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SAVORING SUNSHINE DOWN MEXICO WAY...
Dear Friends and Family, Old and New, Near and Far:
I opened the computer the other morning and rediscovered this quote which I am also using in my book:
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
Mark Twain
And that's exactly what I'm doing (as if selling my house and studio in Pittsburgh wasn't enough!) In late fall, I spent six weeks in Indiana with Mom and my brothers, then drove to Houston for Christmas with my son. Plan A, to drive nonchalantly into Mexico, was highly discouraged by said son, due to lurid news stories about the border areas. Plan B was to fly to San Miguel de Allende, until I learned that it was cold there in the mountains. So, I opted for the most flexible non-plan I could think of, and bought a one-way ticket to Puerto Vallarta. I'm now absorbing the blue and gold of sun and sky and checking out the pos- sibilities of living near the ocean here in Mexico.
Could this be the place I stay permanently? Without making a snap judgment, I can report that PV has hills, trees, and water, my favorite characteristics in a city, and an intriguing juxta- position of old and new.
Back in 1963 when Liz Taylor and Richard Burton starred in Night of the Iguana here, Puerto Vallarta was a sleepy undeveloped beach town. Now, high rise hotels and condominiums cluster along the coast, while slick nightclubs and restaurants with chairs on the beach nestle next to one another for about 2 miles. If you want glossy and manicured, you can time-share out in Nuevo Vallarta, play golf and sun yourself in the rarified atmosphere of resorts around the world. As for me, I stayed in a hostel for a week and then found an apartment by walking the hills and cobbled streets. Perfect strangers aided my search, and I'm now ensconced in an elegant space, high on a hill. I can even see the ocean, and the golden Hotelito Rolando from the upstairs balcony.
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MAGNETIZED BY PUERTO VALLARTA
In the last newsletter I confessed that the essence of Deer Isle, off the coast of Maine, had seeped into my blood. This may be happening again here in Puerto Vallarta. There are places on the planet where light, geography and perhaps a mysterious invisible energy combine to lure a higher proportion of creative people.
Thanks to good fortune and cosmic coincidence, I continue to meet these dynamic souls, and they are making my stay here highly memorable. Among them: Inna, a Russian design engineer who now dances and teaches tango in Puerto Vallarta; Diego, a percussionist who formerly played with Santana; Ricardo, who both welcomes and guides wanderers at his Vallarta Sun Hostel; Pat, who spent 8 years sailing the world alone, selling her paintings to support her expedition; Donna, who sold everything 10 years ago and has traveled solo with her backpack ever since, teaching English in numerous countries; and Carlos and Claudia, scientists who are dedicating their lives to studying the endangered Military Macaw.
I interviewed them last week, and a few days later, got up before dawn to watch them count macaws high in the sky as they flew sporadically to eat leaves in the mangrove swamp. Since scientific research is underfunded in Mexico, Carlos and Claudia pay most of the expenses themselves, giving ecological programs in schools, and leading tours with local guides, some of whom are reformed poachers. Parrots International has photos and statistics of this declining species, and you can contact Claudia and Carlos through this site for information on how to adopt a nest. Or, write me, and I'll forward it.
I'll close with one of Puerto Vallarta's stunning sunsets which I  hope will warm those of you in the frozen north. I applaud your tenacity in staying there, as I savor this time in the sun.
As always, take care of your special selves, live creatively, cherish those near and dear, and make your dreams a reality.
Elena Hiatt Houlihan
Moving Images
PS: I occasionally add vignettes about my travels to my blog (read how I succumbed to a younger man on arrival!), and I'm now setting up online photo galleries with more scenes of local color in Puerto Vallarta. |
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NOTE: You may be a close friend or relative, someone who's genuinely interested in the continuing saga of my book or my meanderings, a teacher or student I've worked with, an editor I'm trying to impress, a perfect stranger I met briefly on the night bus to Palenque, or had an intense conversation with on the beach at Playa del Carmen, even a temporary tango partner. Perhaps you've forgotten me, but I have not forgotten you! Since I'm NOT making any promises to make you RICH, BRILLIANT or FAMOUS in 5 easy steps (not yet anyway), if my stories and observations don't enliven your day, then hit UNSUBSCRIBE. If you've been forwarded this newsletter, please click below to subscribe. Merci mille fois! Y muchas gracias!
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MUSE BRIEFS:
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I'm now back to traveling for an indefinite time with one suitcase and a rolling computer case, and I can't say I miss much except hugs from my family and the box of condiments I kept in my van. I like to cook, so I'm happy to be in an apartment with a cocina. It's tricky, though, to create flavorful dishes without a drawerful of herbs and spices. I did manage to make a passable balsamic vinaigrette the other day, thanks to help from a friend who located the vinegar. So I was delighted to meet Deborah Brady at the Saturday Farmer's Market. Like Nervous Nellie's on Deer Isle, her Mami Jam label includes both sweet preserves such as mango or rhubarb strawberry, and picante, the hot pepper jelly, now my personal favorite. It's terrific on everything from roast chicken to omelettes, and I confess, sometimes I just eat it with a spoon!
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ART IN PUERTO VALLARTA
Spaced beautifully along the Malecon (beach walkway) here, are numerous bronze sculptures both realistic and fanciful, including mermaids, dolphins and sea horses as well as an elegant senorita being asked to dance by a genteel caballero. 
The colorful swirl of her skirt is a perfect rendition of a performance we saw in the square a week ago where a young folkloric company wowed the crowd with dances from various states in Mexico. Feet flashing and ruffles billowing, they twirled and stamped in rhythms that entwined the traditions of both Spain and Mexico. 
The sculpture is by Jim DeMetro, whom I met briefly at the Wednesday evening art walk and he also created the Mexican washer woman down the beach. See more about Jim and his work on his website.
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