Three Americans. Three different choices.
As unrest unfolded in the popular tourist destination of Puerto Vallarta, visitors responded in sharply different ways. One Houston woman rushed to leave immediately. Another Houstonian chose to stay and wait for stability. And a longtime Houston businesswoman turned expatriate says she plans to remain for the next two months.
Together, their experiences paint a picture of uncertainty in a city known more for beaches and destination weddings than fear and flight cancellations.
A wedding trip turns into panic
For Lena Escandon of Houston, what began as a celebratory weekend quickly spiraled into alarm.
“We heard screaming, explosions. We saw fires and smoke from our windows,” Escandon recalled.
She had traveled to Puerto Vallarta for a destination wedding. But after celebrating Saturday night, she and other guests were told they could not leave their hotel property. Food deliveries stopped. Then her flight home was canceled — twice.
“When my first flight was canceled, I thought, okay, this is actually really bad,” she said.
At the airport, alarms sounding over the loudspeaker revived fears of recent cartel-related violence elsewhere in western Mexico.
“Immediately, we were looking for exit routes, for open doors. We were trying to figure out where we could go or where we could hide,” Escandon said.
Eventually, she was able to board a flight home to Houston — emotional, relieved and still shaken by the experience.
Choosing to wait it out
Not everyone felt the need to leave right away.
Randall Ingalls, also from Houston, is staying through Thursday, giving conditions time to stabilize. He described Sunday as chaotic, waking to visible smoke in the distance.
“When I got up, I walked out on the patio. I saw three plumes of smoke,” Ingalls said.
Hotel guests were instructed to remain on the property.
“We were told to stay at the hotel, not to leave the campus at all,” he said.
By Tuesday, however, Ingalls said he observed signs of improvement. Schools reopened. Buses resumed service. Many businesses were operating again.
Still, he noticed signs of strain among hotel staff.
“We saw they took the loungers out by the pool and moved a bunch of them into their conference rooms,” Ingalls said. “We believe the staff were sleeping on those overnight.”
While concerned for his own safety, Ingalls said he is equally worried about the impact on local residents.
“Transportation here seems to be really impacted quickly,” he added.
Staying for the long haul
For Debra Stevenson, leaving isn’t part of the plan.
The expatriate businesswoman works with North American property owners renovating vacation homes in Puerto Vallarta. She says she intends to stay at least 60 more days, with clients scheduled to arrive soon.
“We have clients arriving next week to receive their rental properties in paradise,” Stevenson said. “I just hope that the cleanup continues and things go back to normal.”
Her outlook reflects a longer-term commitment to the city’s recovery — and confidence that normalcy will return.
Watching and waiting
Escandon is now home safely in Houston.
Ingalls remains in Puerto Vallarta, monitoring conditions day by day.
Stevenson continues preparing properties for arriving clients.
One fought to leave. One chose to wait. One is staying committed.
In the same city, amid the same uncertainty, three people made three very different choices — all hoping Puerto Vallarta soon returns to the paradise they expected.