Free walking tours are offered by the municipal tourism office in Puerto Vallarta; they start at the main square (just down Independencia street from the Guadalupe church), and we went from the old city hall to the Parroquia de la Nuestra Señora Guadalupe and up the stairs to upper Puerto Vallarta and down again ending on the Isla Rio Cuale.
Our tour guide was Reinhardt from Germany, a gentleman in his seventies who happened to have his birthday that day, as did one of the ladies on the tour. Reinhardt reminded me of my early childhood in Germany and the times we did class excursions into the woods where the teacher told us a lot about the native flora and fauna; at every corner and several times in between, Reinhardt explained to us what kind of tree or plant we were looking at, told us about its leaves and fruits and if they were edible or used for medicinal purposes. He also told us about the history of the city, its famous painter Manuel Lepe, actors Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, the local architecture, the bay and the surrounding areas. Reinhardt is a lovely man but a little on the slow side, and so a two-hour tour stretched to a three-and-a-half-hour tour and became a great practice in patience and kindness.
But honestly, it was interesting to hear about all the different kinds of plants and trees that grow in Puerto Vallarta, to understand the differences in palm tree species, for example that the water coconuts only grow at sea level while the ones growing further up are oil coconuts, and that because of the danger of coconuts falling on tourists’ heads, the city and the hotels started importing cuban palms with smaller palm nuts which presented less of a hazard; or to see a jackfruit tree with fruits and papaya trees and mango trees and many other kinds that I couldn’t possibly remember all. I got the impression that Reinhardt was a knowledgable forager.
We learned about the story of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton who were shooting a movie in Puerto Vallarta which put the city on the world map; the couple caused a scandal when they lived in the same house while each still being married with their other partners, and then again when they married in a catholic church after being divorced (which they made happen with a very large donation to the church). And Reinhardt showed us the love bridge between their two houses, Casa Kimberly which was owned by Elizabeth Taylor, and the house across the road where Richard Burton lived after they had fought and separated; the bridge was built after they came to their senses and warmed to each other again.
We walked through a callejon, which is a very narrow street for only pedestrians; many of those consist of stairs winding alongside and between two buildings. We also learned that across the Ameca river just north of Puerto Vallarta’s Marina starts Nueva Vallarta, which is in the state Nayarit while Puerto Vallarta is in Jalisco.
Reinhardt pointed out an iguana in a tree which two other people on the tour supposedly saw, but I still believe they just made it up… I could not see it for the life of me. Anyway, later on, there was one a little lower down and better visible in a tree, even I could see that one.
Right by the River Cuale, just off the island, is the municipal mercado which I hadn’t seen before; we went inside and most of it was filled with souvenirs and tourist stuff, but on the upper level, there were several food stands which were much more affordable than the restaurants by the water and as such more frequented by locals — a good spot to know and try out.
At the entrance to the Isla Rio Cuale by the malecón was the endpoint of the tour where we gave our tip to Reinhardt, wished him a great birthday celebration with his family and said goodbye. Overall, it was worth the time investment because I learned a lot about the city from someone who has been living here for decades, and I would definitely recommend it.
LOL, poor Reinhart! The Germans are everywhere!
Glad you enjoyed the walking tour. This blog was funny! Had me laughing through the whole thing!
C