Puerto Vallarta - on the malecon

After much consideration we chose one of the proposed tours then asked directions to the famous Puerto Vallarta Malecon.  It was only a few blocks away so we walked, enjoying the bustling life and traffic in this vibrant city. 

Malecon means something to the effect of “walk along the water," or "walk along the beach," I’m not exactly sure. It seems that every coastal Mexican town and city that I have been in has one, and so far they have all been beautiful.  It is typical that the walk would be paver blocks or tile, with park benches, short concrete walls along the sides, elaborate landscaping, and  bronze statues every so often, mostly with Mexican History themes, along a special stretch of beach or water.  There are usually little shops along the Malecon with specialty foods of all descriptions.  Street vendors sell everything from caramel corn to enormous balloons.  There always seem to be Mexican families out for walks with their kids and grand kids, along with their dogs, their cats, and in one case, their iguana.   It’s not unusual to see three generations of a family walking, talking, enjoying the malecon, and eating junk food together.  It is a beautiful sight.  The family values of the Mexican people are to be envied. 

The Malecon of Puerto Vallarta met and exceeded any standard that I had for malecons.  It was big, trim,  neat and elaborately designed. The beach was beautiful, the statues magnificent, and crowded with people having a good time.  There were mariachi bands, duets, and single musicians all along the way, contributing music to the already delightful atmosphere of the walk.  The shops were first rate and sold anything that any tourist might ever want to take home with him, from clothing, leather jackets, food, booze, jewelry and beach toys, to the absolutely greatest array of junk one could ever imagine.  We took pictures of everything, and wallowed in the delights that were the Malecon.

There was one other thing that Sharon had read about that she wanted to see, and that was the lighthouse at the Puerto Vallarta Marina.  We had seen several busses with Marina written on their windshields, so not knowing exactly how far it was away, we decided to catch a bus, rather than trying to walk, and I was glad that we did, because it was a long way. 

When we finally got there, it was no problem to find the lighthouse after we found the Marina, but it was closed, locked up, and we could not get inside.  The Puerto Vallarta Marina was amazing.  There is no telling what it would cost to keep a boat in this marina.  It is truly an international marina, with boats from all over the world, and not small boats.  These were major, ocean going mega yachts, floating condos, agua estates.  I doubt that any boat in the marina cost less than a couple of million dollars, and I can’t even fathom what the most expensive would be.  This place was fully top drawer, first rate, elite, and well done.  This whole side of town and totally surrounding the marina, were huge, gorgeous condos and apartments, with doormen, and valets walking all around, and people wearing furs climbing into limousines.  Boy, did I feel out of place.  Country mouse gone to town. 

There was a malecon like walkway all around the marina and along the walkway were shops and restaurants, end to end forever.   Behind the shops and overlooking the malecon were apartments and condos, with balconies that hung out over the shops, with views that probably included the entirety of Banderas Bay.  We decided that we would walk around the marina, and look at it all.  It was a most pleasant stroll, and we stopped once to have a beer and savor the sights.  The beers were 100 pesos each, a little less than ten dollars, so we decided that we would just buy some bottled water at the tienda. 

Along the malecon, there were signs mounted all along the way, as one would expect in a facility like this, but one in particular caught our attention.  Translated, it said “Beware of the Crocodiles”.  We laughed, but after thinking about it, asked a security guard, if that was a serious sign, and he said “Yes”.  The crocs come up into the marina on a frequent basis, especially at night, from the estuary that is the entrance to the marina, and sometimes can be seen walking down the malecon.   That could make for an interesting midnight stroll through the marina.

Near the end of the marina, the sea wall changed from a concrete wall to one of rip rap, or large rocks laid on a slope.  Lying right on the malecon, sunning himself, with his eyes closed, was this 5 foot long iguana.  It is not unusual to see an iguana along this type of rock wall anywhere, but this boy was big and friendly, because as Sharon approached him to take his picture, he walked right up to her, not afraid of her at all.  He looked like a little puppy wanting his head rubbed and Sharon got some real good close ups.  A security guard came up behind Sharon, with a big smile on his face and a hand full of flowers.  “This is what he wants, Senorita”, and handed the flowers to Sharon.  Sure enough, that iguana was almost standing on his back legs and ate the flowers right out of Sharon’s hand.  He was really cute.  If he had been a little smaller, I would have taken him home in my back pack, but he would not fit in, and besides, I figured he would eat me if I tried to pick him up.