August 3, 2008
Vallarta is like everywhere else, people share bad stuff. They write letters to the editors about bad stuff. The top items on the news programs and on the front page of the big daily papers …are bad stuff. While the good stuff gets relegated to a sound bite at the end of the news program - like an oddity - or a tiny little insert tucked away somewhere in the back pages of the daily paper.
And every time I note this - consciously - it makes me think. Why have so many, many of us chosen to live here? Why would so many, many of us live here for years and years, and sometimes die here, if there weren’t something so very unique, so very extra-special about Vallarta? What IT is, I couldn’t say. We’ve tried to «put our finger on it», to define it, over and over again. Everyone I know has. But like love between two people, IT is something that is ethereal, impalpable, abstract. It’s an overall feeling. It grows on you and before you know it, you find that you’ve joined the rest of the folks who always have something to complain about whenever you meet them, but who all end the conversations with something akin to «Well, this is where we’ve chosen to live, isn’t it?» Yup. This is indeed where we have CHOSEN to live, and the key word here is CHOSEN. We made our decisions as logical, rational, thinking beings. In most cases, the decision was neither a rash nor an impulsive one. We knew what we were getting into, so there is no one to blame …other than ourselves.
Most of us would like to have all the so-called comforts of «back home» but also all the charm and laid back lifestyle we enjoy here. That’s tantamount to having your cake and eating it too. I used to say that it doesn’t happen. But it does, here in Vallarta. And every time the Tribune publishes a letter of complaint from a disappointed visitor, there are literally thousands who go back home thinking that Vallarta is the best! The Tribuna de la Bahía conducts regular polls among tourists at the airport, so I know this to be true. But these contented visitors don’t write to tell us about it.
Many just come back year after year, and tell their friends about everything they loved about Vallarta, and these friends come down and they too fall in love with our little not-so-perfect-all-the-time paradise. Then they buy some time share, or rent a place, and many eventually buy property here, and that is how and why the number of local expatriates keeps on increasing. And then they experience the little trials and tribulations that we all complain about and they start to complain too. However, if you are among the lucky ones who have made Mexican friends down here, and you sit down to chat with them about all this, chances are excellent that they will respond with something like «You think that’s bad? Do you want me to tell you what happened to me when I was in (insert the name of any big city in the U.S., Canada or Europe here)?» And they will counter your experience with the defective ATM machine with another story that is much more hair-raising, if not scary.
And if you’re talking to someone up north who’s complaining about the cold, or the snow or the ice, you tell them «So why don’t you come down here and warm your bones for a while?» And you respond the same way when they tell you how fed up they are with their job, or how inefficient the local/state/federal government is «there», don’t you? I know I do. Because I know that every one of my friends and relatives who has come down here has left refreshed, relaxed, re-energized …and in love with Vallarta.
So what am I getting at here? I guess what I’m saying is that every once in a while, I feel that I have to step back, take a good long look around, maybe close my eyes for a while before re-opening them to see the beauty around me in a more clear, fresh way, and then remember why I fell in love with this place to start with, way back then. So what if the fellow who was supposed to come repair my computer never came? So what if my friend had to wait two weeks to have his refrigerator repaired after being told it would be ready in «a couple of days»? In the grand scheme of things, it really isn’t a big deal.
My friends and I often joke about what we considered to be «big deals» over the years we’ve lived here. Fourteen years ago, it used to be super special prices on toilet paper, then it became the variety of great cheeses the Mexican dairy industry began to market, then the appearance of new ethnic restaurants in town, but then, with the arrival of Sam’s, Wal-Mart and Office Depot, we had to find other topics of conversation …like the fact that, quite often, something we remembered seeing at Sam’s was no longer there the next time we went. That quickly became a common topic (of dissatisfaction) among the local expat community.
World events are something that I try not to touch upon too often in this space, but with all the natural disasters happening around us, like hurricanes, typhoons, earthquakes and floods, I cannot help but think of that movie, «The Day After Tomorrow». And I remember the National Geographic issue with the cover that screamed «Global Warning» in big, big letters, back in 2004. It is filled with satellite photos and glacier core samples, showing the damage we’ve done to our beautiful little blue planet over the last 50 years or so. And then I think of the fight being waged right here in Vallarta by the Ecological Group, and other environmentally-conscious organizations ...and the fact that no one in authority appears to be listening. And then I think of «Soylent Green».
And talking about movies, one of my friends (who shall remain unnamed to protect the «innocents») lent me some of her pirated DVDs she purchased so that I could see the movies that no one else wanted to go see in the theater. Wow! Some of those DVDs are really, but really, bad! I guess that at two bucks a shot, we shouldn’t expect HD quality. Another bit of trivia -which I noticed on the internet- shows Christian Bale at the premier of his Batman movie …in Spain. Over there, they call the movie «Batman: El Caballero Oscuro», i.e.: The Dark Horseman / Gentleman / Knight, as opposed to the title used here in Mexico, which is «Batman: El Caballero de la Noche», i.e.: The Horseman / Gentleman / Knight of the Night. Different countries, different words, different interpretations.
And still on pirated stuff, did you see where China has sold over one million cases of Cerono beer last year? Yes, you read right. The bottles look exactly like the Corona ones, so folks don’t even notice… And I assume that the Corona folks have no recourse at law, otherwise …well, who knows what they could do? By the way, have you got something very special planned for this Friday, the ultra-lucky 08/08/08 day? I guess that if I were a gamblin' man, I would ... Just make sure you have plenty of popcorn and other snacks -and real Corona beer- as you settle in for 10 days of Olympic Games coverage on TV. I wish those beautifully trained athletes a lotta luck as they attempt to survive the incredible levels of air pollution in that part of the world. I don't envy them...
I wish you all a wonderful week. Get out there and enjoy the manta rays and the dolphins in the bay. They are truly a sight to see! Thank you for reading us and …hasta luego! pvmom04@yahoo.com
And every time I note this - consciously - it makes me think. Why have so many, many of us chosen to live here? Why would so many, many of us live here for years and years, and sometimes die here, if there weren’t something so very unique, so very extra-special about Vallarta? What IT is, I couldn’t say. We’ve tried to «put our finger on it», to define it, over and over again. Everyone I know has. But like love between two people, IT is something that is ethereal, impalpable, abstract. It’s an overall feeling. It grows on you and before you know it, you find that you’ve joined the rest of the folks who always have something to complain about whenever you meet them, but who all end the conversations with something akin to «Well, this is where we’ve chosen to live, isn’t it?» Yup. This is indeed where we have CHOSEN to live, and the key word here is CHOSEN. We made our decisions as logical, rational, thinking beings. In most cases, the decision was neither a rash nor an impulsive one. We knew what we were getting into, so there is no one to blame …other than ourselves.
Most of us would like to have all the so-called comforts of «back home» but also all the charm and laid back lifestyle we enjoy here. That’s tantamount to having your cake and eating it too. I used to say that it doesn’t happen. But it does, here in Vallarta. And every time the Tribune publishes a letter of complaint from a disappointed visitor, there are literally thousands who go back home thinking that Vallarta is the best! The Tribuna de la Bahía conducts regular polls among tourists at the airport, so I know this to be true. But these contented visitors don’t write to tell us about it.
Many just come back year after year, and tell their friends about everything they loved about Vallarta, and these friends come down and they too fall in love with our little not-so-perfect-all-the-time paradise. Then they buy some time share, or rent a place, and many eventually buy property here, and that is how and why the number of local expatriates keeps on increasing. And then they experience the little trials and tribulations that we all complain about and they start to complain too. However, if you are among the lucky ones who have made Mexican friends down here, and you sit down to chat with them about all this, chances are excellent that they will respond with something like «You think that’s bad? Do you want me to tell you what happened to me when I was in (insert the name of any big city in the U.S., Canada or Europe here)?» And they will counter your experience with the defective ATM machine with another story that is much more hair-raising, if not scary.
And if you’re talking to someone up north who’s complaining about the cold, or the snow or the ice, you tell them «So why don’t you come down here and warm your bones for a while?» And you respond the same way when they tell you how fed up they are with their job, or how inefficient the local/state/federal government is «there», don’t you? I know I do. Because I know that every one of my friends and relatives who has come down here has left refreshed, relaxed, re-energized …and in love with Vallarta.
So what am I getting at here? I guess what I’m saying is that every once in a while, I feel that I have to step back, take a good long look around, maybe close my eyes for a while before re-opening them to see the beauty around me in a more clear, fresh way, and then remember why I fell in love with this place to start with, way back then. So what if the fellow who was supposed to come repair my computer never came? So what if my friend had to wait two weeks to have his refrigerator repaired after being told it would be ready in «a couple of days»? In the grand scheme of things, it really isn’t a big deal.
My friends and I often joke about what we considered to be «big deals» over the years we’ve lived here. Fourteen years ago, it used to be super special prices on toilet paper, then it became the variety of great cheeses the Mexican dairy industry began to market, then the appearance of new ethnic restaurants in town, but then, with the arrival of Sam’s, Wal-Mart and Office Depot, we had to find other topics of conversation …like the fact that, quite often, something we remembered seeing at Sam’s was no longer there the next time we went. That quickly became a common topic (of dissatisfaction) among the local expat community.
World events are something that I try not to touch upon too often in this space, but with all the natural disasters happening around us, like hurricanes, typhoons, earthquakes and floods, I cannot help but think of that movie, «The Day After Tomorrow». And I remember the National Geographic issue with the cover that screamed «Global Warning» in big, big letters, back in 2004. It is filled with satellite photos and glacier core samples, showing the damage we’ve done to our beautiful little blue planet over the last 50 years or so. And then I think of the fight being waged right here in Vallarta by the Ecological Group, and other environmentally-conscious organizations ...and the fact that no one in authority appears to be listening. And then I think of «Soylent Green».
And talking about movies, one of my friends (who shall remain unnamed to protect the «innocents») lent me some of her pirated DVDs she purchased so that I could see the movies that no one else wanted to go see in the theater. Wow! Some of those DVDs are really, but really, bad! I guess that at two bucks a shot, we shouldn’t expect HD quality. Another bit of trivia -which I noticed on the internet- shows Christian Bale at the premier of his Batman movie …in Spain. Over there, they call the movie «Batman: El Caballero Oscuro», i.e.: The Dark Horseman / Gentleman / Knight, as opposed to the title used here in Mexico, which is «Batman: El Caballero de la Noche», i.e.: The Horseman / Gentleman / Knight of the Night. Different countries, different words, different interpretations.
And still on pirated stuff, did you see where China has sold over one million cases of Cerono beer last year? Yes, you read right. The bottles look exactly like the Corona ones, so folks don’t even notice… And I assume that the Corona folks have no recourse at law, otherwise …well, who knows what they could do? By the way, have you got something very special planned for this Friday, the ultra-lucky 08/08/08 day? I guess that if I were a gamblin' man, I would ... Just make sure you have plenty of popcorn and other snacks -and real Corona beer- as you settle in for 10 days of Olympic Games coverage on TV. I wish those beautifully trained athletes a lotta luck as they attempt to survive the incredible levels of air pollution in that part of the world. I don't envy them...
I wish you all a wonderful week. Get out there and enjoy the manta rays and the dolphins in the bay. They are truly a sight to see! Thank you for reading us and …hasta luego! pvmom04@yahoo.com
posted by Anna Reisman @ 10:48 PM
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