Tsunami Update

As many of you probably know, the tsunami seemed to miss Puerto Vallarta entirely.  Still, that didn't stop a bunch of us from grabbing our money and passports and heading to higher ground for brunch and cocktails.  Hey, better safe than sorry.

We decided to go to Lindo Mar for our brunch because they do serve a nice one.  On weekends they have a great Mexican buffet, but they have nice breakfasts and lunches off the regular menu as well.

Lindo Mar


The entrance to Lindo Mar is right off Highway 200 which, for the longest time, I mistakenly thought was part of the Pan-American Highway system.  It does go to Acapulco, though.  But the entrance is about seven floors above the restaurant.  Oh well, we were safe for awhile.

Our Good Luck Greeters


We did have a good view of the ocean so we figured we could just run like hell if we saw something coming.

Holler If You See A Big Wave


They tsunami, if it was going to hit, was forecast for 12:30 PM and the maximum height wave was reduced from 3 meters to 1 meter so we had plenty of time to eat and weren't too worried.  The authorities did close down the beaches, though, and a helicopter flew by periodically to make sure the closures were being enforced.  Still, some people just didn't seem to get the message.

Our Early Warning System


I guess that if you put your beach chairs right in the water you aren't technically on the beach.

And Here Is Our Happy Group


After our lovely breakfast it was still only about 11:30 AM so we decided to head next door to El Set, a bar on higher ground, to wait out the event.

The Nearby El Set


It didn't take us too long to settle in and start doing some serious drinking.

Preparing For The Worst


Bill was taking the picture and my head is kind of blocking out Steve.

Here Is Steve With Dave And Allison


Bill is still missing, but he usually makes a funny face when you try to take his picture anyway, so forget him.

You are probably familiar with most of the people in my photos by now, but Dave and Carol are new to the group.  The Mysterious Chinese Woman and I met them on our cruise from Berlin to Prague last year so if they look vaguely familiar, that is why.  We hit it off really well (We bonded over the Silver Drink Plan) and invited them to join us down here in Puerto Vallarta  Happily for everyone they accepted.

Carol And Dave


You will be seeing more of them in posts when I start backtracking a bit, but I thought I should jump ahead to keep you posted on the tsunami thing.

And, of course, the Mysterious Chinese Woman gets a bit petulant if I don't include at least one picture of here, preferably with a drink.

Are You Happy Now?


Around 1:00 PM we figured the worst was over and headed on home. There were still beach warnings until 6:00 PM and there weren't any beach chairs or umbrellas out and just a few vendors plying their trade. We were planning on having some whole red snappers on a stick for a late lunch, but such was not to be. The fish lady was still preparing small pieces of mahi mahi and shrimp on sticks so the vendors could have something to sell, but wasn't prepared to commit the time to doing a whole fish in case a quick "run away" was necessary.

Today is a beautiful day, sunny and warm like usual, and the fish lady said she would have the fish for us this afternoon. My friends Rico and Sandy are due to arrive shortly so I am about to start preparing my traditional WFMs (Welcome Frozen Margaritas) for them. Carol and Dave are leaving tomorrow so they will be getting their PFLPDMs (Preparing For Long Pants Day Margaritas).

Now, I certainly don't intend this post to make light of the terrible situation in Japan, an earthquake, a tsunami and nuclear meltdowns. Really, can Godzilla be far behind? But there isn't much one can do from here except wish them the best as they recover from a truly horrific disaster. Our thoughts go out to them.