Hello, family and friends! It was a bit of hard travelin’, and it’s been a busy, hot week and a half, but after seven months we are finally back On Vallarta Time!
After spending the night at our friend Eve’s house, we caught the shuttle to PDX at 4:00 AM and arrived here in Puerto Vallarta last Wednesday afternoon. Our landlord met us at the apartment to give us the keys and ever since then we’ve been busy, busy, busy settling in. It’s a joy to be back. Even with all the activity, I can feel all the stress and anxiety of our move and all we had to do over the summer starting to fade away.
Our apartment, which we love, came mostly furnished. All the basics were here, but we needed towels, silverware, pots and pans, cleaning supplies, outdoor furniture, lamps, etc., all the little things that make a house a home. So that’s how we’ve been spending our week, going from store to store, and checking out the online forums, looking for the best (and least expensive!) small furnishings. All this running around has been seriously cutting into our beach time! Still, we have taken the time to relax and to check out both our old familiar haunts and explore our new neighborhood.
I’ll show you some pictures of our apartment, but first, the heat! Or I should say, the humidity! Temps have been in the low 90’s with humidity to match. It’s like being in a steam bath. It takes a lot out of you, and it has limited our physical activity a little. We have ceiling fans, and thankfully, A/C in the bedroom, so we are able to escape the heat better than a lot of people.
We are here a little early this year, at the tail end of what people say has been the hottest summer in recent memory. All the people of Vallarta are just hanging on, waiting for the weather to change. “Soon,” they say. “Maybe in two or three weeks,” say others. We leave our apartment fresh (as possible) and ready for the day, and even though we walk slowly on the shady side of the street, by the time we get to the corner we are soaked through. But hey, we are here, and we love it! It’s the tropics, after all.
Now to the apartment. It’s really perfect for us, very Mexican in style and layout and in a convenient location in a great neighborhood. Here’s a set of pictures. Remember, even though we have done a lot, we have a lot of decorating yet to do. The walls are mostly bare but we are getting there, slowly but surely.
Those of you who followed OnVallartaTime last year will recognize this as our building. Our apartment is the second floor, the one with the pillars on the terrace.
Here are some pics of the inside:
And the terrace! We are so lucky to have this large terrace, and on the shady side of the street. Here’s a glimpse of the neighborhood from the terrace.
Well, that’s OnVallartaTime for now! This post has been all about our apartment, since that’s been our focus since we got here. Future posts may include the neighborhood, returning to the beach, and interesting spots around town. I’ll see how it works out, but I don’t think I’ll be posting on a regular schedule this year.
As a parting shot, Here’s Peggy (the birthday girl!) relaxing on the terrace in the evening.
Yay for you guys, so happy you are living your dream. Don’t you love retirement! I highly recommend it to all.
You certainly aren’t missing any great weather here. Bart and I retuned last week from a five week trip around Oregon, Washinton, Utah, Idaho and Montana and it has rained almost none stop since out return. We are looking forward to the next getaway. Who knows perhaps this year we will see you.
Enjoy and take good care.
Love, Mary
Hi Mary, we’ve been following your travels on Facebook, couldn’t agree more about retirement! If you do decide to come to PV, let us know, it would be fun. We can send you recommendations of where to stay, etc. Better book soon, in the high season reservations are hard to find!
Welcome! I breath easier now that I’ve heard from you. Settling in, once again, takes its toll. And humidity is a drain. Brings back memories of my east coast days. Congratulations and a special Happy Birthday to Peggy. I trust you all had a lovely celebration (or whatever you call it when the odometer moves ahead) and I trust your time in PV will be a pleasure, a gift, and a reinvigoration–something I wish for us all.
Love, Susan
Thank you, Susan! Yes Peggy had a lovely day of celebrations. We had a celebretory breakfast, then at Swell Beach Bar they had a cake for her, and we went out to dinner too!
Happy Birthday, Peggy and welcome back to the both of you!
Cheers!
Thanks, Bruce! We’ll invite you over once we get a little more settled in.
Hi Dian! The coast weather sounds delicious — cool! We miss our house but it’s fantastic being here.
Fantastic, you two – apartment looks absolutely charming and I do remember picture from last year. Shopping and making home home . . . I do relate!
What a time you’ll have and look forward to future postings; living vicariously I will be.
Love, Mel
Hi Melanie, yes I imagine you have many of the same travails. How’s your place coming along?
Looks wonderful ! Enjoy, the coast is beautiful today the first of November. Cleaned up my garden and dug the last onions, potatoes, and one lone zucchini! Love your posts !
Happy belated birthday, Peggy! Greg, I just love reading your posts and the pictures are so much fun! Your apartment is adorable and I know you will make it even more so. Keep us updated when you can.
Thank you, Ellie! Hope all is ok with you. There will be a new post in a couple of days.
Great job on the apartment, kids. Can’t wait to see what you have done when I get there in a month. Your terrace and view are to die for!
Hola, Eva! Can’t wait to share a cold beverage with you on the terrace.