"nee nee, nix dar vun," - seggt miene Fro to mi, "wi gaht dit mal wo anners hen, sünd jo all een poor mal in Hawaii wesen, möss mal wat anners sehn."

Toletzt harr ik denn jo uk ingeben, un at dat Angebot keem vun de Fluggesellschaften dat se ganz billige Flüge harrn nah Mexico hen, do reep ik miene Fro un segg ehr dat se man gau dat Reisebüro anroopen schull um us to buchen. Durde uk nich all to lang un wi harrn use Flugschiene un Hotel Reservierungen, in soon poor Weeken schull’t denn jo los gahn.

Vor Johren all, harrn wi de Näs mal so even över de Grenze steckt, over dar weer’t denn jo uk bi bleven, ik harr noog seen vun Mexico, ik harr an allen’s wat ut to setten, nix weer so at Tohus, alln’s weer anners, de Lüüd, dat Eten, de Hüüser, de Autos, all soon Kram, an allen’s harr'k wat rum to quarken.

Nu weern wi jo uk goot un heel dar unnen in Puerto Vallarta ankomen, un ik moss jo togeben dat sik so eniget verännert harr in de Johren, over annere Saken weern noch bold just so, at ik se in Erinnerung harr.

Mit all denn neemodernschen Kram vundaagens, kumms jo all meiss nich mehr mit, is jo all bold so at wenn een still stahn deiht un de Tiet man so an di vorbi susen deiht, un so weer dat dar unnen uk.

Wat mi up fullen weer, so fröh an morgen at ik mal een korten Gang maaken de, um mi de Tiet to verdrieben, wiel ik ut Bodezimmer rut moss, so dat miene Fro sik uptüddeln kunn, - nu weer se in un ik rut,- nix at nah Buten hen, up de Straat. Mal seen wat los is in soon fremde Stadt. De Hauptstraaten sünd jo meiss all över een, in de gröötern Städte, veel Verkehr, een Footpad an jede Siet, een poor Böm, hier un dar mal ne Boostä, Autos, Busse, un veel Lüüd. Wenn nu over seen wullt wo dat Leben to geiht in anner Lüüd ehr Land denn moss mal so in eene vun de lüttjen Nebenstraaten rinkieken un dat de ik denn jo uk.

Ik slurde denn jo mit miene Hannen inne Taschen de Straat endaal, keek hier mal rin un dar mal rin, hier wurd een Loden open maakt, dar wurd de Footpadd afwuschen, up de anner Siet wurd de Straat upfeegt. Dar achtern up’n Hoff dar wurd mit’n "miau" ne Katt rutschmeeten, un darmit keem dar uk de Affallwogen all um de Ecke,- givt jo uk in annere Landen,- over disse weer nu nich so at ik dat woll kennen de. De groote Lastwogen harr dar achtern man blots soon grooten Kasten up boot un dar weer anne Siet ne Döör wo de Affall dör schmeeten wurd un binnen in den Kasten dar weern dree bit veer Junge Kerls de sick den Affall to schmeeten un nah achtern to up staapeln dee’n. De Gestank de dar bi rutkeem hulp mi gau up de anner Siet vun de Straat to gahn.

Ik keem denn jo uk all bold an’n Strand un bummel denn woller nah us Hotel to, leet sik uk ganz goot gahn dar in den natten Sand an Strand. Nu seeg ik so foftig Meter in’t Water twee lüttje Boote rum schippern, bold so at wenn se up wat töven deen. So ganz sinnig tüffelde ik denn Strand endahl, soon poor Joggers leepen up un dahl un eenige vun de wilden Köters de wat to freeten heppen wulln, de leepen glieks mit.

Kiek di dat an, an’e Strandmur dar stunnen twee Kerls, ganz in Witt weern se antogen, un do wuss ik furns worum sik dat hanneln de. Dat Ehepoor un eer Teenager Söhn, de se bi’n Wickel harrn, de wulln nu gern ut förn, up ne Angeltour, un nu gung dat Verhanneln denn jo los.

So at ik de ganze Sake seen de, weer dat all mehr ne Schiettour, ehr se anfung at ne Angeltour. Dar wehr kien Anleger, dat de Lüüd an Bord kunnen, dar weern nix at de Wellen un dat Meer. Up eenen Weg or denn annern mossen disse Lüüd un dat Boot nu over tohoop kamen um dar wat vun to maaken, un nu gung dat los, -- „No Problemo" at se dar unnen seggt „check it out".

De in Witt de leepen nah de Wellen to un weiden mit ehre Arme inne Luft rum. De twee Boote de wurn in Gang smeeten, kemen up de twee in Witt to stormen at wenn se glieks denn ganzen Strand rup suusen wulln. Bleven over noch so eben vor de Brandung legen, un mit Hollern un Schreen geben se sik to verstahn dat de Lüüd, de dar boben an Strand stunnen, mit föhrn wulln. "No Problemo," wehr jo alln’s wat ik hörn un uk verstahn kunn. Dat lüttje Boot kem nu dör de Brandung dör un de Eheman vun de Familje smeet sien Sack, denn he mit brocht harr in’t Boot. Dat Boot moos over woller ut de Brandung rut, dar weern toveel Steene ann’en Strand, een beten wieter denn Strand endol weer dat beter. All leepen se darhen, de in Witt, de hauden aff, de harrn ehr Geld jo, un harrn wat anners to don.

De Eheman sprung uk glieks so up’t Boot rup, harr sien Büx soon beten natt kreegen over anners nix vun Bedütung, nu keem de Fro, - töv bit dat Boot nah di ran kumt mit de tokommen Welle un denn man nix at rin, - denk ik noch so bi mi, at ik stahn blev um mi dat Manöver antokieken. Jo, dat weer denn jo uk de Plan. De Fro de kem, dat Boot dat kem, un de Wellen de kemen. Weern over so groot dat se de Fro glieks bit an Hals gungen un se weer immer noch nich in’t Boot. Se weer nu klitsche natt vun unnen bit boven, leep woller an’n Strand un schüttel sik at soon natten Köter. Se stund dar at wenn se upgeven wull. Nu kem de Söhn an’e Reeg, bi em gung dat Water man blots bit an Buuk at he endlich an Bord ankem. Nu sprung de Hölper, de mit an Bord weer över de Siet, winkde de Fro to dat se em woll vertrohn kunn, he kennde dat jo. He holde siene Hannen ut, se steeg dar rin un he schmeet se an Bord at wenn se soon Sack Kartuffeln weer, he man furns achter an un se weern up groote Fohrt, natt at se weern. Of se wat fungen heppt un wi se woller nah Huus komen sünd, dat weet ik uk nich, over de in Witt, de harrn jo recht , -- „No Problemo" - un ik segg "jo, so geith uk," at ik woller nah't Hotel to gung.

It works that way to!

Translated by Johnny Meyer

Other people take a break from every day life and go on vacation to. So whether I wanted to or not, I had to go along this time. Since my wife made the command, that we had been several times in Hawaii and it was high time for a change, to see something different.

I finally gave in, and when the Airlines announced that some Fares would be greatly reduced. We jumped at the opportunity and before we knew what happened, we had flight and Hotel reservations for a vacation in Puerto Vallarta in place and our well deserved Vacation could start in a few weeks.

A few years ago, actually in the late 50’s and again in the late 60’s

I had been in Mexico for a short visit and was not particularly impressed, nothing was like home, the food, the Homes, the cars and so on, simply nothing was right, -but that was then and this was now.

We managed to arrive in Mexico without incident, warm air greeted us and very friendly people, and soon I found that many things had changed, most for the better, but some of my observations from earlier times were as valid as before. But Puerto Vallarta showed a certain charm that other places did not have. The way Puerto Vallarta was situated, between the mountains and the sea, sloping down toward the beach, the cobblestone streets, tile roofs and staggered buildings made all this very charming.

With all the modern conveniences of today, it’s almost overwhelming at times and some times it seems as if one stands still and time just flies by . And that is how it happened that I had a few moments to myself one morning, as I was ushered out of the bathroom so that my wife would have a chance to get her Hair done .

I found myself out on the sidewalk, in no time at all, I have to admit I was a bit nosy; wanted to know what made this city tick. The main roads in major cities are almost the same wherever one goes, much traffic, a sidewalk, on each side, some trees, construction, cars, buses and a lot of people. In order to see the real life, one has to get in the side streets, slow down the pace and start looking, observing and enjoying the scenery.

With my hands in my pockets, I lurked around corners and streets, alleys and main roads and found that no two streets where alike, thank God I had all the time in the world. Over here a store would be opened, over there a sidewalk would be washed and scrubbed, up ahead a curb would be swept, and back in the in the alley a cat would be thrown out with a loud protesting meow.

Loud voices and squealing brakes got my immediate attention; a so called Garbage truck came around a corner. Garbage truck, what am I saying, it was a truck with a very, very large box on it, a door on one side, open on top

and through this door on the side, the garbage would be thrown into the truck , where tree or four other men threw the loose garbage and bags to each other and eventually to the back of the truck, where it was stacked up as high and as fast as possible. The smell alone forced me to the other side of the street and around the next corner in a hurry.

Soon my walk led to the beach from where I could get back to our Hotel. It was good walking in the wet Sand, listening to the waves and observing the sailing pelicans a few feet above the Water with an occasional flap of their wings to gain more speed.

A couple of boats, a few hundred feet out in to the ocean seemed to be waiting or lingering around as if something was about to happen. A few Joggers tried to outpace the wild dogs that where hoping for a handout. And soon my eyes spotted two, all in white dressed concessionaires that frantically tried to convince a middle aged couple and their teenage son, that they had the best deal in town for a fishing trip.

I put two and two together and from my point of view it didn’t look very good, yes it did add up all right; I had it figured right, these three people were about to embark on a fishing trip, the question was : the people here on the beach and the boats out there in the ocean, there was nothing in between but waves, but some how they would have to connect. Soon I found out that the good old saying down there "No Problemo " meant just that. Just "check it out".

The concessionaires came down to the Water, waved with their hands and in no time at all the two boats came roaring across the ocean at high speed towards the one in white. As if they wanted to go right up on to the beach, all in one big swoop, but at the breakers edge, came the boat to an abrupt stop, and again a lot of hollering and arm waving was set into motion. The only conversation peace that I could make out was "No Problemo". Then the ones in white left, they had there money and had better things to do. The little boat came through the waves slowly towards the beach, the man from the fishing party went into the Water, threw his sack that he had brought into the boat and with one big jump jimmied himself into the boat, only his pants got a little wet. Now it was his wife’s turn, here came the wife, here came the boat and here came the waves, wait until the boat gets right up to you, where my thoughts as I had stopped, just to see how this maneuver would end up. That was the plan all right.

Right up to her neck, that’s how large the next wave was, that came and caught the lady completely off guard. She was dripping wet from top to bottom, ran back up on the beach and here she stood, like a wet dog shacking herself. It was the son’s turn now, same maneuver, same waves only up to his navel the water went. In the boat he went,--- now the deck hand that came with the boat jumped out and motioned to the Lady that he could be trusted. He folded his hands, she stepped in and he just threw her into the boat as if he handled a sack of potatoes, he jumped in, and off they went, on a big adventurous fishing trip, wet as they were. How much they caught, and how they got back, that I don’t know but the ones in white were right all along -"No Problemo"

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