Puerto Vallarta, México.  (January, 2022, Part II).

The church bells ring daily at 6:30 AM, 15 to 20 times in relatively quick succession.  Repeat at 6:45 AM.  Again at 7:00 AM.  Parroquia Nuestra Señora del Refugio is directly across the plaza from our Airbnb.  More to the point, its two bell towers are directly across from us.  

The call to service is loud and clear.  There is a 30 minute get moving notice, a 15 minute warning, and finally a starting now ring.  Services are held daily, morning and evening.  Sundays?  The bells ring seemingly nonstop all morning, and again in the late afternoon.

To top it off, several large trees nearby host a massive roost of great-tailed grackles (blackbirds).  Twice a day, sunrise and sunset, those birds squawk up a storm.  Shortly after 7:00 AM we hear a symphony from the birds. 

The dogs don’t start barking until later, usually after 8:00 AM.

Needless to say, no alarm needed.

The Jardines Botánico Vallarta is 16 miles away from El Centro.  We took the slow, inexpensive way there.  First, a 30 minute walk to a specific bus stop, i.e. a street corner in Zona Romántica.  After a 20 minute wait for the bus, we took a 40 minute ride with about a half dozen stops.  Taxis take half the time at more than four times the cost. 

If you like orchids, the botanic gardens are for you.  There are four main exhibits: Rhododendron House; Conservatory of Orchids and Native Plants; Tropical Plant House; and, Cactus House.  From a non-plant person’s perspective, here is how I would describe each, in order: orchids and some other flowering plants; orchids and some other flowering plants; orchids and some other flowering plants; and, cactuses.

The botanic gardens are definitely worth the trip.  The main gardens can easily be seen in an hour or two, including a couple of small ponds, a chapel and cemetery, and a pet cemetery.  The chapel and small cemetery were a surprise.  But an actual pet cemetery?  I was stunned.

In addition to the gardens, there are several hiking trails in the jungle.  The trails are very hilly and well maintained.  The trail map from the visitor center is at best a rough guide.  We got turned around a couple of times.  Fortunately the trails are not too long.  After about an hour hiking half the trails, we decided to skip the rest.

We were concerned that the onsite restaurant, La Hacienda de Oro, would serve mediocre food at rip-off prices.  We could not have been more wrong.  To the contrary, the open air restaurant is great, probably our favorite in Puerto Vallarta.  We sat upstairs at a table overlooking the gardens.  A nice breeze was blowing.  No bugs!  Everyone receives a hibiscus tea and cold hand towel to start.  Portion sizes are perfect.  Our server was polite and attentive, and absolutely overjoyed with the 20% tip we left.

Walking is our daily pastime.  Once or twice day we walk down the Malecón, on the beaches, or through town.  The Malecón is very wide and pedestrian friendly, as are the sidewalks on the main street.  Outside the tourist areas the sidewalks are narrow and haphazard, with major cracks, uneven steps, and crumbling concrete.  If you cannot walk two abreast on a sidewalk, then you are not in a tourist area. 

Puerto Vallarta is home to a thriving art scene.  Numerous galleries are in town, selling paintings, sculptures, jewelry, and other fine art original pieces.  Each Wednesday, 15 galleries in El Centro stay open late for an art walk from 6:00 to 10:00 PM.  They are located within about a five block area.  Light refreshments are served.  Highly recommended if you like art.

If galleries aren’t for you, just take in the street art.  Bright, colorful, and interesting murals can be found every couple of blocks in El Centro.

Crossing the street requires patience and a bit of luck.  There are maybe five or six traffic lights within a one mile radius of our place.  No stop signs, or any other traffic signs really.  The major roads are one way and two lanes wide.  Crosswalks are meaningless.  Basically we wait for a short break in traffic and dart across. 

As best I can tell, the rules of the road in the old town area are simple – go when you can and don’t crash into other cars.  Pedestrians are a nuisance, assumed to be looking out for themselves.

The locals must have an ongoing loudest car stereo competition.  It’s incredible.  Our Airbnb is on the second floor above a busy street.  With the doors and windows closed, and the television on, we can occasionally hear car stereos that are loud and crystal clear, as if being blasted from high end speakers in our bedroom.  More often than not the choice of music for these car stereo aficionados is 1990s and 2000s American top 40 pop.  Ugh.

Finding an acceptable local beer – unlike in Spain – was not a problem.  Tecate Light is the winner.  Tastes pretty good and only costs about $6.50 for a 12 pack.  Buy cans.  Otherwise you have to pay a recycling fee on bottles.

Unfortunately for Stephanie, Monster Tea and Lemonade is not to be found.  We looked everywhere.  Not even the local Walmart sells it.  And the nearby McDonald’s does not sell sweet tea. 

Up next: adventures in whale watching … and we go on vacation!

Garrett and Stephanie

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