January 30

January 30

7:30! I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and looked at my watch again! Yep, it was 7:30 and I hadn't slept in this long for a great while. I got out of bed quietly and went to the bathroom. The water was hot and the water pressure in the shower was great. After dressing myself in summer clothes - shorts, a light top, and sandals, I headed out.

On the open balcony of our floor was, as there was on all 4 levels of the hotel, a 20 litre bottle of purified water. As I was filling my water bottle, I glanced out at the ocean to see if the waves pounding in on the shore were as large as they must have been from the sound they made crashing in on the beach. About 500 metres off shore, I saw a dorsal fin break the surface of the water of Banderas Bay. It was followed quickly in order by 3 more fins. Soon you could make out the forms of 4 orca whales as they made their way north in the bay as they rose and fell while moving forward with their powerful flippers.

So the first full day in PV was off to an auspicious start! I made my way down to the beach and experienced the sound and the fury of the waves from closeup. The red flag was flying to warn people about not entering the water. Besides the ferocity of the waves, there was the danger of a strong undertow during high wave times.I took a few mental pictures and many camera photos but the photos do little justice to the power the ocean was exhibiting.

Back in the room Patti had wakened and got ready for our shopping expedition to Lays Supermercado a sort block away from our hotel. As we had no refrigerator in our room, the first item on our list was a styrofoam cooler with a lid. Because we would be in PV for 3 weeks, we planned on eating most of our meals in our room, with the occasional dining out experience. It can be expensive to eat in PV if you patronize the tourist reastaurants. Fortunately there are many places to dine if you are willing to eat at the places the Mexicans eat at, and the prices are substantially lower.
After filling our cart with all our supplies and buying a large bag of ice, we headed back to our hotel and set up our cooler and foodstuffs and refreshments. We enjoyed a sandwich kind of meal and then while Patti and her sisters went exploring some shops in PV, I went down to the pool for some sun and water exercising.

At 6:00 p.m. we were meeting at CC's down by the pier in Old Vallarta. This meant a walk of a mile and half for me. So I left at 4:00 p.m and slowly made my way down the Malecon taking in all the sights and sounds and aromas and at my pace which is rather painfully slow at times because of my spinal stenosis.

 I arrived before the appointed time and soon there were14 of us sharing 3 tables on the beach with the waves breaking not far away on the shore. The custom for the group is to toast the sunset. But on this night it was not to be as the sunset was hidden by a large cloudbank far out on the Pacific.

The group then decided to eat out and we all headed inland a bit to the Fajita Republic.

There we had to break up into smaller groups because there was no table available to accomodate all of us.The food was excellent, the service was great but we all felt rushed - there was a lineup on the street waiting for tables. As the restaurant is open to the street one feels that one shouldn't dawdle. As well I felt the price was too high.  But since we wouldn't be doing this too often, we tried to enjoy ourselves. 

Most of the others were going to walk back along the Malecon to our hotel but I couldn't see me doing another long walk. I took a bus for 7.5 pesos, about $0.75 and I was soon back at the hotel. I typed up my January 29 blog, worked on a New York Times crossword (in pen), read a little from my novel on my Kobo, and then shut it down for the night.

January 29

January 29:
Our ride to the airport picked us up promptly at 8:15 and we were soon at the West Jet checkin centre. I have traveled with many different airlines and I still find West Jet to have the friendliest staff.
Going through security was interesting as there was flight departing for Nunavet. There were many elderly Inuits, some in wheel chairs who were taking a flight back home. I had a great time chatting with them and doing some teasing that only the elderly can get away with. I got back from them as good or better than I gave.
I stripped my body of all metal parts and put my valuables and carry-ons on the plastic trays to be scanned. Then I walked through the scanner briskly and for a change I didn't set off any warning bells because I did not wear either my hearing aids or my knee brace. I went to retrieve my"stuff" off the belt only to be chided for not taking my laptop out my knapsack. They pulled it out and took it out of its case and then re-scanned the whole shootin' match.
At our departure gate I sat near the check-in counter as we would be among the first on the plane. Said "Hi!" to a few people who were also leaving Winnipeg this a.m. My brother-in-law who was on his way to Montreal chatted for a few minutes.
Then I almost panicked when I spotted an old friend whom I see maybe twice a year bearing down on me. I really like this guy but when he corners you, the conversation is one-sided and you have to literally tear yourself from his physical grasp. 2 years ago I bumped into him on the Malecon in PV and he cornered me for an hour. When I attempted to finally just leave, he grabbed onto my arm and kept talking at me. He is mostly interesting and can be quite funny. But he just doesn't know when to stop or to let go. I spent my 2 weeks in PV that time avoiding him, literally ducking behind bushes or slipping into shops or churches when I saw him.
So when this man bore down on me I didn't know where to hide. MY whole 3 weeks would be ruined if he was also going to PV. You can imagine my relief when he neared and I saw that it was only his Doppleganger!
Because when I had indicated that I was hard of hearing when they asked while I was buying our tickets to Puerto Vallarta, I was classified as Deaf, and we were to be seated in Row 4 so I could more readily follow the safety procedures when they were being reviewed.
Our flight to Calgary was uneventful. In Calgary we had a 3 hour layover. We had lunch in the food court and then we renewed acquaintance with an old friend and her 2 daughters who were taking her on her first trip to Puerto Vallarta to an all-inclusive resort.

Our flight to PV was interesting as the tv monitors only worked on the movie channel which had some lurid choices, to be generous.

As well the young man sitting beside me in his aisle seat appeared nervous. During the flight he shredded papers, tapped his feet, and constantlly crossed and uncrossed his legs. He ordered several bottles of wine through the course of the flight and whenever the plane hit some turbulence, he would grab the seat arms tightly and talk very nervously to himself. He gave a great sigh of relief when we were back on the ground safely.
As we disembarked outside, the heat and humidity were like a physical blow after leaving -16C in Winnipeg. After a walk of what seemed several kilometres through the terminal, we reached the baggage carousel where it took awhile to retrieve our luggage. Patti had a large suitcase and I had a carry-on type as for a change I was traveling light.
We breezed through customs by hitting the button and getting a green light. We ran the gauntlet of taxi and limo drivers who were offering us their services for between 15 and 20 American dollars. Outside the terminal we walked about 50 metres to the main street to a bus stop. In a few minutes a Centro bus arrived and we boarded after paying a fare of less than a dollar each. More money for Tecate and tacos!
The bus ride to our hotel, the Pescadore took about 15 minutes. The ride brought back many memories of when we had lived in Mexico. The riders were friendly, the bus was old, and the shocks should have been replaced 300 000  kilometres ago. It shook us so that our teeth rattled as we looked out the windows at today's Mexico and got acculturated again.
As Patti had spent 2 weeks at the Pescadore last year, it was like old home week for her. She saw and greeted many familiar staff who were happy to see her again. We checked in with the promise of an ocean side room next week as there was nothing available due to it being the weekend of the national Constitution Day clebration and this Mexican hotel was brimming with tourists and Mexican nationals.

We checked into our spacious room on the second floor. It overlooked the street across from the Rico Taco Mac Restauranti-Bar. The room had a TV, phone, AC, 3 beds - 2 double and one single, a nice bathroom with a wonderful shower, lots of room for all our stuff, and a table for our laptop. After unpacking and freshening up, we went to see Patti's sister and brother-in-law who were on the first floor overlooking the ocean. Outside their room, draped in a canvas cover, was their Harley-Davidson on which they had made the trip from Phoenix after having shipped their bike there in December and then flying there near the middle of January, and then "biking to PV.
They greeted us with some ice-cold Tecates and some rum and coke. We visited until midnight on their outside balcony, listening to the surf pounding the shore, and enjoying the warm Mexican night.

January 28

January 28:

As the day we leave for Mexico for 3 weeks approaches, we are busy putting into place all the necessities to make our winter vacation both enjoyable and the preparation for it less stressful. We are fortunate that we have lots of pesos and American dollars  left over from our trip to Mexico and New York last summer. Our passports are up to date and our flight to Puerto Vallarta has been confirmed. The care of the house, any snow shoveling, the watering of plants, etc. has been looked after.

We have our two suitcase set up in the dining room. Patti has the larger one and I have the type that I can carry on should I choose to do so. I won't because I have a backpack in which will be my Iphone, our laptop, my camera, my Kobo, my New York SundayTimes crossword puzzle book (okay, okay, so I'm a fanatic), several pens (yes, I do my puzzles in pen),my meds for a week, and my camera.

I pack fairly lightly for the 3 weeks. I have a pair of very comfortable sandals, a good pair of running shoes that I will wear on my daily excursions, a week's worth of tops, shorts, gitch, and sox, my toiletries in travel size, my meds - yes, I do have high blood pressure, don't most ex-teachers? I have also packed some art supplies as I intend to do some pencil sketches of Winnipeg landmarks on this trip. I will wear my one pair of trousers that I allow myself onto the plane along with my Winnipeg Goldeyes baseball cap and a light water and wind proof jacket.

Our hotel is booked, our flight is confirmed and now there is only seat selection to do. I have advised the credit card companies and our local bank and credit union of our travel plans because there is nothing more frustrating than to have your credit card or bank card refused when you are 5000 kilometres from home. We have our travel medical insurance and I have arranged with MTS to have unlimited texting privileges from Mexico on my Iphone.

Our ride to the airport and the ride home when we return has been arranged. One more sleep!