Turquoise seas, pink Hibiscus, blazes of yellow amidst dusty landscapes, tablecloths in every colour of the rainbow – and then some, vivid costumes and vibrant streets festooned with colourful flags sums up our recent vacation. WordPress’s weekly photo challenge of Color couldn’t have come at a better time.
Nuevo Vallarta is the all-inclusive tourist zone outside of Puerto Vallarta city. It’s the perfect spot for those who want a beach vacation away from city hustle and bustle, but is easily accessible to all tours, activities, and market towns.
There’s been a lot of bad press about Mexico recently – an economic recession combined with H1N1, and drug cartels massacres. (A drug war in Tijuana, or Mexico City is translated to ‘Mexico is unsafe’.) Puerto Vallarta’s tourism trade has dropped 60% or more in the past five years. Even cruise ship dockings are down.
Since our 2009 visit, there’s been a vast increase of ‘for sale/rent’ signs, empty storefronts and abandoned buildings. That said, Puerto Vallarta, while not without crime, is safer than most US cities. (We left a very expensive camera in our transport van last time and it was returned to us – other friends had their wallet returned intact…)
Our visit was thoroughly enjoyable – safety issues non-existent. We didn’t hide in our resort by a longshot – horseback riding into remote mountain areas, a zipline trek in the PV area, a trip into the Sierra Madres to visit the picturesque historical town of San Sebastian Del Oeste and a somewhat hair-raising water taxi journey from Nuevo Vallarta over to the stunning Los Muertos pier. (Outbound in calm morning seas was fine, return in an open skiff across a bay with 2-3 foot swells is for the thrill seekers!)
So if you’re contemplating a tropical vacation, don’t rule out this colourful paradise…
The ever rambling thoughts of Suzan McEvoy 