The Malecon

The Malecon is not a road, but a very wide side walk. Originally it was only a small side walk that ran in front of the old Oceana Hotel.  Now, it runs for about a mile along the beach in El Centro or the main part of old town.  In some sections it is wider than many of the streets in Puerto Vallarta.  It was probably made mainly for the tourists, but on weekends you will see lots of Mexican families with their children strolling up and down the Malecon, enjoying the views of the beach and sea.

Some sections are decorative concrete with writing embossed in the concrete.  I think they are Spanish proverbs, but some could be names of prominate people.  A large section was done with red abobe bricks.  It is quite attractive, but there is a problem.  They used concrete to grout the bricks.  Over the years many of the adobe bricks have deteriorated leaving just ridges of concrete (not easy to walk over).  Along the way are a least a dozen large sculptures;  the boy on a sea horse being the oldest and most famous.  I don't know where it came from but was here in the late 70's and became a symbol for Puerto Vallarta.  Some of the figures are obvious, like a dolphin fountain, or mermaids and neptune, but some are very difficult to figure out what they are meant to be.

The Malecon is used for all kinds of festivities, art shows, parades, etc.  One day I noticed there was some sort of sand castle contest (I guess it was a contest).  The theme was mainly Egyptian (before the revolution so I have no idea what it was about)  There are always vendors selling mainly touristy stuff, but one day I spotted a painting on display.  It was perfect for the wall over my sofa.  Well, the painting is by no means perfect, but I liked the colors and it was cheap.

All along the Malecon are many bars and restaurants.  I would say that Carlos O'Briens is the oldest and most famous where young kids get very drunk (I was one of those kids once).  Since all the bars and shops are some of the most expensive in P.V.  I rarely stop, unless it is a Starbucks (although their coffee does not compare with my favorite).  But a walk down the Malecon is free and besides the wonderful vistas of the bay, I love to people watch.  I don't think I will ever tire of walking along the Malecon..

A Day at the Beach

My apartment is only four blocks to the beach, but I walk an additional 5 or 6 blocks south to Playa Los Muertos (yes, I know it means "Beach of the Dead" but have forgotten why).  Most of the south beach has been set up by hotels or bar/restaurants:  I go to Blue Chairs or Green Chairs.  Oh, on the way I pass by my favorite coffee house and will stop for a tall iced latte.

If you arrive before noon you can usually pick your own spot.  I have been going to Green Chairs for they have fewer palapas and thus more sun.  Blue Chairs is a huge complex of bar/restaurant, hotel and disco on top.  Green chairs just has the bar/restaurant.  Each palapa (sort of a thatched umbrella made of palm fronds) has 3 or 4 lounge chairs and a couple of tables and each is assigned a waiter.  I have alway over tipped in the hope they will remember me and give me better service.  Alas we all look alike to them (fat old white men) so it hasn't worked that well.  After about 6 weeks Luis did remembered me.

You mainly order drinks, but you can have lunch served at your palapa.  I usually drink beer with a glass of ice.  It is popular here to pour beer over ice, it stays cooler and lasts longer.  I did finally have my pina colada under a palapa last week.  It was delicious.  I prefer to go up to the restaurant above the beach for lunch.  Unless you are just having a sandwich, it isn't easy eating off one of those little tables.  The food is just okay, but the view is awesome.

The waves have been breaking right on the sand, so it is not a great surfing beach (like I would anyway!!)
Only a few will brave the waves.  The crowd is almost all white (well, some are quite tan) and not all American.  There are lots of Canadians, and some Europeans, as well.  The water is still pretty cool, but I do walk along the beach letting the waves lap around my ankles.  There was a small pier at one end of the beach that is being torn down.  I was unhappy to see this, then learned that a newer larger pier would replace it in order to accomodate larger ships (I hope not the Carnival Lines)

Parasailing and jet skis are the popular sport (no I have not - at least not this trip).   Mostly people just drink and lie out in the sun.  I still can't do more than about 3 or 4 hours of sun a day.  Both Blue Chairs and Green Chairs blares out disco tunes all day long.  In the afternoon they both have a life disc jockey.  You don't want to sit between the two, or the competing beat, beat, beat will drive you nuts.  At five clock Blue Chairs opens the disco on the roof with "dancers".  I have yet to see this for as I said, by 5:00 I leave the beach.  The whole day at the beach (drinks, lunch, palapa, and heavy tip) cost less than $20.00 (including my latte on the way)..

Boca by Bus

When my friend, Richard suggested we spend a day in a little fishing village called Boca, I was delighted.  Then he told me we were going by bus!!  At least I found out what the big white buses are for.  They are the long distance buses with destinations like Ixtaba, Mismaloya, etc.  They are a little nicer, the seats are molded plastic instead of steel.  So, early one morning (actually about 11:00) we boarded a bus marked "Mismaloya".

The road hugs the coast line giving you magnificent views (sit on the right hand side).  It is sort of Mexico's Amalfi Drive (I did say sort of).  I was so fascinated by passing scenery, that I hardly minded the jogs and bumps of the drive.  The Mexican coast line is spectacular.  We passed Mismaloya and went to the end of the line (at least for buses).  The trip took just over a half an hour (my maximum so far).

As the bus let us off and turned around, I looked down this dirty little street leading from the highway to the beach.  It was a road that would embarrass Tiajuana.  There is no town, just this one road leading to a sand bar between a small bay and a river.  Tables, chairs and umbrellas line the sand bar.  We selected one right at the water edge.  Our restaurant was that little orange structure between two palapas.  We had a couple of beers and cheviche.  It was delicious.  We strolled up and down the beach watching the Mexican boys try to surf the waves; some were quite good.  There is also a small pier at one end of the bay where water taxis take people to Yalapa (my next trip).

After climbing up the hill to the highway we boarded a bus, but this time got off at Mismaloya.  It was basically built for the movie "Night of the Iguana".  The property where it was actually filmed is all fenced off as a National "something".  No one seems to know what they are going to do with it.   But years after the cast and crew left an immense hotel went up.  Only registered guests are allowed on the grounds, so we walked around the property to the beach.  It was packed with tourists.  I much preferred the little sand bar where we shared the beach with only a few other couples.

Some how going back to P.V. we got on one of the blue local buses.  It was not only a much rougher ride, the but driver was one of those "Indy 500" drivers.  We hung on for dear life as the bus carreened around sharp curves.  Thank God we were on the inside of the road, or I would have been sure we were going to plunge over the cliff.  We made if back in 15 minutes.  The whole day cost about $10.00.

PV Construction

If Puerto Vallarta has any building codes, they are not evident.  A casual observation of the town would lead you to think that almost everything is under construction.  In fact, there has been very little building going on since the rescession hit about two years ago.

Most roof tops have iron poles of rebar sticking up as if a second, third, or fourth floor was eminent.  Many are just rusted iron poles, some are partially covered concrete pillars.  I have heard two reasons.  One is that they are left there to show they are authorized to build an additional floor.  The other, more plausible reason is that these buildings have a lower property tax rate because they are considered unfinished.  No one seems to know for sure.

It is hard to tell if some buildings are going up or coming down.  The recent economy has taken its toll here as evidenced by the many buildings that look like contruction was just suddenly stopped and are now just abandoned .  It is hard to tell for almost all structures have unfinished sides.  You can not only see the concrete blocks or bricks, but pieces of the original wood framing is still stuck to the concrete.

I have included a photo of what exists on the other side of my white, palm, and vine covered trellis.  You will realize not only why I put up this barrier, but will see that I do not live in Conchas Chinas (the Beverly Hills of Puerto Vallarta).  No, I live in a typical Mexican neighborhood.  How many of the buildings in the photo look inhabitable?  Sadly most of them are.  You also see those tiny rooms on the roof tops that look like an elevator shaft (which they do not have).  I have no idea.

It would be nice if all the buildings had red tile roofs.  Some do, but too many are just flat black concrete, or worse yet corrugated aluminum.  Some  "homes" look more like lean tos.  In Mexico very often a "home" simply means some sort of shelter from the rain.

Watching a building acutally being built is amazing.  Mexicans seem to think that concrete will do anything and here, indeed it does.  They not only use it as mortar, but as a means of patching flaws.  Once the structure is up with walls and ceiling, they begin to add the plumbing and electrical (almost as an after thought)  They will drill or chisel out holes to accomdate the plumbing and electrical, or just run it along the floor.  They all appear sub standard (for us).  I was sure that a good California 5.0 would level the town, but was told that Puerto Vallarta has had several earthquakes (I hope I am not here when the next one hits).

NOTE TO MY READERS:  A friend of mine checked my "stats" and found that I have more readers than people I know.  So to whom ever you are out there, a big "thank you"  I am amazed, delighted and very flattered.  I just wanted you to know that I only post once a week on a Friday or Saturday and I will let you know when I am on vacation.

MY TYPICAL DAY

It is still dark here at seven in the morning.  Not until about 7:30 does it begin to get light and the sun doesn't rise over the mountain for another hour.  Therefore getting up early is out of the question (as if I would anyway).  What amazes me most about my life here is that I am busy doing something every day.  I thought I would have plenty of time to read and write.  I have not opened a book and never touched my novel.

I'll have my first couple of cups of coffee (and cigarette) upstairs on the terrace (you will note, it is no longer a roof top deck).  I make my rounds of all the plants to check for new growth or a new flower coming out.   The hummingbirds are out at the first light of day, fighting for a spot at the feeder.  I love watching them.  They are not only different colors, but have different personalities.  Some are very aggressive chasing every other bird away.  Some will patiently wait on the fence for an opening, and one female just sits there sipping away, totally ignoring the fight going on around her.  By the way, the clock on the church steeple has now stopped competely, but the bells go on.

Later I will turn on the computer and TV to watch the news on CNN.  I check my messages, but usually don't answer them until later (some mornings I am simply not capable).  Usually I will cook some eggs, but some mornings I go out for breakfast.  The patio at La Hacienda is my favorite.

Some time each day I go for a latte at my favorite coffee shop.  Once a week I will splurge on a newspaper (it costs more than a triple latte).  They are always one day old, and the guy will try to sell you one that is 2 or 3 days old.  Other days I go over my Day Timer (yes, I know how "old hat" that is).  I make out my "to do list" (usually short) and my grocery list.

There are four local stores I visit for my shopping.  I walk a lot, at least a mile or two a day. While walking to the various stores, I try to walk down different streets.  I poke into little shops and boutiques and the side walk vendors looking for another piece of Mexican folk art that I think I cannot live without (usually one a week).   At least once a week I will take the bus to Costco or Walmart or Mega (the biggest store) and that takes up a good part of the day.

About twice a week I go to the beach (more on that in a later post).  In the afternoons, I will do my e-mail and work on my Blog posts.   Each evening I take my glass of wine up to the terrace to first watch the hummingbirds and later the baby iguanas.  Some days I will go out for "Happy Hour", but do not go out late.  I don't eat out more than once a week (I have got to find something else to cook besides chicken breasts)  My attempts at real cooking have not turned out well.  The kitchen is gorgeous, but very poorly equipt and I am not used to metric weights yet. 

Whether I have been out or stayed at home,  I end each evening up on the terrace with my last glass of wine.  The day passes quickly and then another week.  It is hard to believe that I have been here for two months already.

My Apartment

The apartment could have been a little larger.  In fact, had the living area been just one foot wider, the sofa bed would open with moving to the middle of the room.  I did see a larger and cheaper place but it was entirely open; I mean really open.  It only had three walls.  The upstairs patio was enormous with a bar that would accomodate at least six people; definately a party pad.  I just could not imagine living with out four walls.  Ncver mind security (there was none) but you would be totally exposed to the dust and dirt from the street.

Mine is on the third and fourth floor above a leather goods shop and next to a tile factory.  The kitchen is new with lots of granite, but it had no over counter storage at all.  I bought a Mexican style open cabinet with shelves to display my green Mexcian glass and new pottery.  The living area consisted of an ugly dark brown sofa and two plastic chairs.  I covered the sofa with a light green and yellow serrape and ordered two equipauli (pig skin) chairs and three small tables.  For the bedroom I bought an "L" shaped glass and chrome desk were I do my writing and book work.  There was a large dresser that I moved to an area off the kitchen.  Of course I added bunches of Mexican paper flowers and those bright colorful ceramic chilies.  There was some really awful stuff hanging on the wall (like way too many Virgin Marys) but that has all been replaced with Mexican folk art.

The bedspread and drapes were a dark, dark red.  I had a new duvet made in a bright green and had new drapes made of a green, yellow and orange fabric with a pattern of iquanas.  The biggest change came with the addition of 16 potted plants.  Lots of palms, ferns, some hybiscus and that vine with yellow flowers that is everywhere.  Nothing says home to me more than a house and patio full of green plants.  The view I have already shown you is the good side. To the west was a mess of ugly black roofs and some unfinished buildings, so I put up a trellis.

The floors are tile and the bedroom has a heavy beamed ceiling with red tile slate.  There is also a balcony across the front where I put some of those yellow things to vine along the wrought iron.  There is lots of wrought iron, starting with the door on the street (but it has a glass panel).  At a landing on the staircase is another gate.  There is a gate to by balcony and when you climb the spiral staircase to the terrace, you end up in a large cage (green plants have softened the look).  Every morning I unlock the gates and everynight I lock myself in.  I feel like a warden in a prison, or a zoo keeper, but for the moment, I am happy here.

PV in General

After reviewing my first couple of posts, I am afraid you may have the misconception that I don't like it here.  I am loving it; new adventures (or problems) every day.  Yes, there are a lot of adjustments necessary (starting with your attitude).   It is not the same as living in the states.  There are items that we consider as essential that are either hard to find or impossible.  When you do think you have found something you need, it turns out not to be anything like what you expected.  What passes for Saran wrap here is unuseable.  After struggling for some time to get a piece out of the carton, you wind up with a wadded ball of plastic in your hand.  I don't know what they make their paper products out of here.  Paper towels, napkins, Kleenex all appear to made out of toilet paper.  They all disintegrate when exposed to any moisture at all.  And they are surprisingly not absorbent.  When you try to wipe up some water on a counter you find that all that happens is that you spread the water across the counter.   Although we have Wallmart, Costco, Home Depot and supermarkets, no one store will have everything you need.

There is a sort of open air farmers market that I like to go to.  Everything is fresh and comes in each morning (if you don't get there in the afternoon, a lot of stuff will be gone).  The fruits and vegetables don't look as pretty, but they are tasty (I advise washing everything before eating).  But we have a new market called Los Mercados.  Everything there is gorgeous and still cheap considering what we pay at home.  It is the one place you can buy good meat, fresh bakery and fruits and vegetables.  The Mexicans say, "It is where the white people shop".  The tomatoes are awsome.

There are somethings that I will never adjust to, like the smell of urine soaked into the sidewalks (I keep hoping it is dog piss).  Fighting dust and dirt took me a while, but I am no longer surprised when I take one of those awful paper towels to wipe something up and it comes up black.  You really should mop the tile floors every day (I do not).   I can not find the mops that have its own devise for wringing it out.  So there I am with a plastic pail full of hot water, wringing the mop out by hand.  The good news is that the floor drys quickly here.

The Mexicans certainly appear to be happy fun loving people.  They are hard working and basically honest (I have only been ripped off twice and it was my own fault or stupidity)  You can get by in the major shops and restaurants without Spanish, but this is not true in all stores.  I am amazed at the lack of English in a city that survives almost totally on tourism (Yes, I am working on my Spanish).  Sometimes you think they understand when they answer, "Si".  In truth they have no idea what you just said.

Since I live in a commercial district (with buses every other minute) adjusting to the constant noise takes a while.  The good thing about living in the commercial district is that trash is picked up every night.  No, you do not put a trash can on the curb.  There are designated corners where you drop bags of trash (garbage).  They never heard of Demspty Dumpsters (or trash cans, I guess).  Most people are pretty good about tying up their bags, but after the garbage truck leaves there will be trash left in the street.  You learn to ignore it and just step over it.

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