Cartel Trouble

“Canadians have been told to shelter in place in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and flights have been cancelled after cartel violence erupted throughout the region following the death of drug lord Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as ‘El Mencho,’ the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.”

Just before the kids were picked up at 8 a.m., they got a message that their flight was delayed but it was decided that they would go to the airport (1 1/2 hour drive) and wait for their flight there. We said our goodbyes and of course felt a little sad that they had gone. It had been a great week.

A couple of hours later, we read a Facebook posting that told us that the airport was locked down and what had happened in Tapalpa. We texted the kids and yes, it was all true and their flight had been cancelled. Armed guards surrounded the airport, not allowing passengers inside to leave.

Cars and buses were burning and blocking roads, smoke filled the air and it was mayhem in Puerto Vallarta.

The next 24 hours were worrisome for all of us. Caitlin phoned us and told us that they had heard gunshots and people rushed to hide, in a panic. They were okay but it had been extremely frightening for everyone.

All the restaurants and food kiosks closed and there was no food or drinks available. No one knew what was going on and the airlines didn’t pass on any information.

It ended up that they all had to try to sleep in the very cold airport, Sunday night. In the morning, they still didn’t know what was happening. They booked a close by hotel (Splash Hotel) in hopes that they could get to it when the public transportation (cars, taxis, uber, buses) was allowed to run again. They got a rebooking message from Flair for March 3, 9 days after the original flight home!

Later on Monday morning, things opened up and they were able to take a taxi to their hotel. Thank heavens, it had pools and slides and lots for the kids to do. Their parents were worried about booking return flights but the kids had fun. The prices of one way flights were triple what they had paid for the original return flight.

Anyways, to make a long story shorter, after 2 more nights, Amy got up from sleeping to get a drink of water and checked for flights again. Surprisingly, Flair had a ‘recovery flight’ home, the next day (Wednesday) at 6:45 pm. Both families quickly booked their tickets for home and were able to enjoy a little more time in the pools and sun. What a roller coaster of emotions everyone had!

They were in Toronto by midnight and Red Car got them home by 2 a.m.
Such a relief!

The rest of their week was a write off but after a few days of rest, they were back in the groove. It was a harrowing experience for everyone!Læs mere