We decided to go to Puerto Vallarta for the month of
January, because it is too cold in Arizona at that time of the year. (Anytime
that I can’t lie by the pool is cold in my books!) The flight went well, considering
that we had to transfer from domestic to international in Los Angeles, complete
with luggage and dog. We couldn’t believe our luck when we came out of the
terminal and asked directions to the international terminal. We were told to go
to a traffic island directly across from where we were standing, and a shuttle
would come by and take us directly to the international terminal. Within 5
minutes, a van pulled up, helped us load our luggage, and drove us directly to
the international terminal. We made it through check in and security, and were
at our gate ready to go, within half an hour of landing. Were we impressed with
the amazing efficiency of the L.A. airport!
Our cab driver from the airport in Puerto Vallarta had a
hard time finding our condo, and we had never been here before, so we weren’t
much help. Bryce had asked for directions from the property management company
before leaving home, but they weren’t very helpful, so we ended up with a great
tour of the area, with the cabbie stopping every 5 minutes to ask for help. We
eventually found the building, but!!! When we got to the condo that we were to
be renting, the property management person was a no show, and she wasn't
answering her phone. We finally reached the Mexican man who does the yard
maintenance, but he said that no one had seen her for a couple of weeks.
Fortunately, a nice young man from Vancouver who is renting one of the condos
let us sleep in his second bedroom, but it was not exactly how we imagined our
first night in Puerto Vallarta would be.
The next morning, the property management company finally
sent someone over to let us in, but the place was really dusty, as it hadn't
been used for quite some time. We sat out by the pool until 3:00 when they
finally finished cleaning it.
Now, you would think that laying by the pool in paradise
wouldn’t be such a hardship, but I found that I had to keep reminding myself to
be grateful in all circumstances. It was true that our flight down here went as
smoothly as it possibly could have, and I was grateful for that. It was also
true that we were rescued from having to sleep on a park bench, or more likely
having to find a hotel room on one of the busiest weekends of the entire
tourist season. It was also true that we enjoyed our evening visiting with our
new friend Nathan, who was a brilliant
young man who has travelled all over the world setting up computer
systems for both large companies and for non profits in developing countries. Meeting
him was a blessing that we would have missed out on if all had gone smoothly
with our original rental agreement. It is also true that the weather was a near
to perfect as it could have been as we relaxed by the pool.
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I’m not sure what it is about me that wants to find fault
with a situation. It is my default switch, my habit of thought that somehow or
other thinks that life should be perfect. When it isn’t, I can so easily fall
into grumpiness and complaining, which only makes the situation worse! Knowing
that I was going to eventually have to come clean on this blog, though, helped
me to stay focused on seeing the good in the experience. We ended up having a
pretty good couple of days in spite of the challenges, and are now happily
ensconced in our lovely P.V. home away from home. In fact, we might never
leave!
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