Dropping out and about

Driving cross country, the excitement of catch-ups with friends and family, overindulging in food favourites, partying (once again) like its 1999 PLUS the stress from election build-up in a palpably divided US, left us worse for wear. How were we going to cope with a month in Puerto Vallarta - gay Mexico’s fiesta-no-siesta capital?!!! We were exhausted. It was time to say "Nos vemos" to the USofA and we needed down time - not tan, tequila, and tacos on repeat. But the sunsets are even more beautiful through sober eyes, the locals are amazingly welcoming and an AirBnB a bit off the tourist track gave us just what we needed. Plus, what better way for one of us to test a 155-day Duolingo Spanish streak, and the other to dust off his limited conversational childhood second language.

Our friends Michael and Joe recommended the Cross Border Express out of Tijuana, and it was some of the best travel advice we’ve taken - saving loads of cash and time. They’d graciously treated us to our last home cooked meal (a gourmet feast at their beautiful home) where wine flowed easily, so we were prepared for the worst. Surprisingly all went smoothly, no significant queues, language barriers or unexpected delays - and no sore heads. It was fascinating to watch the parade of daily commuters in both directions and the dependency of US and Mexican locals on that ease – not unlike commutes from most major cities within a single country.

The rest was a familiar drill. This was our third trip to PV and our out of the way AirBnb was easy to access. Quick costume change, and we're off for an afternoon caffeine hit from B of Bros before heading on to watch the first of many sunsets. We planned our time here to see how the locals marked Dia de Muertos season (or in the reverse translation Dia de “los” Muertos) and starting with our first wander, witnessed the colour and pageantry taking shape. Our instincts were correct. It’s doubtful we’ll get that downtime we hoped for.

On that first walk about, we joined the masses mesmerised by the construction of individual and corporate sponsored displays featuring “La Calavera Catrina” the well-known global symbol of the season. That skeletal figure is a reminder of the folly of wealth and power in this life, "laid meaningless in the afterlife". It’s all painted with a flamboyant and festive brush, highlighting the joyous Mexican approach to a visit with past spirits compared to the dark and eerie Halloween characters or the solemn Christian All Souls Day.

You can’t mark a cultural celebration without a parade, and PV’s didn’t disappoint. Makeup alone was worth the watch and the assembled groups from both la ciudad y el campo brought an authentic taste of what the season means. There were Catrinas of all shapes and sizes, family tributes to spirits past, countless renditions of the song “La Llorona”, mariachi corridos, hyper-energetic banda and charros and charras from ninos to abuelos showing off high-stepping horsemanship.

El camino cascada

There’s a small sea-side village named Yelapa within 83 km of Puerto Vallarta, accessible only by boat. Online search results glowingly spoke of beautiful hikes to waterfalls and languid afternoons sipping cocktails beachside. We’re in - and depart early one morning on a local bus, followed by a ride in a small water taxi. Like so many of these self-planned adventures, what we found on arrival was not quite what was expected. We definitely got our cardio in. The trail was mostly unmarked, running uphill through rural paths of workers’ homes and a combination of ATV repair shops and charros horse stables. The cultural and economic differences were on full display, but the warmth of the locals the same as PV’s. Kids on the trail greeted us with big open grins and a shy “buenos tardes”, the resident mule driver gave us advise on crossing the river, and a hired horse-riding guide resting in the shade welcomed us along. We found the small falls – a tranquil spot to rest before the repeat hour return – but missed the path’s turn. We landed on the wrong side of the beach for our water taxi. The river was now in outflow mode and crossing it at that beach intersection was a struggle. We made it, with some work, but definitely need to be sure we put some gym time into our schedule. 

Turismo

"Let's have a weekend away". We "dropped about" on a jaunt to Guadalajara to explore the city and catch up with our friend from the SF days - Jorge . It has been two decades, which is way too long between visits. With his expert travel-agent-in-residence advice, we booked our ETN bus tix, rented an Airbnb in Colonia Americana, and we were set. The luxe bus journey scenery includes mountainous jungle and a lot of agave fields (teasing our margarita cravings) but we needed a bit more entertainment than what was outside the windows during our four-hour trip. We settled into a Spanish voice-over showing of "Anyone But You". No subtitles so we did our best to follow along, spotting known Sydney haunts, the film’s location. Too bad they didn’t supply tequila on the bus as we could’ve made it a drinking game! Oh wait - less drinking, more downtime!

Brutalism and European modernism seems to have inspired a large portion of the architecture stock in Colonia Americana and our Airbnb building had that familiar industrial-chic cement design. We Spanish-stutter over the intercom, well enough for the guard to allow us in to dump our things. First stop, a bite to eat at Membrillo - a 24-hour hangout with a great back garden. Of course we also sniffed out some excellent coffee, returning three times to Gabinete. The neighborhood reminds us of Buenos Aires' Palermo Soho where we stayed back in 2019 - a similar vibe and vivacity - along with abundante arte de la calle.  That evening, Jorge brought us to drinks at Expendio el Sacualillo and after a bit more gawking, finished out the night with dinner at Furtivo.

Exploring a city with a specific destination in mind sometimes provides the most immersive experience - call it the wild goose chase. On a mad search for miniature lucheros (to be used for photographic art), we chased through aisles and aisles at various markets and shops in the Centro Historico. We squeezed through the crowds, marvelled at so much stuff for sale, visited the Plaza de los Mariachis and broke into sweats in the churches (for multiple reasons).

Eventually we landed at Hospicio Cabañas -- a welcome refuge from the hectic streets. Built at the turn of the 19th century as an orphanage and hospital, it is now a UNESCO World-Heritage site containing a famous mural series by Jose Clemente Orozco. While the ceiling art is inspiring, it’s the quiet courtyards with their fountains and scattered sculptures that soothed our sweat-soaked souls.

Not surprisingly, we wrapped up our day with tacos and tequila. We’re not having much luck avoiding “tan, taco, tequila repeat”.  But there were a few surprises at Gallo y Toro. These were gourmet tacos with flavours not to be missed.  We also had our first caguama – the plus-size Mexican beer. Gringo mistake here as we assumed large as in pint-to-schooner large, but it was more like 3 pints. No problema, with table-wide help, we finished it all.  Jorge’s friends Mau and Gus joined us for the evening, helping practica más español con nosotros. Perfect packed tourist day with a nightcap at Romea.

Masa Madre in Providencia was a must, and knowing a local ensured we had a table for Sunday breakfast. The food, the lattes, and the buy-for-the-bus-trip baked goods were all outstanding - especially the chocolate chip (more like chocolate chunk) Gallette SOHO. The icing on the proverbial cake was meeting Letti the owner who walked up to the table with a plate full of complimentary delicate baked treats – once again it helps who you know. After a dog-walk through the markets and some additional peso-spending, we said our farewells, promising to not let twenty years go by before our next visit. This visit with Jorge brought laughter, light and lucheros.  Muchas abrazos y besos amigo.

Pueblos surferos

Analysing our travel experience to make future travel decisions is a constant conversation starter for us. “What did you like? No, what was your favourite?”  - ad nauseum. What we’ve found is we both rank surfing town and villages near the top of our likes. This is a surprise, even for us, since after 20 years in Australia, we’ve not learned to ride a wave with any level of proficiency. More like never renting a board even. Like so many things, we ‘re a better audience than star. Friends and travel sites recommend Sayulita and San Francisco/San Pancho to fit that bill, easily accessilbe from PV. The payoff after a no-suspension, non-air-conditioned bus ride were two laid back, tourist focussed but not over-developed small towns where locals reside and run businesses catering to both the temporary and permanent population.

There’s only a fifteen minute drive between the two towns, and the vibe could be mistaken as like for like, but paying attention to the details unveiled distinct differences. Sayulita has upscale shops, restaurants and the global beach club vibe mixed in with surfers and locals. It's buzzing with chill and dance playlists from speakers competing with wandering serenaders and salesmen. San Francisco - whose nickname is San Pancho - is smaller, quieter, with a longer stretch of amazingly beautiful beach. It's not as "swim-friendly", because of the rough breaks, but looks like a playground for the wealthy - lined with villas and resorts with prime sunset views. We treated ourselves (last minute deal) to an overnight at the still under-construction Witari where eventually the accomodatioon will also include an onsite restaurant and bar. The drilling noises would have been a problem, but we were in walking distance of the beach and muy tranquilo. On our surfside walk to dinner, we almost tripped over a group of locals in action - the re-introduction of baby sea turtles by Grupo Ecologico de la Costa Verde - communal and hopeful conservation - an inspiring event.

Overall, our time in PV was a little bit of everything: sunsets and walk-abouts, live music celebrations, massages and some much needed gym time. The spinning schedule at Big Apple Gym matched our sleep-in requirements: no class before 8.15am. We got there often to be sure we had better leg power the next river we may need to cross.

And with the active streets this holiday time of year here, it’s hard to remain completely incognito. While having a bite to eat one night, we unexpectedly ran into our friend Neil a familiar face from Sydney. Another night we looked across a bar and there was one of R's UWP castmates with the same “don’t I know you” expression. Greg, who now lives here with his husband Pedro, gave us even more insider info on life in PV. An expat local perspective - it’s one we're always interested in.

We didn't fully accomplish our "dropping out" on this visit, but we remained more low-key than at most stops. There was a lot going on in our world and we needed to stay somewhat connected. It was a coincidence and yet somehow fitting that news of our close friend Lisa's passing arrived while we were in Puerto Vallarta. We had just celebrated her 60th birthday here a year ago - a beautiful, fun, heartwarming, connective experience. Now we head back to the US to celebrate her once more.

Part of dropping out is learning to live in the moment. Lisa was an expert and an inspiration - we have a ways to go.