March 10, 2009 at 16:14:09

Drunks on horseback in Puerto Vallarta: One last fling before economic reality sets in?

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By Jane Stillwater (about the author) Page 1 of 2 page(s)

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To see photos of the "Drunken Horseback Ride", click here.

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"Wanna go on a drunken horseback ride up the Cuale River canyon?" asked my friend JR. Not really. I'm a Muslim. We're not supposed to drink alcohol. But the offer was so tempting that I went along anyway. Muslims are being given the short end of the stick these days. We are being called terrorists all the time -- but actually most of us are really quite nice. Anyone who has ever been on Hajj should know that. Muslims are just ordinary people like everyone else.

But the drunken horseback ride was awesome, even if one was sober. My daughter Ashley hopped onto her horse like she was Dale Evans or something -- but I just tagged along in a taxi. However, we all met up at the end of the trail and there was plenty of food. Shrimp, crab, BBQ -- all that your heart could desire. And then my friend Isabel came over and joined us. Isabel is a Canadian who runs a pub up in Toronto for most of the year but comes to PV in the winter to run a boutique hotel for snowbirds down here. Isabel is the most friendly person I've ever met.

"Jane, I am so-o-o glad to see you again," Isabel cooed. "You are so-o-o wonderful." No one has ever called me wonderful before. "Come stay in my hotel for the night." I'm there! And Casa Isabel turned out to be wonderful too. We were soon installed up in the Buena Vista suite -- me and Ashley have landed in paradise. We gots a view of the Puerto Vallarta bay spread out before us that is to die for, a Jacuzzi in our bathroom that would relax even me, a table covered with chocolate cake and more BBQ in the hotel's restaurant overlooking the ocean, white lace pillows on our beds.

"We gotta pay you for this!" I told Isabel.

"No, don't be silly. It hasn't been rented for tonight, so you can have it for free."

"Then the Bush recession hasn't effected you yet?"

"Not so far."

"And what do you think of Obama's new stimulus program? As a Canadian, do you think it will work?"

Isabel was optimistic. "I think that stuff will eventually all sort itself out." But will it? Maybe. Maybe not. But in the meantime I'm going to store up some memories -- so that if the economic spit hits the fan even worse than it already has and times get really bad even for those of us lucky enough to be on Social Security, I can always reach into my memory bank and remember my night at Casa Isabel. And not ony that, but we've got a big-screen TV in our room so I won't have to miss "Survivor" after all. That's a memory I can definitely put in the bank.

America has been screwed royally by GWB, the man who managed to totally ruin the world's most powerful economy in just eight short years -- doing what even Stalin and Hitler tried to do but failed. Bush has bankrupted our country and given all our money to rich guys. And, according to my friend Alan, BHO is probably planning to hand what is left of our money over to rich guys too, his election having been financed by the same Wall Street creeps who forced Bush and Cheney down our throats. "Newsweek says that we are all Socialists now," said Alan, "but show me just ONE socialist in Obama's cabinet or even one socialist appearing on 'Meet the Press' or even on PBS. And how many advocates of single-payer healthcare are advising Obama? There are none."

But right now I have a view of Puerto Vallarta to die for and a suite at Casa Isabel. I'll get back to worrying about how to deal with reality after I get home.

PS: "But you forgot to mention the drug cartels in Mexico," said my friend Carlos.

"They gots drug cartels here? I thought they were all up along the border -- Juarez, Tijuana."

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Stillwater is a freelance writer who hates injustice and corruption in any form but especially injustice and corruption paid for by American taxpayers. She has recently published a book entitled, "Bring Your Own Flak Jacket: Helpful Tips For Touring (more...)

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