The Malecon was wonderful. It means Boardwalk in Spanish. It spanned about 4 blocks in El Centro in Vallarta. It ran parallel to the ocean and was the main drag of Hwy 200 running through the business and tourista district. It was busy, loud, clogged with taxis and filled with wonderful sculptures. It was a meeting place for Vallarta, locals and gringos filled it day and night, eating street tacos and dodging time-share vampires. About 150 feet west of it waves were crashing ashore. Across the street to the east music was blaring and people were partying. It was the typical Mexican dichotomy. Beautiful and weird. Calming and scary. All at the same time. I loved it.
Several months ago the "restoration" started. That is SO not a word you want to hear in Mexico. In English it loosely translates as "cluster fuck". In my years in Vallarta I have seen them level parks and green spaces for "improvement", build parking garages that make no fucking sense and build high rises that are destined to come sliding down off of hill sides. But this one just takes the cake in my opinion. The malecon had a broad stretch of beach, a 6 foot high sea wall, a wide sidewalk and a counter sunk three lane highway that was impossible to cross by foot unless you were either drunk or suicidal.
What do they do to this thing??? They demolish it. Completely. The sea wall is gone. The sculptures are either damaged beyond repair or "lost". LOST??? How the fuck do you lose sculptures the size of my apartment??? OK, Mexico... The counter sunk street has disappeared and has been replaced by a pedestrian mall, all of which is at beach level. I don't know where the next storm surge is supposed to go. Less than a decade ago Hurricane Kenna brought a storm surge up to 300 meters inland in this area and devastated everything in site. It was nothing but mud, goo and dead shit everywhere. It was like Vulcan's Hammer come to life!!! On a good day that part of the bay can have waves we call "beach busters" that can be 20 feet high when they hit the shore. You don't just hear them, you actually feel them!!!
This is a disaster just waiting to happen. Yeah, it may be pretty and tourista friendly but it is a nightmare in the making. I can only imagine Calle de Juarez becoming something akin to the canals of Venice and the Cathedral de Guadalupe washing out to the Isla de Morietas with the cross becoming a nesting grounds for the frigate birds. What is the current mayor of Vallarta thinking??? Stop listening to the local gringos!!! We're dumber than shit and we are fucking up your city!!!
Give me back the Mexico I love and stop Miami-ing your lovely city because we tell you that we want it more "user friendly"!!!
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