What a weekend!
After two and a half weeks with nary a raindrop in sight, and us beginning to believe that it really DOESN'T ever rain in "paradise" - reality paid us an (uninvited) visit...in SPADES!
Like much of Central, Latin, and South America, the "seasons" as we think of them, don't really exist. It is of course a vast generalization but for the most part, winter and summer are replaced with "dry" and "rainy" seasons.
It's true in Ecuador, most of Central America (from what we've seen and read), and so too is it the "conventional wisdom" and most frequently expressed description of the local climate on the western, Mexican coast.
Works for us, this being the "dry", 65 at night, 85 most days, sunny, "beach" season. Not too hot, wonderful sleeping weather, and ocean temps rivaling bath water.
Especially works for us when we're looking at weather reports from home with 15 -18" snow storms and temps struggling to get out of the single digits for weeks at a time. (Except for worries about the safety of Marilyn's parents and our friends.)
Two and a half weeks of being able to count the total number of raindrops on one hand convinced us - "paradise" really DOES exist.....right until......
Yup, you guessed it - there's a reason it's called "Riviera Nayarit" and not "Riviera Nirvana".
Even in retirement, at home we keep a pretty close eye on the weather both because as a former pilot, it's just in my (Ladd's) blood, and because in our neck of the woods it's fickle enough to be a real pain at times.
But here, one quickly becomes infected with the "manana" culture, a laid back approach to most things, what "might" be considered by some to be "boring" repetition of one absolutely perfect day following on the heels of all those that have gone before it.
"Boring"? - hardly.
But........
There are these little weather anomalies called hurricanes that occasionally make an appearance. Actually, they are relatively rare in these parts but they do occur and when they do it's not particularly pleasant.
We were actually on the very northern fringe of this one and it wasn't one of high enough intensity to be of real concern - just a MAJOR annoyance (and technically not actually a "hurricane" in our area when it made landfall) - a meteorological PITA.
So, by comparison to those faced with 18" of snow and single digit temps driven to -25 or -30 wind chills - ours is certainly no tale of woe, just not "paradise" for a day or two.
However, the rainy weather on Sunday didn't stop us from venturing out to enjoy Mom V's last full day in Mexico with us. It was "Mom-V's-Choice" Day so we headed to Puerto Vallarta to a spot called "Vallarta Factory".
The "Vallarta Factory" was smaller than we anticipated based on the guide book, but the atmosphere and experience did not disappoint. It is a deli/bar with over 20 years of experience in the chocolate, coffee, and cigar-making industry. Even on this rain-soaked afternoon, the "Vallarta Factory" was full of visitors relaxing, chatting, and enjoying some of their treats.
It didn't take us long to end up meeting and talking with a new friend from Canada. Ladd had an Espresso Mexicano, I had a Mocha Coffee made with some of their incredible chocolate, and Mom V. had a Cappachino. We all enjoyed our selections, however, the chocolate-lover in me thinks I made the best choice! Ha!
Too rainy to do any walking around, we took a driving tour of Nuevo Vallarta. Admittedly we may not have seen "Centro" or all of Nuevo Vallarta, but what we did see consisted of many, many exclusive, rich-looking condos, gated-communities, inclusive resorts, restaurants, and casinos. Definitely pretty, but not our "cup of tea", as the saying goes.
Then Mom V. wanted to head back to to the little beach bar/restaurant/shop in Bucerias where we had brunch during the festival to watch "The Blessing of the Ships". She had spotted some beautiful Mexican pottery she thought might make a nice gift for a friend who is taking care of her place while she's away. Success: Dallas made a wonderful purchase!
This being "Super-Bowl Sunday" we considered visiting one of the local "sports bars" to have a bite to eat and watch "the game". Well, rest assured that "Super-Bowl Sunday" is celebrated in grand style in Mexico, too! All the "sports bars" were either booked solid or way too crowded, so we just headed back to the casa. Much to our surprise, the Super Bowl WAS on TV in our casa. We relaxed with munchies, margaritas, and a super chicken dinner and watched the game! (Out of the three of us, two of us were happy with the outcome. Any bets on who the "odd man out" was? LOL!)
Last night and this morning, (Monday), we faced effects of hurricane-fringe weather and had some clean-up to do. Thankfully, today was the housekeeper's day to come to the casa. Marina worked long and hard! We'd STILL be working and cleaning up without her fantastic energy and efforts. Thanks a lot, Marina! Another "hooray-moment" was when Antonio arrived to help fix the over-flowing pool. Thanks a million to you, too, Antonio!
Then it was time to take Mom V. to the Puerto Vallarta airport. (Luckily she is not heading home to the snow, but to Arizona to spend some time with her sisters.) Despite the heavy rains, her flight was boarding smoothly and departure was still on time.
Mom V., thanks for joining us in Mexico! We loved having you here and hope you enjoyed all our adventures! Safe travels!
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