Los Muertos Beach, Puerto Vallarta
Puerto Vallarta was our first destination, our first Airbnb, our first passport stamps, our first screw up, and for these reasons will always hold a space in our hearts. Coming from the winter in the Pacific Northwest, the first thing we felt when we got off the plane was the heat. A dense blanket of heat and humidity settled as we bumbled out of the airport and to our first obstacle; a taxi. Speaking very broken Spanish we managed to negotiate our destination and our fee. Then we were off on what remains the most alarming taxi ride of my life. If I hadn't stayed a month in this city (and a further two in Playa del Carmen) I'd have thought this man was trying out for the next Fast and Furious movie. The roads were slightly to blame for the bumpy ride, but the only restraint as far as speed limits seemed to be the car's physical capabilities. It was great, lol. What Google quoted in 30 minutes we shaved down to half before we hit the old cobblestone roads that signaled the beginning of the Malecon district and our new temporary home.
Our first sunset in Vallarta from our balcony and walking down the hill to the Malecon.
Fransico, our host, greeted us and helped us upstairs to the second floor apartment of the neighborhood comedor (small community restaurant) that we'd be staying in for the next month. We changed into some not so sweaty from traveling clothes, grabbed a bit of pesos we withdrew from the airport, walked onto our sunset drenched balcony and decided to go explore. First nights are always my favorite in a place. Everything is new and exciting, unknown, and alluring. I get a bit blinded by it and this is where mistakes were made. In our hurry to catch the fleeting light of a sunset ocean picture and distracted by our grumbling stomachs, I rushed out of the apartment happily skipping down the hill having shoved the pesos in my pocket, and not my wallet. I know...Then once down the hill I plucked out my phone, grabbed a few shots and shoved it back into my now $600 pesos (about $32USD) empty pocket. Scattered to the winds, quite literally, I can only hope that money made it's way into more deserving hands. Lesson learned.
"A picture is worth a thousand words." Well this one was worth $600 pesos, pretty right?
We settled on good old street vendors and micheledas (seasoned beer cocktails) for our first meal and spent the rest of the night just wallking up and down the malecon (boardwalk) and people watching just to get a vibe on the city.
Asada tacos, Corona rojo micheleda, and a view of the nightlife of Puerto Vallarta
Not a bad way to end our first firsts.
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