At this time last week, Larisa and I were on vacation in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico with a large group of friends.
The crew likes to discuss our vacation takeaways when we return. Until now, our most vivid memory was stumbling across baby sea turtles emerging from the sand to find their way to the sea. It was truly an emotional experience.
The takeaway from this trip is a no-brainer. We survived Hurricane Lidia.
I rarely pay attention to tropical storms unless we are traveling or if Jacksonville, Florida is in its path. My mother-in-law and sister-in-law live there. We are also grateful for the 1,000 mile buffer between us.
Larisa and I had a close call two years ago, coincidentally, in Puerto Vallarta. That hurricane missed us by 350 miles, relatively close by hurricane standards.
As the staff proactively prepared for the 2021 hurricane, we talked to a storm watcher. I asked if everything was going to be ok. He firmly responded ‘No,’ without taking his eyes off the ocean. I chalked that up to the language barrier and hoped for the best. We got a lot of wind and rain but little damage.
Last Tuesday was a bit different.
On Monday, we started getting conflicting reports about Lidia from the staff at our resort. Some reassured us that Puerto Vallarta, being in a bay surrounded by mountains, rarely took a direct hit. Others warned us that they wouldn’t be working on Tuesday to be with their families.
On Tuesday we received instructions on how to prepare. Restaurants, bars and other services were halted by 1:30. By 4:00 we were mandated to take shelter in our rooms until morning. Presumably so we would be easier to count if things went sideways.
To entice everyone to head to their rooms in time, we were given a 4:00 deadline to call room service, from our room, to be placed on a list for a boxed lunch. No call, no food.
As a side note, I was surprised by the response to the bars being closed. With a hurricane bearing down on us and the possibility of not having food the next day, alcohol was the only thing people were upset about. Violently upset.
Our group spent the afternoon in a covered area until we had to retreat to our rooms. Lots of rain, angry waves but little wind.
Our boxed lunch arrived. A bottle of water, an anemic ham sandwich and a rock-hard cookie. Beggars can’t be choosers I suppose.
By 6:00 the wind had barely picked up and we wondered aloud if Lidia would somehow miss us.
Nope.
The wind would soon become violent.
Our family started sending updates via text. We lost TV and internet long ago. Lidia was on a collision course with our resort.
It was probably the scariest thing I’ve been through. I say probably because I missed the worst of it. By the time it actually hit, I was deep into my best night of sleep all week. Larisa said it was awful.
Thanks to those glorious mountains surrounding the bay, the damage was minimal. Our waiter told us the next morning about his scared little girl. He reassured her that everything was going to be okay. Super Dad was there to protect her. Another didn’t work Wednesday, he was home dealing with a tree that fell on his house and crushed his car.
Surprisingly, Wednesday was the most beautiful of the week.
We survived Lidia.
Or slept through it.
Two trips to Puerto Vallarta. Two hurricanes.
Despite our track record, we may go back someday. Seriously, what are the odds of going three for three?
dougb@news-banner.com
