'I would not venture out': Sask. tourists in Puerto Vallarta take shelter during unrest

Unrest in the state of Jalisco, Mexico, has left several Saskatchewan visitors displaced with many airlines cancelling flights in and out of the area.

Puerto Vallarta, an important tourist destination in Jalisco, has been experiencing instability since Saturday night. The violence comes after a government announcement that the leader of one of Mexico's most powerful cartels was dead.

Now visitors from Saskatchewan are worried about when they might be able to come home.

Scott Bell recently retired after 34 years of practising law in Saskatoon, and has been visiting Puerto Vallarta for the past 25 years.

“We were having a beautiful time, and we went to see Cirque du Soleil [Saturday] night,” said Bell in an interview on Sunday.

“[Sunday] morning, I was having breakfast on the deck here and I noticed plumes of smoke rising up from the coastal highway, which is about a three-minute walk from here. And when I looked around at the edge of the balcony, there were cars ablaze.”

Bell said he first thought it could be a traffic incident, but as the morning progressed, he saw empty streets and more smoke rising, eventually getting very close to his condo in the old town area of Puerto Vallarta, called Zona Romantica.

“I would not venture out on the streets,” said Bell. “The property owners have sent messages to us saying, 'Don't go out. It's dangerous. You could be shot if you walk out onto the streets,’ and I have no reason to doubt that.” 

According to the government of Canada’s travel advisory updated on Sunday night, shelter in place orders are in effect in the states of Jalisco and Nayarit. The advisory also says similar instructions and curfews could soon be issued in other areas of the country.

Bell said he’s been preparing for the possibility of losing power or water in his condominium by filling up jugs of water and keeping all electronics fully charged in case of an emergency. 

“There's moments when it's almost dead silent. It's almost like one of those COVID days in the midst of the pandemic,” said Bell.

“You can hear the ocean in the distance, and then the silence will break. You'll hear pop, pop, pop. I don't know what the pops are.… The loud bangs are often followed by plumes of smoke rising somewhere in the city.”

Bell said there is little to no police presence in the city from what he can see, but military helicopters have been overhead periodically. 

One day after the widespread retaliatory cartel violence, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Monday that no blockades remained in her country and that the national guard had restored security to the streets.