Puerto Vallarta – Summer 2004 – Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Puerto Vallarta – Summer 2004 – Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Please note that the previous reports are now terribly dated.

Some good solid rain this summer and everyone is commenting on how cool it is for September, believe me this is totally relative to past stinkin’ hot ones. I thought that after 12 years here I was becoming acclimatised and/or my new cement roof, instead of the old corrugated one, was making it cooler. But the weather this year has been different, we had quite a lot of rain in February, which caught a lot of people by surprise. It has to be some sort of climate change.

Wall Garden

Usually from June to mid Oct, the humidity soars during the day, the thunderheads build up in the afternoon and then a couple of hours of heavy, heavy rain late afternoon or early evening. Thunder & lightning produces a free light and sound show, especially good when it’s out in the bay and viewed from a beach side bar.

Everything is green, including some of my leather shoes! The Rio Cuale is roaring down and the kids are riding it on their ‘tubes’.

My orchid collection in the patio is loving the rain, heat and humidity. The brick wall opposite them has produced it’s own garden spontaneously.

If you happen to visit us during the rainy season, you will see how much water can fall in 2 hours, 6″ is not uncommon, that’s why we have very high kerbs in the downtown area, the water running off the hills behind downtown can be two feet deep before it runs into the bay.

Best footwear are sports sandals made of a synthetic material that won’t stretch when wet or soak up a lot of water. The ladies here wear plastic flipflops. If you don’t mind getting a bit wet, umbrellas are not really needed and get in the way with our narrow sidewalks. Most buildings have balconies and the roofs that usually cover the walkways.

Tip: Put a small plastic bag (for you camera or whatever) in your pocket before going out after 4pm.

New Restaurant in Town

El Array�

There’s a new restaurant in town serving traditional Mexican recipes, using fresh local ingredients. Several well know dishes like Pozole and Chile en Nogada, plus Cactus Paddle Salad, Molotitos (adobo spiced rabbit in corn wraps) and a lot more. Here’s a link to the site El Array�n, ask for the owner Carmen and tell her JR sent you, you will get extra special service.

The restaurant (kitchen design, menu, etc.) is inspired by Carmen Titita (Mexico City�s famous ‘El Bajio’), who earned James Beard’s praise for her work. The bar offers an extensive variety of tequilas also with regional liquors besides internation drinks and different Mexican fruit coolers “agues frescas”. English, French and German are spoken.

E-Mail

There must be more than 100 places in town where you can check your e-mail. Cyber cafes are a growing industry here, some are even in bars so you can enjoy your favorite brew or a coffee. For Mac aficionados, like me, there’s a coffee bar called Beanz on Olas Altas, down at Los Muertos beach, which has a wireless hookup for your Powerbook or iBook as well as the two iMacs there for your use.

Typical cost now is about 10 – 15 pesos for 1 hour High Speed Connection – yes, DSL and Cable have come to town – some will let you check for free if you take less than 5 minutes and at the bars, just buy a drink and the internet is free.

For the digital photographer we have at least one store where you can get your pictures burnt onto a CD, readers for all cards are available. Photo Delivery, Allende #124, � block up from La Bodeguita del Medio on the Malec�n.

News

The effects of rain

Last year Telmex, our wonderful telephone monopoly, finally managed to get all their wires underground, in the downtown area – more than two years late. Now they’re talking about burying all the cables on the southside of the river. We’re also waiting for the completion of the third bridge (pedestrian) built over the Rio Cuale, it ends on the sand on the southside of the river, they ran out of money, again ….. wonder where it went?

Also talk of building parking structures for all the National tourists who drive here for their holidays in the Summer, Easter and Christmas.

Biggest news of all, as far as I’m concerned, is you can now get Guinness in town, can Boddingtons be far behind?

CHEERS!