Puerto Vallarta 2016

El centro Puerto Vallarta has not changed much since we spent the year at Casa los Rapidos in 1996, but the Baughans have been here so often lately that they are quite at home and were able to show me some new places and restaurants.  I walked for hours by myself, revisiting beaches and streets I remembered and losing my way on ones I didn't, but that's what I like to do.  I rarely feel lost when I don't know where I am and I usually find some interesting new things.  At least, like Columbus, I have the illusion of finding them because nobody has led me to them; although they are manifestly not new to the people who have been there for ages.  Vallarta still seems safe to me, the streets are bright and lived in even at night when families of many generations walk out in the pleasant air until much later than I do.  The new young 'narcos' that made the news in Canada with their brutal killings here a year or so ago seem to have moved on.  The news from and the weather in a place where one is not always seem to be worse than they are where one is.  I'm here now; all's well.

On the night of the full moon, I took the Baughans to dinner.  They chose the places we would go to so that we could experience the setting of the sun into the Bahia de Banderas and then turn around to watch the moon rise over the Sierra Madres as Jim and I had done years ago.  'Fue une exito!'  It happened as I had hoped.  The sun and moon played their roles as well asMaggie Smith ever could, the margarita was tasty and 'fuerte' and the meal delicious.

Last night Carolyn made a wonderful dinner.  Danbrook walked over and then broke into the secure condo area where Baughans live because the intercom system wasn't working so he couldn't get our attention.  He's still hard to hold down; he walks kilometres every day, and the climbing and jumping he had to do to get over the fences and into the main courtyard of the condo was impressive.  A couple that the Baughans know well joined us and my last evening with them was fun. 

Baughans at our sunset bar

Sunset last night from Baughan's deck

A skim boarding competition that I watched one day from Olas Altas beach

The sign marking Calle Easy has worn some since we were there with Brian and Cathy