Wednesday May 18, 2005
Oops, last full day. Whaaaaaa hoppin…???
Once again, the trip winds down and the memories are placed into their own pocket for resurfacing at a moment's call. I find that during trip after trip enter remembrances of past ones which I had not recalled for some time. A trigger occurs where something happens or is said or a person reminds me of a thought and past experience and usually a smile comes to my face as I retell the event to anyone who will listen. It is not that I am more important or have an edge on Vallarta memories, it is that I wish to share my joys with others to make their experiences here more full. Also, I become more enrichened while others relate their past memories. The streets, the buildings, the vistas in all four directions seems to take our minds on a journey back, way back, to other times here, most from this lifetime. What dumbfounds me is that each successive trip seems better than the last one and I keep asking myself, how can this be? It must reach a peak sometime! I had set an engagement with Maria next door whose esposo works as a mesero and they desired to bring me out to their famous spot and write in detail about the experience. She drove Leslie and I to El Pitillal, east of town, and we arrived at:
Mariscos Tino’s
Avenida 333 between Revolucion and Lázaro Cárdenas.
El Pitillal.
224-5584/225-2171 www.tinosvallarta.com
Noon-11pm
Place for Mexican family and business special celebrations. Generous, wonderful, fairly pricey fresh seafood dishes and excellent service since 1990. Host/captain is Victor Salvatierra C. Fish fillet 95p, seafood stuffed fish fillet 135p or house specialty whole huachinango sarandeado 178p, oysters 150p, lobster 255p, jumbo shrimp 172p, shrimp cocktail 88p, empanadas 48p, shrimp stuffed avocado 68p and shrimp salad 68p. Sometimes live music 3-6pm, call first. Same owners as La Laguna Tino’s and Tino’s Punta Mita, familia Carbajal Díaz. Well worth the drive to any of their locations.
We were stuffed and my camera needed fixing again, turns out it needed pix removed which the cafe must not have done again. Leslie burned a CD and I finally headed off to meet Bill for tonight. Ran into Tim and Agustin [his rental agency] at Apache's and they said the new chef/owner is from Holland and the food is quite tasty...next trip. Got to condo one hour late and Bill had left a note. So, I taxied up to his Amapas location as very muscle and bone ached in my body and arrived to take shots and more as the sun finally neared the horizon [to avoid some water reflection which had ruined 2 shots prior]. We opted out of the party, maybe later, as not our crowd and the music was loud and dance stuff. We took the staircase in the beautiful view which drops you at Mama Dolores and decided to go see the guys at Cafe Bohemio.
The owners were busy maintaininjg the catered food at the party at Bill's condo association but we headed down later for dinner at their wildly successful al fresco restaurant in SouthSide.
Café Bohemio
Rodolfo Gómez 127 near Olas Altas OT/SS.
223-4676 www.mexonline.com/cafebohemio.htm pvx2@prodigy.net.mx cafebohemio@hotmail.com
5pm-12am Closed Sunday, some Holidays and most of September.
In an open square near Hotel San Marino, run by Chris May and Sol Rosenshein from Palm Springs, CA. Varied menu, all very reasonable with pleasant al fresco dining. You may have to wait for a table. It has become the area's hot spot. Méxican and American fare with a flair! Almost all entrées are at or below 100p. Daily specials, New York steak 99p, Coconut shrimp with mango sauce, diabla or mojo ajo 105p, mussels 99p, grilled fish 95p, combo fajitas 85-95p, chicken saté or mole poblano 85p, meatloaf 75p and Cherry Cola bbq ribs 85p. Includes a cup of soup du jour as matzo ball or chilled avocado. Decadence brownie ice cream sundae, New York cheesecake or flaming flan 35p. Many martini and margarita concoctions 49-59p. No CC.
Bill and I sat al fresco and chatted about our first trips here, then together, then last November when he madly placed bids on his condo, then his 2 followup trips to upgrade and repair so he could rent out, then this last one where so much has come together for both of us in our different ventures. We wholeheartedly agreed that this trip was a major success plus a delight being together when we could, dining at some fine spots, walking, talking, laughing, yet each having his own space and prerogatives, not bound to do all together. Add in that the weather was absolutely superb, May being a 'must visit' time of the year, the best of all worlds for us, streets not very crowded, more time to spend with locals with no rushed feeling, no big demands, easy walking in the warmth, sleeping well at night with bay breezes, not dealing with tons of gringo tourists acting rude and bossy, more respect from the Mexican people who still need our valuable American or Canadian dollars. A short walk home.
Thursday May 19, 2005
Had gone home to bed and not to the party as I was so tired and had not starting packing except for the 2 huge plates of white calla lilies on blue which Bill did not want and gave to me. Leslie had argued to hand carry and check my other carryon as I also had a checked bag and my laptop to carry aboard. I looked way overloaded for sure. Those plates would make it home safely, I swear. They were bubble wrapped then placed kin an oversize bag which was tied to make a small handle. Boy, they were heavy. 20-30 pounds I bet. Bill was scampering around with last minute details and I used up some of his time at the cyber cafe then met Leslie for lunch again on the sand at La Palapa. I treated her to a lovely breakfast, hers again the chicken burrito and mine for PV sake fresh mango [been falling from the trees of late] crepes with fruit and coffee plus a couple de-lish sweet rolls. We agreed it was a wonderful meeting and that every trip we would see each other. Off I went and finished packing, took my luggage downstairs, hopped a taxi said hasta la vista to my buddies at the desk and off into the blue sky I soared. Sure was an uneventful trip home though the guy next to me struck up a conversation about property sales and his new fabulous life with a Mexican lady and child. He cannot stomach the nervous high tension of the States and flies north only for family matters. He was a fun guy to listen to and we cleared customs easily and off to my 'condo norte' I call it! But, start making plans for the next visit, longer still, 3.5 weeks!
Come On Down...
Gary
pv, jal, mx.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Puerto_Vallarta_OldTown_SouthSide
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Puerto_Vallarta_Gay_Travel