Once upon a February, Don and Linda
decided to take a trip with their friends
Cathy and Gary Carlson to someplace
warm. The place they chose was
Puerto Vallarta in sunny Mehico. On a
chilly Friday morning (2/18/00) they
lugged many pounds of luggage to the
airport and set off on their adventure.
Any-who-how the adventure began with
about four hours in the air, well, inside a
boeing 727, courtesy of Sun Country.
Upon arriving in Puerto Vallarta and after a short bus ride they arrived at
the "Krystal Vallarta," their home for the
next 7 days and nights. Hey, they figured
if God could create the world in six days
they should be able to have "some" fun in seven.
First off the Krystal turned out to be a
very nice surprise. Three rooms tucked inside
a sizeable common area with their own
pool.
This pool would be very much enjoyed in
the afternoons after a busy day of exploring
or a lazy day at the main pool watching people,
reading and catching some rays. All of these
things they did with much vigor.? Well with a
little vigor anyway.
The first full day was spent exploring downtown on the Malecon and through the fleamarket. After hours of walking, a herky
jerky bus ride brought them home to the
Krystal.
It was a warm day with the temp in the 80s.
This of course called for a cool drink to
quench their thirsty souls. They did not
fight this need.
Quiz: What do you get when you mix
Vodka with Kahlua?
Ahhhh that's better.
After some time by the pool it was time
to shower- (Don's been told he "cleans up pretty
good")- and get over to Bogart's to meet the
Abrahamson's, all 3 & ½ of them for dinner.
Well Shannon is almost an Abrahamson.
Dinner they had. A nice restaurant and a good
experience. Good food for good money.
Day 2 was a "pool day." Lots of people
watching, sun, reading and relaxing. Not
necessarily in that order, but what does it
matter, when you are on vacation there
does not need to be any order.
Throughout the week much of their time was spent exploring
the town and Sam's Club, eating breakfast
outdoors at the ocean front, dining in some
of the fine restaurants PV has to offer,
picking up ice at the main bar for their
afternoon ‘refreshments," visiting with
the Carlson's and the Abrahamson's etc.
One day was spent traveling to Marietas
Islands. They traveled by boat, (good thing
as they had to go over 22 miles of water).
On this trip they saw dolphins and a number
of Humpback Whales. Very exciting to
see these huge creatures up close. At their destination Don
stepped off the back of the boat to do
2 scuba dives while Linda, Cathy and Gary
entered the water to snorkel. As it turned
out the visibility at the surface was zero
and below at 40+ feet it was about 30 feet.
After the second dive the "big boat" was
gone so Don got to experience about a
half an hour of banging and bouncing and
much salt spray to catch up to it. While
the rest of the group spent some time
on a white sand beach Don ate lunch on
the big boat and talked with the other
divers. On the way back to town they saw
more whales and Gary got to dance in a
contest put on by the crew as part of
the afternoon entertainment.
Way to go Gary!!!
Quiz: What do you get when you mix tequila with tequila?
(you don't want to know)
All of the restaurants they enjoyed
had good food. The fair ranged from seafood
and fish to barbequed ribs and steak.
A favorite was "Ah Caramba." You will need
a cab driver to get to this one. It was near
the top of the hill with a powerful view
of the city, ocean and sunset. The food
here was also very good.
The ribs, mmmmmmmm finger lickin' good.
Wednesday night was again spent with
the Abrahamson's. All Aboard!!! They
were off for an evening at Las Caletas.
Rhythms of the Night it was called. A boat
ride to Las Caletas, watching the sun sink
into the ocean and arriving just after dark.
The sound of a native blowing a welcome
through a Conch shell. Its eerie sound wafting
out over the rolling sea. They could almost
feel the past merging with the present.
Disembarking the boat they walked a trail
lit only by torches finally arriving at their
table for a buffet of fish, beef, chicken,
rice, vegetables and strong black coffee.
The night air was warm and the mood magical.
After eating their fill they were summoned
to an amphitheater under the stars. An
interpretive show was put on by the natives
which included a young warrior, a wolf, an
eagle and assorted other characters.
Looking up at the billions of stars overhead
in the black night sky, the sound of the drums
echoing inside their chests, the shrill of the
flutes rising and falling in the still night air,
allowing reality to slip away they are
transported back hundreds of years to a
different time. A time when these rituals
were carried out for real in a place much like
this. A time when a young boy was transported
to manhood in the flash of a falling star.
Breathing deeply of the humid night air, the
smell of incense and smoke permeating their
very existence, the feelings becoming so
intense as to bring tears to their eyes. What
is the reason? Are we really that far from that
different time, or have they just stepped back
into it and joined their ancestors for a few
fleeting moments?
Suddenly the play is over
and they are brought back to the present.
Possibly reluctant to return but they have
no choice. Trying to hold on to the spell as it
slowly slips away. The smell and taste of strong
black coffee helps ease the transition. There
is a warm breeze on the ocean as the boat
transports them ever closer to the present.
Soon they are all in their beds but in the back
of their heads the drums beat quietly and the
flutes magical sounds lull them to sleep...
Far too soon it is Friday morning and they are
soon to become "those poor people" waiting in
the lobby for their ride to the airport for the
return trip home. They have traveled the city
of Puerto Vallarta and seen a few of the sights.
They have tasted the food and some of the
culture. They have seen the good and some of
the bad. They have looked at the yachts and
wondered about the good life. Inside they are
anxious to get home but they fight the feeling,
wanting to drink the last drop of this adventure
and savor the taste. Wanting the memory to
linger on their pallet a little longer.
Once in the
airport the urge to get home becomes stronger.
As the plane lifts into the night sky the reality
of Vallarta becomes a memory.
It is said that "home is where the heart is"
and they can feel the tug in their chests. As
their eyes close with contentment at the
thought of returning home, one wonders,
is that really the cause of the tugging or is
it the faint beat of the drums and the shrill
of the flute in the jungle far below.
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