In Puerto Vallarta, people ease back into beach life, carefully
The beaches are full, but oddly quiet. It’s hard to get around as buses, taxis and Uber are not yet running, and a stay indoors order is still in effect
By Denise Ryan
Last updated 23 hours ago
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On Sunday, Jamie Boratynec of Surrey was crouched behind a door, locked in a Puerto Vallarta hotel bathroom with staff while flashbangs and the sound of gunfire erupted on the streets outside of her hotel.
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A day after her terrifying ordeal, an eerie calm has settled over the beachfront town she loves.
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In Puerto Vallarta, people ease back into beach life, carefully Back to video
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“Today it’s business as usual,” said Boratynec. The beaches are full, but oddly quiet: the banana boat isn’t running, the vendors with their trays of silver and fish on a stick haven’t ventured back out.
It’s hard to get around, buses, taxis and Uber are not yet running, and a stay-indoors order is still in effect.
The Los Arcos Hotel where Boratynec is staying was briefly stormed by cartel members Sunday, she said, and she was among some 20 people that hid until security guards came for them. The nearby Oxxo convenience store was firebombed.
Afterward, staff barricaded the hotel’s doors with tables, which stayed in place overnight and throughout the day.
“Last night they fed everyone, including people that had run in off the street,” said Boratynec. They also fed staff who couldn’t go home to their families due to the government order to stay indoors.
The meal was simple: wieners and white bread, peas and corn. But it was free for everyone, and it did the job.
As stories emerge of locals sharing food and support for stranded tourists, Patricia de La Maza, the former cultural affairs director at the Consulate General of Mexico in Vancouver, said she isn’t surprised.
“When we Mexicans face a disaster, whether it’s an earthquake or something like this, we are united. It’s historical. It’s in our genes. The generosity of the Mexican people is extraordinary,” said de La Maza.
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Her brother was on holiday in Puerto Vallarta on Sunday. She was able to contact him, and he is safe.
De La Maza is one of approximately 31,000 people in the Lower Mainland with close ties to Mexico who have been on edge since violence erupted in several Mexican states.
On Sunday, gas stations, buses, cars and businesses were set aflame and major roads were blockaded in co-ordinated acts of gang retaliation after Mexican authorities killed Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. Oseguera Cervantes is also known as El Mencho.
Civilians were not targeted, but authorities said over 70 security personnel were killed.
A stay-indoors order is still in place for visitors and residents in Puerto Vallarta and the state of Jalisco.
While the Puerto Vallarta airport is open, no flights were arriving or departing and visitors are relying on their airlines to keep them updated.
Boratynec, who was scheduled to leave Monday, was notified by Flair airlines that she has been rebooked on a return flight for Saturday.
In a briefing on Parliament Hill Monday morning, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand called it a serious and rapidly evolving situation, and urged Canadians to follow directions of local authorities and register their presence in Mexico with Global Affairs Canada.
Conflicting information and disinformation continues to circulate. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Monday that no cartel road blockades remain in place, but posts on social media say that is not true.
What is certain, said de La Maza, is the unity among Mexicans. “They are helping each other, and helping Canadians.”
The violence and unrest is not limited to Mexico’s bustling beach towns.
Mexican Canadians Moises Vega Rebolledo and his wife Odily Rodriguez of Vancouver spent a tense day Sunday on their phones, as family members recounted their terrifying experiences as violence unfolded in Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco and Lake Chapala, some 45 minutes away.
“I called my sister in Lake Chapala at about 1 p.m.,” Vega Rebolledo said. “Halfway through our conversation, I heard several gunshots. My sister said it was seven.”
His sister looked out the window and saw masked cartel members on motorcycles, and an Oxxo store nearby going up in flames.
“It’s going to affect everyone,” said Vega Rebolledo, who believes the situation will continue to be volatile. “Everyone will have to be more careful. People will no longer be able to go out whenever or wherever they like.”
He doesn’t want people to stop going to Mexico and enjoying what the culture has to offer, but he does have this advice: “Now is not the time to venture out to unknown areas in Mexico. Go to the beach, and stay in public areas where there is more security.”
Local residents know the drill.
“Don’t go where Mexicans won’t go,” said Vega Rebolledo.
From her safe perch on a beach chair in front of her hotel in Puerto Vallarta, Boratynec couldn’t agree more.
“The Mexican people are resilient. They know we were scared. Today they are trying to make everything better for us, even if it is affecting them too.”
