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Settled in – Puerto Vallarta Edition
It is hard to believe that we’ve been in PV for over two months already! We had become quite accustomed to the slower pace of Puerto Vallarta in off season. We have some favorite taco places in our neighborhood and have gotten to know the churro guy whose stand can always be found on our way home. There are hardly any tourists, though the month of August brought some domestic visitors before the Mexican school vacations came to an end. September was crickets, and many restaurants and other businesses closed for extended periods. The off-season climate is quite warm and the humidity substantial, putting the "feels like" temps into the 110s. One extensive outside adventure (more or less) generally accounts for our activities. The building where our apartment is has a little gym (with AC) and a pool provide for some activity close to home. The calmer time also allowed us to catch up on some "admin," including the detailed planning of the months ahead. What we weren't counting on is some drama from the skies.
The Storm that wasn't
Most places have aspects of nature and environment that warrant worry and preparation. Earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, droughts, heat, or cold. We got to experience some powerlessness, in Puerto Vallarta, as we prepared for the arrival of hurricane Simon.
We'd been following NOAA's National Hurricane Center forecasts for a while, concerned for the well-being of friends in Hawaii and friends on cruises. Clearly, the Pacific is taking its Super El Niño year quite seriously. Then things came to be much closer to home.
First, there was Rachel, working her way up, parallel to the Mexican coastline, but at a polite distance to Puerto Vallarta. We didn't get much wind. However, between the Kelvin wave and Rachel's storm surge both pushing the ocean our way, the crashing waves carried rocks the size of pineapples onto PV's boardwalk and some of the close streets were impassable because flooded. In our own neighborhood, the normally tranquil river swelled and the ocean pushed back, so that we ended up with flooded streets as well.
As soon as Rachel passed us, it became clear that Simon was headed our way. NHC's map had the storm heading exactly for PV. Exciting, as we’d never experienced a hurricane. That forecast didn't budge, and soon we were stocked with plenty of food and drinking water. Then PV's preparation started in earnest. Boarded up windows and sandbags appeared in many places. Clearly, prior experience had left its mark in the collective memory, and a sense of calm determination pervaded. In our own building, the caretakers worked tirelessly, setting up the flood gate and the flood pump to keep the basement parking garage as dry as possible. Our go-bags are packed, just in case. Everyone is ready. And the waiting starts. And we wait. With each successive forecast, Simon is still headed our way, but increasingly delayed. As a preventative measure, the water company turns off city water, and the electric is slated to follow at any moment. And we wait some more. And Simon forecast turns out to sea. What we got is three rattlings of the window panes. Thankfully, the excitement passed us by.
Advancing Simon had caused us to cancel our planned excursion to Guadalajara. With the storm disruption avoided, we reinstated our trip.
Drive to Guadalajara
There’s often something curious to observe on the roads. The entertainment on our Uber ride to the bus station was provided by a crocodile. Thankfully, one nicely tied down on a stretcher and loaded on the back of a police pickup truck, and doubtlessly on his way to better living spaces. It was a sight.
We traveled by bus, as we wanted to experience the ride and the scenery on the way. We did treat ourselves to the luxury bus, a somewhat newer service operating nice double-decker buses, with three plush seats across a row. We scored the top floor, front row seats, so we had a great, uninterrupted perspective on everything around us.
Our route first took us north, through Nuevo Vallarta and beyond. This is the area where many large resorts provide accommodation to the winter escapees from the north during high season. Those gave way to less developed areas, where seaside towns dotted the coastline and densely forested hills rose to the right. After a little while, our route turned right, land inwards. Soon, we find ourselves driving through a dense, jungle-like environment, thick, intensely green of different shades, and occasionally flowered. And lots of palm trees.
The wildlife warning signs warn of a variety of fauna, armadillos, snakes, wild cats, and others. The views are constantly changing, as the road cuts through hilly terrain, bridges span uncomfortably deep ravines, and tunnels cut through the larger hills. Although there are signs of occasional agriculture and habitation, the vast swaths of green seem untouched and left to their own devices.
As the route continues, our elevation-gain continues. And, at some point, suddenly the flora changes. Trees have more personal space and are ganglier. Cactus arrives, and agriculture becomes more extensive, and becomes dominated by blue agave. We pass, at a safe distance, the town of Tequila, and it isn’t much longer until we experience the mark of a city, traffic. More about our experiences in Guadalajara soon.
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