Viva VALLARTA Part II

[Big Daddy]

As a creature of habit, I first spelled Vallarta with an I instead of an A, and even though I know better, continue to do so.

 

The first thing that we learned about Vallarta is that it is not cheap. Prices are all basically American level. I should qualify that in that prices were very comparable to what we have in Phoenix. A real nice lunch is $10 to $15 with a cocktail or two and dinner with cocktails at very nice French or Continental restaurants will run about $20 for the entree, $10 for the appetizer and $5 and up for top shelf drinks.

 

We only had one bad meal the entire time we were there, and that was on the last day when we ventured to Nuevo Vallarta and had lunch at a hotel beach cafe. The first night we went to a Brazilian BBQ (ah, my longing for Rio) called fittingly enough, Brasil. It was very good and was only $15 plus drinks. The cute waiters brought skewers of different types of roasted meats, all you can eat. They did not make alot of money on me that night. It was very good and a fun place. Before I forget, I want to mention that every bathroom I saw in Vallarta was clean and well serviced.

 

We then made our way to Paco Paco. Vallarta is fairly compact and almost everything is within reasonable walking distance if you are so inclined. Well, it was our first night and we were walking around, not really knowing anything. Finally I told George that we were going to take a cab as the humidity was high (remember in Phoenix we have a dry heat)and I wanted to get to the bar. Well, cabs are everywhere and will take you anywhere for between $2 and $3.50. So we get into the cab and tell him Paco Paco. He looks at us very strangely and I immediately was worried that we were facing a "gay" thing. He then calmly said, well amigos, we are here. We had entered the cab directly in front of Paco Paco, which I am happy accounted for his startled look. In order to avoid feeling completely stupid, we had him drive us around for $2 woth of a ride.

 

We got to Paco Paco at 11 PM and we were the only ones there. The bartender however was CHOICE and if nothing else he was worth getting a drink from. We started talking to the bartender and he assured us that everything (at least as far as the gay bar scene is concerned) is late. By ten minutes to 12 midnight, the bar was full. The bar has four levels and caters to almost any mood that you are in, from disco to a quiet rooftop. The strippers were scheduled around the corner at Paco's Ranch at 1:30 AM.

 

The next day we went to Playa de los Muertos or beach of the dead. The gay section is dominated by the Blue Chairs beach bar and cafe. We had a very good lunch there, and spent the rest of the afternoon on the beach. The Blue Chairs provides lounges, tables and beach umbrellas. The only charge is for drinks and food. For a first timer to Vallarta, the Blue Chairs is a must stop. The waiters and gringo's are all more than willing to fill newcomers in. The information saved us alot of time and scout work.

 

That night we went to diner at the River Cafe, which is located on the banks of the Rio Cuale. It was fabulous. The food and service were of the highest standards. For the two us us including drinks and tip was $75. The staff made us feel like real "queens". A new stripper bar, Anthropology, had recently opened and that was our starting destination. It tuned out that the bar was on the other side of the bridge from the restaurant. The strippers began early, at 11:30 PM. Again the place was empty at 11 and by showtime it was rocking. After the show, it was back to Paco Paco.

 

We had met a very nice Mexican boy name Freddy, so on our third night we took him to dinner with us at the Blue Shrimp. A great experience. They sell shrimp by the kilo, and you order what you want. We order a combination that included lobster, shrimp, calamari, mahi mahi and steak. The bill for the three of us was $103 including tip and drinks. After dinner I went back to Anthropology, while George and Freddy visited some of the other spots in town.

 

The next night, we went to a place clled Trios which the locals all raved about. This time we took Alex with us, whom I had met at the Blue Chairs. again, dinner was supurb, but I prefered the River Cafe.The one thing about restaurants in Vallarta is that it is hard to go wrong if you order seafood, especially shrimp.

 

The Mexican food in Vallarta is also very good. I consider myself a Mexican food gourmet in that my family owned one of Tucson's best known Mexican restaurants for 40 years. So we were off to Pipi's and again were not disappointed, other than the fact Freddy was supposed to meet us for dinner, but only arrived in time for an after dinner drink. The place was really alot of fun and I highly recommend it, especially the food. Freddy was returning to Guadalahara the next day, so George was eager to recruit. Off we went and I met Rodrigo.

 

The Kit Kat Club was our next evenings destination, after cocktails on the roof bar of the Blue Chairs. Whatever you do, check out the bar located on the sixth floor roof of the Blue Chairs Hotel. The Kit Kat has an art deco motif and offers 80 types of martini's. Dinner again was outstanding. It has menu that includes Indian specialties. I had the Bombay Chicken and George had the catch of the day, which I thought would be the bartender, but turned out to be Tuna.

 

The last night that we were there, we met up with a bunch of "girls" from Seattle and went to the Red Cabbage. It is a marvelous restaurant run by two lesbians, who really know how to cook. The food included high end Mexican entrees, such as several exotic mole's. I had to have shrimp one last time and had the most delightful garlic shrimp. It was then off to Anthropology, as I had become a fixture there.

 

We did not do any of the normal tourist things like go to Wal Mart, Hooters, the Outback SteakHouse or the tours. It would have been hard to get up for a 9 AM tour when we would just be getting back to the hotel between 4 and 5 AM. So I cannot report on any of those type of activities. Next time, and we agree, there will be a next time, we are determined to do at least one bay or jungle tour.

 

Well, tomorrow, I will tell you about the MEN. I always save the best for last.

 

Big Daddy