Sunrise, Photography, PV, and more

I was lucky enough to wake up early for a spectacular sunrise over the mountains right down my street here in Guayabitos this Sunday. From where our house sits having no windows on 2 sides of the house (connected to another house on one side and a wall on the other), I wouldn't have known about those gorgeous clouds if I had not stepped out on my back patio and looked up (the patio is entirely wall also). I ran out to the street in front and quickly got my camera and was hurriedly capturing the lovely colors before they quickly disappeared...Just fleeting moments of beauty one has to be present for in the day, if they are to be captured in the camera.

In Puerto Vallarta we stayed at Hotel Villa del Mar again, in Old Town (Romantic Zone) for its convenience and reasonable price. According to Moon Handbook, its longtime loyal patrons swear by it as the one remnant of Puerto Vallarta "like it used to be". (We still love the Hotel Rosita situated at the beginning of the Malecon on the ocean with swimming pool and restaurant, but it is not in the Old Town.) On the same block as Villa del Mar are several other economy hotels: Yasmin, Analiz, Bernal, and Cartagena all mostly under $50. Our room with a window facing the street was about $30 including tax, and other rooms with interior locations are under $30. Just a couple blocks away is the Cinema Theatre, and the river "Rio Cuale".

The view from our room was of a small mountain in the background, and apartment buildings with laundry hanging from colorful clothespins. At night there is some traffic noise for awhile, so we come prepared with ear plugs, so it is not really a problem. Nearby are many good restaurants, and we chose to eat Falafel that night. The pita bread was made fresh in front of us as we waited for our meal. Served warm and fresh, the pita was the best I've ever had anywhere. We walked from there down to the ocean to an outdoor restaurant "Cuates y Cuetes" near the pier to listen to some live music.


Saturday I spent walking up and down the hills doing photography with my digital camera and my Polaroid SX70. Since Polaroid stopped making SX70 film (the only one capable of being manipulated) I bought up quite a bit of it, and now I must use it regularly before its too late and it is no good. I sat in front of the beautiful Guadalupe Church listening to the singing inside during services, and got out my little wooden stick Victor carved for me ages ago, when I had no other tools to manipulate my polaroid instant photo. I proceeded to manipulate the emulsion under the mylar of several pictures. One included this shot of this couple after the wedding (bridesmaid in a golden dress and groomsman?)

Sitting for a long time will eventually bring an opportunity for a candid shot. Here is a common scene throughout Mexico, a display of passion in public, especially by young lovers. It is much more prevalent here than in the United States for sure...and at first when moving here, it was a noticeable thing, now it is so common I hardly take notice, except for this day by the church, with the poor lady eating next to them.

One difference between the States and Mexico that I like is the "old". The buildings, the architecture, and the history. After living nearly 60 years in the United States, it is fun and refreshing to be in a country so close to my old home (U.S) that is so different. One needn't travel far across an ocean to Europe to discover other cultures, languages, food, architecture, music, dance and art. It is all right here south of the U.S. border! For all of you who have been afraid to travel in Mexico, afraid to tour via automobile, have only visited beach all-inclusive resorts, or who have never left the coastline and traveled to the interior, I highly recommend exploring this vast country full of natural beauty and fascinating old colonial cities. I only wish I had started a long time ago. But now I have many years to visit the many more places in Mexico such as Guanajuato, San Miguel de Allende, Lake Patzcuaro in Michoacan, Chiapas, Veracruz, and much more.

An excellent Mexico guidebook is Insight Guides. All the beautiful colorful photographs will lure you and give you "insight" to the variety of places to visit in Mexico. I like Lonely Planet and Moon Handbook for their quantity of information and detail, but to really get a feel for a place, I think photographs are a must and Mexico Insight Guides does a great job.

Time to get dressed and go for a beach walk. See you later.