The tour began with a scenic drive through downtown Puerto Vallarta with a stop and short walk along the waterfront Malecon. We then visited the Cathedral of our Lady of Guadalupe and the Old Town City Hall. It was then a short bus ride to a downtown local tile factory and salesroom and a leather works shop next door. The next stop was a drive into the country to visit the tequila factory, Hacienda Dona Engracia. We had a tour of the factory, a tequila tasting and a homemade Mexican lunch. The Tequila was good but over-priced for sale to the tourists.
One thing the tour guide pointed out in response to questions was that the Mexican national health system provides services to everyone, although it is primarily used by poor people without private health insurance or other resources. There is also a system of private health hospitals and medical providers, especially in the cities, that only serve those with private insurance or have the resources to pay for the services. I am not sure how wide-spread this two-tiered health system is throughout the country.
The guide also said that public schools in the city are especially dangerous and poorly run, and those who can afford to do so send their children to private or parochial schools.
After the tour
that took about 6 hours, it was back to the ship for dinner then departure at
5:00 pm for our next stop.
After we departed, we
were about 30 minutes outbound when the ship had to return to the port for a
passenger's life-threatening medical emergency. After the passenger was
removed, we again departed. We later heard (not sure if true or not) that
the medical service that picked up the passenger demanded $4,000 in advance for
the ambulance ride and initial treatment. If so, it is another reminder
to never travel outside the country without medical travel insurance.
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