Here I was, sipping a margarita, looking out at a perfect azure sea, with the wind in my hair as the yacht sped towards Islas Marietas, looming in the distance, leaving the shores of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico behind and suddenly I heard…
‘Tune maari entriyaan re
Dil mein baji ghantiyaan re
Tang tang tang…’
Given how much I love cheesy Bollywood songs, this was literally music to my ears, and fit almost perfectly into the fabulous box of surprises Mexico was proving to be, in just my first weekend here.
It had started off on a rather ridiculous note. We had missed our bus despite reaching the bus stop well in time because the bus decided to leave 15 minutes early while we were enjoying a cup of coffee. Though we got a later bus, we lost half a day of our already brief weekend trip. Not great for someone like me, who basically plans every minute of every trip.
But once we left the city, I forgot all my irritation and fretting. The drive from Guadalajara to Puerto Vallarta, about 7 hours by bus, is truly beautiful, passing by fields of blue agave (from which tequila’s smoky cousin mezcal is made), colorful little villages and rolling hills.
When we finally reached Puerto Vallarta, it was 5pm. Since we couldn’t do much else that night we walked down to the pier at Playa Los Muertos (Beach of the Dead) and then watched the sunset while sipping cocktails out of coconuts at a bar on the beach.
The next morning, we woke up at the crack of dawn and after a quick detour to the wrong port, we joined our tour group (Vallarta Adventures) for a day cruise to Marietas Islands.
But there was another unpleasant surprise in store. Our guide addressed the group and said,
‘I would like to make it very clear that this tour does NOT include Hidden Beach.’
Excuse me?
No Hidden Beach?
You’ll understand why I was shocked when I show you that this is what Playa Del Amor, also known as Hidden Beach looks like-
I know, right?
It was literally what I had been dreaming about since the day I started planning to come to Mexico. It was also pretty much the main reason for booking this cruise.
The instructor then informed us that those who wished to go on the separate Hidden Beach tour could get their tickets rescheduled but not refunded. Since we were to leave the next day that wasn’t an option for us so it looked like I had to go on this one.
I wasn’t too happy about this and I looked it. The instructor took one look at my sulking face and told me that I wasn’t allowed to mope on his boat if I had decided to come along. Reluctantly trying to crack a smile, I got on board.
Half an hour later, with much some support from an endless flow of margaritas from the open bar and the chattery, laughing crew playing Bollywood songs for me, I was extremely happy with my decision.
Soon we could see Islas Marietas (Marietas Islands) across an ocean that was some perfect shade of blue that I don’t really know the name for but jumped right into as soon as the boat anchored.
Islas Marietas is an uninhabited archipelago formed by underwater volcanic eruptions, off the coast of Nayarit, Mexico and its history is very closely related to the history of the founding peoples of Bahia de Banderas (Banderas Bay) since pre-Hispanic times. But its role in local history is somewhat unclear. According to some sources, these islands were “Formerly used as an Indian slaughterhouse” while others refer to the islands as important “pearl feeders” from where pearls were then exported to Europe. It is also rumored to have been a hideout for pirates.
The name Marietas first showed up in a map drawn up in 1797. The location of these islands being used as a fishing site dates back to around 1935 where shark fishermen camps were set up for the capture and extraction of liver oil, which was very valuable at the time of World War II as a complement Vitaminic for the soldiers.
In 2005 it was declared as a Natural Protected Area under the category of National Park.
This helped in protecting and reviving its natural beauty and marine ecosystem. Years later, I could enjoy the fruits of this conservation because as soon as I put on my snorkel mask and looked underwater I was surrounded by colorful fish of all shapes and sizes. I snorkeled past huge coral rocks as I swam after them. To be honest they didn’t need much chasing. Maybe because this is a popular spot for snorkeling, the fish didn’t seem particularly perturbed by us humans. A number of them swam up close, flitting around my mask happily. Or inquisitively. No way to tell.
I finally surfaced, and as I floated around on my back, soaking in the sun, I saw a flock of brown and white birds flying overhead, with bright blue feet tucked into their feathers. As cute and peculiar as their name, these rare birds usually be spotted only here or in the Galapagos Islands.
The rest of the day was straight out of a dream, consisting of another private island, volleyball, paddleboarding, and a spirited dance performance by the cute crew members on the way back.
By 3pm we were back in Puerto Vallarta. I was tanned and tired but I was desperate to take in as much of this beautiful port town as possible.
We spent the evening walking down the lively Malecon, a long oceanside promenade that is the social, cultural and gastronomic heart of Puerto Vallarta.
But nature had other plans for us because shortly after sunset, as we finished the last of the big, juicy, spicy prawns on skewers we had just bought from a streetside vendor, we saw huge bolts of lightning on the horizon and seconds later we were totally drenched.
Luckily for me, my mom is an excellent travel companion. At 55, she’s as up for an adventure, a good laugh and an unexpected twist as anyone you’ll ever meet. Instead of running for shelter and cursing the weather, we just laughed at our luck and walked 2kms back to our hotel in the rain.
We were scheduled to leave for Guadalajara by 3 pm the next day so we had to make the most of the few morning hours we had.
The Malecon, was fairly deserted early in the morning, except for a few joggers and people walking their pets. It was here that I first discovered the work of Mexican sculptor Sergio Bustamante, whose surreal figures went on to become a great personal favourite. In fact, a few months later, I even stumbled across his exclusive gallery at Tlaquepaque.
But here his fantastic sculptures really come to life and give the Malecon a beautiful touch of legend and drama.
We finally tore ourselves away from the Malecon and headed to the beach to soak in some waves before we left.
I was feeling a little sad because this weekend had been so perfect, I didn’t want to leave. But Puerto Vallarta is not one for disappointing farewells.
Just as we stepped into the water, I heard someone yell ‘Dolphins!’
I looked at where the man was pointing and to my amazement, just a few hundred meters away, was a whole pod of dolphins, leaping around and putting on a fabulous show for us onlookers.
Of late, every time I look at my phone, I am filled with a dull kind of dread. I know many of you can relate and I am not going to sit and list the reasons why we feel it. Today I decided to focus on a happy memory instead, and the first thing that came to my mind was that blue, blue sea and dolphins on the horizons. And just for a moment, just like that one on the beach in Puerto Vallarta, everything was perfect.
Excess Baggage 