Summer in Puerto Vallarta… You Might Like It
Ash Wednesday yesterday, the start of Lent that will end with Semana Santa and Easter, which means we have 40 days of so-called High Season left. By the Sunday following Easter Sunday, the touristic doors slam shut; everybody goes home to their other lives, leaving us empty sidewalks and beaches. Oh, and bank accounts.
I am sure it’s the same in other cities that depend solely upon tourism for their livelihood; it’s just weird to live in it as we have no other income streams like regular cities.
So, Vallarta limps along all summer when it’s too hot and too humid to complain, with the very air draining what’s left of our assets.
However, for those of you who have heard about the diabolical heat and the humidity straight from hell and impossible to survive, guess what? Summer in Vallarta is gorgeous!
The days are languid, and slowing down is a rule, as is carrying an umbrella, even if the skies are clear, take the thing wherever you go. It won’t keep you dry, per se, it’ll just keep the water from pouring down your back.
Vallarta only has one major storm a month, so five a year. Not a lot of “bad weather days” in the scheme of things. Granted, some of those five days can be freaking scary hurricanes, but they generally come with notice so that you can be sure to be indoors and safe. (We are grateful for the hurricane center warnings.)
It is hot, but the actual temperatures are lower in Vallarta than what my sister experiences in southern Alberta in August. We rarely get close to 40 degrees.
It takes a couple of weeks to build up to summer humidity when merely standing still in September, for example, can cause your eyelashes to sweat. Clothing is not simply taken off at the end of the day. It’s more like peeling away so much excess saran wrap. But it’s only a few weeks a year!
A lot of people use air conditioning. Maybe most. Expats, I mean. I can’t imagine how the average Mexican worker could afford the cost. I don’t like it personally and have never used it nor missed it in more than 30 years. A fan is sufficient at night, and a breeze during the day is just fine.
For something completely different, try Vallarta “off-season,” aka summer; you might just like it, and we will love you for it!
I am going to see Well-Strung this afternoon at The Palm Cabaret and Bar. It has been a few years since they have been together here, so very much looking forward to listening to their brilliant mashups of classical and contemporary music. Strings are the most beautiful instruments in the world, and these classically trained musicians are the best. And they are excellent vocalists, young, fit, and gorgeous!
Enjoy this perfectly clear day.