Farewell Puerto Vallarta

Well what can I say about PV with just a couple of days left here.
Mexico, as you know, has had a lot of TV exposure recently in regard to drug cartels and murders. However PV is a long way from any of this and has little or no crime as far as I am aware. It is a golden goose for Mexico as a tourist mecca and there is a heavy, unobtrusive presence of security people and police to ensure tourists and locals are quite safe and secure. I always felt very comfortable walking in any area of the city and never worried about my security. In fact PV is so special in Mexico it even has 'tourist' police dressed in white uniforms (in shorts) who are bilingual and always present and ready to help anyone in the key tourist areas like the promenade.
There are few traffic lights here and as a result at peak times there's a whole battalion of traffic people who take control at intersections with whistles to assist pedestrians get across. It is amazing how fast flowing traffic suddenly comes to a halt with a whistleblow. I did see the odd person in a car being stopped for disobeying.
To move on these are some of PV's attributes
Safe and secure (as mentioned above)
Guaranteed sunshine & warmth
Beautiful, handy beaches & a town with many scenic areas. Cobblestone streets in the old parts of town. A whole 70kms of bay to explore with villages and beauty spots.
Lovely promenade walk for around 3 kms with lots of fellow walkers.
A small enough place, making it easy to walk or take a bus to most places & never feel lost. It has an unhurried feel & quite a holiday spirit. Also taxis and water taxis are abundant.
Boat trips to scenic beaches and villages. Snorkeling, dolphin watching etc.
Lots of cafes and restaurants with good quality food at reasonable prices (plus shows) Mostly Mexican dishes which are always interesting, varied and tasty.
Shops and markets with traditional goods. Also malls and Walmart
Free entertainment/cultural attractions/folkloric dancing/fireworks at sea
Seafront bars if you can cope with the music, but also traditional ones.
Accommodation costs are lower in the Northern summer than winter.
Your dollar goes further here than most other places.
Only 2.5 hours flight from Los Angeles
The people are friendly and helpful
Well, when are you coming on over to find a tiny bit of paradise on earth?

Oddball stuff

I like to discover Spanish words etc that look familiar in English but turn out to mean something else. They are called false friends in some phrase books.
Here are some that I have noted.

An extintor is an extinguisher.
Area restringada means restricted area.
Empaque resellable means resealable packet.
Desfrutar is to enjoy something. I dis-fruit chocolate?
Despertar means wake up. 'Despierta tu inspiration' is Starbucks' theme. Darned if I can translate it idiomatically. 'Wake up your inspiration' doesn't sound right.
A tormenta is a storm
Exito means success.
Diversion is amusement.
Did you know 'refried' beans are not actually refried. The Spanish prefix 're' means 'well' but in English means 'again'. For some reason in English the term 'refried' was adopted without translation.

Toilets
El bano (ban-yo)in Latin America is the toilet (like US).
Here in Mexico most hand drying paper dispensers in toilets have infrared beams that sense your hand stretching out for a piece of paper & dole out precisely one sheet's worth for you to tear off. Why hasn't the rest of the world got this?

Seen on inside of a bus
Conserve su vocabulario. Watch your tongue!

Colgate toothpaste is called Coal-Ghat-Ay. Amused when I first heard it advertised on TV.

Fruit
A guanabana is a cherimoya with bumpy bits
A noni is the most repulsive fruit I've ever tasted...how do they eat it!

Life by Olas Altas & Los Muertos Beaches

Olas Altas Beach is a short walk from my condo along the new promenade called Nuevo Malecon. Facing part of the beach is a luxury condo called Molino de Agua which has its own extensive grounds and tranquil swimming pool. I couldn't help but notice the number of Mexicans manicuring the grounds & sweeping round the pool on my walk & the privileged few in the pool breast stroking their way leisurely along. It reminded me of the Primates documentary by Sir David when he described how high status Japanese macaques commandeer the hot pools in the snowy Japan winter and exclude their fellow low caste macaques. Is it not to do with lack of space in the pool but rather a Darwinian struggle within the species which may, as Sir David intones in his inimitable way, be the difference between life and death in a snowy Japan winter. Molino de Agua's pool usage of course does not have such stark consequences but methinks the same primate, human hierarchial rules are subtly in play as in Japan's macaque society. Any pool will do me!
Just along the beach from the flash condo's stylish 6 foot walls a few oldish locals chat. Then suddenly they become interested in the pelicans diving near the seashore. One of them produces a throw net from a bucket and positions himself by the shore...then he runs towards where the pelicans are diving and casts his net. Wading into the surf he is pounded by waves as he hauls in the net revealing a number of struggling large white fish. He repeats the exercise and his mates surround him to help and presumably share in the catch. There will be a fish feast for some tonight.
Further along the walkway waiters are setting up tables on the sand for their anticipated guests. Patrons have breakfast in the sanctuaries of beachfront restaurants gazing out to the expansive Banderas Bay, as waves crash languidly nearby.
The solo traders in traditional white attire, who carry their merchandise by the beaches and pathways all day, are busying themselves and sharing a few jokes as they steel themselves for another day of business in the fierce sunshine.
Amateur fishermen chance their luck on the small jetty between the two beaches before the heat of the day drives them away.
Further along at Los Muertos beach a multitude of coloured beach chairs & tables are ready and waiting for the day's visitors.
It's a very pleasant scene and a very relaxing walk in Puerto Valarta along the seafront by Olas Altas and Los Muertos beaches. Inspiration for the day ahead.

Irish connections & la Plaza (square)

Who, among Latin American aficionadas, hasn't heard of Bernardo O'Higgins, first president of Chile who helped gain independence for Chile from Spain in 1818. He can still be seen on some of the cheaper banknotes & of course his name is on the usual plethora of buildings, schools, avenues etc. His father Ambrosio O'Higgins, born in Co. Sligo, (West of Ireland) was the Spanish Governor of Chile & later Viceroy of Peru.

Well I just discovered from a new central government display in the square that Mexico also has an Irish connection but on the Spanish side in the war of independence. General Juan de O'Donoju (O'Donoghue) was the last Governor of New Spain (Mexico) when Mexico gained independence 200 years ago. He signed over Mexico to the Mexicans under the Treaty of Cordoba. The main square here in Puerta Vallarta, and probably in every main centre in Mexico this year, has a 'rogues gallery' of 'who was who' to celebrate two events in Mexico this year.
1. The bicentennial of independence 1810
2. The Centennial of the revolution 1910
The information is nicely presented on large free standing placards in vivid colour outside a civic building in the square for the public to gawk at.
.....so how come these Irish folk were meddling in wars in Latin America apart from having a good punch up. It's no surprise that fellow Catholic countries like Ireland & Spain had a lot of interchange from time to time. One key event in Ireland was the Flight of Irish Earls away from Ulster back in 1607 under pressure from the English. While O'Higgins appears to be of a more recent vintage there's every likelihood O'Donoghue is descended from Irish aristocrats who fled to Spain. Well that's my story for what it's worth.
The square is still central to many cultural activities in Puerta Vallarta. The youthful Xjutla (Shoot-la) folkloric dancing team train there regularly. On Sunday nights there is a band or recorded music playing from the rotunda with people dancing to Mexican ballads. Right opposite the square by the seafront there is a small open air ampitheatre which has regular events. Recently there was ballet to open independence celebrations but most evenings there's usually contemporary music or clowns.
If all this wasn't enough entertainment each night a replica Spanish galleon with lights ablaze and party goers on board lets off fireworks as it approaches the malecon seafront in a mock battle. It usually gets going by dusk just after a huge golden orange sun finally dips under the horizon out in Banderas bay to the west.
Lastly there's the refuge of Starbucks at siesta time on a hot afternoon, which huddles in a shady corner of the square. Air con & comfy armchairs along with lightly tinted windows creates a pleasant ambiance over cafe del dia & many a tale of adventure.

Side Trips & Art

I took a one hour bus ride South to go in to the hinterland and back in time to a place where tourists seldom visit. The town of El Tuito (El Tweet-o) has the feel of an old Western movie set with one storey jaded buildings & some men in large white sombreros and bright red cravats. The town square is enclosed like a corral by shops with shaded walkways. Some civic meeting was taking place during my visit and the whole town's population seemed to be there listening to an articulated lady speaker. I never did get to the bottom of what it was about.
To the Northern end of Banderas Bay lies a small resort town called Bucerias (Boo-sir-EE-ass) which also takes around an hour to get there by bus. It's in the neighbouring state of Nayarit which happens to be in a different time zone to most of Mexico (one hour back) Naturally I turned my watch back. Along the seafront are restaurants with palapa style roofing & a delightful relaxed atmosphere.
Midway through the bus journey a guitar player and 2 people selling nuts and buns got on board free of charge. The guitar player made a speech and asked if we had any favourites then played & sang melodic Mexican tunes as we swayed along. Finally about 4 stops later he made a collection and bid us farewell. I thought to myself: Imagine what would happen to you on an Auckland bus if you tried doing this or anywhere else in the world, except India. You'd be turfed off! I think it's practice & custom here to accept the needy & maybe also to acknowledge art for art's sake. I am reminded of the guy who uncannily balances large stones on top of each other on the beach, another who creates the scene of the last supper out of sand. To me these are pure expressions of art in new mediums which are created from free resources by the needy but are recognised and appreciated as an art form by those of us who look on. Well that's my opinion.

Los Arcos buffet & show

Since I was last here the city fathers have connected the old promenade to a new one which leads directly to the sandy beaches of Playa Olas Altas(tall waves which they are not) and Playa Los Muertos (where people were killed in some feud).
The new promenade goes over the mouth of the puny Rio Cuale (well puny this dry time of year).
At the weekend I went to a buffet and show at Los Arcos hotel in the old city.
http://www.playalosarcos.com/playalosarcos/
The food was laid out nicely & was very tasty with just Mexican dishes of course eg. guacamole, chicken in chocolate sauce, bunuenos fritters and a delicious manzanas a la rosa tart. I picked a pina collada for my aperitif. After dinner the show followed with 8 dancers (4 chicos & 4 chicas) performing dances from various regions of Mexico to traditional music. While they changed costumes there were a variety of performances from singing to a lasso demo. The costumes were the flowing dress variety with vivid colours & the music and dancing uplifting. Jalisco province is the home of the mariachi and considered to have the best food.
Speaking of food when is a Spanish tortilla not an omlette? Answer: In Mexico. Tortillas here are round corn or flour patties. The corn ones are sold by the kg for around a NZ dollar. Without fail these patties are loaded with a variety of finely chopped ingredients and finally chillies. Tostadas are crisp tortillas which serve as a base too. I discovered a dish to avoid called Menudo which is tripe soup! By the way to order an omlette you ask for an omlette (om-let-ay)!

Touts & other dangers

I met some Canadians from Manitoba in Starbucks one sunny afternoon (like most others) & got into talking about arriving at the airport among other things. They were accosted by time share agents who arranged free taxi rides to the city in exchange for attending a seminar the next day. They drew the line to the proceedings when asked for their credit card details next morning. I bypassed these airport people of course and traveled by local rickety bus to my place & held a halting Spanish chat with a local to determine my impending stop.
Touts are a fact of life here....it's hard to avoid the taxi drivers who squawk 'taxi' each time without fail as you pass. Then there's the tequila merchants who accost you outside their premises to try out their brands inside. There are the tour agents plying their trade, the restauranteurs, the guys walking the beaches with trays of dubious jewelery. By the jetty the water taxi and boat tours agents are active. However they are all reasonably polite & a firm 'gracias' usually does the trick to keep them at bay.Eventually they just become the backdrop to a fascinating canvass of life in another culture.
I've seen a few things that would spin the wheels of an NZ Safety inspector. By the seafront along the Malecon (translates as breakwater but promenade will do)I saw an unprotected area with no wall with a 6 foot drop on to beach rocks below. Parents allow their kids to roam around freely nearby. The wooden plank suspension bridge over the Rio Cuale has a couple of gaps about a foot wide which even the daring like me tread over cautiously. Some people ride around in dune buggies on the regular roads with no belts or protection...others ride standing up unrestrained in the back of pickup trucks. On a rooftop opposite my condo I saw a man sitting on top of a turret with no safety rope cleaning it. One slip on the curved tiled surface & he would have tumbled 25 feet to the street below. Maybe life is not so precious here or the nanny state has not arrived.