Hilltop Discoveries



Intriguing Hilltop Avenues

Some Steep Wet Streets!

Steep Stairways

Pretty Garden Pathways



More Stairs to Climb

A Lovely Hilltop Home

The Hike Backdown

Homes Tucked along the Hillside

Today we wandered the hillside streets overlooking Puerto Vallarta.  We discovered some incredibly steep streets equaling those found in Seattle and San Francisco along with stairs and pathways that curve around homes with red-tiled roofs and pretty gardens.  It was a cloudy, rainy day so we came to appreciate all those stone streets that provide not only good traction for cars, but for foot traffic as well.  We happened upon an old lighthouse on the hill that operated from 1932 to 1978 and discovered a wonderful tapas restaurant.  The café is located four blocks up the hill from the malecon, a special find off the beaten path from the typical crowd of tourists.  The food was incredible, some of the best we’ve had!  Not long after we arrived, another couple came in and sat at a table next to us.  They asked how we found the place and we told them just by wondering around; they seemed very surprised!  The couple had eaten here once before and they were glad to have found it again claiming it was the best food in town.  As it turned out, they were from San Diego and had made many trips to Puerto Vallarta in connection with work.  They just recently purchased a home in one of the small coves of Banderas Bay for a more permanent residence.  He is a landscape architect and has spent ten years working in greater Puerto Vallarta.  Many U.S. citizens, some of which are now expats, work in Mexico providing their expertise and skills as well as many U.S. based companies.  The Mexican economy has recently been growing considerably faster than that of the U.S.  Interestingly, we've had several discussions with Mexican citizens who once lived and worked in the in the United States and have now returned to work in their homeland.  Quite a change from the 1930’s - in 1932 electrical service was very limited and Puerto Vallarta received its first plumbing system in 1939.  It wasn’t until 1942 that Puerto Vallarta was finally connected by road to the Sierra mining towns; until then the only access to Puerto Vallarta was by sea, air, or by mule trails from inland towns.  That same year, the New York based magazine Modern Mexico ran an advertisement to attract vacationers; by the 1950’s American tourists, mostly writers and artists in search of a retreat, visited the area.  Gringo Gulch began to develop as an expatriate neighborhood on the hill above Centro Puerto Vallarta.  It was in 1964 that Puerto Vallarta, then still a quiet fishing village, became famous thanks to the release of John Huston’s movie version of Tennessee Williams’ the Night of the Iguana staring Eva Gardner and Richard Burton; the film showcased beautiful Mismaloya Beach in Banderas Bay.  Richard Burton had brought his soon to be wife Elizabeth Taylor along with him, a noted love affair of the time.  Several years later the celebrities built homes at Gringo Gulch.
 



Esquina de los Caprichos -Best Tapas Cafe