We are here! And I will keep this updated – for friends, family, and those of you (some who commented) who have upcoming trips, weddings, etc. here.
Our plane had a total of 38 people on it, which was a little weird. But the mood inside was actually quite festive. We spread out and made ourselves comfortable. People laughed when they saw my mask and HW’s; then the couple next to us pulled their out too. The stewardesses were very nice and even gave those seats up front that they charge extra for away (not first class, I think there were a few people in first class). They were even having a little fun with the microphone, announcing thing such as free large seats towards the front.
My first thought when stepping off the plane was wow, I am so glad I came. I didn’t see anyone with masks on at first. HW informed me that these masks aren’t even really helpful anyway – but we still wore them. The airport was the craziest part. As soon as we entered the terminal a woman walked up to each passenger and handed us a sheet of paper on influenza which contained symptoms, preventative measures, and home tips (such as don’t use aspirin, control fever with wet wipes). The other odd thing was the terminal itself – it was totally empty except the airport staff and those annoying sales reps. They want to get you to listen to a sales presentation on a timeshare ultimately. They have several ways of going about this, but instead of getting in to my horrid experience, I will just tell you – go all the way through those two long rooms of people lined up on each side yelling at you aggressively. Really, just be rude and ignore them – trust me on this.
Anyway. So we saw 1 or 2 airport personnel wearing masks, but everyone else wasn’t. We got in our taxi and finally started to relax. I didn’t see anything grabbing my attention to take pictures of until we arrived where we’re staying, in the older section of Puerto Vallarta (very pretty!). But as we drove I scanned sidewalks and resorts, peoples’ faces and just the overall feel of the place.. I saw less than 15 people with masks on the whole way to our condo (15 minute drive) all the way through the city. There are throngs of people outside. Stores seem a little empty to me, but there were still people everywhere. We saw people riding in the back of pick-ups, walking down the sidewalks, hanging out on the beach… like there is nothing happening.
Since we just arrived, I’m only beginning to form my opinion… as of now if I were you and traveling here soon, I’d come without a doubt. We are both just so thankful we came – things look different from this side of the border.
More soon.
