PV Blog Seven – Valentines and Beyond

Happy Love day, Valentines, Galentines, Friendentimes, Petentimes, etc. Yes, it was lovely for us, although we celebrated us in two different cities. I was off at a women’s conference I have attended for nearly 40 years, and returned to Lew and a warmer Puerto Vallarta weather, feeling peaceful and high on fellowship.

We moved AirBnB’s – actually, Lew moved us while I was away. Our new place is so quirky and different, and it shows a woman’s hand in its preparation, one can tell. Thoughtful details went into the renovation, making this place more usable. Chairs comfy to sit on, a nice shower, and curtain, bed linens, drawer spaces in real-wood bureaus, for example. A well-appointed kitchen is a pleasant addition, not always found in many who want to rent high but cheap out on the specific offerings.

I must admit, it is hard to extract those qualities in reviews, given Airbnb’s request (demand?) for a 5-star rating. This place would be perfect for visiting family, with two bedrooms, two baths, and an open atrium patio between the kitchen and the bedrooms. The smart design keeps the house cool from cooking heat and odors. With so much of the place open to the outdoors, we are cool, too, something I wasn’t expecting but am willing to enjoy.

Plenty of street noise, as well as air, with this openness, which, since there are iron bars on all of the windows and doors around a lovely entryway, doesn’t bother me. I feel secure. Knowing it’s all “Out There” makes such a difference – noise becomes background.

We have a front patio and a middle patio/courtyard, which lend a sense of spaciousness. Outside, the street is the same cobbled, uneven, unmarked, ankle-breaking, car-demolishing artery, with indifference to maintenance. When does neglect become a character trait, I wonder, as I see piles of debris and construction materials strewn about with abandon, unmarked and unlighted for hazards. I guess you have to know, and be responsible for oneself! More on this later.

We are across from a sports arena, which means there are plenty of restaurants and plenty of cheering, with music like a neighborhood surround-sound when teams are playing. And – we found a really good sushi place nearby. As you who know us are aware, the Sheraton and like hotels aren’t really our cup o’ tea, even though we can see it from where we are renting. There are plenty of plants, and I am responsible for watering them frequently. A family lived here, for sure, and it still feels like a home.

I’m pretty sure there is no zoning here, as all sorts of different places are joined with no effort to situate property types together in anything uniform.

Notes about Mexico. I am intrigued by how differently people live, which allows me to reevaluate what matters in one place and what may be does not in another. So – street maintenance… Basically non-existent so far as I can see. There must be a vibrant shock-and-tire business here, as what I call cobblestones is NOT what I have had in the other old countries we have gone. No, here it is river rock, uncovered, and partially sunk in a bit of dirt and road grit. When some get dislodged, the holes stay, the better to create wide awake drivers.

Additionally, speed humps are frequently on roads, but there is no signage, no nighttime lighting, and no yellow striping to warn the unaware. Motorcycles, buses, trucks, and other alternative transportation zoom past. There must be a thriving business in physical therapy as well as tire repair.

So, I took a photo, which will be too small on this blog, but it shows several things. A small “stuff” store in the middle of a block, with traffic outside moving fast in both directions. In front of the store, a red truck with a flat tire, probably used for extra storage, is parked between two cars parked in the opposite direction. One broken-down delivery truck is also in the roadway. Above this is an electrical tree system that looks like a traffic grid gone mad.

Delivery vehicles park as needed, and moving vehicles weave around them, slow over the hump, and maneuver around cars traveling in the opposite direction, and a dog or two. No signs. Lots of stray, resilient dogs with pretty good manners. All big vehicles sound as though they are straining beyond their capability. It is common for trucks full of something – veggies, potatoes, and more – to advertise with high-volume music and loudspeaker pronouncements. In total, this turns the street into an ear-demolishing decibel level every few minutes. It’s very lively.

On the big motorway, you make a left turn from the right lane, passing about 6 lanes of traffic on your left. Often, streets have no directional recommendations at all, so what to do depends on your nerve and a heaping teaspoon of good luck.

The safety rules for passengers on all vehicles seem to be “Hang-On,” whether children on parents’ laps in cars, front seats, motorcycles, or others on the beds of trucks and buses, hanging out the open doors as we chug along to the next stop. You are your own best safety officer, and maybe that is also a positive and responsible lesson. Maybe

So far, we’ve seen no accidents and heard almost no horns. There is a tranquility and acceptance that seems preternatural. People smile a lot, so gracious, cheerful, and courteous to us, the overly entitled. It is all amazing to witness, and it forces me to think. They all seem to know their rules to live by and do so, and when they don’t, they just don’t. I keep thinking of that three-day protest, where a handful of folks held up traffic on multiple streets, and had the cooperation and protection of the municipal police, against whom’s management they were protesting.

I wanted to get a tan, and with abundant sunshine, I thought to work on my laptop with my legs stuck out at sun-receptive angles. Did I get the tan of my youthful desires? The answer is both yes and no. I am brown-legged, but since my skin cells have ditched their former responsibilities, I now have both white patches and brown patches that ooze through the tan portions, creating a pointillistic art form all its own. Apparently, when getting elderly, one gets polka-dotted. Who knew? It’s such an adventure to live this life, don’t you think?

Food is a challenge, and also an interesting experience in that I almost never get what I thought I ordered. Fortunately, we are both pretty omnivorous.

Slowly, both Lew and I are working, trying to add exercise, walking, working some other responsibilities, like commitments, editing, and sleeping full nights of sleep. It’s a full life, even in the slow lane.

Living is the amazing thing, all by itself, without anything else to add-just life!

Big sappy Valentines to all,

Judy