My Mexican Vacation --Part 2 with pictures.

We had such a fantastic time in Puerto Vallarta I didn’t want to come home. As a tourist, you’ve got your choice of cruises, jungle tours, festival!, shopping/haggling, hiking, fishing, snorkeling, paragliding, and my favorite-- just taking it easy on the beach. Night life thrums along the beach until well past 3am. Few, if any, activities require hearing. This was taken at Festival!

Most of the Mexicans we encountered in the city knew some English so we could get around OK. If you can’t hear, I suggest using pen and paper. They are eager to communicate and don‘t look down on you if you‘re Deaf. I’d like to thank Anonymous who commented to my previous post about the differences between sordO and sordA-- male vs. female deaf people. Just point to your ear when you say it. They’ll figure it out. They are used to talking to people who don’t speak the language and are open minded about mistakes.

Here are some things you might want to know.
*Food-- There was a surprising variety and it was tasty. I say the variety was a surprise because the only other touristy spot I’ve been to was Cabo which is quite a bit smaller and doesn‘t offer the food choices. Real Mexican food is not covered with cheese. Their mainstay on the coast is fish. They also eat a LOT of vegetables, so if you order a burrito or fajita, expect half a plate of marinated veggies, guacamole, and a teeny amount of cheese--if any. American hamburgers and sandwiches are popular, as well as coffee/internet cafes. One place offered a number of tasty fruit smoothies. Tropical fruits are abundant and always in season. BBQ is popular too. The second most well-liked ethnic food was Italian. Pizza and Pasta restaurants were everywhere. We also found an Asian restaurant, though we didn’t eat there. Two buffets offered tiramisu for dessert. As a vegetarian, I pretty much stuck to salads, veggie sandwiches, pastas and Mexican meatless dishes. Service was slow. One time we waited an hour for pizza. A half-hour or more was typical. We almost always had to ask for our bill when we were through eating. You can eat just forty feet from the waves right on the beach at night. They bring out a torch for light.

*Bathrooms. Learn the word baño. You will need to ask where it is when you are out because it won‘t be obvious. Sometimes you will see the international signs with a woman in a dress or a man. Other times you won‘t. Be careful. Banos are not always clearly labeled.

*Tours-- Don’t expect Deaf accommodations. Don’t expect safety accommodations. We rarely found a working seat belt. Don’t expect anyone to be on time. You’re not in Amerika.

Here is an example. . . We were told to be at the San Marino hotel at 9:10 am for our El Eden Jungle Tour. By 10:10am, my husband asked the concierge for the 20th time, “Are you SURE they’re coming?” The previous 19 times he had been told they were sometimes “late.” No worries. But this time the concierge called and was informed we were to be sent by taxi to another hotel. The Jungle Tour company paid our taxi fare. Somehow there had been a mix-up. No explanation. Just lots of rapid serious Spanish discussion on the phone, hurried driving to get the Americans to the right spot, then smiling and nodding as we took our seat on the bus.

From the hotel we suffered through a hair-raising bus ride up a narrow, rutted, mountainous dirt road with hairpin turns and unguarded cliff edges. At times when another vehicle needed to pass in the opposite direction we balanced just inches from 500 foot drops offs. I wished I had not chosen a window seat.

Our tour guide talked non-stop switching back and forth easily between Spanish and English. I couldn’t understand either language.

By the time we reached the top I was sick with headache and nausea, and popped a pill I keep on hand for pounding migraines. When the tour guide asked if anyone was up for a hike in the jungle, I said yes. Migraines are caused by constricted blood vessels to the brain. Often exercise will open up the blood vessels. No amount of medication will help when blood vessels are constricted. So up we hiked to a pristine waterfall where cool mountain springs pooled invitingly at the bottom of smooth rocks. Since I wore my bathing suit under my clothing, I stripped happily, and took a dip. This was probably the highlight of the entire trip for me.

Our guide gave me some medical advice -- "When your feet are not the same temperature as your head, it can cause sore throat with the tonsil and headache, so you muss dip your head in the water, Seniora.” At first I refused because I had on my glasses. It’s bad enough to go swimming without hearing aids, but to take off my glasses too, well then I can’t see either and that was asking too much!!

Finally, at his insistence, I dipped. And damn he was right!! My headache went away instantly! I’ve been seeing an expensive neurologist who hasn’t been able figure out my headaches. So remember this little bit of Mestizo wisdom--make sure your feet and head are always the same temperature. The smiling picture of me above was taken as I was getting out of the jungle spring feeling refreshed and headache free!


On the way back, we stopped into a tequila tasting room. Fun, fun, fun!That's my husband posing with hundreds of bottles of tequila. I didn't taste because I didn't want to push my luck after curing the headache.

Another great tour was Rhythms of the Night, which included boat cruise, open bar, food, Native dancing to Aztec type drum music, and romantic open air candlelight dinner in the jungle. We got lucky and timed it on the same night as the full moon. It couldn’t have been more beautiful or romantic.

We also went to a Festival! This included music and dance floor; traditional Mexican folk dancing; drinks; a dancing horse; games such as a contest of female volunteers who had to sing while gargling tequila; fireworks; buffet; piñata; drinks and they make balloon hats for you; dancing; and more drinks! It’s essentially a fun, fun party. Did I mention drinks? Here we are in our hats.

The rest of the time we hung out on the beach, swam in the ocean and walked around the town, did a little shopping. . . I couldn't believe this pelican let me get so close to him!

The temperatures hovered around 90 degrees during the day and 75 at night. The ocean felt perfect, with the water temp maybe upper-70s? The beach slopes off quickly so the waves come in strong, but it's not trecherous once you get past the shore waves and great for body surfing if you're so inclined. I enjoyed bobbing around in the water for awhile each day to cool off. I am a good swimmer and not afraid of the ocean since I grew up on a beach.

We stayed just off Playa de los Muertos in Old Town, where there were cobbled streets and flowers hanging from every window. Old Town is romantic, safe, and we could walk to just about all the tourist hot spots from there, so it was a great location.