Okay, so this post will have a lot of edits at time goes by. I want to talk about places that are totally wheelchair accessible for the clients of Beach Crossers Mobility Rentals in Puerto Vallarta and Nuevo Vallarta. I've asked a lot of people and there isn't anything out there. Please comment if you have something to add. This may seem like I'm rambling and disorganized, but perhaps in the future when I have these scribbles to look at I will put together something more organized. Hopefully, even in this rough form this will be helpful to locals and visitors of Vallarta who are using a wheelchair to get around. I'm also going to mention places that we've found that are NOT accessible. When I have a good compilation, I'll figure out some sort of organization.
Nuevo Vallarta/Bucerias and North
Resorts
I'll start with Paradise Village because it is my top recommendation in the entire bay. They have some beautiful, fully accessible, and fully ADA compliant rooms when there is no such thing here in Mexico. You can roll up to the sink in the kitchen and bathrooms, there is a roll in shower, the microwave is lowered, etc. It's the most accessible room I've seen in Vallarta and I've seen several of the resorts. . To add to this description, I'll mention that I have not seen another resort that has a ramp into the swimming pool. This is great, especially if you rent the Hippocampe or Sand Rider that can go into the water. There are definitely some things that could be better (like people park on the sidewalks or in front of the ramps, but ... what can you do?) The thing to note here is that no one made them comply with ADA standards. It is a philosophy. That's why they are my top recommendation.
The RIU Vallarta (according to our clients) has doors that are less than standard size. They had to take the wheels off of the Debug beach wheelchair in order to get it into the room. The rest of the resort is very accessible though. If you have a narrow chair this might be a good place. The lobby and common areas are accessible. The ramps to the pool and beach are located on each side of the lobby. It's not the most direct route to the pool, but they do have ramps and they are manageable. The elevators will be a challenge for large scooters.
The RIU Jalisco has very small and very slow elevators, but we have rented a variety of chairs to clients at this resort who have stayed without complaint. From our observation there are ramps and wide hallways and a very helpful staff (although the wait to get help can be lengthy). This is probably a good option.
RIU Palace, like the other RIU properties has very accessible common areas. I don't know about the rooms or pools.
The Hard Rock Nuevo Vallarta has very accessible grounds. The common areas are easily managed with any type of mobility aid. The rooms our clients stayed in have been large enough that they didn't need to reserve an accessible room.
Villa del Palmar Flamingos also has beautifully accessible grounds. The staff is helpful and the resort has a nice ambiance. Unfortunately, there is no ramp down to the beach. I don't know if all of the resorts have ramps, but I know that this one does not. The staff is eager to help get a beach wheelchair to the sand and back, but it is a bit of an inconvenience.
Marival Residence and Spa has accessible grounds. We rented a rollator to a guest there, but never saw the rooms. We've been around the grounds a bit and it seems to have mobility built in. I would need more information before making a recommendation.
Marival Resort has a ramp that has a sharp turn. Not all scooters will be able to make the corner without adjusting. The elevators are too small for most scooters, but wheelchairs should fit fine. The grounds are pretty open so getting around seems good. Some of the curbs are not accessible and ramps can be a distance away. As an all inclusive resort, be aware that not all of the restaurants and bars are accessible.
Dreams Villa Magna. We've had a couple of clients here, but only with rollators or walkers. I really don't know if there are ramps, accessible rooms, accessible common areas, restaurants, etc. This will have to wait for another day.
The Royal Decameron in Bucerias worked out well for our clients. The room was moderately accessible, but this client was able to transfer, stand, and walk a few steps. We've been around the grounds, which are pretty accessible. Getting to a ramp isn't always convenient, but it seems possible to get around by going just a little bit out of your way. It's pretty accessible and is a good choice in Bucerias. We did have a beach wheelchair on the beach there. There is a sidewalk along the beach so this is easy access once you get to that level. Just a word about Bucerias, there is a lot of cobblestone and the market has dirt streets.
Vidanta. So, I hate to even add this information, but it must be said. We tried for 2 hours to deliver a wheelchair to a very nice man who was staying at the Grand Luxxe. He was 81 years young, a retired physician, and had fallen and hurt his leg. We chatted with them on the phone and headed to the Vidanta complex to deliver the chair. When we arrived at the gate, the security called the room and talked to the guests to confirm that they were expecting a wheelchair. They then informed the guests that they would need to come to the gate to get the wheelchair. Really? He needs a wheelchair, that's why we're here. Um, he's not able to come to the gate. The guests informed security that they would not be coming to the gate and that they needed to figure out how to get the chair to their suite. Well, we had 2 chair with us as we had no idea what size the gentleman was. Their first suggestion was that they would take the two chairs, collect the money and bring us back one chair and the rental fee. Well, that wasn't okay with us. We like to meet our clients and fit the chair to the rider and show them the features of each chair. So, after 45 minutes of trying to get permission for us to come on ground, the security guard apologized and sent us around to the employee entrance to see if we would have any luck there. By sent us around, I mean we had to go across the river to another state and back around to get to the employee entrance which was walking distance from our location. Anyway, when we got to the employee entrance a nice man met us who was under the impression that he was going to take the chair to the guest. He had no idea that there were two chairs and that we were not surrendering the chair to anyone other than the client. Another 45 minutes later we had a security escort (2 guards) put our chairs in the back of a golf cart, A concierge who brought us two wrist bands and took our driver's licenses and off we went. When we got to the guest the guards accompanied us into the room to oversee the entire interaction. It was a little awkward and the guests were completely embarrassed. We made arrangements to meet them at the airport to retrieve the chair so none of us would have to endure this again (yes, we were told it would be exactly the same the next time and that we would not be allowed onto the property). Well, they escorted us off the property, cut off our wrist bands and then HAD TO CALL FOR PERMISSION to give us back our driver's licenses. Seriously overdone. "Fort Vidanta" or "The Grand Jail" are common names for the property on social media and in conversations around town. The Grand Mayan, Grand Luxxe, Mayan Palace and Grand Bliss are inside this security gate. Guests have told us that it is just as difficult to get out. That they want to walk to the restaurant that they can see, but security will not let them leave the property without taking a taxi (that charges double the usual rate. I don't feel like I can remove this portion as the plan hasn't really changed. However, we have been successful delivering wheelchairs if the client is with us. We stayed at the resort and found that accessibility is not too bad. They have a couple of wheelchair transports that can take you and your power equipment from one place to another. It's important to note since the property is huge. If we are picking up clients, or dropping off clients we are allowed onto the property. If we are dropping of or picking up wheelchairs then there is no system in place for that. All of that aside, the property is beautiful, the restaurants we visited at the Grand Luxxe and around the pools were very accessible. I did not see any lifts or ramps in any of the pool areas, but the resort is large so I'm not going to say they don't exist.
Grand Velas doesn't get it's hotel rating for no reason. The grounds are beautiful and quite accessible. There is no access to the pool if you have limited mobility and I don't know about a ramp to the beach, but the grounds and rooms are manageable.
Shopping
Paradise Plaza is mostly wheelchair accessible. Not much handicapped parking, but there is a parking garage with an elevator. There are some nice restaurants fast food, and a grocery store. The grocery store isn't perfect because you have to enter through the exit, but it has wide isles once you get inside. Some of the boutiques are too stocked to allow a wheelchair access, but they are happy to bring items out for you to see. Again, not ideal, but pretty all around accessible.
Lago Real is another accessible option for Nuevo. Walmart is the anchor store. Not all of the stores are easily managed from a wheelchair or scooter, but overall it is accessible.
Restaurants
I'll have to work on this section. There are some accessible restaurants in 3.14. There are some restrooms in the center section of the building that are shared by all of the establishments. They are accessible. La Dolce Vita and Mr. Cream's are both accessible as is the yogurt place and other smaller restaurants.
Sonora grill has some accessibility, but you will not be able to order your own food because the first step of the process requires just that, a big step of it's own.
House Mama is accessible for the enclosed outdoor seating. They have a good breakfast and I've heard the dinners are good. The indoor seating is not accessible, but the outdoor seating is very nice, so it's not a negative.
D at Marival is accessible with outside seating shared with Nikkson.
Insu at Marival Residence is accessible and has a view that is worth the trip to the rooftop restaurant. The elevator will probably not accommodate a large scooter.
Fajita Republic was accessible. It has a dirt parking area, but is accessible.
Puerto Fish and Wings Army are accessible and have outdoor seating.
There are many more accessible restaurants in the area.
Outdoors
There is a fantastic path that is mostly finished that goes throughout the resort area. It is in the middle of the tree lined median with nice ramps to transition from each area. You could walk or roll the path for a few miles.
Also definitely worth mentioning is the free tourist shuttle. It looks like a trolley car and has a wheelchair lift. It takes you from Paradise Plaza, past the Mayan properties where there are many restaurants and shopping (we'll have to explore, but there is at least a good attempt at accessibility). It goes past 3.14 and along Paseo de los Cocoteros, the street with all of the resorts on it's way back to Paradise Plaza. It's about a 40 minute route and they will let you off and pick you up most places along the way. It's a fun, accessible, free tour of the neighborhood.
Marina/Hotel zone
Beach Crossers often goes to the Marina for the Thursday market. It can get pretty crowded, but not a problem getting a wheelchair around. The sidewalks are a little bumpy, but passable. There are ramps that go up on the inland side of the marina. They get you into many stores and restaurants without any problem. We never did find an accessible restroom, but there may be one. Our best suggestion here would be to go into the Starbucks and use theirs. The door is wide enough to get a chair through and there are hand rails for support. More importantly, it is the only restroom I found that didn't have 5-10 steps to access. I'll keep looking :) There are a number of great restaurant choices here. Note that the accessibility comes from the inside walkway and not from the marina side.
Resorts
The Mayan Palace in the Marina is pretty accessible. The room doors are narrow and some areas have walkways that are also narrow that make turning around a challenge. The elevators are equally narrow. That being said, the grounds are pretty good and the room we were in, although not ADA was far more accessible than some other resorts.
We had a client (para) stay at the Westin without any complaints. The grounds were definitely accessible. The room was manageable, and he got around without problems.
Casa Magna Marriott seems accessible. We pushed a chair around and found ramps everywhere we went. We talked to some people who were using a wheelchair and they said they were not in an accessible room, but that the rooms were spacious so using a chair was not difficult. I'm not sure what the bath or kitchen are like. I know they have accessible rooms because this pair had stayed in the accessible room the year before and opted for a standard room this year.
Melia has beautiful accessible grounds. They have an accessible room (maybe more). We haven't seen the room for ourselves, but out clients said it was manageable.
We have a client at Villa Del Palmar that says the room is NOT very accessible. She is a para and has had some real challenges at that resort. In addition, they told the resort multiple times that they would need a wheelchair accessible van to go on the timeshare presentation and they showed up with a suburban expecting to lift her into a seat and her custom chair into the back. They didn't go on the tour. They did pass along the Beach Crossers information so maybe they would use our accessible van in the future. Who knows?
Canto del Sol is NOT accessible. A great staff and they certainly try to help, but the rooms are small and not accessible. The grounds are pretty accessible and again, the staff is wonderful, but probably not the place if you are using a wheelchair.
Pelicanos has beautiful grounds that are accessible. We did not see the wheelchair accessible rooms, but the room we saw had plenty of space. The hallways and doors were a good size. The elevator was kind of small, but we have certainly seen smaller. We would need further information before recommending this resort, but our friends that stayed her loved the small size and when we visited we didn't seen any major challenges for someone in a wheelchair.
Now Amber and Now Secrets were very disappointing. 700 rooms and only 2 accessible. For a newer build in the area that is very disappointing. In addition, the common areas are not fully accessible. There are a few places where there are small steps that could be a problem. We wouldn't recommend these properties for limited mobility clients.
Fiesta Americana has accessible common areas, but we don't know much about the rooms. We have had clients with power equipment that had no problems. I think there is only one accessible room, but the other rooms are roomier than other resorts.
Krystal is another resort that we don't know much about. We have had both beach wheelchairs and power chairs rented to clients who stayed there and heard nothing negative. Perhaps it is a good choice.
El Centro
To the North of the River Cuale there are some restaurants that have sidewalk level outdoor seating. The restaurants are not accessible, but there is accessible seating. There is a place called Day Off that has music and drinks. Unfortunately, the restrooms are not accessible.
The Malecon
This is pretty funny, because if you ask people they will tell you that the Malecon is completely accessible, but it is NOT. The 12 block beach walk is beautifully accessible, but very few of the businesses could you get into with a wheelchair. Where there are ramps, they are steep and sometimes have a 90 degree turn somewhere along the way. There are ramps down to the beach and to the restrooms, but they are for both coming and going and if someone is walking down or up, there is no way to get a chair through. People are good about waiting at the top or bottom so the chair can pass, but ...
Being a Starbucks fan I'll say that we took Mom in her wheelchair to the Starbucks near the main plaza many times. It appears to be inaccessible, but through the entrance to the East of the store is a side entrance with a ramp. In addition, there is a restroom in that same area that, although difficult to get into, is open enough inside for a wheelchair to maneuver. I don't believe there are any hand rails however.
Beach Crossers took a walk of the Malecon from Starbucks to Starbucks. Recently restaurants have moved tables down to the pedestrian area. This makes many of the restaurants that are not accessible a good option. I don't know if this will be a permanent move, but as of now they have tables that any wheelchair can scoot right up to. We also found an ice cream place with a ramp and room to get in and out with a wheelchair. There was only one souvenir store that a wheelchair could get into and only part of the store had aisles wide enough to maneuver. There is a flea market like area just south of McDonalds that has a ramp and the stores there are mostly accessible.
Romantic Zone and South
My best experience with an accessible place in downtown is V 399. It's a long story how we ended up staying in this very upscale condo complex, but we did. The room was accessible, the building accessible, and the rooftop terrace accessible. In addition, the neighborhood right around this building has mostly improved sidewalks with realistic ramps and wide sidewalks. You know sometimes in Vallarta there is a ramp that has a pole right in the middle of it? That would be a whole different blog. LOL.
Andale's Dance and Dinner
Our clients started at the North end of the Malecon looking for somewhere to have a drink and listen to music. They ended up all the way south in the romantic zone at Andele's before they found someplace where she could get her chair inside. They wanted to do some dancing. There are some other places along the way that maybe they missed, but for a place to dance without a cover charge they ended up at Andale's. There are definitely other places to have a drink and listen to music.
Daiquiri Dick's is fully accessible. You have to go outside to move from the upper inside seating to the lower outdoor seating, but it is possible to get there. The restrooms are fully accessible.
La Fuente del Puente is on the river. You can roll right in. It has pretty authentic Mexican food.
Pipi's restaurant is worth stopping by if you can take a step or two. They have a ramp up to the restaurant and then there is a step to get inside. They will lift even the heaviest scooter to get you inside and are used to doing so. It's not the most authentic and I would even call it Cal-Mex, but the guacamole made fresh at your table and the entertainment is fantastic.
Gaby's restaurant has authentic Mexican, but it is far from accessible.
Roberto's in the romantic zone does not appear to be accessible, but according to Roberto himself, he has a ramp he uses when someone needs it. It may be the same with other restaurants in the area. There is just a small step and maybe they have a small ramp.
We stopped by Los Arcos with a scooter just to see how it would go. We were not able to get the scooter into a bathroom in the lobby area. The staff showed us two different bathrooms that we could try, but it just didn't work. Kudos to them for a good effort.
Villas Mediterraneos has to be mentioned because we stayed there. There is NOTHING about this place that is accessible. Stairs up, stairs down, stairs up again. It's beautiful, but if stairs are an obstacle then this place is an obstacle course.
Garza Blanca. We had some clients stay there and there were definite challenges. The room they had reserved was on the upside of the road. There is a shuttle that runs, but the shuttle is not wheelchair accessible. Fine if you can transfer, but impossible if not. The part of the resort that is on the ocean side of the road. is mostly accessible, with the exception of some small single steps here and there. They have a ramp that they built for our clients that is now available if you ask. They worked very hard to accommodate.
Today we retrieved a beach wheelchair from Suzie at Hyatt Ziva on the south side of the bay. She is a para staying in a non-accessible room. She told us that although the room was not classified as accessible that it was great. The resort is all inclusive, so there is no kitchen, but the bathroom was large and manageable. There are two towers in the complex. According to Suzie, one is very accessible and the other not so much. All but one of the restaurants (Asian) are in the accessible tower so they were happy with their choices. She did say some of the ramps were quite steep. We only made it to the lobby, but the ramps were wide and not too steep. The common areas appeared to be wide and without unnecessary obstacles. It looked like a good choice for an all inclusive on the south shore.
Other areas
One of my favorite restaurants is very accessible. It is a bit out of the way, but worth the drive. Just about 15 minutes East of Las Juntas in El Colorado. It is owned by a Martha who uses all of her mother and grandmother's recipes, uses natural ingredients and is bilingual. The restaurant has a flat parking area, wide areas between tables, and accessible restrooms. Well worth the drive.
Beach wheelchair and mobility device rentals Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Making Puerto Vallarta and the surrounding area accessible to everyone. Visit our site at Beachcrossers.com
Friday, December 11, 2015
Saturday, November 28, 2015
A Beach Crossers Thanksgiving in Vallarta
As I promised I am going to share our experience having Thanksgiving in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. I've had people ask if "they" celebrate Thanksgiving in Mexico. Well, the answer is that Thanksgiving is a truly American holiday celebrated exclusively in the United States. It was a meal shared between the pilgrims and the indigenous people. I'm not sure what the menu looked like and after sharing a meal with my friends and neighbors here in Mexico, I wonder if we have it anywhere near correct.
Anyway, we were chatting about Thanksgiving one day and decided to invite the neighbors in our small apartment complex. Of course it is the end of November and usually the weather is wonderful, so we went with the "more the merrier" philosophy and invited friends of friends as well. Sheri and I were in charge of the turkey (we had to cook 2), stuffing, gravy, and Sheri's famous sweet potatoes. Stephanie was fixing a ham and cranberry sauce, Erik and Kalahari were in charge of mashed potatoes. After that, we told people to bring whatever they wanted. We heard promise of tamales and fresh tortillas. What showed up were beautiful salads, green bean casserole, home made pumpkin pie, key lime pie, chocolate cake, dinner rolls, apple/mango pie, quinoa salad, fresh sangria, red and white wines, coke, sprite, and flavored water along with a number of things I'm sure I'm forgetting.
The food was obviously delicious and mostly home made. But it wasn't the food that made the evening so special. It was the people. Several people mentioned that they had "never had 'that' before" indicating the whole turkey. Turkey is a common enough meat in Mexico, but most people do not have ovens, so a roasted whole turkey was something they had only seen pictures of as a US tradition. We were especially pleased that Alfredo and his family joined us. There are times in Mexico where the old ways are endearing and times where they are infuriating. Alfredo and his wife are hard working, wonderful people who are often treated badly by some of the elitist Mexican middle and upper class. We were so excited to have him and his family join us as equals at a table of Thanksgiving. How much more to be thankful for when he brought his children and his mother along. I can't think of anything to be more thankful for as I know that was a huge indication of the trust he has in our genuine friendship and our ability to provide a safe, non-threatening, non-class-based evening with all friends and family welcome at the same table.
Another highlight of the evening were meeting some of the neighbors from the US. It turns out that in one of the 14 apartments in our small complex there are two people from our home state of Washington. One from Seattle and one from Sunnyside, kind of cool since we are from the Yakima area. They are self proclaimed "anti-social" and although we have both lived there for over a year we had no idea that we were from the same state.
In addition, it was nice to spend time with other people that we definitely consider our Mexican family. Life here in Vallarta would not be the same without your guys.
Some of the neighbors said that we were like the pilgrims come to a new nation to share a meal. How heartwarming is that? I hope our presence here is a blessing for many years to come and that we continue to devvelop deep relationships with both the local people and the expats who now call this tropical paradise home. Beach Crossers is blessed to live here and as far as Thanksgiving goes, this is one for the memory books.
Anyway, we were chatting about Thanksgiving one day and decided to invite the neighbors in our small apartment complex. Of course it is the end of November and usually the weather is wonderful, so we went with the "more the merrier" philosophy and invited friends of friends as well. Sheri and I were in charge of the turkey (we had to cook 2), stuffing, gravy, and Sheri's famous sweet potatoes. Stephanie was fixing a ham and cranberry sauce, Erik and Kalahari were in charge of mashed potatoes. After that, we told people to bring whatever they wanted. We heard promise of tamales and fresh tortillas. What showed up were beautiful salads, green bean casserole, home made pumpkin pie, key lime pie, chocolate cake, dinner rolls, apple/mango pie, quinoa salad, fresh sangria, red and white wines, coke, sprite, and flavored water along with a number of things I'm sure I'm forgetting.
The food was obviously delicious and mostly home made. But it wasn't the food that made the evening so special. It was the people. Several people mentioned that they had "never had 'that' before" indicating the whole turkey. Turkey is a common enough meat in Mexico, but most people do not have ovens, so a roasted whole turkey was something they had only seen pictures of as a US tradition. We were especially pleased that Alfredo and his family joined us. There are times in Mexico where the old ways are endearing and times where they are infuriating. Alfredo and his wife are hard working, wonderful people who are often treated badly by some of the elitist Mexican middle and upper class. We were so excited to have him and his family join us as equals at a table of Thanksgiving. How much more to be thankful for when he brought his children and his mother along. I can't think of anything to be more thankful for as I know that was a huge indication of the trust he has in our genuine friendship and our ability to provide a safe, non-threatening, non-class-based evening with all friends and family welcome at the same table.
Another highlight of the evening were meeting some of the neighbors from the US. It turns out that in one of the 14 apartments in our small complex there are two people from our home state of Washington. One from Seattle and one from Sunnyside, kind of cool since we are from the Yakima area. They are self proclaimed "anti-social" and although we have both lived there for over a year we had no idea that we were from the same state.
In addition, it was nice to spend time with other people that we definitely consider our Mexican family. Life here in Vallarta would not be the same without your guys.
Some of the neighbors said that we were like the pilgrims come to a new nation to share a meal. How heartwarming is that? I hope our presence here is a blessing for many years to come and that we continue to devvelop deep relationships with both the local people and the expats who now call this tropical paradise home. Beach Crossers is blessed to live here and as far as Thanksgiving goes, this is one for the memory books.
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Beach Crossers mobility rentals in Vallarta continues to grow
We've blogged about starting a new wheelchair business in Puerto Vallarta and Nuevo Vallarta, but there is so much more to keeping it going.
When we started Beach Crossers we learned so much about all of the hoops you have to jump to have an international business. The banking, website, shopping cart and so on. The SSL, SEO, SAT, IRS, TRV, and other acronyms became common parts of our language.
Now that the beach wheelchair business has a year under our business belts there are new things to learn.
Understanding the cultural differences in the area we are working is a process. One of the things that has been interesting is that if we don't do business at a resort for a couple of months they think we are out of business and no longer call. We have to continually go back to each resort and remind them that our wheelchair rental business is still active and that we are around to assist their guests.
I'm not sure what happens to the old rack cards that we drop off, but each time we visit they are completely out. Did they give them to guests? I don't think so because that would have resulted in at least a few calls. Maybe after another year they will keep our promotional materials. I actually wonder how long that will take.
There is some competition in town. We spotted another wheelchair accessible van. We've since found out that they charge far more than we do so we're not too worried about it. There is also another wheelchair rental company, but they've been around for years and rumor is that they don't answer their phones. We are trying to be uber available to the concierges and guests. We're also getting active in the expat medical community. I'll write again as the medical expo comes around. That is going to be an interesting experience.
Today we actually had 6 products rented at various resorts. That was a new record for us. Someday hopefully that will be our average. We are definitely going to need more scooters. It's weird, but when we started this business we thought that beach wheelchairs would be our primary product, but now we rent more scooters, power chairs, manual chairs and walkers. I would have thought people would bring those things with them when they travel, but it turns out that they always get damaged on the flight so people would rather rent. The accessible van has been really busy too. We are planning to have another before the season next year.
So for now I am thinking that quitting my teaching job in Washington State and moving to this tropical paradise of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico to start a mobility rental company has been a dream come true. I wish I had done this 10 years ago, but all things in their own time.
As a side note, as all of my friends back in the states are posting pictures of fresh snow I can honestly say I am thoroughly enjoying these warm temperatures and sunshine.
I will definitely write about celebrating Thanksgiving in my next blog. I am so very excited to share this holiday experience with my good friends and new family here in Mexico. They are equally excited and have begun to call us the pilgrims. It feels like a true Thanksgiving to have two cultures come together to share food and fellowship. I have so much to be thankful for.
When we started Beach Crossers we learned so much about all of the hoops you have to jump to have an international business. The banking, website, shopping cart and so on. The SSL, SEO, SAT, IRS, TRV, and other acronyms became common parts of our language.
Now that the beach wheelchair business has a year under our business belts there are new things to learn.
Understanding the cultural differences in the area we are working is a process. One of the things that has been interesting is that if we don't do business at a resort for a couple of months they think we are out of business and no longer call. We have to continually go back to each resort and remind them that our wheelchair rental business is still active and that we are around to assist their guests.
I'm not sure what happens to the old rack cards that we drop off, but each time we visit they are completely out. Did they give them to guests? I don't think so because that would have resulted in at least a few calls. Maybe after another year they will keep our promotional materials. I actually wonder how long that will take.
There is some competition in town. We spotted another wheelchair accessible van. We've since found out that they charge far more than we do so we're not too worried about it. There is also another wheelchair rental company, but they've been around for years and rumor is that they don't answer their phones. We are trying to be uber available to the concierges and guests. We're also getting active in the expat medical community. I'll write again as the medical expo comes around. That is going to be an interesting experience.
Today we actually had 6 products rented at various resorts. That was a new record for us. Someday hopefully that will be our average. We are definitely going to need more scooters. It's weird, but when we started this business we thought that beach wheelchairs would be our primary product, but now we rent more scooters, power chairs, manual chairs and walkers. I would have thought people would bring those things with them when they travel, but it turns out that they always get damaged on the flight so people would rather rent. The accessible van has been really busy too. We are planning to have another before the season next year.
So for now I am thinking that quitting my teaching job in Washington State and moving to this tropical paradise of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico to start a mobility rental company has been a dream come true. I wish I had done this 10 years ago, but all things in their own time.
As a side note, as all of my friends back in the states are posting pictures of fresh snow I can honestly say I am thoroughly enjoying these warm temperatures and sunshine.
I will definitely write about celebrating Thanksgiving in my next blog. I am so very excited to share this holiday experience with my good friends and new family here in Mexico. They are equally excited and have begun to call us the pilgrims. It feels like a true Thanksgiving to have two cultures come together to share food and fellowship. I have so much to be thankful for.
Sunday, October 25, 2015
Hurricane Patricia disrupts Beach Crossers wheelchair rental business in Vallarta
"Was it all a lie?" That's what someone asked me after Hurricane Patricia didn't destroy Vallarta. Wow. It's hard for me to understand how someone can think that the most powerful hurricane of all time was fiction. Is it any less impressive because we didn't lose billions of dollars in assets or thousands of lives? I find it more impressive actually. It was amazing being in the Vallarta area when the impending threat headed our direction. I was fascinated to see how the authorities efficiently evacuated thousands of people who were not only unfamiliar with the area, but many of whom did not speak the language or have any awareness of local emergency procedures.
Like many residents of Vallarta we have seen hurricanes come our direction before; most often with blue skies and calm breezes. We are blessed to have the magnificent Sierra Madre mountains to the south that function like the Great Wall of China to keep our enemy hurricanes from crossing into our beautiful paradise. Patricia was different. She seemed determined to circumvent our protective mountain range and crash head on into the heavily populated tourist zone. The bay is large. For years, we've been told that if a hurricane arrived right on target that it could spin around in the bay for a while causing incredible damage.
So, I'm running errands around town with a few of my neighbors and it starts to rain a bit. We are sitting at Starbucks at the Marina laughing hysterically about, "it's just a Category 4 drizzle!" We certainly see more powerful rains than this on a regular basis. Flooded streets and broken branches are common during the rainy season. It is the tropics after all. By the time we left Starbucks, it had stopped raining. We decided we should have T-shirts printed that say, "The rainy season in Vallarta is just a category 4 drizzle."
Patricia was not to be mocked however. When we arrived back at the apartments and settled in with our Costco dogs for a BBQ we each began to get calls and messages from family and friends. Patricia was gaining strength and headed our way. The song began to reverberate in my mind, "Should I stay or should I go?" But the calls kept coming. It's hard to enjoy a BBQ when the whole world is telling you to get in the car and head to high ground. We talked about it for about 30 seconds before we decided we should pack up and go. There were just too many people we love concerned for our lives. We agreed to meet in one hour. It's kind of crazy. What do you grab in one hour. You need to tape windows, put important paperwork in dry bags, unplug everything except the refrigerator, grab valuables, move vehicles from under trees, find the cat, and answer the non-stop text messages from friends and family members who are concerned. Oh yes, and some clothes. That's a good idea. I probably should have grabbed more than one change of clothes. Ever the optimist.
So, we have decided to take our van, and head ... hmmmmm, good question. Erik has been on the phone and we are leaving the driving to him. Amy and I throw blankets, pillows, ice chests, etc. in the back of the van. Stephanie packs some snacks and drinks. One hour and 2 minutes later we are in the van headed to the nearest Oxxo to grab a few more bottles of water and drive to Talpa. There are 4 of us in the van. Three of us have never been to Talpa. Three of us have no idea where Talpa is. A question that we would all be asked many times over the next 12 hours. Erik says it's about a 2 hour drive. As we drive past the Pemex with our full tank of gas I am praying my first thank-you. There are lines at the pumps that remind me of gas shortages long ago. People are flipping U-turns, obviously hoping that the next station won't have the long lines. I ask Erik, "Do they ever run out of gas?" "Of course." he replies, and I realize that a full tank of gas could possibly be the difference between survival or not. What a weird realization. Well, we have a full tank and seem to be well ahead of any evacuation traffic. We actually don't see too many vehicles fleeing quite yet. Patricia isn't supposed to make land for at least 12 hours. Maybe some rain ahead of that, but we aren't in too big of a hurry. We stop a couple of times along the way to stretch our legs and get a breath of fresh air. Most of the drive is pretty uneventful, but at one of our stops, I ask Stephanie, "Do you usually just let your cat out?" "What? Do I look like an idiot?" "Okay, but that cat looks a lot like Tim and it's headed into the corn field!" Thankfully, Tim comes when he's called and we don't have to find a way through the barbed wire and explore a field that was never meant to be a corn maze. The roads aren't great, but aren't too bad. There are of course random speed bumps, cows, and pot holes to avoid. The true dangers of driving at night in Mexico. Erik is familiar with the road and other than the fact that the brakes smell like a semi truck headed down Snoqualmie Pass, we make the drive in a speedy 4 hours. Yes we did stop a couple of times and there was the bit of a drizzle, but I'm pretty sure we are not setting any records to be proud of with that pace. On the other hand, we listened to a very eclectic mix of music and laughed about Tim getting out of his carrier and other just as insignificant moments in life that are the bricks of friendship.
When we arrived in Talpa, it was late. Erik had arranged a room with 3 beds for us girls and he was headed to sleep on the floor at a family home. Our room was delightful. Three double beds, a beautiful shared space on the balcony and a view that was breathtaking. Over the next 24 hours we learned a lot about Talpa and the pilgrimages that happen around All Saints Day. My catholic upbringing resurfaced as I remembered what the different bells signified from the cathedral. And, we visited the market to buy fresh fruit, rumpope, local candies, local cheese and fresh (pulling it out of the oven while we were there) hot bread. The people of Talpa were so kind and I can honestly say that it is a place worthy of an extended stay. It's small and I wouldn't see myself living there, but 3-6 months would be a wonderful life experience.
Internet was intermittent at best. We could get a few updates, but couldn't really keep up with Patricia's progress. I asked friends and family to post what they found and tag me so I could read about it the next day. Thanks to those who did just that as I found the reports very interesting.
Vallarta was spared.
It was hard to remember that we weren't on vacation in that beautiful little town, but responsibility was calling me back to Vallarta. We needed to get a new tire, check fluids, have a bite to eat and head back down the mountain. There were a few things I needed to do for Beach Crossers that evening. We had some products rented to people who had evacuated and we needed to make new arrangements for collecting those wheelchairs. Being back in phone reception was important, but not so pressing that we couldn't stop and enjoy a few sites along the way.
There was such a positive energy everywhere we stopped. It's difficult to describe. It's like watching the man crawl the last half mile to finish a marathon. Everyone feels more alive. That's how it felt after Patricia didn't wipe us all off of the planet. "Was it a lie?" Not at all. It was an opportunity to be thankful for what we have, for what we didn't lose, for the friendships that grew stronger, for the promise of tomorrow, and for the Sierra Madres or "Mother Mountains" that protected her children and their beautiful playground.
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Living in Vallarta with Beach Crossers
It's interesting living in Puerto Vallarta, well actually Nuevo Vallarta. Since we started our beach wheelchair rental company, Beach Crossers, we have learned a million things. This week it seems like we are going to learn about the mapache (raccoon).
The first night I was back to Vallarta, I had a visitor. I never saw the visitor, but it got into the kitchen trash and made a bit of a mess. Not too big of a mess as having just returned to the apartment, there wasn't much in the trash. Many people tried to convince me that it was "Google" the cat, but I had never known him to get into the garbage before so I was skeptical. The next evening as I was sitting at the dark dining room table with my computer, the slider opened. I casually said, "Hi Googs." but quickly smelled the odor of a wild, trash eating, pest of a raccoon. I knew without a doubt that it was not Google coming in, so I jumped up from the table and backed away. I'm sure I startled the animal, but with the lights out I had no way to know if it had left or not. I grabbed a flashlight, turned on all of the lights and began to search. I knew that shaking the patio chairs would not send him scurrying if he was holed up. Well, after about an hour of searching, I concluded that he (I truly have no way of knowing if it was in fact a he or a she) had left. I closed everything up tight even though it was still stinking hot and headed to bed. For a few nights I kept the house closed up. One night the frisky visitor came in through a bedroom window that I had left open about 2 inches. Yes, I put a stick in the window. I showed the opening to the grounds keeper in the morning and to one of my neighbors. Both were certain a raccoon could not come through that small opening, but I had seen it leave that way, so I was certain that it could ... and did come through that opening. So, even a small amount of air was out of the question :( This morning when the neighbor's cat, Google got up to leave at 6:00 in the morning (he spends the night here sometimes since his owner got a puppy... with permission from dad of course!) I decided it was probably morning enough to open things up. Five minutes! It took five minutes for the bandit to find his way to the slider and come in. Of course I had barely made my way back to bed so I bounced up and once again told it to "get out of my house." It turned it's little raccoon head around and looked at my from my dining room table to see if I meant what I said. I clapped my hands a few times and he moseyed back out of the door. What to do?
The first night I was back to Vallarta, I had a visitor. I never saw the visitor, but it got into the kitchen trash and made a bit of a mess. Not too big of a mess as having just returned to the apartment, there wasn't much in the trash. Many people tried to convince me that it was "Google" the cat, but I had never known him to get into the garbage before so I was skeptical. The next evening as I was sitting at the dark dining room table with my computer, the slider opened. I casually said, "Hi Googs." but quickly smelled the odor of a wild, trash eating, pest of a raccoon. I knew without a doubt that it was not Google coming in, so I jumped up from the table and backed away. I'm sure I startled the animal, but with the lights out I had no way to know if it had left or not. I grabbed a flashlight, turned on all of the lights and began to search. I knew that shaking the patio chairs would not send him scurrying if he was holed up. Well, after about an hour of searching, I concluded that he (I truly have no way of knowing if it was in fact a he or a she) had left. I closed everything up tight even though it was still stinking hot and headed to bed. For a few nights I kept the house closed up. One night the frisky visitor came in through a bedroom window that I had left open about 2 inches. Yes, I put a stick in the window. I showed the opening to the grounds keeper in the morning and to one of my neighbors. Both were certain a raccoon could not come through that small opening, but I had seen it leave that way, so I was certain that it could ... and did come through that opening. So, even a small amount of air was out of the question :( This morning when the neighbor's cat, Google got up to leave at 6:00 in the morning (he spends the night here sometimes since his owner got a puppy... with permission from dad of course!) I decided it was probably morning enough to open things up. Five minutes! It took five minutes for the bandit to find his way to the slider and come in. Of course I had barely made my way back to bed so I bounced up and once again told it to "get out of my house." It turned it's little raccoon head around and looked at my from my dining room table to see if I meant what I said. I clapped my hands a few times and he moseyed back out of the door. What to do?
Monday, August 10, 2015
Beach Crossers Wheelchair Van takes a Road Trip from Yakima to Puerto Vallarta
This story begins with the purchase of our wheelchair accessible van. A wonderful family in Ellensburg had the van as part of an estate sale. We used money from Mom's estate to buy the van. Their mom had always loved road tripping and wanted to go to Mexico. The sentimental connection was there for both families and like most things in our business it felt like God was in control and it was meant to be.
The van that we purchased is a 2000 Dodge Caravan that was modified by Mobility Concepts in Portland, OR. They start by lowering the floor by 6-8 inches! That was obviously something that was going to be a challenge with the topes or random speed bumps in Mexico. Sometimes the topes are called "sleeping policemen" because they do a great job of controlling the speed of traffic, but they are tough on the vehicles. We knew we would need to have the van lifted. What we didn't know is that according to about 6 different locations in Central Washington, "it can't be done." All along I was thinking to myself, "I bet it can be done once we get to Mexico!" Unfortunately, that meant taking the road trip with a van that was guaranteed to drag it's bottom across a number of bumps in the road.
Life threw a few curves and our trip was delayed, re-planned, delayed and re-planned. What was going to be a sight seeing adventure turned into a quick trip with a deadline (okay, we were only expecting company at our tropical home in Vallarta, but it was still a deadline we didn't want to miss).
First day Yakima to Ely, NV. This wasn't our planned route, but it is one we are familiar with. We had planned to go through Reno to visit family, and maybe through Rio Vista to visit more family, but instead we cut out a day and took the shortest route. Some might find this a beautiful drive, but having done this drive several times in the past, neither of us were interested in sight seeing and took turns driving just to cover some miles.
Day 2 Ely to Nogales. Again, not the route we planned. We were planning to spend the night in Ajo, AZ, but there was some construction on Highway 2 in Mexico that we wanted to avoid, so we took a little bit longer day and made it all of the way to Nogales. Let me just mention our hotel rental for the night. According to Kayak, it was the Best Western Siesta Motel. We navigated to the Best Western which didn't have any record of our reservation. After a little investigation, we figured out that we were at the "other Best Western." That is funny in a not so funny kind of way. The "other" Best Western doesn't say anything about Best Western on any of the signs. The free breakfast was, and I'm not kidding, a box of chocolate hostess donuts dumped in a display case. There wasn't even any coffee. We needed a business center, but ... not a chance. It was clean, but it was not like any Best Western I've ever stayed at. We are pretty easy going about lodging, but this was not what we were expecting. However, it was close to the border, which made the next morning pretty easy.
Day 3 Nogales to Guaymas. What to do for breakfast now that our buffet was non existent. Yes, the Safeway bakery was the next best thing. Honestly, one of the best bagels I've ever had. I would certainly recommend it. A fresh bagel, cream cheese and juice. As a bonus there was a Starbucks in the store. Sadly there was no copy machine as we still needed copies of our car registration for the border. After a Google search we found that there were copy services across the border so we headed south with our bagels, coffee and our optimistic attitudes.
The border. Someone could have told us that there is NOTHING at the border. There is a welcome sign about the same as the one that goes from Washington into Oregon. "Welcome to Mexico!" That's it. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but there was seriously NOTHING. It was kind of creepy. We felt like we had taken a wrong turn and missed the border crossing. It turns out that about 10 miles down the road you come to all of the things that you thought should be at the border. First is customs. Let me just mention that the bumps we had to cross with the van here were excruciating! No matter how slow or angled we crossed we were scraping the bottom side of the van in a big way. There is a button you push to get a red or green light. If you've walked into Mexico or arrived by air, you've pushed a similar button. Today was slow at the custom's area, so everyone got red. I wish someone had also warned us that if you get a red there is a horrible alarm that accompanies the light. Even with advanced warning it will have you jumping high enough to hit your head on the top of the car. We pulled over into the stall (scraping the van across the topes). I hopped out opening all of the doors so they could have a look at our van full of lounge chairs and plastic storage. The inspector was much more interested in the modifications to the van. They had never seen an accessible van before. Thankfully, we didn't need to cross any more topes and they didn't ask for duty or taxes; just sent us on our way while they continued to discuss the van. Next is immigration. You have to pull into a parking area where they check your resident visa or issue a tourist card. This should be simple because you either have a visa or you get a tourist card. You just need your passport and to fill out some paperwork. The next stop is to pick up your vehicle permit and it is in the same location. There is a copy center conveniently located on site (so we could have avoided running around Nogales where we never found one open). You get your copies, go to the cashier to pay for your deposit, then back to the first office, where you jump to the front of the line, and get the final approval. There is a sticker that goes on your car and you exit (again with no additional topes) and are on your way. We had our proof of ownership, proof of US insurance, proof of Mexican insurance, and current registration. Paid our deposit and got our 6 month permit. Return to the border within 6 months and we get our deposit back (or so they say. I've heard differently). Hopefully our custom's agent in Vallarta can get our vehicle nationalized so we don't have to drive back to the border every 6 months. This process took less than an hour and might have been faster if we didn't have a first day employee behind the desk. Note: Since this was written we have found that as long as you have your temporary residents visa you don't need to renew your TIP. You lose the money you paid, but save a drive back to the border.
Back on the road. When you get into Mexico you can choose to use the toll roads or the smaller roads that go through towns. Similar to the interstate vs. the state highways. Of course we were sticking with the toll roads because there are generally better road conditions, fewer topes, faster travel times and the best benefit of all: when you pay your toll you are eligible for free road side assistance. Keep your receipts and know where you are. There are call boxes about every mile and peace of mind all along the way. The Green Angels have gas, tires, batteries, water and can call you a tow truck if you need one. This gets important later :) The road from Notales to Guamas was mostly more desert, but as we headed back to the coast the biodiversity increased. This was also going to be a short day, so we finally had time to look around and enjoy the sights. We arrived at Guaymas. We had a room reserved at Playa de Cortes. It was beautiful. It was full of old Mexico atmosphere. The air conditioning was great, the view unbeatable. On a comfort scale, the beds were about a 4/10, but that is pretty normal for a lot of places in Mexico. There was no refrigerator in the room, and the bathroom smelled musty. That being said, I would stay there again. The view and grounds are so spectacular! The restaurant would get mixed reviews. The soup I had was amazing, but the Monte Cristo sandwich was laughable. It was some turkey and a slice of packaged cheese on a piece of toast. Yes, that's it. Served warm, but not melted (not sure that kind of "cheese" can actually melt). Nice people all around.
Day 4 Guaymas to Mazatlan Getting out of Guaymas was interesting as there are topes everywhere and they are not gentle. We grabbed breakfast at McDonalds and were happy to get back to the toll road. The toll road is interesting because you never know how much the toll is going to be (from 35 to 220 pesos) or how far it will be between toll booths. You would think the higher toll gets you a longer stretch of road, but there doesn't seem to be a pattern. We reserved a room at Don Palayo's in Mazatlan. The drive was pretty nice. We had a long section of road that had a speed limit of 110 km (about 70 mph) so travel was good. We stopped at Starbucks in Obregon (if you read much of my blog you'll soon realize I'm totally addicted. It's a side effect of years of living in Washington State). Since we had another short day we were able to enjoy coffee and wifi and the company of fellow coffee lovers. It was 110 outside and we ended up sitting on the patio because the air conditioning was too cold. You can always count on Starbucks to keep the temperature cool. We enjoyed our coffee, grabbed a Subway sandwich and headed to Mazatlan. Yes, 110 degrees. I asked Sheri, "did you turn off the air conditioner?" "No" she said, (not the answer I wanted), "but I noticed that it's not blowing cold air anymore." Windows down we continue to Mazatlan. About 10 miles outside of town the van starts to vibrate. We arrived plenty early, although there was a problem with our reservation so check in took over an hour. They were really nice about it, but an hour of check in is still an un-enjoyable hour. . Once we were checked in, Sheri got some ice for her very swollen ankle/foot and I got on the "On the Road Mexico" Facebook forum to find a mechanic. We had several recommendations in just a few minutes. The next morning we checked out of our room and headed to Farco Automotriz (next to the green laundry on Avenida de la Marina). We dropped off the van and headed across the street for a torta and fresh squeezed juice. Both of which were delicious. By the time we returned they had the air conditioning unit removed and were trying to find a new compressor. Auto zone said 3-5 days (no thanks) and the junk yard didn't have a used one. They ended up replacing the bearings, removing all of the rest of the compressor and sending us on our way. This was after-all our last day on the road and we could get it fixed by our own mechanic in Vallarta (highly recommend William and Willy at The Chevy Shoppe. Both speak great English, are priced competetively and always get our vehicle back to us promptly. They will also do house calls if needed). We still had a little bit of a shimmy going on so the mechanic directed us to the tire shop where we had the guilty tire balanced and headed on our way. They were such nice people and we actually enjoyed hanging around the shop for half the day. Reminded me of the time spent at Antioch Radiator as a kid where Dad and Al had areas where we were allowed to play and areas that were off limits. There were plenty of toddler toys at the shop in Mazatlan. They mechanics were friendly and brought us cold drinks while we waited.
On the road again and headed home. We didn't even take time to backtrack to the Starbucks, we just headed South looking forward to seeing our own beds. About 2 hours later the van was shaking so severely that we knew we needed to stop. It was shaking more severely when we pushed on the accelerator. We were pretty sure a motor mount had broken. We pulled over at a call box just past the exit to Rosamorada. In my best Spanish I let the operator know that we didn't need gas, water, battery or tires, but that we needed help and that our car was broken. In hindsight, it would be good to learn the word for tow truck (grua) before taking a road trip through Mexico. She kept asking for more information and it was incredibly frustrating. Finally, I told Sheri it was her turn. I had given the number off of the toll receipt, the location of the toll box, and asked for help in every way that I could think of. I had tried for almost 2 hours without success when Sheri got on the box and said, "Carro no bueno" and shortly after that the aid car arrived. Even better though was the SUV that pulled in while the aid car driver was putting on his safety vest to cross the road to our location Rene, Julia and their son Aldo were driving toward Mazatlan when they saw us broken down. Rene asked Julia if she saw those two white women, one on crutches broken down and did she think they should stop. She hadn't seen us, but said if he thought they should stop then they should stop and was he going to be okay driving on without knowing if we were okay. PRAISE GOD. I love the Mexican people and I love the language, but I was so very happy to hear, "You guys need some help?" in English. Rene and Sheri talked with the mechanic about what the van had been up to and what our next steps would be and I chatted with Julia. What truly kindhearted people. It took some McGuivering to get our lowered van onto the tow truck, but Julia kept on the driver, watching every inch of the process to protect our muffler. When we were loaded up they said they were taking us to the next town to the mechanic. It was that time of night where the mosquitoes start to swarm so we knew we would be spending the night and headed for the tow truck. Rene insisted that we ride with them as they were going to go with us because the mechanic might not speak English. Ruiz is 25 km in the wrong direction, but they insisted. Thank God for sending these angels to assist us in our time of need! We had no problem with conversation and chatted non stop in both the front and back seats all the way to Ruiz. We spent a few hours at the mechanic together finding out that the fly wheel was either cracked or broken and that they could probably get us on the road by either the same time the next day (if it was cracked) or the following day (if it was broken). Well, only 2.5 hours from home and looking at an extended stay in Ruiz. Rene and the whole group of mechanics discussed where we should spend the night in Ruiz (I understood enough to be enamored by the care they were giving the two white women). They decided that even though there were no services nearby that we should stay at the "new hotel" because it would just be better for "the two white women". They would come get us in the morning and take us to breakfast, then come get us for lunch and hopefully the van would be ready after that. So, Rene, Julia and Aldo took us to the hotel. There was no room at the inn! I think everyone in town was looking for some relief from the heat and booked up all of the rooms with air conditioning. The hotel receptionist recommended another hotel and we were off again (remember that Rene and Julia were headed to Mazatlan and now it's getting late). On the way to the second hotel, Rene stopped to ask direction and the man said that hotel wouldn't be the best for "the two white women" as sometimes the highway road crews check in late at night and they can be noisy. He recommended another place and we were on our way. The hotel we landed at was awesome. There was no office, it was a 50s style single story building around a courtyard. The courtyard had building in the middle that was both a commons area and the home of the owner. There were chickens and cats running around, plenty of fruit trees and it turns out that it was only a block and a half to the mechanic. Most importantly, there was a room available. we were happy to see two beds, an air conditioner that worked, a bathroom with a shower and a 9" TV. The owner brought us clean towels and toilet paper. What more could we ask for. We asked Rene, Julia and Aldo to dinner and thankfully the taco place that was just outside our new home for the night was open late. The owner said not to worry about a key, she would be around LOL. The door did lock from the inside so good enough. We enjoyed some really great tacos and quesadillas and the company of our new friends. It was probably 11:30 when Rene suggested they get back on the road since they were still driving to Mazatlan. What a great adventure and wonderful people.
The next day we left our hotel (unlocked) and headed across the street to the OXXO (like an AM/PM or 7-eleven) for breakfast. Rice pudding and string cheese ... yum. We got directions to the ATM and an internet location and headed downtown with Sheri on crutches at 110 degrees. We were about half way to the ATM, which was much more than the 4 blocks we were told, when Sheri notice that right next to us was a place that said, in English "Coffee and Internet"! Seriously, just like a Starbucks from before there were Starbucks! He only had Mocha and the Internet was on some computers that were older than the ones donated to my classroom 15 years ago by the hospital because they were upgrading. He dusted off the computer, brought us some frozen mochas and we were HAPPY. His English was perfect. He called the mechanic, Reuben Guerrero, to check on the van to find out that we were going to have to stay another night. Not ideal, but we already had a room so good enough. We stopped at the panadaria across the street to pick up a loaf of sweet bread, stopped by the ATM to get money for the mechanic, and crutched our way back to the room. Wait, where is that taco stand that was here last night? I asked the owner about tacos and she said, "manana, no hay hoy." Really, this is the one day the taco stand is closed? I asked where else was close by and she said not to worry that the tacos would come to us and to just head to the room. A short time later there is a knock on the door and a young man says, "My mom said I'm going to get you some tacos?" I'm sure this was the first time they had ever offered room service! We told him what we wanted, he hopped on his scooter and brought us our order a while later. It was awesome. Dinner was delicious and we had sweet bread for a dessert.
The next morning we went to the OXXO for rice pudding and string cheese. Sheri sat down on a planter box and I was going to head down to the mechanic. Just then, here comes our van with a smiling mechanic behind the wheel. He flips the u-turn and I go for a ride with him. Sadly, the van was still shaking. They had replaced the fly wheel which was in fact broken, but that obviously wasn't the only problem. Sheri took a ride and we all agreed that we were heading back to the mechanic. With only 2 seats in van, I walked down and met them there. They took apart the left axel, then the right. Oh, there's the problem. The CV joint was broken. This time Auto Zone said 5-7 days and the junk yard didn't have one. During this time, they brought us ice cream, offered us their car, and showed up with lunch. There was one mechanic that spoke English, so all in all it went really well. They took the broken part to a machine shop where it was sanded and welded to almost perfectly smooth. He said it wasn't fixed, but would get us to Vallarta. We asked if we should drive slow and careful and he said, "No, it's good to go. I guarantee it for 7 days." And we all laughed. Now, how to get back to the toll road? It was dark when we got to Ruiz and it's not exactly on the toll road. Rueben said to follow him and he got on the scooter with his brother driving and started leading us out of town. Rueben is obviously well known and well liked because he was like the Grand Marshall in the "We got the white women back on the road" parade. We were so glad he took us to the road, because he tried to avoid topes and when there was one coming up instructed us on where it was most gradual. Such nice people. We broke our rule about driving at night. The most important reason to not drive at night is that most of the highway in Mexico is also in open range, cows are black and like to sleep on the road. There are steep shoulders and random speed bumps. There are some areas of the country where criminal activities escalate at night. We were far south of any criminal hot spots, there was a long line of semi trucks going our way, and we would be home by midnight. We actually arrived at the house at about 12:30. We had just enough time to sleep, unload the van into the living room and pick our friends up at the airport at 3:30. Perfect timing. And a fun road trip. Mom would have loved it.
The van that we purchased is a 2000 Dodge Caravan that was modified by Mobility Concepts in Portland, OR. They start by lowering the floor by 6-8 inches! That was obviously something that was going to be a challenge with the topes or random speed bumps in Mexico. Sometimes the topes are called "sleeping policemen" because they do a great job of controlling the speed of traffic, but they are tough on the vehicles. We knew we would need to have the van lifted. What we didn't know is that according to about 6 different locations in Central Washington, "it can't be done." All along I was thinking to myself, "I bet it can be done once we get to Mexico!" Unfortunately, that meant taking the road trip with a van that was guaranteed to drag it's bottom across a number of bumps in the road.
Life threw a few curves and our trip was delayed, re-planned, delayed and re-planned. What was going to be a sight seeing adventure turned into a quick trip with a deadline (okay, we were only expecting company at our tropical home in Vallarta, but it was still a deadline we didn't want to miss).
First day Yakima to Ely, NV. This wasn't our planned route, but it is one we are familiar with. We had planned to go through Reno to visit family, and maybe through Rio Vista to visit more family, but instead we cut out a day and took the shortest route. Some might find this a beautiful drive, but having done this drive several times in the past, neither of us were interested in sight seeing and took turns driving just to cover some miles.
Day 2 Ely to Nogales. Again, not the route we planned. We were planning to spend the night in Ajo, AZ, but there was some construction on Highway 2 in Mexico that we wanted to avoid, so we took a little bit longer day and made it all of the way to Nogales. Let me just mention our hotel rental for the night. According to Kayak, it was the Best Western Siesta Motel. We navigated to the Best Western which didn't have any record of our reservation. After a little investigation, we figured out that we were at the "other Best Western." That is funny in a not so funny kind of way. The "other" Best Western doesn't say anything about Best Western on any of the signs. The free breakfast was, and I'm not kidding, a box of chocolate hostess donuts dumped in a display case. There wasn't even any coffee. We needed a business center, but ... not a chance. It was clean, but it was not like any Best Western I've ever stayed at. We are pretty easy going about lodging, but this was not what we were expecting. However, it was close to the border, which made the next morning pretty easy.
Day 3 Nogales to Guaymas. What to do for breakfast now that our buffet was non existent. Yes, the Safeway bakery was the next best thing. Honestly, one of the best bagels I've ever had. I would certainly recommend it. A fresh bagel, cream cheese and juice. As a bonus there was a Starbucks in the store. Sadly there was no copy machine as we still needed copies of our car registration for the border. After a Google search we found that there were copy services across the border so we headed south with our bagels, coffee and our optimistic attitudes.
The border. Someone could have told us that there is NOTHING at the border. There is a welcome sign about the same as the one that goes from Washington into Oregon. "Welcome to Mexico!" That's it. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but there was seriously NOTHING. It was kind of creepy. We felt like we had taken a wrong turn and missed the border crossing. It turns out that about 10 miles down the road you come to all of the things that you thought should be at the border. First is customs. Let me just mention that the bumps we had to cross with the van here were excruciating! No matter how slow or angled we crossed we were scraping the bottom side of the van in a big way. There is a button you push to get a red or green light. If you've walked into Mexico or arrived by air, you've pushed a similar button. Today was slow at the custom's area, so everyone got red. I wish someone had also warned us that if you get a red there is a horrible alarm that accompanies the light. Even with advanced warning it will have you jumping high enough to hit your head on the top of the car. We pulled over into the stall (scraping the van across the topes). I hopped out opening all of the doors so they could have a look at our van full of lounge chairs and plastic storage. The inspector was much more interested in the modifications to the van. They had never seen an accessible van before. Thankfully, we didn't need to cross any more topes and they didn't ask for duty or taxes; just sent us on our way while they continued to discuss the van. Next is immigration. You have to pull into a parking area where they check your resident visa or issue a tourist card. This should be simple because you either have a visa or you get a tourist card. You just need your passport and to fill out some paperwork. The next stop is to pick up your vehicle permit and it is in the same location. There is a copy center conveniently located on site (so we could have avoided running around Nogales where we never found one open). You get your copies, go to the cashier to pay for your deposit, then back to the first office, where you jump to the front of the line, and get the final approval. There is a sticker that goes on your car and you exit (again with no additional topes) and are on your way. We had our proof of ownership, proof of US insurance, proof of Mexican insurance, and current registration. Paid our deposit and got our 6 month permit. Return to the border within 6 months and we get our deposit back (or so they say. I've heard differently). Hopefully our custom's agent in Vallarta can get our vehicle nationalized so we don't have to drive back to the border every 6 months. This process took less than an hour and might have been faster if we didn't have a first day employee behind the desk. Note: Since this was written we have found that as long as you have your temporary residents visa you don't need to renew your TIP. You lose the money you paid, but save a drive back to the border.
Back on the road. When you get into Mexico you can choose to use the toll roads or the smaller roads that go through towns. Similar to the interstate vs. the state highways. Of course we were sticking with the toll roads because there are generally better road conditions, fewer topes, faster travel times and the best benefit of all: when you pay your toll you are eligible for free road side assistance. Keep your receipts and know where you are. There are call boxes about every mile and peace of mind all along the way. The Green Angels have gas, tires, batteries, water and can call you a tow truck if you need one. This gets important later :) The road from Notales to Guamas was mostly more desert, but as we headed back to the coast the biodiversity increased. This was also going to be a short day, so we finally had time to look around and enjoy the sights. We arrived at Guaymas. We had a room reserved at Playa de Cortes. It was beautiful. It was full of old Mexico atmosphere. The air conditioning was great, the view unbeatable. On a comfort scale, the beds were about a 4/10, but that is pretty normal for a lot of places in Mexico. There was no refrigerator in the room, and the bathroom smelled musty. That being said, I would stay there again. The view and grounds are so spectacular! The restaurant would get mixed reviews. The soup I had was amazing, but the Monte Cristo sandwich was laughable. It was some turkey and a slice of packaged cheese on a piece of toast. Yes, that's it. Served warm, but not melted (not sure that kind of "cheese" can actually melt). Nice people all around.
Day 4 Guaymas to Mazatlan Getting out of Guaymas was interesting as there are topes everywhere and they are not gentle. We grabbed breakfast at McDonalds and were happy to get back to the toll road. The toll road is interesting because you never know how much the toll is going to be (from 35 to 220 pesos) or how far it will be between toll booths. You would think the higher toll gets you a longer stretch of road, but there doesn't seem to be a pattern. We reserved a room at Don Palayo's in Mazatlan. The drive was pretty nice. We had a long section of road that had a speed limit of 110 km (about 70 mph) so travel was good. We stopped at Starbucks in Obregon (if you read much of my blog you'll soon realize I'm totally addicted. It's a side effect of years of living in Washington State). Since we had another short day we were able to enjoy coffee and wifi and the company of fellow coffee lovers. It was 110 outside and we ended up sitting on the patio because the air conditioning was too cold. You can always count on Starbucks to keep the temperature cool. We enjoyed our coffee, grabbed a Subway sandwich and headed to Mazatlan. Yes, 110 degrees. I asked Sheri, "did you turn off the air conditioner?" "No" she said, (not the answer I wanted), "but I noticed that it's not blowing cold air anymore." Windows down we continue to Mazatlan. About 10 miles outside of town the van starts to vibrate. We arrived plenty early, although there was a problem with our reservation so check in took over an hour. They were really nice about it, but an hour of check in is still an un-enjoyable hour. . Once we were checked in, Sheri got some ice for her very swollen ankle/foot and I got on the "On the Road Mexico" Facebook forum to find a mechanic. We had several recommendations in just a few minutes. The next morning we checked out of our room and headed to Farco Automotriz (next to the green laundry on Avenida de la Marina). We dropped off the van and headed across the street for a torta and fresh squeezed juice. Both of which were delicious. By the time we returned they had the air conditioning unit removed and were trying to find a new compressor. Auto zone said 3-5 days (no thanks) and the junk yard didn't have a used one. They ended up replacing the bearings, removing all of the rest of the compressor and sending us on our way. This was after-all our last day on the road and we could get it fixed by our own mechanic in Vallarta (highly recommend William and Willy at The Chevy Shoppe. Both speak great English, are priced competetively and always get our vehicle back to us promptly. They will also do house calls if needed). We still had a little bit of a shimmy going on so the mechanic directed us to the tire shop where we had the guilty tire balanced and headed on our way. They were such nice people and we actually enjoyed hanging around the shop for half the day. Reminded me of the time spent at Antioch Radiator as a kid where Dad and Al had areas where we were allowed to play and areas that were off limits. There were plenty of toddler toys at the shop in Mazatlan. They mechanics were friendly and brought us cold drinks while we waited.
On the road again and headed home. We didn't even take time to backtrack to the Starbucks, we just headed South looking forward to seeing our own beds. About 2 hours later the van was shaking so severely that we knew we needed to stop. It was shaking more severely when we pushed on the accelerator. We were pretty sure a motor mount had broken. We pulled over at a call box just past the exit to Rosamorada. In my best Spanish I let the operator know that we didn't need gas, water, battery or tires, but that we needed help and that our car was broken. In hindsight, it would be good to learn the word for tow truck (grua) before taking a road trip through Mexico. She kept asking for more information and it was incredibly frustrating. Finally, I told Sheri it was her turn. I had given the number off of the toll receipt, the location of the toll box, and asked for help in every way that I could think of. I had tried for almost 2 hours without success when Sheri got on the box and said, "Carro no bueno" and shortly after that the aid car arrived. Even better though was the SUV that pulled in while the aid car driver was putting on his safety vest to cross the road to our location Rene, Julia and their son Aldo were driving toward Mazatlan when they saw us broken down. Rene asked Julia if she saw those two white women, one on crutches broken down and did she think they should stop. She hadn't seen us, but said if he thought they should stop then they should stop and was he going to be okay driving on without knowing if we were okay. PRAISE GOD. I love the Mexican people and I love the language, but I was so very happy to hear, "You guys need some help?" in English. Rene and Sheri talked with the mechanic about what the van had been up to and what our next steps would be and I chatted with Julia. What truly kindhearted people. It took some McGuivering to get our lowered van onto the tow truck, but Julia kept on the driver, watching every inch of the process to protect our muffler. When we were loaded up they said they were taking us to the next town to the mechanic. It was that time of night where the mosquitoes start to swarm so we knew we would be spending the night and headed for the tow truck. Rene insisted that we ride with them as they were going to go with us because the mechanic might not speak English. Ruiz is 25 km in the wrong direction, but they insisted. Thank God for sending these angels to assist us in our time of need! We had no problem with conversation and chatted non stop in both the front and back seats all the way to Ruiz. We spent a few hours at the mechanic together finding out that the fly wheel was either cracked or broken and that they could probably get us on the road by either the same time the next day (if it was cracked) or the following day (if it was broken). Well, only 2.5 hours from home and looking at an extended stay in Ruiz. Rene and the whole group of mechanics discussed where we should spend the night in Ruiz (I understood enough to be enamored by the care they were giving the two white women). They decided that even though there were no services nearby that we should stay at the "new hotel" because it would just be better for "the two white women". They would come get us in the morning and take us to breakfast, then come get us for lunch and hopefully the van would be ready after that. So, Rene, Julia and Aldo took us to the hotel. There was no room at the inn! I think everyone in town was looking for some relief from the heat and booked up all of the rooms with air conditioning. The hotel receptionist recommended another hotel and we were off again (remember that Rene and Julia were headed to Mazatlan and now it's getting late). On the way to the second hotel, Rene stopped to ask direction and the man said that hotel wouldn't be the best for "the two white women" as sometimes the highway road crews check in late at night and they can be noisy. He recommended another place and we were on our way. The hotel we landed at was awesome. There was no office, it was a 50s style single story building around a courtyard. The courtyard had building in the middle that was both a commons area and the home of the owner. There were chickens and cats running around, plenty of fruit trees and it turns out that it was only a block and a half to the mechanic. Most importantly, there was a room available. we were happy to see two beds, an air conditioner that worked, a bathroom with a shower and a 9" TV. The owner brought us clean towels and toilet paper. What more could we ask for. We asked Rene, Julia and Aldo to dinner and thankfully the taco place that was just outside our new home for the night was open late. The owner said not to worry about a key, she would be around LOL. The door did lock from the inside so good enough. We enjoyed some really great tacos and quesadillas and the company of our new friends. It was probably 11:30 when Rene suggested they get back on the road since they were still driving to Mazatlan. What a great adventure and wonderful people.
The next day we left our hotel (unlocked) and headed across the street to the OXXO (like an AM/PM or 7-eleven) for breakfast. Rice pudding and string cheese ... yum. We got directions to the ATM and an internet location and headed downtown with Sheri on crutches at 110 degrees. We were about half way to the ATM, which was much more than the 4 blocks we were told, when Sheri notice that right next to us was a place that said, in English "Coffee and Internet"! Seriously, just like a Starbucks from before there were Starbucks! He only had Mocha and the Internet was on some computers that were older than the ones donated to my classroom 15 years ago by the hospital because they were upgrading. He dusted off the computer, brought us some frozen mochas and we were HAPPY. His English was perfect. He called the mechanic, Reuben Guerrero, to check on the van to find out that we were going to have to stay another night. Not ideal, but we already had a room so good enough. We stopped at the panadaria across the street to pick up a loaf of sweet bread, stopped by the ATM to get money for the mechanic, and crutched our way back to the room. Wait, where is that taco stand that was here last night? I asked the owner about tacos and she said, "manana, no hay hoy." Really, this is the one day the taco stand is closed? I asked where else was close by and she said not to worry that the tacos would come to us and to just head to the room. A short time later there is a knock on the door and a young man says, "My mom said I'm going to get you some tacos?" I'm sure this was the first time they had ever offered room service! We told him what we wanted, he hopped on his scooter and brought us our order a while later. It was awesome. Dinner was delicious and we had sweet bread for a dessert.
The next morning we went to the OXXO for rice pudding and string cheese. Sheri sat down on a planter box and I was going to head down to the mechanic. Just then, here comes our van with a smiling mechanic behind the wheel. He flips the u-turn and I go for a ride with him. Sadly, the van was still shaking. They had replaced the fly wheel which was in fact broken, but that obviously wasn't the only problem. Sheri took a ride and we all agreed that we were heading back to the mechanic. With only 2 seats in van, I walked down and met them there. They took apart the left axel, then the right. Oh, there's the problem. The CV joint was broken. This time Auto Zone said 5-7 days and the junk yard didn't have one. During this time, they brought us ice cream, offered us their car, and showed up with lunch. There was one mechanic that spoke English, so all in all it went really well. They took the broken part to a machine shop where it was sanded and welded to almost perfectly smooth. He said it wasn't fixed, but would get us to Vallarta. We asked if we should drive slow and careful and he said, "No, it's good to go. I guarantee it for 7 days." And we all laughed. Now, how to get back to the toll road? It was dark when we got to Ruiz and it's not exactly on the toll road. Rueben said to follow him and he got on the scooter with his brother driving and started leading us out of town. Rueben is obviously well known and well liked because he was like the Grand Marshall in the "We got the white women back on the road" parade. We were so glad he took us to the road, because he tried to avoid topes and when there was one coming up instructed us on where it was most gradual. Such nice people. We broke our rule about driving at night. The most important reason to not drive at night is that most of the highway in Mexico is also in open range, cows are black and like to sleep on the road. There are steep shoulders and random speed bumps. There are some areas of the country where criminal activities escalate at night. We were far south of any criminal hot spots, there was a long line of semi trucks going our way, and we would be home by midnight. We actually arrived at the house at about 12:30. We had just enough time to sleep, unload the van into the living room and pick our friends up at the airport at 3:30. Perfect timing. And a fun road trip. Mom would have loved it.
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Beach Crossers is driving to Puerto Vallarta from the Pacific Northwest
Well, this is going to be an adventure. I've found some really good resources for our trip. I joined "On the Road Mexico" and "Puerto Vallarta: Everything you need or want to know" groups on Facebook. It's amazing how you can post a question and have 100 replies in a relatively short time. If you want to know where the gas stations are located, just ask. If you want to know whether or not you should stay on the toll roads, just ask. There are people driving that route every day and they can give you current road conditions and border crossing information. I'm still debating on the route, because I have a lot of information to sift through. I'm also going to borrow a login and put together a triptik from AAA. I haven't found an online resource that is nearly as thorough. If you have something I'd love to hear about it.
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Beach Crossers adds a wheelchair van to their options for Vallarta
This is our newest addition to our service. We've found that many people need a lift from one place to another and there just aren't many options in #Vallarta. Importing the van is becoming the next hurdle in the never ending list of hurdles we've jumped thus far. Vehicle import seems to be "frozen" at this time unless you have a 2006 or 2007 vehicle. Then, the wait is about 5 weeks at the border. Well, at least that is the word on the internet. We are planning on driving down in June. Looks like we will be getting a 6 month permit at the border and hope that sometime in that 6 months the rules ease up. We were also told that once we get our permanent resident visas we won't be able to bring the vehicle in at all and would not be able to renew our 6 month permit. So, we are really not sure how the wheelchair van is going to get into the country or how long we will be able to keep it there, but we are praying and hoping that things work out with this. It would be so nice to add this option to our product line.
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
What mobility devices should Beach Crossers add?
It's so hard to decide what products to add. Essentially, we are guessing what people may want to rent in the future with absolutely no history to guide our guessing. Beach wheelchairs? Power chairs? How about some crutches?
Originally we thought that we would need mostly beach wheelchairs, but that has proved a little inaccurate. Power chairs have been much more requested than we anticipated. Those of you who came to Vallarta and had an accident during vacation love the power chairs. They are great for getting around the resorts and if you don't want to cross the sand, can take you most everywhere else. The beach wheelchairs have been popular downtown. It turns out that they cross cobblestone far easier than any of the other chairs, and with the umbrella, cup holder and elevated leg rest, can be a pretty comfortable way to see the Malecon. And the walkers... who knew. I would have thought that people would just bring their own walkers, but I would have been wrong. It turns out that airlines are pretty hard on mobility equipment. Lots of people have told us that they would rather rent something than to have their own equipment damaged or lost. Yes, lost!. When traveling home with a wheelchair, one of the airline employees asked me, "are you traveling with a wheelchair?" "Yes." I answered, "But, I checked it through." "Well, is this your chair?" Why my chair made it to the terminal is still a puzzle, but I'm glad that we were reunited and the chair made it to my final destination after all.
We've had a few requests for items. That part's easy. People asked for a walker, we got a walker. People asked for a rollator, we got a rollator. People asked for crutches, etc. But what about the other needs? Anita needed a chair that would elevate her leg and fit through some less than standard sized doors. The only chairs we have with elevating legs are beach wheelchairs. Lindsey needed a beach wheelchair, but she was just a little bit of a thing and needed pillows on all sides to stay put in the beach wheelchair. We really want to meet the needs of our clients, but our experience with mobility is limited to traveling with Mom. She used a chair because it was easier than towing her oxygen concentrator along behind her. When we came to steps that were not passable in the chair, she could get out and slowly make her way up the steps. At times, some nice men would come along and pick her up, chair and all, and depsit her at the top or bottom of the impassable obstacle.
What do we need? Many of you are much better at seeing those needs than we are. Help us out. Send us your suggestions. We listen and want to grow in the right direction.
Originally we thought that we would need mostly beach wheelchairs, but that has proved a little inaccurate. Power chairs have been much more requested than we anticipated. Those of you who came to Vallarta and had an accident during vacation love the power chairs. They are great for getting around the resorts and if you don't want to cross the sand, can take you most everywhere else. The beach wheelchairs have been popular downtown. It turns out that they cross cobblestone far easier than any of the other chairs, and with the umbrella, cup holder and elevated leg rest, can be a pretty comfortable way to see the Malecon. And the walkers... who knew. I would have thought that people would just bring their own walkers, but I would have been wrong. It turns out that airlines are pretty hard on mobility equipment. Lots of people have told us that they would rather rent something than to have their own equipment damaged or lost. Yes, lost!. When traveling home with a wheelchair, one of the airline employees asked me, "are you traveling with a wheelchair?" "Yes." I answered, "But, I checked it through." "Well, is this your chair?" Why my chair made it to the terminal is still a puzzle, but I'm glad that we were reunited and the chair made it to my final destination after all.
We've had a few requests for items. That part's easy. People asked for a walker, we got a walker. People asked for a rollator, we got a rollator. People asked for crutches, etc. But what about the other needs? Anita needed a chair that would elevate her leg and fit through some less than standard sized doors. The only chairs we have with elevating legs are beach wheelchairs. Lindsey needed a beach wheelchair, but she was just a little bit of a thing and needed pillows on all sides to stay put in the beach wheelchair. We really want to meet the needs of our clients, but our experience with mobility is limited to traveling with Mom. She used a chair because it was easier than towing her oxygen concentrator along behind her. When we came to steps that were not passable in the chair, she could get out and slowly make her way up the steps. At times, some nice men would come along and pick her up, chair and all, and depsit her at the top or bottom of the impassable obstacle.
What do we need? Many of you are much better at seeing those needs than we are. Help us out. Send us your suggestions. We listen and want to grow in the right direction.
Friday, February 20, 2015
Beach Crossers Press Release for February
Beach wheelchairs roll into Mexico. Is there anything better than a stroll on the beach with a beautiful sunset on a warm Vallarta evening? Many people have mobility limitations that in the past made that experience unattainable. With Beach Crossers in town, people who could not get to the beach in the past are taking an evening “roll” with family and friends.
Puerto Vallarta, MX February 2015. Beach Crossers launched their business last summer and immediately began to get calls and requests through their website at www.beachcrossers.com. The owners, Terrie and Sheri were inspired to start this venture by their mom, Shirley, who unfortunately passed away before they got started. According to Terrie, “She will always be part of the business. She taught us to care about others, follow our dreams, and that we were capable of doing great things if we were willing to work hard.”
There are 4 manufacturers of wheelchairs specially designed for use on beach surfaces. Beach Crossers is now the national distributors for 3 of them here in Mexico.
- The Debug wheelchair is great for most people. It has big balloon tires and scoots across sand and cobblestone with ease. It fits through standard sized doors without removing the wheels. It has an elevating foot rest and comes with a cup holder and umbrella.
- The Hippocampe will meet the needs of a select few. It is low to the ground for easy transfer to the sand, kayak or jet ski. It is meant to be self propelled by the client that is used to getting around without assistance. If you have perfected your “hop”, this chair is the right choice for you. It also fits through a standard door without removing the wheels.
- The Sand Rider is a sporty choice. With a high seat, this chair is easy to get in and out of. It crosses the sand and cobblestone easily. It has a comfortable relaxed seat position and comes with a cup holder.
Beach Crossers has helped many people to the beach since last summer. Zach, a 21 year old young man who has lived his life in a wheelchair, Nicole, an adorable little one who spent the day in a beach stroller, Anita and Wayne who each had injuries on the 2nd day of vacation. It’s not just the person sitting in the chair that benefits. Lawrence brought his 90 year old blind mother to Vallarta and having a beach wheelchair was really helpful. Mike had his granddaughter, Lindsey, 12, who has Cerebral Palsy.
Terrie, one of the owners says, “The best part of Beach Crossers is when we take the chairs to one of the resorts and find someone to give it to for the day. We’ve seen so many tears of joy since we started that I really look forward to this being my future.” We watched one day as Terrie and Sheri found just such a person. This elderly gentleman was at Paradise Village poolside with his family. Terrie approached and offered the Sand Rider for the day. (you can see pictures here https://www.beachcrossers.com/rentals/sand-rider/) The gentleman was non-verbal, but his smile and the smiles of his family members spoke of memories that will last a lifetime.
What’s ahead for Beach Crossers? According to Sheri, “We are planning to get an accessible van so we can help our clients get around Vallarta a bit easier.” This is good news for locals and tourists alike as finding a ride when you are not able to get out of your chair is more than challenging.
We can’t wait to see what’s ahead for Beach Crossers. We are lucky to have this family and this business in our community.
Wayne doesn’t let his injury interfere with an awesome vacation.
Zach and Jason take the Debug wheelchair for it’s first spin on the beach.
The Hippocampe is built for sport.
Abuelito gets his feet wet in the Sand Rider beach wheelchair.
Monday, February 2, 2015
Accessible does not mean the same thing everywhere in Vallarta
The beach wheelchair business is going well in Puerto Vallarta and Nuevo Vallarta. We never thought we would be so busy so soon. The business is covering it's own expenses right now and we are very encouraged it will continue even as the busy season winds down. We have quite a few advanced reservations already. Who knew?
But enough of that ...
The topic of today's blog is, "What do they mean by ACCESSIBLE?"
Wow, can this mean a lot of different thing in Vallarta. Now that we have people using our beach wheelchairs and power chairs at a variety of locations we are beginning to really appreciate those facilities that are accessible in the same way that you would expect back in the states.
Paradise Village is in our top recommendations for accessibility. The sidewalks have ramps that are actually wide enough for wheelchairs, the paths are mostly gently sloped, and even the pool has a ramp for the water safe chairs to visit the activity pool. Another thing nice at Paradise Village is that the doors are wide enough for either a power chair or a beach wheelchair without removing any parts. I haven't been inside of the accessible rooms, but we've not heard any complaints from customers. They have an elevator in every tower. The elevators are large enough for the chairs and companion (which is not true at all resorts). There is even an elevator to go up to the Xcarat night club entertainment (welcome party when it is hosted indoors), although this is through the restaurant. It's a little odd, but functional. Sometimes other guests are not considerate and park in front of ramps or move their chairs in from of access, but they are usually good about moving out of the way when asked. They have wheelchair accessible tables throughout the facility including at the beach. They have beach mats that can be put out to wheel across. You just have to ask for that service as they are not out at all times. Even the spa and gym are easily accessible. They also run a shuttle down to the mall and to the golf course, but those are not wheelchair accessible as far as we've seen. They are so helpful though, that they might have an option if one were to ask. Ana at the concierge desk is very helpful. She has all the information you need to access mobility devices or information. She's always got a smile and will go out of her way to make your stay pleasant.
Another resort that seems pretty accessible is the RIU Vallarta. We've had a few rentals there and the only negative feedback we received was that the doors are difficult to maneuver because they don't face straight out to the hallway. The access ramps are easy to get to, the staff is very helpful, and there is a clear effort to make the facility accessible. Michelle at the concierge desk is quick to respond to email, has a wealth of information and is a joy to work with.
We haven't had much luck getting into the Grand Mayan, but the Mayan at the Marina has contacted us with several requests. The property is very accessible. However, the elevators are incredible small. It is not possible to have both the chair and another person in the same elevator. On the other hand, the doors face outward and are plenty wide enough for the chairs. The beach wheelchairs barely fit into the elevator and actually rub on both sides requiring a little push to get through the doors. Arturo and Oscar seem to know everything. They are a resource worth tapping as they can help you with not only mobility, but anything you might want. If you need to reserve a mobility device, they will actually get on the computer and walk you through the process step by step.
The Hard Rock Nuevo is very accessible once you get into the resort. However, it is kind of weird getting into the property with a wheelchair. You have to go to this little side door and wait around for a security guard to let you through. They are doing some remodeling out front, so hopefully this will change. Once inside the resort is more accessible than most. The ramps are wide and easily maneuvered. We haven't seen the rooms or elevators, but have had nothing but positive reviews from our clients.
Canto del Sol in the hotel district was very difficult for our clients. The "accessible" shower had a 4 inch lip making it impossible for the wheelchair to enter. It did have a drain outside of the shower and a hand held shower that could be used in that area. The rooms are small and difficult for a wheelchair to maneuver. The staff was absolutely wonderful and really tried to make it a comfortable stay, but the facility is just not set up well for limited mobility.
We visited the concierge at Samba and although we haven't seem much of the facility, it seemed like there would definitely be challenges in a wheelchair. Just the lobby area posed some obstacles, so unless there was some modernization somewhere around a corner I don't think this would be a great choice.
We plan to visit all of the resorts and check out their facilities more thoroughly. Will keep you posted :)
But enough of that ...
The topic of today's blog is, "What do they mean by ACCESSIBLE?"
Wow, can this mean a lot of different thing in Vallarta. Now that we have people using our beach wheelchairs and power chairs at a variety of locations we are beginning to really appreciate those facilities that are accessible in the same way that you would expect back in the states.
Paradise Village is in our top recommendations for accessibility. The sidewalks have ramps that are actually wide enough for wheelchairs, the paths are mostly gently sloped, and even the pool has a ramp for the water safe chairs to visit the activity pool. Another thing nice at Paradise Village is that the doors are wide enough for either a power chair or a beach wheelchair without removing any parts. I haven't been inside of the accessible rooms, but we've not heard any complaints from customers. They have an elevator in every tower. The elevators are large enough for the chairs and companion (which is not true at all resorts). There is even an elevator to go up to the Xcarat night club entertainment (welcome party when it is hosted indoors), although this is through the restaurant. It's a little odd, but functional. Sometimes other guests are not considerate and park in front of ramps or move their chairs in from of access, but they are usually good about moving out of the way when asked. They have wheelchair accessible tables throughout the facility including at the beach. They have beach mats that can be put out to wheel across. You just have to ask for that service as they are not out at all times. Even the spa and gym are easily accessible. They also run a shuttle down to the mall and to the golf course, but those are not wheelchair accessible as far as we've seen. They are so helpful though, that they might have an option if one were to ask. Ana at the concierge desk is very helpful. She has all the information you need to access mobility devices or information. She's always got a smile and will go out of her way to make your stay pleasant.
Another resort that seems pretty accessible is the RIU Vallarta. We've had a few rentals there and the only negative feedback we received was that the doors are difficult to maneuver because they don't face straight out to the hallway. The access ramps are easy to get to, the staff is very helpful, and there is a clear effort to make the facility accessible. Michelle at the concierge desk is quick to respond to email, has a wealth of information and is a joy to work with.
We haven't had much luck getting into the Grand Mayan, but the Mayan at the Marina has contacted us with several requests. The property is very accessible. However, the elevators are incredible small. It is not possible to have both the chair and another person in the same elevator. On the other hand, the doors face outward and are plenty wide enough for the chairs. The beach wheelchairs barely fit into the elevator and actually rub on both sides requiring a little push to get through the doors. Arturo and Oscar seem to know everything. They are a resource worth tapping as they can help you with not only mobility, but anything you might want. If you need to reserve a mobility device, they will actually get on the computer and walk you through the process step by step.
The Hard Rock Nuevo is very accessible once you get into the resort. However, it is kind of weird getting into the property with a wheelchair. You have to go to this little side door and wait around for a security guard to let you through. They are doing some remodeling out front, so hopefully this will change. Once inside the resort is more accessible than most. The ramps are wide and easily maneuvered. We haven't seen the rooms or elevators, but have had nothing but positive reviews from our clients.
Canto del Sol in the hotel district was very difficult for our clients. The "accessible" shower had a 4 inch lip making it impossible for the wheelchair to enter. It did have a drain outside of the shower and a hand held shower that could be used in that area. The rooms are small and difficult for a wheelchair to maneuver. The staff was absolutely wonderful and really tried to make it a comfortable stay, but the facility is just not set up well for limited mobility.
We visited the concierge at Samba and although we haven't seem much of the facility, it seemed like there would definitely be challenges in a wheelchair. Just the lobby area posed some obstacles, so unless there was some modernization somewhere around a corner I don't think this would be a great choice.
We plan to visit all of the resorts and check out their facilities more thoroughly. Will keep you posted :)
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
A Beach Wheelchair Vacation in Puerto Vallarta
So I just got back from a "vacation" in Puerto Vallarta. Happily I spent a lot of time delivering and picking up wheelchairs. I can't believe how many people need our help. We rented to a nice man named Wayne who tore all of the ligaments in his ankle on the second day of his vacation. He had rigged up a pair of crutches with flip flops attached to the bottom so he could maneuver the sand. Brilliant, but he was much more comfortable in one of the beach wheelchairs. I keep asking people how they found out about Beach Crossers. I've done a lot of tweeting, blogging, youtube, and the like to get noticed by Google. It must be working because they found us by doing a Google search for wheelchair rentals in Bucerias. Our next rental was to a woman who broke her knee cap on the second day of vacation. Anita used the beach wheelchair around the resort and then moved to a villa in El Centro. The DeBug wasn't getting in and out of the shops the way they wanted, so we took them a manual wheelchair. It would be much easier to get into the shops downtown, but they couldn't get down their street! That was the same problem we had when we tried doing downtown with Mom in her transport chair. Anita quickly moved back to the beach wheelchair and we actually ran into her on the Malecon enjoying all that the downtown area has to offer. We also rented a power chair to Rick at the Mayan marina this week. He suffers from Fribromyalgia which was causing his some problems with his knees. He is a large man of nearly 300 pounds. He found the Rascal to be very comfortable and easy to maneuver. We also had our first Beach Stroller rental while I was in town. A very nice woman, Somia staying at the RIU Vallarta. They had been limited to the resort area because they were traveling with two autistic children. They decided that in order to visit the downtown area (and enjoy it) they would need to contain the children. They rented the beach stroller for easy movement in the downtown area. It worked like a charm. They had a great trip to the Malecon and easily crossed both Los Muertos Beach and the cobblestone streets of El Centro. We've been happy with our new products, the Hippocampe and the Sand Rider. Both meet the needs of specific clients. We have been really surprised that we are renting so many power chairs and scooters. We are planning to expand our inventory of both of those, add manual chairs that have leg extensions for those injured travelers, and are in the process of getting hourly or daily rentals available in Sayulita. Keep an eye on our progress at BeachCrossers.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)