South
of the Border,
Episode
8 Dec 27-31
Puerto
Vallarta- 1(CDMX-Gaudalajara-P Vallarta)
Long ago & far away………. was when I last
wrote about our visit and a lot of water has flown under the proverbial
bridge!! There have been a lot of happenings out here, (including my visit to Pune for some urgent issues), the degree of each, in terms
of awe, increasing with each, giving me
the feeling that the best is yet to come! And on that “ummeed”, took each one,
as it came. So, here goes!
As mentioned earlier, the Pais had come
down from India via Dallas. On the 26th, we were joined by Arindam
& Sudipta, with their 2 boys, from Dallas, The quorum for our first beach
resort trip was complete. All arrangements in terms of vehicle, logistics,
timings had been worked out, so the men-folk proceeded to pick up the cars/vans
whatever.
However, to prove that the best of plans
can go awry, we were informed that the vehicles earlier allotted were not
available then!! To cut a long story short, we finally got a 12 seater that
looked more like a delivery van and the departure, planned for 10 am s-t-r-e-c-h-e-d
to late afternoon!
With Arindam at the wheel & Kalpana
as the navigator, we were soon out of the city limits and ‘winging’ our way on
150 (route). 
Of note, was the excellent roadway system, which, we were told,
has been in place just under 10 years. Vast stretches of semi-urban landscapes,
gradually becoming more ‘pastoral’, were all really a pleasure to behold.
There
were the customary stops to relieve the drivers (as well as our ‘systems’) &
to pick up some nourishment en route! We
saw large bodies of water, literally upto the horizon, but there was no way of
finding out the source of water. Probably underground springs or plain rain
water. There were the usual tolls, mostly chip-activated, some manual & the
odd petrol pump, all breaking the monotony of an otherwise superlative highway!
There was one very interesting diversion, but we have not been able to decipher
the acronym!!
To get back to the top of the page.
Puerto Vallarta is a sea-side resort, about 900 kms, slightly North-West, in
the State of Jalisco. Satish (Pai) had done the spadework of reservations, trip
itinerary etc. at the Sunscape Resort & Spa. However, we were doing this in
2 phases, the 1st being CDMX to Guadalajara & Guadalajara to Puerto
V.
Without any incident, exciting or eventful,
we reached The Hilton, G’jara just as night fell! After the check-in procedure
(which did take its time) & getting our room keys, everybody trooped off
for a quick wash, to catch the last dining slot! The dining room had all the necessary
trappings, the cynosure being a huge showcase displaying various liquors (esp
Tequilas) in bottles of varied shapes.
 |
| Tequilas |
Since it was also the year-end, the
hotel had put up all the typical X’mas & NY decos.
But the cottage & Clock tower were truly a treat to watch… &
eat, they being made of confectionery items. Unfortunately, these were to be
cut on 31 Dec, to our bad luck!
The food was very typical Mex, served with very
volatile sauces/salsas. The Reds were a good
wash-down, the desserts being kind of so-so.
I would like to believe that this
property was a franchisee of the Hiltons! I’ll leave it at that.
We were looking forward to an early start,
as there was a hilly (mountainous) stretch to negotiate & traffic promised
to be heavy!! So, after a quick but
sumptuous breakfast, off we went; but, again a catch! There was a unscheduled
stop (they call it a “technical stop” in the Rlys!) at Walmarts, where the
ladies wanted to lighten their purses! That over, we took the designated route
to get back on the highway.
As expected, the roads were amazingly
smooth & well maintained. The signage was very efficiently placed & of
course, the traffic well behaved.
A few miles out & the landscape gradually
started changing and the flat open spaces soon turned into what is always
referred to as “gently rolling’ hills. On the horizon, hills loomed large,
adding a touch of green all over. The blue-green combination was constantly
changing, due to the fickle cloud cover.
We soon started passing small homesteads & clusters of houses, dotting the area. All of a sudden, there appeared neat blue-green patched of cultivation, which we soon discovered to be Agave! The tequila plant!! There were nurseries & nurseries of this plant & the fields were as though arranged according to the age/size of the plant. The town of Tequila was off this route & a mental note of the same was made by all!
Almost as though on cue, the end of the Agave plantation gave way to a gradual climb and as the road assumed elevation, the green cover too became more pronounced.
Now, some very interesting sights
appeared along the roads & if the language on the boards weren’t in
Espanol/Ingles, I would have sworn that I was travelling into the Konkan Region
of Maharashtra!! The houses too, bore a striking resemblance to the ones back
home! And to complete the picture, were the ubiquitous tyre (“punchur”) repairs a la
Anna! ( see pic)
 |
| 'Punchur' shop |
I’ve made a mention somewhere earlier of
a possible link in the (ancient) cultures of India & Mexico. More striking
is the similarity of the flora, so obviously weather & soil conditions too!
To stretch a point, it does not rule out the theory of the continents being
fused, eons ago! There were orchards of Mango, Coconuts & Bananas, all
over, with small shacks selling local produce. The Jackfruit, is another favourite in this part of the
State, including candies/sweets made from it. The coconuts were huge & so
was the water content, which was equally sweet. Out here, after you’ve finished
the water, the kernel is cut up in pieces & seasoned with sour lime juice
& chilly powder!
As we moved along, the forests on either
side became denser, providing a continuous shade to the travelers. I noticed an
interesting feature of the road, in that, there were proper cemented slopes
along the road edge that were part of channels, built to carry away rain water!
Along with the forestry, the traffic too became denser. The only other thing I
felt was, that the roads could have been broader. 
Perhaps the State gives
priority to environment as against “progress”! Since there were settlements
along the way (& obviously shops too), there were times when the traffic
literally crawled. But, yes, but, in all this, not one vehicle tried to
overtake the other or form a 2nd lane! And no Cops in sight. (We are
so “flexible” that our drivers convert a Three Lane road into a Five Lane one!).
Yet, the slow pace was quite ok with most of us, especially me, as I could
really take in the jungle. Surprisingly, there was no sign of any wildlife, especially
birds. The odd Grackles & Sparrows we saw, we at the foothills.
We passed some shops (shacks) selling
interesting things & made a mental note to stop by on the return. By now,
the green cover had thinned somewhat & in the distance, a range
of mountains came into focus.
There was a distinct descent as we moved along
and encountered small stand-alone restaurants, hotels & shops. And suddenly,
Arindam announced,” your first view of the Pacific Ocean”. To the right,
against the glare of the sun, made even harsher due to the reflective waters,
was the Pacific Ocean.
 |
| First glimpse of the Paci |
There was a kind of excitement about it & I could
relate to the explorers of yore, who discovered new lands (In this case, it was
the reverse!)
As we entered the fag end of the
journey, the Hotel seemed even further away, especially with heavy, holiday traffic
all along. This was so typical of the
posters that one had seen. Hotels, Inns, Restos, people & more people. As
we took the detour to our destination, there was a sculpture of a Humpback
Whale with a Pup! We were hoping to see these beautiful creatures in flesh!
In
the distance, I thought I saw what looked like a hotel with compact rooms, a
few stories high. As we neared it, I realized it was a Cruise Ship (Carnival)
that had berthed here. And just a bit away, was a Yacht, with a helicopter
perched on it. We were in the land &
company of the rich & the famous!!
This excitement was heightened by our
arrival at the Sunscape Resort! This was huge & imposing, what with fountains,
umbrellas, lounging sofas, the works, strewn all over, in a calculated casual manner. As though on cue ( of course well practiced!),
the moment we stepped out, welcome drinks (Hibiscus Tea) were served all round,
our bags were tagged………..& we had to wait for almost an hour for the rooms
to be allotted! This was necessitated due to minor adjustments had to be
carried out, some rooms weren’t ready etc! All in the game.
That over, we all trooped into the
dining area, where after proving our bona fides, we all sat down for lunch. The
layout was quite typical as we find in
resorts. The swimming pool was right in the centre of the premise, dining area
all around, the beach within a holler & beyond, the big blue deep!!
This
could have been Goa, Miami or any other beach resort, the few changes being the
cuisine & the language. But, this is
not what Puerto Vallarta was all about. The two adventures planned were, One, a
visit to a private island, with all that goes with it (scuba, snorkeling &
of course food) & Two, Whale watching!! Boy, this is what most of us were
looking forward too!!
So, post lunch, some swam , some sank ( into the luxury beds)
& others went exploring.
This was just getting from Point M to P! The real thing starts tomorrow! Till then, do try & find out the reasons of similarity in the landscape & flora. As regards the similarity in the ancient civilisations of the Two countries..........watch out for more on that subject later. Till then TC
Cheers
Hasta Manana
AshoKalpana
