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 26^th, 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 1^st 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 2^nd 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

                                                                                                                                           

South of the Border,

Episode 7     Dec  ’17   

Ciudad Mexico

   

 To err is human & to forgive, is even more human! I ask for forgiveness for having bungled up the numbers of my dispatches, ‘cause somewhere, I couldn’t locate No 4! After many hours of going through them all, I found that No 4 was ‘overlooked’! My family, esp my sibs will confirm that I was not much of a guy  as far as numbers were concerned.( what would you think of a a chap who thought 1/16 was greater than 1/8!!)  Let’s leave it at that shall we?

The best way to experience a place is firstly, to take in as much with your mouth & secondly, through your eyes! For the latter, the ideal way is  to take a bus that allows you to hop on/off at pre-determined halts, at your pace!

The Pai’s (2+2) and us decided to do the above, in that order, one bright morning. Cut to Posadas. Remember a name I dropped in that event. Omar! Yes, the owner of Two eating joints called Aquiles, serving Salads & Chilaquiles! This is another Mexican delight & it was to be a brunch at this place. Driving through a different route, marveling at the commercial & residential buildings as well as the very orderliness of street food carts, we decided to build up an (some!) appetite before the kill! I must make a mention here that besides parks (huge) with statues that are well maintained, Street or Wall Art is another thing  that stands out (literally)

Walking down a lane that took me back to Colaba area ( big houses on both sides, with lots of trees & clean!), we arrived at our destination. A very unpretentious place, with Two long tables that could seat 12. 
There were tall stools & a few single/dbl seate rs. The Salad Bar was across the room & the Chilaquiles, as you enter! This again is an assembly-line item, with the square shaped tortillas over which simmering Green or Red Salsa is poured. Thereafter, it’s your choice of toppings (ham, beef, pollo, etc) topped with a cheese & cream! A look at the bowl in which this magical mix was going to be stirred, & most of us weren’t  sure if we could down this all! But one look at the end product (the procedure was behind closed doors!)  threw such ideas out of one’s mental window! Unfortunately, the stock of beer had not been replenished, so there was no choice but a lemonade to wash down the food.  

While the orders were being prepared, we busied ourselves by walking around the area. There was this very interesting contraption (again) for getting one’s shoes polished. On the other side, were stalls of street food, dishing out delicacies with speed & accuracy! We made a mental note of trying out one of these, some day.   

                                                              

A point that I must make a mention of here, is, that the girl at the billing desk refused to take even a ‘phuti’ peso as payment, After trying all the Four ‘nitis’, and an offer that Don Corleone was famous for, the senorita let on that she was under the oath of omerta by  Omar! So Janu called up Omar, only to be told that the treat was on the house!!! That’s Mexican hospitality & largesse!

Having walked to build up an appetite, now it was imperative that we walk the remaining distance, in the misplaced belief that walking is a sure way of burning calories!  With heavy hearts (& heavier guts) we did cover a lot of ground, till the Angel. Will power wilted here, so we took a cab to Pasaje Polanco. Janu & Co had a head start as their cab came asap, so she buzzed to say that they were waiting in  Staarbucks!   

This is one of the, if not the, high-end localities of the City. All the  top Fashion Houses have a tremendous presence here, and the displays are matched by very smartly dressed folk.

Since we decided to walk a bit, we took some  time to visit a chapel right on the street we were on! Poinsettias (this time White) were seen in abundance in the chapel, adding beauty to the grandeur of the place! among the many plants that were grown all along, I couldn't help but take a picture of the purple flower, which is quite common in Maharashtra & used to make braids, which is known as "Koranti". Food for thought as regards the commonalities of the flora in both countries.

The rear exit of Starbucks opened out to  beautifully designed boutique shops & residential area, which one cannot discern from the street. Each shop is a temptation for the shopper, as the photos show. The place is also interspersed with eateries. We were told by Jenny that lunch hour is around 3 or 4 pm, since breakfast is heavy & latish. That explained the rush of diners. And of course, there was a lot of local colour like shoeshine men, with their colourful stands, dog-walkers & the  odd street musician.            

Having had our choice of coffee & cakes, it was time to head in the general direction of home!

Tomorrow, we take the bus trip and explore the city, not once, but on Two days.

Till then,
Hasta Manana!!
AshoKalpana

South of the Border,

Episode 7    17-25 Dec  ’17       

Posadas….& a Merry Christmas!

           

I spoke about the ‘Posada’ held at the Party room of the complex. This week, we were invited by Janu-Jenny’s friends in the building. Diego & Irene (pronounced ‘Iraynay’), Diego is a practicing Psychiatrist & Irene, a home maker, Since they stayed on the 14 th floor, we had to first go to GF & take the lift on the opp side, as there are two sets of lifts, as I’ve mentioned.

We were received very warmly by the couple & Diego, who is well informed & widely travelled, wanted to know the Indian way of greeting!

The choice of beverages were, a Hibiscus infusion & Lemonade with ‘chia’ seeds.  Evelyn- Rodrigo & Omar-Alexandra were the other Two couples invited. I must make a mention here that Janu is quite fluent in Espanol, considering she’s been here just about a year! 

While the kids made themselves at home with the toys & games, the hosts explained to us, food habits of Mexican’s, what’s to be eaten (or not eaten) with what. Corn is the staple, followed by Rice & Black Beans. But most of the fare is Non Vegetarian, Pork & Beef at the top of the “pecking order”, followed by pollo! Food is mostly an ‘assembly line’ kind of a system, It’s mostly tortillas/ tacos/tostadas/tacos etc, which are all corn & the other ingredients are added on,as per taste. Taste essentially comes from the various sauces & cheeses, all of varying colours….& ascending degrees of spiciness!!

So Evelyn proceeded to demonstrate how to make Tostadas, with either B Beans paste or Cream. And some items are a strict “no-no” to add on.

Stage 2 & 3

Stage 1

                                 Followed by Pozole. This is such a simple item to make, that after reading this, you’ll want to try it out straightaway. The catch is, of course, the % of spiced/sauces! Essentially shredded Pollo or Barbacoa(Lamb), White Corn, Vegs (any) all cooked in a chicken broth & spiced up. Dessert was squares of preserved fruit served with a cheese.

The topper here was Beer mixed with La Chiva, a Tamarind-based drink, made in Vera Cruz! (The words on the scroll on the bottle, if taken in Punjabi, conveys it all!!). Omar owns Two Diners in the city & we were let off only on a promise that we would have b’fast/brunch at one of his places.

Diego & Ire'ne'

Since it was Christmas time, feasts were very much on the agenda. There were three invites on the trot, the distance of each, increasing in geometric progression. The first  was Diegos, which was in the same building. The next was at Tripthi & Sabareesh, from God’s Own Country, who live within 5 minutes from our place. That evening, we learned that there were at least 1000 Indian families in Ciudad Mexico! Besides the IT crowd, pharma & manufacturing made up a bulk, besides some traders, mostly from the Land of Five Rivers. These enterprising folks, had taken a bungalow & set up a Gurudwara there, which besides offering temporal solace, also served at a meeting point for the Indian community. Lastly,  it was an hour & a half drive beyond Santa Fe. We drove through perhaps one of the best gated communities here, with Ivy-covered high walls & very ornate gates! We were told that the residents were mostly politicos, film stars & business magnates!

Gated community

 Not surprising.  Archit, again from God’s own country & Lalita, have a beautiful hacienda-type of a house, with typical white walls, tiled roof, cobbled streets & tall cacti! Lalita, incidentally is from Nepal, settled in Hyderabad! National integration at it’s best! And the fare was very different at both places, Archit himself serving up an abs fab Biryani (Super se Upar, as Jenny is wont to say!) It was Christmas eve and everything was still as still…..and brrr cold!

On Christmas itself, we were invited for lunch at the residence of Mr. Jose, yes Jose & not Jose’!    

Mr Jose came to Mexico 41 years ago from yes, God’s Own Country & has his own manufacturing unit. Dr Mrs Jose is a well-known Gynaecologist here. The Joses live in one of the exclusive areas of the city, where there are only bungalows, with huge lawns & tree cover. The guest list was the who’s-who of the Indian community here.

It was heartening to hear their stories of success.  There was a choice of beverages & nibblers, but the spread was an amazing mix of Mexican fare & typical Kerala cuisine (KeMex!) The gracious hosts personally attended to us all & the amalgam was smoothly achieved.

The spread-Dr Annie chkg out

In-between the festivities, there was a ‘quake ‘ alarm, so we all trooped out in the garden, as per the drill! By then, (this is my reading), all the spirits imbibed by us, perhaps acted as “auto-stabilisers”, since not much of the tremor was felt! However, it gave us all a chance to take in the beauty of the place. Dr (Mrs) Jose has a proper Curry Leaves ‘farm’ on a small plot in the house, as also a Jackfruit  tree!

We marvel at the similarities as well as presence of similar plants, fruits, spices & foodstuff, in India & here. However, it is no surprise that a lot of these items as well as lentils, beans & the like which are used in our everyday food, have actually been brought in from other countries! Of late, there have been many articles in the ‘papers recommending planting “native” trees & avoiding “alien” one! If I am right, the Tamarind is not native to India. Are we going a few steps ‘forward’(?) by dividing trees also on countries of origin? (shudder, shudder!)

On our way back, we passed by another well-wooded park, named Gandhi Park, in memory of the Father of the Nation! Another revelation  was the importance  Fine Arts & Literature has been ensured. There are numerous Museums here (anthropology, modern art, natural history etc) And streets/ localities named after eminent writers like Shaw, Moliere, Homer, Horatio! And a book stall named after Gandhiji! 

 

Another family from Dallas (Arindam, Sudipta & boys), good friends & colleagues arrived after a pretty harrowing wait at immigration. However, tempers were soon soothed with appropriate Chritsmas ‘spririts’! The night was a quiet affair at home, but not before   calling it a day(night) with Beef Chilly (Janu has mastered this) & good Wine from Baja California!

The next day, we left for Puerto Vallarta via Guadalajara for a seaside holiday. But “ye kissa kabhi aur”.

Adios!

TC,Hope you enjoy reading this as much as I have, while writing.
AshoKalpana