June 3, 2011

How Richard Burton Got Me to Drink Tequila

So, Jay wrote this a long time ago and I JUST found his draft. I added the pictures and decided to post it. A year later.

In 1964, MGM released The Night of the Iguana, an adaptation of Tennessee Williams’ tropical melo-drama about a defrocked priest at a beach hotel in Mexico. The film starred Richard Burton as the aforementioned priest and opened to critical acclaim, particularly for the cinematography at the shooting location, a little known fishing village on Mexico’s Pacific coast called Puerto Vallarta. Burton’s whirlwind romance with Hollywood’s leading lady, Elizabeth Taylor, helped bring media attention and tourists to the town. The couple eventually bought a house in Puerto Vallarta, and the coastal tourist industry boomed and never looked back.

And that’s how it happened that 36 years later I found myself in Puerto Vallarta, somewhat inebriated and sardine-packed into the back of a very small taxi with four other individuals of questionable sobriety and a driver who spoke little English and obviously had limited regard for the safety of anyone involved.

Let me back up. In January, the wife and I, along with several of our firends decided to take a joint summer vacation. After much hand-wringing over the destination, Puerto Vallarta was selected, lodging was secured and flights were booked. What follows are the photographic accounts of our kickass time.