Cruise Ships and a Settled LIfe

I watched one of the gigantic cruise ships that arrive in Vallarta as it made its way into port early this morning. As it came near to the shore it moved along parallel to the developments on the northern side of the bay. Because it was barely dawn the brightness of its lights made each manoeuvre clear against the shore and the sky behind. A tiny boat (from my perspective) raced out to meet it, delivering the mandatory local pilot to assist in guiding the ship into harbour. Its duty accomplished, the pilot boat turned and headed back into port, followed slowly by the giant in its wake. Slipping into the marina area, the ship turned on its axis toward the north, soon exhibiting only its well-lit stern. As the forward portions of its body disappeared into the surrounding trees, the process resembled the slow ingestion of an animal by an enormous boa constrictor. Finally all that could be seen was the top-most portion of the ship’s superstructure, still brightly lit against the lightening sky. Within moments even that was gone as the creature settled into its berth to rest for a day. Soon its belly will open and hundreds of its denizens will be disgorged into the town to sample the local pleasures.

Living in Puerto Vallarta is a far different experience than visiting here. If you come for a week or two or three, you are assailed by its beauty, by the contrast to the weather that you have left behind, by the excitement and fun to be had, and by the depth of relaxation that is available under the warm and sleepy sun. Being here for a longer term, especially being here in a self-contained apartment in the old town rather than in an all-inclusive room out in the hotel zone, is entirely another experience. This is the ninth time that Mark and I have stayed in Puerto Vallarta. The range of visit periods and places stayed is wide.

Our briefest stay was two nights: we were on a Gap Adventures tour of colonial Mexico, visiting Mexico City, Taxco, Acapulco, Vallarta, Guadalahara, Guanajuato, and back to Mexico City. We had a room at the nearby Posada de Rogers, a small hotel facing onto Badillo. We have come for quicky all-inclusive weeks at the Costa Club, the Holiday Inn, and the Hacienda Hotel. And, we have rented apartments at the Encino Hotel right on the Cuale river; at a place high up off Jacaranda St; another place a block up a steep hill right by the main strip of Olas Altas; another at the upper end of Olas Altas; and, one other further up the Cuale, a lovely apartment but further from the ocean than we wanted. Our stay at these places has varied from ten days to a month.

Last year though we were in Vallarta for two months we were unable to secure our first apartment for the second month, which necessitated a move half way through our visit to a new location, giving us a new set of conditions to become accommodated to. While here, we looked for and found an apartment for this year where we could be at the ocean, in the old town, and with secure tenure. We have been here for almost two months and have another yet to go. Being here so steadily is an experience that I have not enjoyed for a very long time. Mark and I purchased our cottage in Orillia just over 15 years ago. Since, we have led a split existence: Monday morning to Thursday evening in Toronto; Thursday evening to Monday morning in Orillia: moving house twice every week. For the past year I have been hoping to bring this situation to an end. Both the Toronto house and the condo in Orillia have been on the market for a very long time. Neither was an easy sell, each because of its own peculiarities. Prospective buyers loved each of these when they came to see them, but for various reasons they would not work for them. My desire has been to sell both and to move back down to what I consider my neighbourhood – the Bloor/Annex area.

Happily the house in Toronto has sold (hallelujah!) and the condo is now rented. Our peripatetic life is coming to an end. When we return to Toronto we will have a couple of weeks to prepare for our move to Major St, where we will settle in for an uninterrupted existence such as we have here. Well, not exactly as we have here. But Toronto, and especially my Annex neighbourhood Toronto, contains many joys and pleasures that I look forward to immensely. It won’t be a perch at the edge of the wild Pacific but it promises a happiness particularly its own. I won’t at all mind the new style of moving home that I plan for at least the next few years: Toronto for spring, summer, and fall; Vallarta for the winter. What joy!