Drunk Travel Log

[Dear Booze]

We arrived in Puerto Vallarta about 24 hours ago. Some things have changed while others have stayed the same.

First of all, the hurricane hit the west coast of Mexico pretty hard a couple weeks ago. The storm attacked land several hundred miles south of here, but this area still experienced a pretty srong storm. No major damage, but a few downed trees and some flash floods. The place needed a good washing anyway.

SAME:

There's a huge building across the street which has been under construction for at least three years. It doesn't appear to have changed at all since last November. This is a massive seven-story building and we can only see two or three workers at a time. That's Mexico.

All of our favorite bars are still here and most of the same employees are still around. Many of them recognize us and greet us by name. The doorman in our building loves us... probably because we bring him meals and beer.

DIFFERENT:

Fucking wokeness must have rolled in with last month's tropical storm. For the first time ever, smoking is not allowed in public spaces. I seriously cannot believe that shit. So far, the restaurant and bar workers don't give a shit where people smoke but the are not allowed to bring ashtrays to customers - if they do, they're "breaking the law" and can be fined!

For some reason, there are less homeless than in the past. That's super odd. There's something fun and entertaining about the random, crazy, smelly homeless beachbum.

[oettinger]

Zero workers at a time. That's Germany.

Sad truth.

And just wait until travels to the moon will be wokes only

[Artful Drunktective]

DIFFERENT:

Fucking wokeness must have rolled in with last month's tropical storm. For the first time ever, smoking is not allowed in public spaces. I seriously cannot believe that shit. So far, the restaurant and bar workers don't give a shit where people smoke but the are not allowed to bring ashtrays to customers - if they do, they're "breaking the law" and can be fined!

Wokeness needs to stay the hell out of anything bar, smoking, and drinking related. And shouldn't woke people care about where the cigarette butts are thrown into the environment if we aren't allowed ash trays, nor a designated place to smoke? So stupid. Isn't there plenty of animal and abused people shelters out there in the world they can spend their energy on, instead of caring where people smoke? Priorities.

[Dear Booze]

Day 11. Heading home in a few hours and reflecting on the adventure.

Despite the changes, Puerto Vallarta still clocks in on my top three dri king destinations. There are bars everywhere, probably more per square mile than New Orleans. Maybe more than Las Vegas. Like both of those cities, it's also legal to walk around with an open container.

The cab drivers are wild. They all drive like they are in a hurry and their life depends on making it on time. It never feels safe. To top it off, I don't think traffic laws are much more than a suggestion.

The culture is much more than Mexican. There are strong German, Vietnamese, Spanish, Italian, and French influences everywhere you look. Probably due to the history of most of of those European groups deciding to conquer and control this area at various times. But I'm not sure why the Vietnamese people are here.

Anyway, each of those groups have brought their food, drink, and style to this region. So heading down the street is like entering a smorgasbord of styles of bars and restaurants.

[Dear Booze]

Another observation: In past years, I've encountered a number ex pats, usually in dive bars. Their stories fascinated me.

There was the former cop from small town Michigan who retired, moved down here, and opened a bar.

The old professor who moved down here to lead the lifestyle that was frowned on in the small southern town where he lived (he really likes young men).

A guy who got divorced and did the math... He could take the money he had left following his marital split and live like a king until he dies.

A young couple who moved here to work remotely on a fraction of what it would take to survive in New York. They taught me which bars had the best WiFi in PV.

On this trip, I didn't meet a single one.

[oettinger]

The cab drivers are wild. They all drive like they are in a hurry and their life depends on making it on time. It never feels safe. To top it off, I don't think traffic laws are much more than a suggestion.

Sounds like greece. A red light a quarter mile ahead means acceleration to 60 mph

[SteavTheOne]

Another observation: In past years, I've encountered a number ex pats, usually in dive bars. Their stories fascinated me.

There was the former cop from small town Michigan who retired, moved down here, and opened a bar.

The old professor who moved down here to lead the lifestyle that was frowned on in the small southern town where he lived (he really likes young men).

A guy who got divorced and did the math... He could take the money he had left following his marital split and live like a king until he dies.

A young couple who moved here to work remotely on a fraction of what it would take to survive in New York. They taught me which bars had the best WiFi in PV.

On this trip, I didn't meet a single one.

Sounds like you've had some interesting encounters with expats in the past. It's always fascinating to hear about people's journeys and the reasons they choose to make a significant move. It's curious that you didn't come across any this time. Maybe the circumstances or the places you visited played a role. Do you think the dynamics are changing, or was it just a coincidence this time around?

[Dear Booze]

Man, I have no idea. On this (subject) trip, I encountered a couple of "influencers" who were in town to shoot some video in my favorite local bars. I kinda hate those people. In one place, the owner asked me to move from my favorite barstool so this fat fuck social media god could sit there and get a great shot of himself ordering a trendy drink.

I really don't know why I didn't encounter any ex pats. I'll go back in a few months and see if it was a fluke, or if maybe they moved on because PV is becoming too trendy.

[Patchez]

My bet would be the latter. There is a reason they gave up on society as we know it and ditched it for a small piece of paradise. Now the shit show that they ditched is creeping into their paradise. Time to move it a little further toward the fringe.

[Dear Booze]

Monterey. One of my favorite towns. Steinbeck's town. I'm sitting at Segovia's bar. It's nestled between Tortilla Flats and Cannery Row. When both of those book titles were published, this was home to migrant workers. Today, the real estate is one of the most expensive on the planet. But Segovia's is one of the last blue collar bars on the peninsula. For the most part, it's a locals only place, hidden from tourists and conventioneers.

If anyone asks, I will be making up fantastic stories of who I am and why I'm here.

[Patchez]

Go with being Steinbeck's grandson or great grandson.

[oettinger]

We have a street named Steinbeck. I guess he`s from Wupperdorf.

And yes, I want some fantastic stories DB