We’ve exchanged moose sightings and mukluks for mariachi bands and margaritas! Being able to swap living quarters from Anchorage, Alaska, to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico within a few weeks is the reason we are still committed to our Senior Nomad lifestyle. And until we have a permanent home, we’ll continue to travel as safely as we can with longer stays during the pandemic. We plan on staying in Mexico for six weeks.
Getting to Puerto Vallarta from Seattle was easy and felt safe. We took an early morning direct flight on Alaska Airlines, and they block the center seat in each row. We wiped down our armrests, tray tables, seat buckles, and each other - and didn’t eat, drink, or pee en route. So the flight was 2/3rds full, but everyone wore their masks and boarded and deplaned sensibly.
We arrived at Sea-Tac Airport at 5:30 in the morning. We chose an early flight to avoid crowds.
In the immigration hall in Puerto Vallarta a dog made a beeline for my carry on. At first we weren’t sure why - but then I remembered we didn’t eat the food we’d bought at the airport, and there are strict rules against bringing all most any kind of food into Mexico. The dog was more interested in rooting out my Beecher’s cheese sampler and Michael’s turkey sandwich than any human’s interest in whether we’d been tested for COVID or had any symptoms. They didn’t even take our temperature. But the good news is, even though I lost some rather expensive cheese - my precious bag of cranberries, fresh sage, rosemary sprigs, pumpkin puree, and a big bag of pecans tucked deep in my checked bag made it through. Thanksgiving is on!
We are having just one guest for Thanksgiving. But I have a 13 pound turkey and between us we will cook all the usual sides including pie! I’ll make some leftover goodie bags for other Nomads that are here.
After clearing customs, we found ourselves in a very busy arrivals hall. We had to pass a gauntlet of taxi drivers, private car hacks, and timeshare hawkers just to get outside to the place where we could call Uber. Taxi drivers authorized to pick up at the main airport terminal have set fares - but they are many times higher than a city cab. You can hail a city cab if you leave airport property. And that’s also how you connect with Uber. There are no helpful signs directing you to the meeting place - for obvious reasons. Fortunately, we knew the ropes from our visit last February so we put our heads down and pushed through the melee.
You have to walk about ten minutes with your bags in the heat but it’s worth it. You’ll cross highway 200 using a pedestrian overpass with steep ramps and stairs on both sides. Once you set your bags down on the other side you can call for your ride. But while you wait, a few determined city taxi drivers will try and talk you out of using Uber - one even offered us a cold Cervesa for the road! If you don’t use Uber, take them up on it. Just be sure and negotiate the fare first.
Returning to PVR was the best choice for us. We realized after being home in Seattle for two weeks, that it wasn’t a good idea to see many friends or family in these COVID times even though we got tested the day we arrived in Seattle and got our negative results 48 hours later. I don’t think Thanksgiving would have been tolerable without seeing more of our family. By coming here, even though there were some risks in traveling, we are far enough away that no one needed to compromise, including us.
Which brings me to what I call the COVID Spectrum - Some people are at the self-isolating, obsessive mask-wearing, wringing-their-hands-under-soap-and-water, and still wiping down their Amazon groceries and Door Dash deliveries, end. While others think the whole thing is a hoax, masks are for sissies, and it’s their God-Given-Right to behave as though the virus doesn’t exist. We hope we sit on the “careful” end of the spectrum. We do our best to follow the CDC guidelines, and occasionally remember that at our ages we are considered “at-risk” and hold back from an activity. We keep mostly to ourselves... but we choose to travel.
So here we are in sunny Mexico where life is good, the cost of living is more affordable, and our travel insurance covers COVID. This is our 267th Airbnb in seven years of travel, and it is a gem. We sit partway up the hillside in Centro (downtown) a few blocks from the landmark cathedral, and we have a sweeping view of the sea. And a lifesaving breeze that keeps the house cool.
We are in the same neighborhood where we stayed in February. We love the sounds of the city.
But while our house seems safe, there is another spectrum to consider in a tourist destination like this, and that’s COVID safety. As of November 15th, most of the restrictions were lifted in Jalisco, the Mexican state where we are, and life returned to semi-normal. Masks are required indoors, and restaurants have spaced out their tables, but there is no longer a curfew, and mask-wearing among locals is haphazard.
As a visitor, it’s up to us to decide how much we want to interact with others. At one end you can choose crowded nightclubs, Over-the-top drag queen revues, packed party boats, and endless buffets. Or, at the other end, take a hike in the jungle, discover a deserted beach or a quiet outside table for two on the terrace of a small taqueria tucked down a side street.
Here’s a pre-COVID look at the Pirate Experience that we can hear off our balcony every night. I don’t know what the precautions around COVID are now - but I doubt there’s much room for social distancing.
The beach in the tiny village of Yelapa is a quiet oasis that can only be reached by boat.
Our perch is the perfect place to stay put. Other than a weekly grocery shop, daily walks, occasional afternoons at a beach under widely spaced umbrellas, and a few visits with other nomads from a distance, we are at home. Our days are filled with reading, cooking, writing, playing Scrabble, watching Netflix, video calls with friends and family, and following the Seattle Seahawks. Every night, we are treated to a spectacular fireworks display from the deck of the rowdy, rum-soaked, pirate-themed, dinner cruise that anchors just a short distance in front of our Airbnb (see photo above).
The view from our deck towards the sea.
Another good reason to be away from the states right now is to be removed from the daily post-election drama. We did what we could to make a difference over the past six months, and are very happy with the outcome. It will all be fine in the end, and soon Biden and Harris can begin the necessary triage our nation needs. But watching Trump and his enablers run amok is just too much. We are doing our best to cut our news consumption in half, and that’s not easy, but we both feel some of the stress of 2020 melting away. And we pray for a safe, effective vaccine that can be delivered efficiently and affordably to everyone around the globe.
So as the holiday approaches, we are thankful for many things. Our health. Our ability to travel. Our family, Our friends. And you, our followers. Thank you. And happy American Thanksgiving, it will certainly be one none of us will ever forget.
Debbie and Michael
The Senior Nomads