The Cobblestone Chronicles
Loving Living in Vallarta-Nayarit, Mexico
Today the Cobblestone Chronicles begin. I had been mulling the idea of a blog about our beloved Banderas Bay region for some time. Mañana* has arrived, it seems. My goal is to give a sense of what daily life’s like here, in the hope that you’ll come visit someday, and enjoy the wonders that VallartaNayarit has to offer. Pure and simple- we love it here, and we love to share the place. If you’ve seen the recent ad campaign, www.youtube.com/watch?v=v102xMIZzEk you’ve seen the Hollywood version of our region. While the promotion is accurate, there’s so much more of the real Mexico for real people to enjoy, here in Vallarta-Nayarit. The Cobblestone Chronicles will not attempt to be a one-stop-shop, where you’ll find everything you need to know about living in Vallarta-Nayarit. Instead, we’ll mostly focus on the people we encounter, and the experiences we share. Occasionally we’ll drop in a helpful link like the one above, to expand on an idea or issue. Why Cobblestone Chronicles? Well, it sounds kinda cool, I think. And it represents the reality that many, though certainly not all of the roads in the region, are paved in rounded stones set (sometimes) in a bed of concrete, cheap, and easy to repair after digging up a water line. Of course, main roads and highways are asphalt or concrete, and many towns now feature one or two main streets of stamped concrete- a welcome compromise; between rustic (but sometimes bone-rattling) cobblestones and the smoother ride of concrete. I’m a big fan of the stamped concrete. The reality though, is that the cobblestone roads slow you down. Which is something VallartaNayarit is really good at. Fast-paced (relatively) Guadalajara is but a few hours’ drive away, and we really recommend an excursion there. But here on the pacific (pa·cif·ic adj: tending to make or preserve peace) coast of Mexico............ we like it slow.
Having been here almost five years, (a brief history: www.villaamordelmar.com/about/the-hosts/ ) we are pretty good at spotting recent arrivals to the region. Like us before them, they can tend to be pretty wound-up and stressed when:
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The meal doesn’t arrive four minutes after being ordered, and it tastes different than at Denny’s back home.
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The tradesman who said he’d be there at 9 AM doesn’t arrive until 10:30
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Et cetera
I won’t bore you with the list of things you’ll find different here, and I sure don’t want to sound all “superior”. We also noticed, and complained about these frustrations when we first arrived. Local expats just looked at us, like patient and loving parents, and smiled as if to say “it’s OK, we’ve all been there. You seem like nice people- you’ll get it someday” And someday we got it indeed. We knew we had mellowed out a bunch, when my visiting sister Diane pointed to yours truly, and demanded of Cindy: “Who is this man, and what have you done with my brother?” For those unfamiliar with the area, some basic facts: The recently coined name Vallarta-Nayarit was, in my opinion, a stroke of genius by the powers that be. It expresses the connection between well-known Puerto Vallarta, the northern-most coastal town in the state of Jalisco, and Riviera Nayarit, the southern-most coastal region of the state of Nayarit. It’s now one big (OK, medium sized) socio-economic region, the melding together of many rural pueblos (villages) and urban colonias. (neighborhoods) Basically, the sister-regions share the coastline of the world’s second largest natural bay, the Bahia de Banderas (Bay of Flags). Additionally, along the outer coast and to the north, towns like Sayulita, San Pancho, Lo de Marcos, Rincon de Guayabitos, Chacala, and San Blas are included. Go ahead and “Google” any one of those for more information. Now in the interest of full disclosure, and in case I am accused of painting too perfect a picture of our adopted home, I must address the issue of personal safety. I will do this once only, on the assumption that the reader has heard more than enough fear mongering; either from the media on a slow news day, or from a wise sister or brother in-law who has read something on the internet. Mexico is a country. Like many countries it is large, and has many regions. Jalisco and Nayarit are states, and like many states also have numerous regions. In the case of Jalisco, it has a big region/city called Guadalajara, with a population of about 4 million people, 3,998,234 of whom are mostly quite nice. The other 766 of them are really mean. Guadalajara is about 4 hrs away, depending who is driving. Twothirds of the distance is travelled on a 4-lane world class toll-highway. In Mexico, you have far more chance of grievous (or worse) harm on the winding mountain road that comprises the remainder of that route, than harm at the hand of your average Mexican citizen. So if you drive it, drive very carefully All other risks to your person or pocket will be outlined in my next book “Stupid and Otherwise Ignorant Tourist Tricks” which you can try in any country in the world. These tricks include: #1 Being involved with criminal persons or activities. #13: Being drunk and talking very loudly in a “locals” bar as you flash around your money, #26: Wearing all the bling you own as you walk alone down a dark alley in a part of town you have no idea about; and my all time favorite, #39: Suspending all the common sense you would have applied back home, and blindly giving your money to “your new Mexican friend” or, (even worse, and much more common), to someone who is a Canadian/American/Brit (or otherwise of your own culture) and therefore OBVIOUSLY trustworthy . As the book said “All you ever needed to know you learned in kindergarten”. Conclusion: Vallarta Nayarit, like most of the country, is safe, safe, safe. OK- I mighta got a little carried away. Let’s face it. For all of us, the first time somewhere new can be a daunting experience. The faces are different, the colors, smells, and flavors are different. Then there’s the language. Egg is huevo, cheese is queso. As Steve Martin might have said “THESE MEXICANS have a DIFFERENT WORD for EVERYTHING!” Fear not, amigo. We are here to welcome and adopt you, as we were welcomed and adopted by the expats who preceded us. There’s a strong pay-it-forward philosophy here. The local gringo** expat community is very supportive of new arrivals- we share intelligence on the best butchers, bakers, and candle-stick makers. (Immigration consultants, realtors, mechanics, veterinarians and chiropractors too.) Plus there are both Canadian and US consular agencies here in Vallarta-Nayarit. I have mixed feelings about the (3) WalMarts, the (2) Sam’s Clubs, Home Depot, Costco, the Multiplex theatres and numerous Starbucks and McDonalds that ”grace” our region, but I must confess, I have darkened all their doors in search of a comfort from home from time to time. I mean... let’s be McReasonable, and take it one step at a time!
Hasta la proxima! (until the next [time]) Chris
*We have learned from experience that, contrary to what you may have heard, mañana doesn’t necessarily mean tomorrow. It just means not today. And we’ve learned to be OK with that. ** The name Gringo is generally applied to US Citizens, but “you all look the same to me” says Juan Carlos, so for ease of reference I toss all the Canucks, Yanks, Brits and other Euro-folk into the same bucket.
Chris and Cindy Bouchard semi-semi-retired to the Puerto Vallarta area in 2009. Chris chris@domusvallarta.com is an area real estate agent, and Cindy cindy@villaamordelmar.com runs their beachfront boutique inn, Villa Amor del Mar. Come play with us!