Puerto Vallarta

It’s Thursday, Nov. 21, and in about 2 hours, I will have my 2^nd dentist appointment of the trip.  If all goes as planned, and it usually does with this guy, I will see him again at 9:45am on Friday and then not again until Sat., Nov. 30, when he will finish off the 2 crowns I need to fix my 2 broken teeth.  He’s an uncharacteristically on time and on task Mexican, which explains why he’s gone from a hole-in-the-wall on Juarez St. to the biggest dental clinic in Puerto Vallarta in just over 15 years.   I hope his dental work continues to be as professional as his business acumen is impressive.

I feel a bit like the Pollocks did during their brief stay in Hawaii, trying to balance beach time with medical appointments.  I guess we are seeing ‘the future in an instant.’  No more running barefoot through sand and surf for heedless hours.  In spite of bringing sandals and shoes that I thought would be perfect, I have had to buy bandages for blisters on both feet.  I have walked miles in the town and along the shore, but not without remembering to put on sun screen, bandages, long sleeves, visor and the cooling neck thing that Jay gave me 2 years ago in Korea and that I’ve worn every hot day since.  I think I might even splurge and buy a new one in a different color, if I see one and have money on me and don’t decide that it isn’t really necessary yet.  I don’t mind getting old because the pleasures I have are all that I can tolerate, but being in Vallarta where we first were 17 years ago reminds me at every turn that I have changed even more than the city has. 

As I am staying in ‘el centro’ at the Hotel Suites La Siesta (aptly named), I have easily walked past our first 2 homes here.  The first, Casa los Rapidos, on the banks of the Cuale is now a renovated mansion with 2 floors above the original one we lived in.  The 2^nd, Martin’s tower, has not weathered the years as well; it looks worn, and its location, next to the tri-weekly neighborhood garbage pick up zone did not improve its prospect as I passed it the morning of garbage day.  The boxes and bags of various sizes were spilling their contents, and as I stopped to take a better look at the old place, a noise in the pile revealed itself to be some critter that in jumping out caused the pile to spill it’s smelly mess even further into the street.  This morning was my longest walk; I went to the end of the beach, over the hill to Conchas Chinas and along to the last road that takes you up to the highway at the point where you see the sign for Calle Easy.  We first saw this with Brian and Cathy.  Unfortunately, a big blue ‘basura’ bin was in front of the sign, but as it was almost empty, I moved it, only to reveal a moiling mass of tiny ants.  I was bravely crouched down in front of them about to take a picture when the ‘battery exhausted’ sign flashed on the camera.  So I got up, replaced the bin and walked back along the dangerous narrow path beside Highway 2.  I dropped down into Olas Altas where I saw that the Blue Chairs Hotel has changed.  It wasn’t blue when I was last here, but the chairs still were.  Now they are much more numerous and green.  The hotel is being renovated and will soon be twice as many as it did.  The people hanging out, literally as well as figuratively, on the green chairs in their skimpy bathing suits are still mostly men, but there seemed to be more women and some couples.  Maybe it’s broadening its appeal to the whole GLBT gang.  I carried on to the little restaurant by the cathedral where I had the ‘comida corrida’ because I won’t be able to eat dinner after seeing the dentist tonight.

Hente imortante y menos importante en el dia de la Revolucion

Boyos taking it all in

Muy typico

Lucha Libre

Gutting fish near the new dock on Los Muertos Beach