Since most of my blog centers around the problems I encounter living here (and there are many), I decided to try to describe some of the more pleasant experiences of my life. If it sounds a little mundane and boring to you, well that is what the "problems' are for (to add some spice into my life). You do have to be tough and you must be open to new ways of living and experiencing life. It may not be for everyone, but at my advanced age, it suits me just fine. Many people ask me what I do all day, so I will take your through a typical day.
My morning begins with coffee and a cigarette on my balcony where I watch the early stirrings of life in Puerto Vallarta. People going off to work, little kids patiently wait for buses to take them to school (some are accompanied by their mothers). Most mornings a truck arrives full of freshly picked tomatoes, onions and peppers to sell them to the two restaurants on my street. Then a man arrives with one of those stick brooms and a scoop. He managed to get most of the leaves and the debris left over from the previous nights revelries. It is not as effective as the power hoses used in Paris, but it helps. If I am up quite early I will catch a homeless man carefully fold up a large piece of cardboard and place in the the V of the tree across the street. It was months before I realized why that piece of cardboard was always in the tree.
Later when I am capable of managing the 17 steps to my deck, I will finish my coffee up there, while checking on my potted plants (I now have 25 of them). A lot of my time is spent tending to all my plants and I do love them all. You may notice how my haliconia has grown and I took a photo of two new hibiscus plants whose blooms resemble camellias.
After freshening up a little, I will walk to two blocks to my coffee shop. It is nothing to look at and most people would just pass it by. But they have very good coffee and fresh organic food. They are also very pleasant and I know almost everyone who stops there. While sipping my iced latte, I plan my day (or days). I have a small "Day Timer" that I use and write everything down. Yes, I know that is very old fashioned. I should use an Ipod, or at least a Blackberry. You must realize that computers were not invented until I was already middle aged. I also make up shopping lists. Because of all the books I read, often I will walk another few blocks to another coffee shop that has a much wider selection of used books.
It is located next to Plaza Cardenas. Sometimes I will walk through the park on my way home. Last year the Garden Society replanted it. It will take another year, but after all the rain, it is looking pretty.
With my day planned I start off. If I need money (and too often I do), it is necessary to cross the river to the bank that is affiliated with my bank. It is also one of the safest ATM's in the area. Shopping means lots of stops. Guadalajara Pharmacy is good for most house hold supplies, but carries no produce (they do have a small deli, however). If you want fruit (I go through lots of bananas and they are cheap) there is a small store that sells fruit and nuts, but no vegetables. For those I either stop at Los Mercados (where the white people shop). It is more expensive but the produce is better than either the open market or the few items the corner Tiendas carry. About twice a month, I will have to take a bus to Walmart or Costco. If I buy more than my back pack will carry, I take a taxi home (about $5.00).
I read a lot and love my little reading area with my equipauli chairs and lamp table (sometimes I just lie in bed and read). Of course there is the gym. It seems that every few months, I have to start all over again. I try to go at least 3 times a week (usually 4, and sometimes 5). Every Thursday, I play duplicate bridge. It gets quite competitive during the season when we will have as many as 14 tables. I almost always have lunch out. I don't mind eating alone for lunch but do not like to for dinner. I will either eat something at home (sometimes take out) or something I have cooked, or just skip it if I had a late lunch. Yes, I do go to a bar most evenings, but limit myself to two drinks (at the bar anyway).
At least once a week I will go to the beach. Many people just sit under the palapas, but I like to get some sun as well. I always have a few drinks and sometimes food. The water is shallow, but the surf can be rough, so normally I just walk from one end of the beach to the pier at the other end. Since it is summer and low season here, there are very few people on the beach (or anywhere else). The water now is warmer than bath water.
I have also started my Spanish lessons with a new tutor. For some reason he likes to give his lessons at the Page in the Sun Coffee Shop. Maybe he thinks all the book shelves are conducive to study. I pick up several books a week there and one day my tutor asked me how many books I read a week. I proudly told him that I read three or four books a week and he said, "And how many hours to you spend studying Spanish" OUCH!!
Whether I go out to a bar or dinner, I also begin (and end) my evenings up on my deck with a cocktail (or two). I recheck my plants and just love sitting there under my cabana. Now that we are getting the summer rains, I really love to sit there and watch the rain pour down around me. Yes, it is hot and humid during the summer months, but the rain does help a lot. In some ways I like summer better than winter for Puerto Vallarta does become a small little village. As I walk through the streets here, I will see someone I know on almost very block. It is a quiet simple life that suits me in my old age.
*********************************************
