrate as much as they love noise. Most remain a mystery to me like the one this week. I was awakened about 11:00 at night by a series of whistling fireworks and cherry bombs. It went on for a half an hour. The street in front of the church looked like a bonfire was going on. It ended with several blasts of what appeared to be shot gun blasts into the sky, followed by all 9 bells ringing. The street between me and the church has been closed all week to accommodate a traveling carnival of kids rides. It has to have some sort of religious connotation, but I am not sure. David (at the gym) said he thought it might be a celebration for the parton saint of that church. It occurred on May 3rd, so it had nothing to do with Cinco de Mayo (Unless their calendar is as goofy as their clock). Nothing happened on the 5th of May.
We also just had Labor Day. Just as in the U.S. it is to commemorate the plight of the working class and all banks, federal buildings, schools, and most shops close for the day. Only this year it occurred on a Sunday when they are closed anyway, so I don't know who it benefits unless they let the priests go home early. Most of Mexico remains a mystery to me. Ya gotta love her, like a lover, warts and all.
NOTE TO MY READERS: In my Easter Week blog I only made a brief reference to the dance group that was led by a drag queen. An organization sponsoring Puerto Vallarta as a safe and fun place to visit have released a video of the performance that I watched. I think you will find it very entertaining. Check it out at http://dai.ly/k2IQHD.
While I still enjoy my little apartment, I have decided to move when the lease is up in December. I want a quieter street and something more suitable for guests. I have had one guest and it worked out fine except for the sofa bed (which is a hassle to move and open) and the noise on the street was almost more than my friend could stand. I am looking at some of the dead end streets off B. Badillo (but that will wait a few months). Since I quit spending money buying stuff for my apartment I have managed to live within my budget.
The plants are all thriving (those that I didn't kill). The hibiscus is amazing with blooms over 10 inches across. The yellow vine finally started along the trellis and had covered it almost completely from one end to the other. Then one day while trimming back the mint I cut one vine off at the root (I was very unhappy with myself ,and NO I was not drunk.)
The clock on the bell tower has been started and restarted half a dozen times. It runs for a few days, but has said 8:15 for over a month. The bells still drive me crazy. I guess during weddings they ring all nine of them at once. Explosions (gun, fire crackers ??) are more frequent and oddly enough are almost always followed by the bells. More of this later..
The baby "iguanas" turned out to be geckos. They never got much bigger and remained the same ugly grey pink. I now have a whole family of them up there pooping on the wall. Now, I think they may be coming inside at night for I have found what look like "droppings". I no longer leave a light on for them to catch bugs, I would really like to get rid of them. Since I live in a cage with no solid doors, dirt and dust freely flow in and also critters can freely come and go. (But I don't want to think about that or I will go crazy). Within one week the dozens of hummingbirds went down to two or three (maybe they fly north from here). The feeder began to leak honey all over the deck so I took it down. Next winter I will try again.
I thought I had the buses down to a science then got on the wrong bus on my way to pick up my money from Telecable (Yes, it took four months and dozens of calls and visits, but I did finally get it). Half way there I looked out and did not recognize anything. I realized I was on a different street so the only thing I could think to do was to wait until I recognized something. It was the Sheraton Hotel. I got off and started walking inland hoping to find a street or something I knew. Finally a No. 3 bus came by that said "El Centro" I thought it would take me back home, but it was headed in the opposite direction. After four buses and two and a half hours I got to Telecable to collect my money.
Of all the day trips, Boca remains my favorite. (It was also the cheapest and the closest) but I intend to seek out more new places to visit. The gym is going quite well. The "smiling Adonis" (whose name turns out to be David) has spent hours teaching me new exercises. Last week he said that next we would work on my legs. I looked at him and said, "My legs are the only good muscles I have got. Do these look like 74 year old legs to you?" He laughed. The truth is I hate leg exercises (but I do have good looking legs). I have just started my Spanish class (it may be my next blog).
I still go to the beach, but only about once a week. I fear it may get too hot for me as summer approaches. My fans run all day and night and I can't sleep with out air conditioning and it is only May!! What will August be like? I still enjoy it here, everyday is a new adventure. I also solved another mystery. Every evening a boy in green pants runs down the street banging on a gong. He is announcing the arrival of the trash truck, so you had better bring your garbage to the designated corner. It is a primitive system, but it works. Kind of like Mexico.
It is still difficult crossing the "pot holed" cobble stone streets with out being hit by a truck or bus. The urine soaked sidewalks are still an offense, but the new sidewalk on B. Badillo turned out very nice. There are now four blocks of new wide sidewalks and planters. Some of the small plants have disappeared (I think they are stolen) but the trees are all doing well. In a few years it should look beautiful, but unfortunately the Mexicans have yet to figure out underground utilities.
Mexican love to celebrate as much as they love noise. Most remain a mystery to me like the one this week. I was awakened about 11:00 at night by a series of whistling fireworks and cherry bombs. It went on for a half an hour. The street in front of the church looked like a bonfire was going on. It ended with several blasts of what appeared to be shot gun blasts into the sky, followed by all 9 bells ringing. The street between me and the church has been closed all week to accommodate a traveling carnival of kids rides. It has to have some sort of religious connotation, but I am not sure. David (at the gym) said he thought it might be a celebration for the parton saint of that church. It occurred on May 3rd, so it had nothing to do with Cinco de Mayo (Unless their calendar is as goofy as their clock). Nothing happened on the 5th of May.
We also just had Labor Day. Just as in the U.S. it is to commemorate the plight of the working class and all banks, federal buildings, schools, and most shops close for the day. Only this year it occurred on a Sunday when they are closed anyway, so I don't know who it benefits unless they let the priests go home early. Most of Mexico remains a mystery to me. Ya gotta love her, like a lover, warts and all.
NOTE TO MY READERS: In my Easter Week blog I only made a brief reference to the dance group that was led by a drag queen. An organization sponsoring Puerto Vallarta as a safe and fun place to visit have released a video of the performance that I watched. I think you will find it very entertaining. Check it out at http://dai.ly/k2IQHD.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)