On the Coast of Somewhere Beautiful : PV Part I

Flying into Puerto Vallarta's Gustavo Diaz Ordaz airport, we could feel the energy. We unloaded the plane directly onto the asphalt with the mountains on the horizon and the smell of the lush salt air greeting us. Neither of us had ever been to Mexico so naturally we were excited to get out and explore. Little did we know that getting from point A to point B was going to be a bigger ordeal than originally planned. I'm certain all the taxi drivers get irritated with "us American's" as we explain to them where we want to go (in English, of course). Luckily we had printed off a map of where we needed to go with the directions written in Spanish and the route clearly marked with a blue line. Though, the taxi driver was looking at it like he still had NO idea where we needed to go. So, Ry being his helpful self and finally putting his high school Spanish to good use points to the map and says, "Agua, Agua". The man looked at him like he was crazy. Ry was trying to point out to this poor man the "blue" line on the map that led to our destination but in actuality he was saying "water." Blue in Spanish is "azul", not "agua"... The taxi driver thought Ry was telling him we were staying on the water. Luckily, we eventually made it to where we needed to be and it was worth the wait. The oddity of getting around in PV is the paved roads directly intersect the hand lain cobblestone streets and the pedestrians are often old men wearing sombreros riding a burro laden down with five gallon plastic pails filled with rocks. It was quite the scene. I told Ry that day to not speak Spanish to the taxi drivers anymore unless he was absolutely certain about what he was telling them, oh Ry.


We discovered the "secret" place of PV, The Cheeky Monkey. It is right on the Malecon with spectacular views and... $1 ice cold Corona's served with a lime. In our 7 days in PV, there were no other places we found where the beer was such a good deal so we made it a point to go back. The Cheeky Monkey to me was PV personified. No one there is in a hurry. In fact, I'm not sure ANYTHING was on time. If a boat was scheduled to leave at 8AM, it probably didn't leave the dock until 9, 10 o'clock. Starbuck's even opened over an hour late! I think we (American's) often get caught up into our schedules and deadlines too much. Life is so much simpler in PV. They don't have the most luxurious living situations, but all of them seem happy. They must know something we don't. And though the bill didn't come until three hours after we sat down, it made it all the more relaxing.


Ry and I also got a chance to attend Mass at the Cathedral in the Zona Romantica of PV. What made the experience so exemplary was the Mass was given in English and Spanish. To worship with people who don't even speak the same language as you was memorable. Plus, the church was beautiful. Some of the decor they had displayed you would never see here in America. The portrayal of Jesus was much more graphic, yet it felt more realistic. What an amazing experience!


I think Ry might argue one of his favorite memories of the trip was watching the Mariachi band on the Malecon Sunday night. We discovered that the people of PV use Sunday night as they're "going out" night. The Malecon was hopping with people. Ry and I were rushing to make the start of the concert by 6. Needless to say we were on time but the concert didn't start until 7:30, it all goes back to what I said before, nobody is in a hurry in PV! The band was superb; I felt like I was listening to classic Mexicana music with an old-world charm. And, if you can't tell, we not only were serenaded by the band, but had the soft sounds of the ocean waves crashing on the rocks in the background. Heaven :)

One cannot mention PV without mentioning THE FOOD. I can honestly say I have never experienced quite the cuisine. I may be biased due to my love of cilantro and guacamole, however. Not only was the food delectable and reasonably priced, but the presentation was exquisite. My favorite restuarant I must say was Pipi's (below). They served the most big and tasty margaritas I have ever had and a waiter made the guacamole right in front of us. However, this place was crazy. A three-man band went around singing at different tables (My fav "La Bamba"), a table of Spring Break ridden college students had tequila shots poured into their mouths from the bottle, and each table was served by six different waiters throughout the meal. It was exhausting, but delicious.

Part I complete. Part II coming soon...

♥ R