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Mar 22 - 30, 1997

Relaxing in Mexico's Top Party Town

Semana Santa in Puerto Vallarta

Manfred P.

Keywords: Mexico, Puerto Vallarta, Mismaloya, Boca, Marina, Easter week, jungle, El Eden, Chico's Paradise, hiking, tourist, travel trip report, travel log, travelogue.

Saturday

The plane touched down smoothly. To the left and right of the narrow runway was dirt and gravel. Palm trees waved their welcome just yards away. Immigration and customs were painless and within a minute of getting of the plane I was standing in the intensive sun in the front of the airport. A deep breath filled me with warmth and some smog from the main road where I caught a local bus. I was the only one to get on the bus with everyone preferring the air conditioned polished cabs.

Half hour later I was here. Puerto Vallarta. First I needed to get to work. I didn't do my homework and just started reading about Puerto Vallarta (PV) on the plane. Tomorrow is Palm Sunday - the beginning of the Easter week, locally known as Semana Santa. This is the time for many Mexican families to take their spring break; supposedly the most busy period of the year. I walked from hotel to hotel just to find "No hay cuarto", "No vacancy" signs. That happened about a dozen times. When I asked people were I should try next they either shrugged their shoulders or they sent me to places I have already been to. Eventually I found a place that had a double-room available. I took it. It was funny though because the claimed double seemed like a rather small single. Now with the "work" done, I ridded my self of my luggage, and put on my sandals. Let the vacation begin, I said to myself.

I walked down the two blocks to the beach Playa Olas Altas. There weren't any olas altas (big waves) nor big crowds, just a modest number of people. I sat down, relaxed, watched the brownish sediment rich waves and the similarly colored tanned women. Some things reminded me of Florida. Pelicans are flying by, sometimes in small groups. The setting sun formed an idyllic backdrop for their flight. The air was slightly humid and tiring, like at the beginning of summer in the Sunshine State. Other elements were third world, specifically the air pollution. Lying on the beach, every time a boat come by a wave of fuel smell and smog went by me. The traffic on the street wasn't any better. Shortly before 7 p.m. the sun turned red and thereafter quickly disappeared by sinking into the ocean. Minutes later the full moon rose above the multi-story beach front hotel buildings. With the moon shining brightly it was time to get back onto my feet and start the exploration of town.

Playa de Los Muertos is the best known beach. No wonder with that name. Original assumptions that the name stems from the victims of the undertow that occurs on some Mexican beaches on the Pacific might be wrong as someone claims the name originates from a long forgotten battle. Whatever the reason, it surely is a memorable name. Hobby fishermen tried their luck at the pier. In the south the beach turns into cliffs and only love birds were hanging out now at night. Looking north, the Bahia de Las Banderos (Bay of Flags) was lined with lights. First the lights of the Malecon beach walk, then the hotels of the Zona Hoteles, Marina Vallarta and finally the Nuevo Vallarta. The hills enclosing the town to the east are dotted with two or three radio or telephone transmitters. They look like Christmas trees with their red and white light. The heart of PV is not big, but with 200,000 people and 30,000 hotel rooms not a small place either. In the first night I toured most of the southern part of Centro; the tourist restaurants, the food stalls, some of the dance and music bars, meet the tour and Jeep rental hawkers and more.

A good start. Returning back to the hotel room at midnight I thought it was kind of drafty. So I closed the window. Still, the draft continued. Puzzled I looked around to discover that a small part of the room didn't have a roof. Natural air conditioning and free view at the moon while falling asleep. All of that for free! A real bonus. Looking at the moon didn't last too long before I passed over into the land of Zs.

Sunday

I didn't bother bringing a watch. I wanted to enjoy the difference between the everyday life and vacation. No watch, no pager, no phone calls, no shaving, no schedule - just going with the spur of the moment at a slow pace. It was bright and shiny and very warm when I got up. The church bells have been ringing various number of times over the last hours. But I was never able to figure out how often they rang and if the number of rings indicated anything. It will remain an unsolved mystery. As I look out the window I see the church is just a couple of blocks away and the church tower has a clock. Only 10:30. I am up early. Over the next days the camaristas had to wake me up a few times shortly after 11 to clean the room. Nothing better than a nice warm friendly smile and a "buenas dias" as the first thing in the morning.

From the roof top of the hotel I had a 360 degree view of the southern part of town and more. PV is surrounded by hills, especially in the east and south. These hills give PV that special village-like charm. The hills are sprinkled with palm and banana trees adding a tropical touch. Between the hills and the beaches lie the cobblestone streets, social meeting ground for the people.

After having inhaled the scenery, which is beautiful but not stomach filling, it's time for breakfast. Manfred's traditional Mexican breakfast is pan dulce and fruit. Since this is my routine for all my previous trips to the southern neighbor of the US, I continued with it. The selection of pan dulce was already reduced (some other people must have gotten up somewhat earlier). Add to that a few bananas, mangoes and a yogurt and you have a pretty filling meal. I carried it to the Isla Cuale, sat down in the shade and slowly savored the meal while watching the shallow muddy river flow by and people go back and forth on the suspension bridge. I was in mango heaven. Hawaiian, Cuban, Indian and Mexican mangoes to choose from. Colors in red, yellow, pinkish and green. Mango mania every morning. Half a dozen of these juicy ripe fruits every day. To spice it up add some occasional coconut and papaya. Yummy.

After this hard work, the chewing and digesting that is, I usually took a siesta to pass the hottest hours of the day. I napped for a couple of hours before embarking on my afternoon excursions.

Today I explored Centro again, mostly the northern part. The church on Lazardo Cordena is very simple but decorated for Palm Sunday. Cuale Island is a nice retreat as it excludes stinking traffic. I even saw an iguana sunning itself on a rock. Later I enjoyed watching kids play and listened to local music streaming out of the restaurant on the western end of the small island. The main sights of PV can all be done in an hour. The Arches - a symbol of the town - and the amphitheater, the Seahorse statue, Templo de Guadalupe - the cathedral, Gringo Zone (Planet Hollywood, Hard Rock Cafe, McDonalds, Dominos, KFC, Subways, ...) along the beach boulevard - the Malecon. The cathedral was a very happening place, masses around the clock it seemed, many people selling religious items outside the church, people inside singing, ... I watched the sunset with many other tourists at the Arches. To celebrate Palm Sunday the town had organized live entertainment on the Plaza Principal. It started with Mariachi, then some pop and ended with a guy singing - what seemed like - romantic songs. In between a guy was talking. I figured it was a politician organizing it. I supported the effort by eating 3 dishes (and seconds of them) from their fund raising home-made cooking. Now at night the church tower was decorated in colorful lights. The tower is topped with a crown modeled after Maximilian's wife Carlota in the 1860s. The crown is the second symbol of PV. The malecon was pretty filled at daytime; everybody was out cruising.

Monday

After having seen most of Centro it was time to go beyond the tourist spots. The hills were beckoning. It took less than half an hour to get into an area not describing in any tourist guide. East on Lazaro Cardenas I found a fruit and vegetable market and more untouched restaurants and stores. The cobblestone street turns into a dirt road which eventually crosses the Cuale River. Buses go up to here but don't cross the river as there is no bridge. Trucks and 4x4s can cross at this time of the year as the water level is low. For pedestrians there is a suspension bridge. Here the world is different. Women do their laundry on the river (in PV they use a lavadoria) and burros are still a means of transportation. The dirt road follows the river for many miles and passes through several villages. Occasionally a truck or a horse rider passes. In the village the kids play soccer on the dirt road. Chicken, cows and horses are held by some farmers. The land is dry and dusty. Nonetheless the hills enclosing the valley are sprinkled with coconut, palm and banana trees. It looks a little bit like a rain forest but it really isn't one. Not wet enough. At the next river crossing I ran into a few gringos on a guided tour taking pictures as they crossed the river. The last portion on my way back I tried to follow the other side of the river side so I crossed on a suspension bridge that was right out of Indiana Jones. Lots of holes in the wooden floor, gaps as wide as half a yard, the wooden boards moving, the whole bridge shaking and just a single rope to hold on to. It was fun and scary at the same time. The whole trip was a good experience - the other side of PV.

Tuesday

After hanging out in a restaurant for 3 hours I took the bus north to the northern end of Marina Vallarta, just south of the airport, got off at the Marriott and slowly worked my way back along the various beaches on foot. The beach hotels were always separated from the public beaches to keep non-guests out of the hotel and - it seemed - guests out of the ocean. The guests preferred the pools anyway. The separation was sometimes done charmingly with palapas and little ropes, sometimes straight forward with a wall and in some cases ugly with a fence with barbed wire on top. That would make you feel right at home, wouldn't it? Most of the beaches were rather rough and darker in color, but the water less muddy and clearer. Between the big hotels were frequently construction sites. In many cases I wasn't sure if they are building something or tearing something down. In some cases it was obvious that they weren't doing anything. If even the crane is all rusty and looks like it hasn't been moved for years, you can put two and two together.

Eventually I came to the Marina, Mexico's largest with more than 300 vessels in the port. The area is a village in itself, all fancy and upscale. I could have been in Florida or California. American kids roller blading, real estate agents, ... South of the Marina I had to leave the beach for a while as there is a Navy installation and the soldier in the watch tower didn't look like he'd want me to stroll along the military ships. Then the Zona Hoteles starts where the hotels are smaller and less resort-style as in the Marina area, but other than that it's all the same. More people on the beaches though. Except for a short stretch where I had to climb over rocks it was now beach after beach until I reached Centro in the dark. Having seen Playa el Salado, Playa de Oro, Playa Palmas, Playa los Tules, Playa las Glorias, Playa Camarones I have done pretty much all beaches in the north.

Wednesday

Today I followed the footstep of my countryman Arnold. I hiked up Rio Mismaloya to where Predator was shot. Once you reach the hull of the stripped camouflaged helicopter you know you are there. But you'll not be alone. This is a pretty popular valley road. I was the only one on foot, but many Jeeps and pickups passed me. The El Eden restaurant where you also find the helicopter forms the end of the dirt road. The thatched roof of El Eden must be one of the tallest I've ever seen. I wonder why they built it that way. You can either sit in the shade in the restaurant and watch the Rio Mismaloya run by surrounded by greenery. Or you can trespass on private property and follow other Mexicans through the big hole in the fence, bath in the big pool, slide down the natural water slide and be surrounded by steep hills covered with palm trees and shrubs. Or, of course, you could do both.

These pools and the little rapids are not the only ones. The Rio Mismaloya has many these, several next to the dirt road. Halfway between El Eden and the ocean is Chino's Paradise, another restaurant by river pools. Tables are on both sides of the big pool and a rope hangs from a tree to swing from one side to the other over the pool like on a vine. Of course, they have a bridge too for the less adventurous or mobile. If you walk straight through the restaurant (basically in one end and out the other) you get to an area of smaller pools and you'll have left most of the tourists behind you. If you now start rock climbing on the boulders along the creek you'll soon have a spot all to yourself, undisturbed for hours. This is where I whiled my afternoon away at the sound of the water and the birds and my Lonely Planet Mexico book in my hand.

It was passed sunset when I got back to Mismaloya Beach which primarily consists of the mega hotel with similar name and half a dozen palapa restaurants. If you come to PV it will be impossible to hear that all started with the making of the movie "The Nights of the Iguana" in 1964. The left over film set is here on the south side of the bay and -- yes you guessed it -- the building has been refunctioned as a restaurant creatively named "The Set of the Nights of the Iguana".

Thursday

The closer we got to Easter the more evening entertainment was on. At the amphitheater a show with traditional dances was performed. The way that the male dancers through their machetes around was quite amazing; so was their footwork. In between the dances they changes costumes to make it even more interesting. They had a whole team of 20 dancers and about a dozen musicians. It was impressive. So impressive in fact, that I watched the show a second time the next day. At the end the Emcee said something like "bailles todo". Even I could understand that. Let's all dance. Part of the crowd, me of course included, mingled with the professionals. It was great fun. I even worked up a sweat as the "ritmo" wouldn't stop.

The town is changing more and more into a party town. By 10 p.m. most of the families had finished their dinner and head home. At the same time the party animals come out of their hiding places. PV turns into the Palm Springs or Daytona Beach at spring break. The Malecon was jam packed at midnight. I have never seen this many people here before at any other time. For a couple of miles the board walk was like an ant hill crawling with people. Just like the cars were cruising up and down the beach boulevard, the people did the same on the sidewalk. It was macho heaven, everybody who was proud of his car or motorcycle filled it with people, cranked up the stereo and went cruising. This was the first time I have seen a Corvette with 5 people or a Taurus with 10, 2 of them in the open trunk with a bottle of Tequila in their hands. Little parties started forming around parked cars with their blasting stereos and on the boardwalk. Long lines were in front of the "in" clubs like Kaluha, Carlos O'Brian and the Hard Rock Cafe. All the easy riders gathered around The Doors bar.

Some of the students brought their sleeping bags and started to settle in on the beach. Interestingly the later it got at night the more the guys dominated in numbers over the women. But all in all, I haven't seen so many beautiful women in a single spot for a long time.

These mega parties seem to sneak up on me on vacations. Last time it was a big New Year's party in Edinburgh, now Semana Santa. What will it be next? Carnival in Rio?

Friday

Half an hour south of PV is a little village Boca de Tamatalan. Of course, even here you have tourist accommodations. Not many though. Primarily Mexican families gather here at the beach for a day outing. The small bay has maybe 100 yards of sandy beach but the waters are rich in fish. Dozens of pelicans are circling above the shallow water. Then they dive and the next thing to see is that they swallow a fish. Sometimes two or three dive at the same time, coming down like rocks.

People compete with the pelicans but are clearly less successful fishers. On the beach is a couple of pescaderos who sell the fresh catch as fish-on-a-stick seasoned with lime juice. A girl was standing at a close distance. As our glances met I smiled at her. Then the little girl came over and offered me a bite of her fish-on-a-stick. Unspoiled friendliness. It was touching.

After I had relaxed enough and had my fill of watching the pelicans dive, I followed the Rio Tuito -- which mouths in the Boca bay -- inland. The scenery is similar to the other river beds I had toured during the last days. The Rio Tuito had cut a real valley into the Sierras. The sides are steep and overgrown with trees and brushes. A paved road hugs the north side of the valley some 100 feet above the valley floor. Unfortunately there is no trail or dirt road, or at least I couldn't find one. Following the river would be rather hard as there are a few waterfalls. One about 3 miles inland is really spectacular. 15 yards high, with polished granite around it. Shortly thereafter the well advertised restaurants start. The first one is Chico's Paraiso. It has everything you would expect: waterfalls, pools for swimming, shade, a tree house and of course food and drinks. Further upstream there is a repeat with the name Indian Paradise. It has all the same pleasures and you can jump around on the rocks and follow the river upstream.

A dirt road that starts at the Pena Blanca bridge runs alongside the river. There is a little village and a few more rather bland restaurants before one reaches the last one: Orchid Paradise. The valley is wider here and more quiet. As you are deep in the valley the valley itself is more intrusive in the view, a gorgeous view. Walking back was actually the best visual memory. The nearly setting sun shined at the jungle valley at a angle that made its colors special. The sky and the green formed a good, though indescribable, combination. Small smoke clouds from a small fire drifted along and gave the valley an additional eerie sensation. I had to think of the ending of the movie "Medicine Man" where a whole area of the rain forest burned.

Miscellaneous Impressions

Throughout the week I noticed the large number of cops. First there are military cops running around with machine guns. Secondly there are regular cops in black uniform. They prefer to cruise in their white US made big pickup trucks. Thirdly, there are tourist police in white uniforms and a batons. Add to that all the private security forces around banks, hotels and parks. Even in off-the-beaten paths you run across cops. I wonder if there is any correlation with the fact that nobody wanted to sell me any drugs which is usually what happens to me on vacation.

There are also hardly any beggars in town. Considering the 200,000 people, there is practically none. Hawkers are very laid back and passive too. An exception are the English speaking tour and Jeep rental peddlers. Time sharing apartments are supposedly hot as well but luckily nobody has bothered me as I don't fit their profile. This laid back approach to selling makes PV a comfortable place. It is very pleasant, in particular if compared with hawking practices in Asia. Here you stroll through the center of town or lie at the most popular beach without being annoyed or bothered. Hawkers will come up to you, seek eye contact, offer you their goods, but a single "no" indicator will cause them to move on. A simple small shake with your head, a polite "no gracias" or similar will do.

Music is everywhere in PV. From places where you would expect it like upscale restaurants and bands moving from restaurant to restaurant to sell their songs for a living to places where you would not expect it such as standing in the shade under a tree in the middle of nowhere.

Their relaxed approach to life, their easy satisfaction of expectancies, their content with a simple life style and their ability to celebrate makes them easy going people. They are easy to get along with, friendly and cheerful. A smile will open doors and be returned. I have been walked to bus stations that I couldn't find, people have put up with listening to my terrible stumbling of some Spanish words, and they have treated me kindly. Any reason is good enough for a celebration, anytime, anywhere. I've been to Mexico now around ten time and each time I have learned something from their culture.

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