Friday, February 7, 2020

Adios Guayabitos, Hola Puerto Vallarta, el siege de Enero, 2020

What a beautiful morning! I went for a long walk on the beach and the tide was the highest I’ve seen it.  I spoke with a worker who said it gets like that maybe four times a month.  One restaurant even had small sandbags out in front but it didn’t get quite that high.  It had also washed in tree logs and even an old tire.  I hate walking in the soft sand so try to stay close to the water where it’s more packed but it’s also slanted so that’s hard on the hips.  Even though I tried to jump out of the way, some of the quick waves still got me. Oh well, such first world problems.

I spent about an hour and a half by my private pool-



and wondered why I hadn’t been out here every day?  Oh ya, the weather sucked most of my time here.  Richard, one of the guests, pulled up in his quad.  He had a boat for years but a while ago traded it for a quad.  He must be close to 80 so this is easier.  He’d been on a mission to find his cousin who was also on a quad and bogged down somewhere.  There’s a huge garden beside the pool where he parks it.  My hosts were very gracious when I left giving me a baseball cap and a fridge magnet as souvenirs.

I walked, carrying my gigantic piece of estambre, wondering why I’d bought it - only because it measures 2 feet by 2 feet by 3 inches and weighs 9 pounds.  I waited on the corner of the highway for about 20 minutes and an almost new Pacifico pulled up.  It didn’t smell like the last one and had really plush seats.  I could barely fit through the door with my big backpack and the bus was almost full!  Luckily I found a spot close to the front and then proceeded to block the aisle with all my stuff!

It was a good nine days in Guayabitos.  It was nice to see people from home and have people to hang out with but I didn’t feel the sense of adventure there.  I think that’s what I crave when I travel - I mean, I love overlanding and that is one anxious moment after another.  Travelling alone also is like that, in a smaller way.  Maybe it’s good to have a balance.  I certainly had fun and enjoyed getting to know people from home in a different way.

Once in PV, I called an Uber to take me to FedEx where the staff was amazing.  After a few tries, they had the address right and I left my masterpiece there, hoping it ends up in Saskatoon at my parents in 5-6 working days.

Once in Zona Romantica, I found my place and much to my surprise I am a block down the street from my first apartment in November. I chuckled because I never knew the name of the street I was on then, I just got there by recognizing the buildings. Holy hell.  Well, the boys - it’s a gay couple that live here, were at the bank so I had to wait close to an hour on the sidewalk for them to come home.

My room is basic and the first room I rented, that was cancelled because of a family emergency, is also occupied!, by Daniel from Monterey who just booked two days ago.  I’ve already filed a complaint with AirBNB.

Tomorrow I’ll wander, buy more coffee and change money, then I’m meeting Viviane at her place at 1:30.

There’s such a different vibe here than everywhere I’ve been the last three months.  Leaving PV the first time, I was glad to be going - it feels like a mini Las Vegas - so busy, people here to party, tourists everywhere.  Coming today, it felt different - maybe because it is all so familiar and it may be that familiarity that comforts people and brings them back year after year.  I’ll see what it feels like tomorrow.

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