Medicine Hat tourist near Puerto Vallarta says things were slowly returning to normal on Monday

When she arrived back, her husband said he had heard from someone at the condo that there was news of explosions in Puerto Vallarta.

“That’s how we first learned about it, and then you could hear some loud noises. I don’t know if it would be bombing, but it might’ve been the explosions, and you could smell the smoke and see smoke in the air,” Beatty said.

It was shortly after that that they found out that everyone in the area was being told to stay indoors and not venture out.

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand is telling thousands of Canadians in Mexico to follow the direction of local officials after the killing of a major drug cartel leader led to violence in the country.

Anand says more than 26,000 Canadians in Mexico have registered with the federal government, and acknowledged that number is likely much higher.

Mexican officials say at least 73 people are dead, including security forces and suspected cartel members, after special forces killed the notorious leader known as “El Mencho” in Jalisco State over the weekend.

He was the boss of one of the fastest-growing criminal networks in Mexico.

Global Affairs Canada said there are about 5,000 Canadian tourists currently in Jalisco State.

Beatty said it was quiet in Bucerias throughout most of Sunday.

“None of the restaurants were open, gas stations closed, everything was closed yesterday,” Beatty said.

Helicopters could be heard flying overhead.

“They were circling, and they were quite low. They went right over our condo,” Beatty said.

Reports from the Puerto Vallarta area had some in isolation hours prior, and Beatty acknowledged that not being on a resort and a little further away likely delayed their awareness.

“I think if you were in all inclusive, they would have locked them down right away. It was more word of mouth here,” Beatty said.

Things were still certainly not like they were when they arrived.

“There aren’t any restaurants really open because the workers can’t even get here right now,” Beatty said.

“The little markets are open because people need some supplies, and they’ll sell out quickly, but it’s still advised not to go out on excursions and stuff like that on the highways,” she added.

Taxis were slowly beginning to head back on the roads on Monday.

“Yesterday there was no cars or people on the streets. Today, we were up early, and you could see people already kind of out and about on the streets,” Beatty said.

Something she recommends people do when vacationing in Mexico is to register with the Canadian government that you are travelling abroad before leaving to get updates.

“I tried all day yesterday to register for that and I couldn’t, but I was able to do it at five this morning,” Beatty said.

Beatty says the area remains pretty calm.

“People aren’t panicking here. Everybody’s pretty good,” Beatty said.

“Just take it easy and do as they say, and it’ll change in a day or two.”

She had also heard from a couple who had landed on Sunday at the airport, who were escorted away from the airport without their luggage, before being allowed back to retrieve it a few hours later, but struggling to find a taxi to leave again.

A communications professor from Vancouver, Marc Edge, told the Canadian Press that the streets of Puerto Vallarta were eerily quiet a day after fire and violence engulfed the popular tourist destination on Sunday.

He says he saw billowing clouds of black smoke and burned-out vehicles while walking on the boardwalk.

Cars burned out by cartel members blocked roads at more than 250 points in 20 Mexican states, including in Puerto Vallarta, and left smoke billowing into the air.

Edge says he’s been sheltering in place at his hotel, waiting to see if the Puerto Vallarta airport reopens in time for his scheduled flight on Tuesday.

Multiple Canadian airlines had cancelled flights, with Air Canada and WestJet suspending service in and out of the popular tourist destination Puerto Vallarta on Monday.

Flair, Air Transat and Porter are among the other airlines diverting or cancelling flights to the area.

— With Files from The Canadian Press

by Jesse Gill

Medicine Hat tourist near Puerto Vallarta says things were slowly returning to normal on Monday

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