Puerto Vallarta (or the dirtiest beach in Mexico)

As it happens in Peñasco and Guaymas - where you see the sea of one side and the desert on the other-, in Puerto Vallarta on one side you see the horizon drew by the sea and on the other, the Sierra Madre Mountains.

Likewise, on one side you see the modern, luxurious, beach-like, hotel, party, gay friendly, and trendy side, and on the other you see the housing shortage and space lack suffered by the locals. This comes as a result of the All-Inclusive Vacation Packages that, although do not help to increase the local economy, are chosen more and more by the people, and mostly by foreigners.

Here, due to the buses that crawl on the seafront, we can also see the image of a half century Mexico.

Puerto Vallarta is not a “new Cancun”. But, maybe, Cancún wanted to be a new Puerto Vallarta. Let’s hope Cancun will not suffer from the same pollution levels as Vallarta does: During 2007 and 2008, Vallarta was the first out of the ten most polluted beaches in Mexico.

Due to its use for watering golf courses and for providing basic services in the hotels, the water has deep deficit levels.

What an image for the end of my journey! The scene grew darker. But the worst is still to come.

The pollution is endangering the fauna which arrives to these coasts. The whales that come from Alaska and Hawaii, the dolphins and other species, are suffering due to the great quantity of minerals dissolved in the water, the indiscriminate fishing and the illegal hunting. 

When I leave, I’m taking the bus. The airfares are really cheap and affordable; but taking into account the greenhouse gasses emissions, they end up being really expensive.

Puerto Vallarta does not seem too dirty at a bare sight. Besides, it is really a lot of fun and a nice place to spend one’s vacations. But we, the tourists, are not always aware of what happens over and above the party and the break.

That’s why, from this moment on, I’ll try to make of my trips a project of sustainable tourism as to allow the survival of the places I like to travel to. I would like to grow old and still be able to Puerto Vallarta or to visit Katy in Mazatlan, raise a beer to the sun and say cheers! to a clean, sustainable beach that does not have any other environmental surprises.