Vallarta Blog

The municipality of Puerto Vallarta presents an exhibition of art work by the inmates of the penitentiary, CEINJURE Costa Norte, here in Jalisco; concentrated artistic creations by a group of people being detained for some of the most diverse causes.
 
Artwork as expression, what it means to overturn the imagination, bringing into play and converting the harsh environment of prison into a freer, more alive experience and opening up through art in order to relieve some of the loneliness which occurs in such a situation.

Among the many forms of art included you will find a wide variety of crafts, storytelling, poetry, paintings and tales of items which represent things ranging from magic to the limits of love and madness.

This exhibition is the means by which the interns at the CEINJURE Costa Norte, revolt against the gray existence in which they live and transform hard times into beauty and remain a part of society, with the intention of sharing and connecting themselves with the outside Community through art. A human force capable of opening your imagination and showing how creativity can help to overcome some of the toughest obstacles one might experience in life and how important artistic creation can be to holding onto hope.

The art exhibit will be held February 27 to March 6, in the main courtyard of the Presidencia Municipal.

Interesting links:

Prison Talk
Art Jail – Youth Study Center
Favorite TV show in prison: Prison Break

PRESENTATION GUELAGUETZA

Another Expo Oaxaca will be held in and around the Puerto Vallarta area this coming weekend, February 21st-23rd. With a large display of arts and crafts as well as clothing, food, sweets and jewelry, this will be a great event to enjoy and get to know more about the Oaxaca area and its culture. Sure to have some great food and be a colorful display, the expo promises a good time, and some great shopping for everyone who attends! The dates, locations and times are as follows:

21 IN PITILLAL 20:00 hrs.
22 THEATRE AQUILES SERDAN (LOS ARCOS) 20:00 hrs.
23 PLAZA HIDALGO 20:00 hrs.

The group is scheduled to visit Puerto Vallarta this weekend and play in the main square of the city, offering a concert with the most popular of their repertoire.

The International Violins of the Brothers Aguascalientes, is an exciting event for all violin and music lovers to enjoy! The concert will be held, Sunday February 17th, at 8 pm in the front hallway of the municipal presidency in Puerto Vallarta’s Old Town.

To enjoy the day, (Sunday afternoon), the Department of Culture of Puerto Vallarta, has prepared a program of music and dance for the whole family. At 6pm, the traditional Municipal Band begins at the same time the traditional dance group begins its display. At 7 dancing continues with the sounds of tropical music, so that the atmosphere will be set for the beginning of the violin concert.

The brothers Aguascalientes are made up of Daniel and Jose Luis on violin (composers), on the guitar Gregory, Mario on the keyboards and Daniel Jr. They originate in San Miguel de Allende, Gto. All of them are graduates of the Centro Cultural Ignacio Ramirez “Nigromante” of the National Institute of Fine Arts. Daniel and Jose Luis for six years were part of the Symphony Orchestra of the University of Guanajuato, the Chamber Orchestra of the same University and the State Band.

They subsequently participated in the orchestra accompanying the organist Juan Torres and his melodic body. In late 1977 they decided to form along with the rest of their brothers the group we know today.

They have participated in many festivals around the country and internationally, have travelled to around twenty countries to play, in addition to representing Mexico in the tribute that will take place in Cuba for one of the best musicians ever, Benny More.

Through this long history they have recorded twelve albums, containing the best of international music to the rhythm of violin and will be made available to Vallartenses this coming weekend.

Come get down this weekend to the musical soundings of 
Boo – Funk

With a fresh sound, this entertaining and dynamic group comes to Puerto Vallarta as part of the events scheduled for this month by the Department of Arts and Culture. The youth group Boo – Funk, will play their own compositions and arrangements, co-written by all members of the band, their style goes from pop to Latin, to rock and funk.

This group was formed in Mexico D.F. In November 2005. Its members are from several states of the Mexican Republic and are between 18 and 22 years. All of them are students of the Academy of Music Fermatta and are currently studying music professionally.

The strong friendship that unites the members of the group is the main engine that ignites this musical project which seeks to provide the public with a different concept, seeking a new sound and hallmark.

Boo’s style – funk is absolutely integral, as they believe that music and art do not (or should not) have boundaries set by space, time or economic position. They are concerned with creating songs with themes for a variety of audiences, ages, socio-economic levels and tastes in particular.

Despite being young and its recent formation, the group has been very well accepted by the public. Their music is novel and has found a consistent image, which has crept into the youths taste, they also already have a recording titled “Our history has no end…”, which contains 11 tracks and was recorded in 2007 and is already on sale. In addition to that they currently are preparing material for what will be their second album.

The members of this young funk group are all graduates of the best musical academies in Mexico!

The group Boo – Funk will be playing this coming Saturday, February 16th, at the Arches on the Malecon at 8 pm.

Since pre-Columbian times Mexicans regard friendship very highly, considering it a precious gift of life. Nowadays in Mexico, as in the rest of the world, we celebrate on February 14 El Día de San Valentín popularly named El Día del Amor y la Amistad- the day of love and friendship.

All over town there are balloon vendors offering their colorful  heart shaped declarations of love, for most of them  have written on them “Te Amo” -I love you- “Para mi amor”-for my love, or “Felicidades” -congratulations.  Delicious chocolates, as well as flowers, especially red roses, and greeting cards are also sold in every store.

If in Mexico, don’t even try to go to a restaurant with out a reservation made weeks before.  Couples of all ages go out for dinner on this special date.

As you can see, El Día del Amor y la Amistad is commemorated in Mexico in a way very similar to the manner in which the rest of the world celebrates, but surely, friendship and marriage had different expressions in pre-Columbian times.

Valentines Glossary of terms
Amistad: Friendship
Amiga (o): Friend
Amor: Love
Argollas Matrimoniales: Wedding rings
Anillo de compromiso: Engagement ring
Boda: Wedding
Cupido: Cupid
Enamorado (a) : In love
Luna de Miel: Honeymoon
Matrimonio: Matrimony
Novia: Girlfriend or Bride
Novio: Boyfriend or Groom
Padrino: Best man
Dia de San Valentin: Valentine’s Day

From: Inside-mexico.com

Don’t forget to get your tickets for the 46th annual Becas Ball at the Westin Resort & Spa on Thursday, March 6th. The traditional free cocktail hour will again be offered to start the evening off on the right foot. Followed by a 4 course delicious dinner and live music for dancing.

The price of the tickets is $850 pesos (or $80 USD) per person. Proceeds from the event will help Becas Vallarta A.C. to continue its work in helping to ensure that hundreds more of the city’s bright but needy children will get the education they deserve – as they have been doing for forty-five years.

To mark this milestone, the committee is also appealing for extra support from those who can afford it and who agree that supporting children’s education in the poorer areas of the city is one of the best ways a person can contribute to the future welfare of our community.

A personal donation is also a way of honoring all the volunteers who have kept Becas Vallarta A.C. going strong over the past forty-five years. A box for receiving contributions will be available at the ball. (As a guide-line, the cost of supporting a student through the scholastic year ranges from $160 dollars to $600 dollars depending on the education level.)

Ball location: The Westin Resort and Spa Hotel
Date and time: Thursday March 6th. Cocktail hour from 6:30 to 7:30 pm.
Ticket cost: $850 pesos ($80 USD)

Reserved tables are available if six or more tickets are purchased. Tickets can be obtained from: Buri Gray, 221-5285 (Conchas Chinas and south); Mary Ellis, 222-1478 (Centro and Los Muertos); Margarita Mora, 221-3760 and Mariel Fregoso 221-0789 (Marina); The Book Store, Venustiano Carranza #334, 223-9437 (Centro) and Plaza Caracol inside Gigante 224-1872.

Vallarta Adventures has added a promotional code field to their online reservations!

If you book online (vallarta-adventures.com), you will get a 10% online discount on any adventure you choose, so the promotional code will probably go over the 10% already given online, and save you some extra money. Now it’s up to you to find these promotional codes online!

Cabo Adventures also has this new feature on their tour reservation system, so be sure to look out for any discount codes out there!

Besides Vallarta and Cabo Adventures, there are also many other ways to save at least 10% on food, lodging and activities. For example the yellow and white pages that are free in many places, have coupons with all kinds of discounts and promotions. Look out for any free magazines, they usually come with coupons too! And if you really have just too much time on your clock, you can get $300 usd if you qualify to share your time by sitting through a horrendous time share experience which can be worth the $300 usd or more some times!

$50 dollars or $50 pesos?

Another common thing where you can save money is to watch and talk correctly whenever you buy something. It has happened several times on my visit to Puerto Vallarta that I share a taxi with other tourists and they don’t ask how much the trip will cost until they arrive! THEN when the taxi driver answers $70, the tourist ask DOLLARS? And now guess what the taxi driver will answer? “YES”. You just payed 10 times what a normal taxi trip would cost because you tempted the taxi driver by asking a ridiculous question like “Dollars or Pesos”?

The majority of people that work down here in Vallarta make no more money than $5 usd a day! Some are lucky to get a lot of tips or to own a business, but when you dare to ask “dollars or pesos” they feel that you probably just have too much money if your logic can’t tell how much a product is or should be worth, so they will happily look into your eyes with a big fat smile and reply: “Dollars”.

Remember: Taxis, shouldn’t be more than $5 to $12 usd within the whole Puerto Vallarta area, which is from the airport down to Conchas Chinas, passing through Olas Altas (Los Muertos Beach)

Also, remember to ask how much $$$ it will cost you to go from A to B before you take a cab!

When prices are shown with a simple $ sign, many people get confused and don’t know if it’s dollars or pesos, so they ask. We encourage you to ask, but remember that asking might be a motivation for locals to cheat on you and take advantage. The best would be to just simply assume it is in pesos, since you ARE in México and there are more Mexicans down here in pv than tourists…

Anyways… good luck on saving some pesos here and there!!!

Leonardo DiCaprio and Bar Refaeli soaking up the sun yesterday, Monday the 5th, in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Leonardo and Bar split up in October 2007 after more than a year together, but reunited around this years New Years Eve celebrations.  With the cool weather Las Angeles has been having, its no wonder they decided to get some R and R down south in sunny paradise!

Puerto Vallarta became famous for Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton’s affair during the filming of Night of the Iguana and there is no doubt that the area is still a hot spot for celebrity vacations.

Its almost here again folks, Valentines Day is just two weeks away! On this international day of love, people around the globe will be showing how much they care for each other with chocolates, flowers, romantic dinners and sunset walks on the beach among many other things!

For those of us lucky enough to be spending this day of amor in the Puerto Vallarta area, most of our favorite restaurants, bars and hotels will be having special romantic menus guaranteeing us some truly fine dining and an excellent evening!

A great example of fine cuisine is the Valentines Day menu at Bruce’s Back Alley Bistro, home of the best steak in Puerto Vallarta’s romantic zone! Their menu is as follows: 
Amuse – Bouche, Wild smoked salmon “hugged” with citrus scented bok choy and a sesame glaze.
Salad -Roma tomatoes and mozzarella drizzled in a blueberry coulis with a white truffle “kiss”.
Appetizer- Bar harbor stuffed crab with a gentle “nudge” of citrus beurre blanc.
Main Course- Filet mignon and pomme frites with a velvety red wine bourdelaise sauce and fire roasted asparagus with samurai shrimp.
Desert is a surprise!

Special features for the evening include a draw for tickets to this seasons Becas Ball (valued at $1500 pesos!), to be held at the end of the evening and a meet and greet with this years stars of Puerto Vallarta! Reservations in advance are highly recommended.

Calling all ladies, for those of you who are single, once were single, wish you were single or would just like to party; Café Roma is having an all you can eat and drink special for $150 pesos! Included in this feast will be food from their regular menu as well as beer and most mixed drinks like Margaritas and Pina Coladas.

Yes you can bring a male partner, but they pay regular prices, no sharing. There will be live music from 5 to 8 pm and all tips go to the KIDS. Go early for a good seat as they are expecting to be jammed to the roof. Thursday, Feb 14th, Valentines day, from 5:00 pm to close at 10:00 pm at Cafe Roma.

And last but certainly not least join Xocodiva on February 14th, the day of love and friendship, in extending a helping hand to the local children’s shelter. With every donation your name will be automatically entered to win the special Valentine’s basket filled with champagne, chocolate-dipped champagne glasses, truffles, a 2 for 1 certificate for a couples’ massage from Body Time Spa, and Xocodiva chocolate massage oil.

All funds raised will go to the Refugio Infantil Santa Esperanza (R.I.S.E.) who are currently caring for 53 children that could use you help now and throughout the year. The lucky winner of the gift basket will be announced February 13th, just in time for Valentine’s Day.

A very important thing to keep in mind this Valentines Day no matter where you plan on spending it, is that reservations can be key to having the perfect evening!

For those of you who are not here in Puerto Vallarta, why not think out of the box this year, who wouldn’t love a whirlwind Valentines Day trip to Puerto Vallarta! Many travel companies are offering special romantic getaways to the Puerto Vallarta area.

Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton aren’t the only ones to ignite their love in Puerto Vallarta. “Love is in the Air” everyday at Casa Velas adults-only all-inclusive boutique hotel. A three-night package provides couples with a romantic stay in a Grand Class Suite with Bulgari amenities; a secluded, four-course dinner for two on the beach surrounded by tiki torches served by a private waiter; spa treatments and more.

With Casa Velas’ Love is in the Air package, guests can indulge themselves at the 6,500 square foot Spa Casa Velas with a daily spa credit of $35 per person to be used toward any massage, facial or body wrap and unlimited use of the Spa’s hydrotherapy facility.

The package also includes breakfast, lunch and dinner a la carte at the hotel’s restaurants; use of the oceanfront Beach Club featuring a pool, Jacuzzi, and private beach; and premium liquors at the Lobby bar and Aqua Bar. Shuttle service to and from airport and taxes and gratuities round out the package. The three-night Love is in the Air package is $1,770 per couple. For reservations or more information, visit www.hotelcasavelas.com