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December 15, 2002.
 It's
that time of year …again. (And every time it comes around, I am still amazed
at how fast the weeks and the months fly by as we get older.) At our house, this
is the time when our front door turns into a revolving door. I admit we don't
have a smartly-dressed doorman to open it for our seemingly continuous stream
of house guests, but we do have two dogs who are more than happy to bark when
they arrive and jump on them when they come in, licking them for all it's worth.
It may not be Gran Turismo, but it's home. Ever since I moved
here, it has given me great pleasure to invite all my friends from the Great White
North to come down and "warm their bones" here during the winter season.
And most of them have taken me up on my invitation. Some of them came down a few
times and then ended up moving here for good - just like I did. But those who
still live up there in the cold and the snow and the ice most often cannot get
away at any other time than the holidays, whether because of their jobs or their
children's school schedule. Last year, I had a mini-rush at one point, the kind
that comes when a child -or a niece in this case- calls to ask, "Hi. Do you
mind if I bring some friends with me when I come down tomorrow?" "No,
of course not, dear," I answer as I get my car keys ready to run out to Sam's
Club to buy an inflatable mattress …and more food. So
now my "guest registration book" is full until mid-January - so far.
Unfortunately, it's more than I can say for some of the hotels in town. It appears
that a large number of travel agents up north are telling their clients not to
come down here because "Vallarta was destroyed by the hurricane." I
know I've often commented on this in the past, but maybe it is because I truly
don't understand the mentality of those people. One would think that being involved
in the tourist industry, they would do their job and investigate what is truth
and what is fiction with regards to the destinations they recommend to their clients.
Like when Hurricane Paulina devastated Acapulco a few years back. Just
because CNN said that "the entire coastline along the Mexican Riviera has
been destroyed," the season in Manzanillo, Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan was
destroyed. Notwithstanding the fact that not one of the three beach destinations
saw as much as a cloud during Paulina's passage, CNN went on to make matters worse,
stating that "all the airports are closed." Did any one of those travel
agents who cancelled their clients' reservations check out the facts? Obviously
not. And now it's happening again. At least my fellow
Canadians don't seem to have been so badly brainwashed by the world's Number One
TV network. My friend who knows "everything" about the Canadian charter
airlines tells me that there are some 35 flights a week scheduled to start arriving
as of this coming weekend, all full. That could be excellent news for this town
that has suffered so much since September 11th, were it not for the fact that
more than half of those new arrivals are booked in the hotels of Nuevo Vallarta
instead of Puerto Vallarta. Obviously those folks out there have done some great
advertising…  I
watched a segment of a documentary on Cuba last week. It showed how some poor
Cubans were being arrested for "owning" a car. I didn't know it, but
Cubans are not allowed to own cars, unless they are government people. And there
are very few buses, so they showed how folks had to line up and wait for hours
on end for a bus that had enough room for them to board. Why doesn't Puerto Vallarta
ship half of its fleet of buses to Cuba? It would bring in money for the city
coffers and we wouldn't have to watch them all racing through our streets, empty,
making so much noise and causing so much pollution.
Last
week may have been a nightmare for motorists, but it was an absolute delight for
anyone interested in seeing the realization of Mexico's most important tradition
- the processions (pilgrimages) in honour of Mexico's patron saint, the Virgin
of Guadalupe. The streets were filled with pilgrims dressed in the most beautiful
costumes, chanting the most beautiful songs. By the way, the photos we've inserted
on this page were sent to us by one of this publication's faithful readers and
sometime collaborator, Bernie Santos - not by yours truly. I'm just sorry that
you cannot admire them in full colour as they are stunning! Personally, after
the first few years, I decided to watch the processions from my own little hideaway
higher up so as not to get squished by the throngs of people… And I absolutely
love the fireworks! I've never gotten tired of them, not even after all these
years, not even the ones we are treated to every night, launched off the deck
of the Marigalante "pirate" ship. Maybe, like a friend of mine commented
once, it's the child in me that refuses to grow up. As
I'm writing this, I've got ESPN on my TV and I have to tell you, dear readers,
that for an absolute non-golfer like myself, it is very exciting to see what a
wonderful job they're doing with their coverage of the EMC2 World Cup, broadcast
live, from our very own little paradise of Puerto Vallarta. And the whole world
(well, at least 140 countries…) can see what a gorgeous place this is. I
have to admit that I don't remember the last time I ever turned on ESPN… I
wish you all a wonderful, sunny week, and I believe that it matters not where
or how you choose to share your good fortune, as long as you do it, especially
at this time of year. Hasta Luego! pvmomto3@hotmail.com Archives
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