"There is a saying here," mused Xaviera-our intelligent and striking weeklong host from the Puerto Vallarta Tourism Board-"that if you drink the water of the Cuale River, then you will wind up staying forever."
This was no contrived brand-plan jargon. A native of Guadalajara some four hours away, Xaviera was speaking from personal experience
As the days merrily went by, this became a theme so overriding it could not be ignored. I began asking nearly every local and expat we met for their backstories as my hypothesis became trend.
Hugo, our witty and engaging Vallarta Adventures guide, relocated from Mexico City more than 11 years ago.
"I visited here once and said to myself, 'I have to live here. I must figure out how to live here,'" he remembers. "I saw what Vallarta Adventures was doing, both from all the fun but also their conservation and responsibility efforts, and I said to myself, 'I have to work here.'"
More than a decade later, not only is Hugo still working for Vallarta Adventures, but he is the ideal guide in a very literal sense. Personable and sincerely funny, he is seemingly a close friend with every blue-clad Vallarta Adventures co-worker he encounters-one loses count of how many local people are employed by the region's largest and clearly beloved operator.
What's more, at each village we entered-whether a seaside hamlet of less than a hundred or a winding cluster of 1,000 people, whose homes ascend along a plunging river to its waterfall source-he was greeted endlessly with, "Hola, Hugo!" and a hearty wave to match.
Not every guide received such a greeting, but then again, not every guide carried around a trash bag so he could help beautify each location visited every single day.
"I'm trying to set an example for the other guides," Hugo said. "But it's also to help teach the tourists and local people to value their villages and homes and the land around us. Many have begun to do this, and it is wonderful, but I also still want more to do so."
The only time Hugo's smile ever fades is when he ponders his impending future. He is leaving Puerto Vallarta soon for Cancun, transferring as a tour guide for Vallarta Adventures' sister company there.
"It is a wonderful opportunity for my family and me, but we are all sad and nervous to leave. We are excited too, but this is still difficult. Cancun is glittering and fancy but manufactured like Las Vegas or Miami. This is real Mexico here."
Liz-who left her longtime home in Wichita, Kansas barely a year ago after one visit to Puerto Vallarta-didn't know she was searching for real Mexico until she arrived. She now works in Public Relations for Vallarta Adventures.
"I almost moved to France a few years ago, but I backed out at the last minute," said Liz, whose boundless, positive energy amuses her co-workers and guests alike. "It all just kind of worked out that I could interview here and then get hired exactly as I became enthralled with this place. I am exactly where I was supposed to be: I love working here. I can never get enough of the beautiful sunsets each night. I never want to leave."
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Talk to Shawn from Vallarta Food Tours, and you get a similar story. She arrived from Vail, Colorado more than 20 years ago after a career as an attorney.
Today, Shawn leads first-timers (like me) and veterans alike through a rotating half-dozen restaurants and food stands-like Taco's Neto, Pichis and No-Name Tacos-from mid-morning until mid-afternoon.
"The seafood is actually the freshest in the morning. Get it then," advises Shawn. "The catch has just come in, and many of these truly local places sell out by the end of lunch."
Along the way, we also sampled goat stew (delicious) at Birria Robles and Mayan-inspired pibil (ditto) at Antojeria Pibil. We enjoyed freshly made tamales, specially prepared just for our arrival at La Tia Anita. We were blessed by a spontaneous free sample from the neighborhood tortilla factory, fresh off the press. We savored a Jamaica-water infused popsicle at Paleteria Villasenor dessert café.
Yet, the conversation inevitably and naturally returned to the soaring mountains and azure sea both in view from this Pitillal neighborhood-Puerto Vallarta's nearest and most populated municipality.
"I packed up and left everything behind. I have loved exploring all of Mexico, and I have learned so much from the Mexican people here and everywhere," said Shawn, "but Puerto Vallarta really is a magical, ideal place.
"There was a young man in the Canadian Navy who, on his way to the war in 1939, passed through Puerto Vallarta when the ship stopped to resupply. Even though this place was merely a fishing village and mining center of a couple hundred people at the time, he took one look at the mountains and sea, and he vowed he would come back here to live. He did when the war was done and lived here the rest of his life, passing away only recently."
The day before, a high-ranking officer of the Mexican Navy and I were standing around enjoying a cocktail in the Share lounge of the Emerald Princess, welcomed via ceremony while making her maiden call on Puerto Vallarta.
After 45 years in the service, he finally got his wish to be stationed at the small base here: "I honeymooned here in 1975. Of course, there was only one hotel in town at the time and very little of what you see around us was here. It is amazing to see how much it has grown, but this is still a beautiful, quiet, safe place. This is a good place to be."
1975 is twelve years after Hollywood icons Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton famously "discovered" this place as well, eventually building homes and setting off a chain reaction of American interest.
Today, the cruise port has grown to the point that it is undergoing a complete renovation: A new, hacienda-style terminal will welcome guests with authentic Mexican architecture while also doubling as a commercial center for the town. Parking and services are also being upgraded to accommodate Latin America's largest aquarium, which is being built on the outcrop of the cruise port itself.
"Puerto Vallarta was not constructed as a tour destination like some other Mexican cities," says Javier Aranda Pedrero, General Director of the Puerto Vallarta Tourism Board, himself a recent arrival to the city. "This has been built by the original people living here, with both a strong Mayan culture and a strong Mexican culture
"Tourism is 98 percent of our economy, but it is about more than that. It is about people doing the best job they can at whatever they do, making everyone feel welcome here, whether you are coming from somewhere else in Mexico or around the world. You can find mountains elsewhere in Mexico. You can find the sea nearly everywhere in Mexico, but this is the place to find both together with such friendliness.
"Our state of Jalisco is the birthplace of tequila, the birthplace of the mariachi, the birthplace of charrereia. We like to say that Jalisco is the heartbeat of all things Mexico."
Again, if this sounds like brandspeak, it's only because it seems too good to be true.
Spend a week here for yourself and be the judge. You'll find a gracious hospitality exuding from the Villa Premiere Boutique Hotel & Romantic Getaway, an adults-only seaside paradise within walking distance of the famous Romantic District.
You'll find it everywhere, from the sparkling oceanside Malecon to the smallest shop on a cobblestone street to the hacienda 15 miles outside the city.
This is apparently an inherent attitude, not some Stepford-like mandate.
"Conde' Nast recently voted us one of the most friendly places in the world," said Xaviera, "but the sign at the airport really says it all: 'Welcome to Puerto Vallarta, the friendliest city in the world.' We have an amazing gift here, and we want to share it with people."
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Of course, sharing that gift means caring about that gift as well. Caring means working to preserve it as the number of tourists increase and global environmental trends and challenges reach even this oasis.
"We want to teach people to love the ocean," says Julio Nasta Icaza, Director of Blau Life, who is heading the construction of his company's newest project-the aforementioned aquarium that will dwarf all others in Latin America. (They also operate Mexico City's famous Acuario Ibursa aquarium.)
"We work closely with the schools in Mexico City, just as we will here. It's very important that we teach conservation of our coral reefs as well as giving people education through an experience. People must understand how important these are to our planet's systems."
Conservation also became a frequent topic during our day trip with Hugo-one filled with seascape tours, an encounter with rescued dolphins, exploration of Vallarta Adventures' personal cove beach and entertainment villas, along with drinks at the most gorgeous ocean overlook you can imagine.
"Each day, Vallarta Adventures sends out two of these large boats (over 25 feet long) to pick up trash from the bay," said Hugo. "We fill these every single day. People need to stop using plastic bottles, bags and straws because they needlessly kill wildlife and they never disappear. Remember, everything winds up in the sea. It does not disappear; It goes to the sea."
Puerto Vallarta has gotten the message and is now acting on it, having made the mystical Marieta Islands into a national park, along with currently moving to make the seabound Arcos rocks formations as well. (It's one of two breeding grounds left in the world for the Blue-footed Booby bird.)
Sitting on the edge of the Sea of Cortez, (which Jacques Cousteau once called "the world's aquarium"), is both a privilege and a responsibility-even more so than ensuring Puerto Vallarta's cobblestone streets are preserved or every new construction maintains a classic Mexican style.
After all, there are a whole lot more visitors on the horizon for paradise.
Many will make the right choice to never leave, working to share and preserve the treasure just discovered.
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