I actually made it to a Latin American country to watch the
World Cup. Even though the plan for the past four years had been to go to
Brazil, Mexico was not a bad alternative.
With the USA x Belgium match starting at 3:00 PM Puerto
Vallarta time, I set out early enough to give myself time to cruise the Malecon in search of an exciting venue to
view the game.
It wasn’t long before I noticed that there did not seem to
be much in the way of crazy soccer fans on the streets or in the bars I passed.
I assumed that since Mexico was now out of it all, the interest in the mundial might have lessened. But I did
expect to see American fans, even though it is low tourist season here.
Once I reached the end of the rows of restaurants and bars
along the Malecon, and not finding
anything that looked even close to a hopping-mad football fest, I decided to
head back to a bar I’d passed earlier. Murphy’s
Irish Pub; they had to be watching
the game there. Looking up from below at the second story establishment, I didn’t
see too many folks inside, but thought I saw a TV with what looked to be a
game. I checked my watch – the game had already started – so headed up the
narrow staircase to find what awaited me.
The game was indeed playing on several large and small
screens. Right at the front, just inside the balcony, sat a group of six young American
women, eyes glued to the TV set. Wow – has the world changed! I felt so proud
that a group of gals would come out to watch a football match. I said hello and
grabbed a table behind them.
Murphy’s was by no means packed, but there was a decent
enough crowd comprised of families and small groups of men. I ordered a glass of
tonic water and tuned my brain into the game along with my compatriots.
Having watched all the previous matches in the company of
myself, I truly enjoyed being able to whoop out loud along with the rest of the
patrons – or in some cases, let out a loud ooooohhhh!
It really is much more fun to be part of a crowd when watching a sporting
event.
We all know how the game ended, but I must say that those
last few minutes were a joy to watch, with the entire pub cheering on Team
USA.
I do feel a bit disappointed in the less-than-crazy World
Cup atmosphere that I’ve found here. I was thinking back to several World Cups
ago when I was living in Kuala Lumpur. It was the best time ever! Maybe it was
because the games were on in the late afternoon and evening, and all the bars
and restaurants were packed for every game. And it’s not like Malaysia was even
in the World Cup. For the final, my friends and I had to book a table in a
make-shift, outdoor club, right next to the Twin Towers. It was total sports
fan nirvana.
World Cup apparent-lack-of-enthusiasm aside, it’s still fantastic to be in Puerto Vallarta, drinking in the heat, breathing in the humidity, and spending by days in happiness.
