Hi again and welcome to OnVallartaTime! Today I’ll take you on a virtual tour of our neighborhood. But first, here’s what we’ve been doing for the last couple of weeks.

We finally recovered from our bronchitis — it was a long road, about a month for each of us. We still hear it around us, that distinctive cough. They’re calling it the “Vallarta Cough,” common when the weather changes, but everyone says it’s worse this year. What a relief to be over it!

And yes, the weather has changed. It’s in the mid-80’s during the day and in the ’60’s in the early morning. Makes for glorious days and good sleeping at night. So it’s officially now “the high season.” All the businesses are poised for the expected holiday influx of tourists, which seems to be a little slow getting underway this year. Still, there are a few more people filling up the beach chairs every day. A very busy season is predicted for Vallarta because of the improved economy, the earlier devastating hurricane in Cabo and the troubles in Acapulco. There are more scheduled cruise ship arrivals than ever before.

In other happenings, we spent a lovely Thanksgiving at our friend Kai’s house up in the mountains in El Tuito. There were around 15 of us for dinner, and we met some great folks, many of whom we know will be long-time friends. We stayed in her casita, a separate house on her property across the street. It was very comfortable, once we tuned out all the crowing roosters! Kai is a very thoughtful hostess. The casita fridge was stocked with beer, a bottle of wine, and everything we needed for breakfast the next morning.

Also, our friend Eve has arrived, who will be staying for three months. It’s great to see her! She’s staying in the new V-177 building close to the beach, which faces our last year’s apartment. We watched that building being built (and it closed off our slice of an ocean view, grrrr…). She has a well-appointed and modern condo, and is very happy there. The view from the roof deck and infinity pool is amazing!

Now to our colonia, neighborhood. We live in the Colonia Emiliano Zapata, which is also called Viejo Vallarta (Old Town), the South Side, or the Romantic Zone. It’s quite large and diverse. It covers the area from the Rio Cuale in the north to the hills of Amapas and Conchas Chinas in the south; and from the ocean in the west to the bend in the river and the beginnings of the highlands in the east. Here’s a map that gives you a good idea of the geography.

Colonia Emiliano Zapata. Google Maps has kindly marked our location.

The closer you get to the ocean, the more touristy and upscale things get. That’s where the big hotels, condo developments, fancy restaurants and expensive shops are. To the east, the neighborhood dramatically changes to be more Mexican in character, where the local people live. There are very few buildings over two or three stories. Many tourists and some expats on a budget live here since the rents are so much lower.

While most of the apartments and business establishments in the eastern part of the colonia cater to the locals, there are exceptions. There are a few newer apartment buildings and condos, and many really good restaurants that are well worth the walk for tourists and residents living near the ocean. By the way, it is safe to walk these streets, even at night. Of course you have to take reasonable precautions as you would in any city, but we have never felt afraid or threatened here.

Nearly all the following pictures were taken from Constitución Street to the east, away from the ocean, showing the vibrant character of this part of the neighborhood.

A street scene, looking down toward the river.

Another street.

A stately old house along the way.

Entrance to the Emiliano Zapata Municipal Market. This market and the shops surrounding it are where the local people shop.

Another market shot. Note the sugar cane on the right, and the piñatas displayed for Christmas.

The interior courtyard of the market. There is a nice deli and a meat market under the roof. You can get anything you need at this market.

Some of the shops lining the outside of the market.

Shops across the street from the market.

A couple of blocks from the Municipal Market is my favorite meat market, Carnicería Colin showing the entrance and the day’s specials. The meat is so tasty from these small shops, fresh, local and hormone-free.

This is one of the more interesting displays at Carnicería Colin. When the butcher saw me looking at the heads, he asked if I wanted one, which I respectfully declined! I hear they make good tacos. On the bottom right is the chorizo I like to buy. They will of course cut whatever you want and trim it to your specifications while you watch.

A cute little cupola on a roof. These are old-style, for cooling the interior of the house.

Another street scene.

Construction is a constant activity all around the neighborhood. Here masonry workers are hauling bricks up to the roof with a rope and pulley.

A street corner with taco stands.

The building that houses our local brewpub, the Los Muertos Brewery.

Peggy in front of Figueroa’s, a restaurant that advertises “Mexican Food, California Style.” It’s actually pretty Mexican, and very good and inexpensive.

A beautiful old door a couple of blocks from our house.

Well, that’s this post’s tour of the neighborhood. It’s really only a small slice of the interesting parts of our surroundings; there’s so much more I can show you! There may be other posts like this, if you’re up for it. So long until next time, and thank you for following OnVallartaTime!

As a parting shot, here we are at Thanksgiving at Kai’s house.