A “Photo Hike” through Puerto Vallarta; Part I
One of my favorite days began on an uncomfortably crowded bus in Nuevo Vallarta.
I planned to travel from “Nuevo”, in the state of Nayarit, Mexico to Puerto Vallarta in Jalisco, 
a simple slide down and around the crescent Bay of Banderas with a moderately challenging bus transfer near the WalMart. Already in the midst of a major life re-alignment, I simply grabbed a couple of maps with my camera and figured that I’d find my path as it appeared.
This was an absolutely amazing day. The people I met, the vignettes that played out before me… As the sun plunged back into the sea, I remember thinking, “Wait! I was going to have a fish taco!” Too late, though. By then, I was racing to catch the last bus home from the depot; a “Cinderella at midnight” moment but with flip flops and a pretty nice sun tan…
Ok. Me and my camera… I hopped my bus that morning and immediately met Jessie, young mom of Isabel. Jessie was riding to her office job, in a bit of a struggle to support her baby and her husband as he looked for a sales position. I was both an encouraging ear and her “English practice” for the length of her bus ride. We developed a mutual admiration, sharing the common bonds of motherhood and a curiousity about the worlds beyond our own. A couple of guitarists in the back aisle of our bus generated a surprisingly energetic sing-a-long that seemed to revive even the most bleary-eyed commuter. I knew “Stand By Me”, the only song sung in English, and picked up what Spanish phrases I could in the rest… It was fun.
Jessie and I would have enjoyed chatting a few more minutes. She spent the last couple looking over my map and haltingly advising me on my pending transfer. She made a slow exit at her stop, telling me that she hoped we’d meet again. An unlikely event, I knew, but sweet to hope for… In what felt almost like a benediction, she pronounced me “very kind”, and said that she knew I’d meet many nice people that day.
She was right. 
That’s usually the best part of travel for me… The random exchanges with individuals just slightly removed from their own “usual”.
There were a couple of high school kids from Chicago then… Mom held the grocery list and a short leash on the schedule. The daughter was on the cusp of college selection and brimmed with her own possibilities. Her younger brother was deeply troubled by the bull-fighting phenomenon his bi-lingual, 70-ish grandmother found so captivating. He traded seats to better converse with me. We talked about a lot of things but always slid back to the bull-fighting. I silently sided with him, praying she wouldn’t compel him to watch another blood-bath on their annual vacation. One grandma’s “art” form; one grandson’s garish nightmare… We’re all made so differently, aren’t we?
There’s more. Much more…
A “Favorite Day” in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco (Part Two)
*I’m headed out-of-town in the next couple of days on another one of those long drives that I find so challenging. However, my oldest son does have his temporary driving permit now, so it should be much easier this time (right?)…
I’m looking forward to hearing more.
(And I think COTA would do well to employ musicians and encourage sing-a-longs on their buses. Everybody in town knows Hang on Sloopy — they could do that one at the top of every hour. (Your central-Ohio readers are singing it now.))
Thanks Delmer! Don’t know that I could stomach “Hang on Sloopy” being the U of M fan that I am… (sigh) (Not ready to be a “non-fan” like you but ready for a better year)(!!!)
Headed to NC with a carload of kids in the a.m. Now, there’s an opportunity for some musical bonding! Any requests?