Vallarta Blog

If you are planning to bring your own vehicle from the U.S. or Canada, there are some facts you should know:You must obtain a temporary import permit. To acquire this, you must submit evidence of citizenship, title, registration and driver’s license, and pay a fee.

The permit may be obtained at any Mexican customs office at the port of entry or at a Mexican consulate in Austin, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Bernadino, or San Francisco.

You must also leave a bond (US$200–$400) at the Banjercito bank at the point of entry to guarantee that the car will be returned to the U.S. in the allotted time period.

Any foreign-owned car found in Mexico without a proper permit may be impounded and not returned. The bond will be returned to you when you report to the Banjercito branch just prior to your crossing the U.S. border.

Mexican law states that the owner of any foreign vehicle must be present whenever the vehicle is in operation. If your vehicle is driven and stopped by the local authorities, and you are not in the vehicle, it may be confiscated and not returned.

All foreign vehicles driven in Mexico must carry Mexican auto insurance. Your domestic policy will not cover you abroad, so you must purchase a policy at a retailer on the U.S. side of the border.

Insurance may also be purchased on the Internet from a number of carriers. For an instant quote on affordable Mexican insurance, visit GE Auto Insurance.

If you are involved in a motor vehicle accident in Mexico you will be imprisoned until liability, legal and financial matters are determined.

Legal and roadside assistance insurance may be purchased through Safemex. Safemex customers are provided with a lawyer, legal services, and/or roadside service if they run into trouble.

Special Cautions for Drivers In Mexico

Free vs. Toll Roads:
Any North American who has driven the roads of Mexico will tell you that the experience is quite different from what they are used to back home. While the toll roads (cuotas) are generally very safe, the libre or free-road system is poorly maintained.

Up until about ten years ago, Mexico’s government-maintained freeways were in shambles. They are now privatized, and today several corporations own long-term leases on the country’s numerous toll roads. Engineers from the U.S. helped with the planning and construction, resulting in an excellent and much safer roadway network.

However, these improvements come at a substantial cost to the driver. For example, if you take the toll roads from Guadalajara to Mexico City (about a five hour drive), it will cost you about US$50 each way.

Thus, most of the toll roads are fairly uncluttered and easy to drive. In contrast, a neighboring two-lane libre or free highway typically contains much slower-moving traffic.

If you get behind a semi or an old, beaten-up, 20 mph, gas-guzzler you may be in for a long night if oncoming traffic is heavy.

We always recommend that you travel the cuota roads, but sometimes the libre roads are unavoidable. We suggest that you drive defensively on all roads in Mexico, but especially on the libre roads.

Speed Limits and Driving Safety:
Speed limits are generally much lower than in the U.S., but rarely are they enforced. It is quite uncommon to see a patrol car on the highway. The military police are much more common.

Numerous potholes or the fear of hitting a stray animal is often all that is needed to regulate speed. Fences around roadside farms are uncommon, so animals can and do stray onto the highway. In more rural destinations, you might even run into a farmer or rancher herding his cattle or sheep across the highway.

In general, drive more slowly than you normally would and definitely try to drive in daylight. Streetlights are rare, especially on the libre roads, and there are so many cars on the road with malfunctioning headlights that it can be downright dangerous.

Mexican drivers seem a little more risk-prone than those in the U.S., and they often follow their own set of rules. Many drivers will pass on the solid yellow line.

Be extra careful on curvy or mountainous roads. Slow-moving drivers will often pass without a good view of oncoming traffic. Because of the rough roadway conditions, drivers tend to communicate with each other a bit more.

It is more common for passing drivers to warn each other of upcoming danger by flashing their lights. If you are approaching a narrow bridge where only one car at a time can pass, it is customary for the driver who flashed his lights first to have the right of way.

A blinking left-turn signal on the vehicle in front of you could mean that it is clear ahead and safe to pass. This could also mean that the driver is about to take a left turn, so be careful.

Road Conditions:
Roadside shoulders may have dangerous drop-offs, so use caution when pulling over. If you are planning a lengthy drive throughout Mexico, be prepared for tire damage. Potholes are numerous, especially in rural areas and on the libre roads.

Make sure you have a good spare and jack before you go anywhere. Never pull over to sleep in your vehicle along the roadside. Do not under any circumstances pick up hitchhikers, as they might pose a threat to you, and be aware that if your passenger has narcotics or other paraphernalia you can be arrested for transporting narcotics or traffickers in your vehicle.

There are fewer markings or lights along Mexican highways, especially on the libre roads, so again, try to drive during daylight hours. Under rainy conditions travel with extra caution as there may be more oil and dust or sand on many stretches of highway.

At the entrance of most small towns there are topes, or large speed bumps, in the road to slow down traffic. Do not take these lightly, as you can damage your tires or your front end if you hit them too fast.

Roadside Assistance and the Angeles Verdes:
If you do have mechanical problems and you can find a good mechanic, don’t always expect anyone to have the part you need. So make sure you take your car in for a good check up before you head out.

Fortunately, the Green Angeles, or Angeles Verdes, patrol the highways and offer assistance to stranded motorists. This fleet of trucks is driven by mostly bilingual mechanics. The Green Angels can be reached by dialing 01-555-8211/8555 anywhere in Mexico.

If you do have to use them, be prepared to direct them to your approximate location, e.g., 20 kilometers south of Puerto Vallarta on highway 200 on the way to Manzanillo. The Green Angels charge for parts, oil, and gas but not for service.

Mexico Maps:
Map out your trip before you go, www.mexicomaps.com, and give someone back home your travel itinerary. For your safety pack an extra belt, fuses, and an auto first-aid kit. Bring a flexible funnel, as some gas stations have nozzles too large to fit unleaded tanks.

Puerto Vallarta. Two words that bring images to our minds like: Nightlife, Clubs, Beaches, Sun, Attractive Bodies in Bikinis, a lot of fun and in reality Vallarta is all that and much much more.

This typical little town with cobblestone streets and at the same time a modern attractive tourist spot is a tropical paradise, considered one of the richest places in natural biodiversity and one of the few places in Mexico that combines ecosystems of jungle, forests, coasts, islands and marines in it’s territory.

If you enter from the extreme north you’ll find the green thick tropical forests, but stop! If you ask yourself why you found yourself with shadowy and gray panorama of dry trees in the vacation season of winter, the answer is that exactly in that season the vegetation looses 90% of it’s leaves.

Don’t be shocked ahead of you, when you see signs that say “Watch out with the Crocodiles”. Most probably you are near the protected federal area that has the biggest mangle forests, where crocodiles and dozens of costal birds live.

More to the center, there is an area that extends to sandy beaches of low depth, ideal for boat rides, where colorful fish, crabs and others live. In this part of the region there are some costal dunes located, since the climate here is ideal for its formations, but because of the urbanization that concentrates, there are only a few left. Some of the mammals you might see around this areas and only if they come out of their hiding places, are armadillos and coatis.

South of the region the climate is more humid, which causes the vegetation to be more intense. If you travel to these regions you will enjoy majestic lands with mountains formed by the sierra Madre. The predominant ecosystem is the tropical subcaducifolio forest, a total paradise in its fauna.

If it’s about felines, you might see cute cats like jaguars, ocelots and pumas, but also reindeers, rabbits and some times tropicals like parrots and guacamayas. The south of the coast is the preferred spot to realize submarine activities such as snorkel and diving because of its richness in marine life, besides that the water is very clear and has good visibility, even in deep depths.

Besides all, Puerto Vallarta is a big host that gives each year a warm welcome to some species like the humpback whale and the dolphins that prefer this beautiful destination in their mating season just like the turtles, which take advantage to incubate their eggs. Many are protected and taken care of in the turtle camp of Puerto Vallarta which has been worried of maintaining alive its ecosystem creating new programs for protection and care, for which there exists the world day of environment, a day of awareness and motivation for the preservation of this “much more” than an attractive tourist location.

(Puerto Vallarta Blog, Wexico)

by Justin Burch

As Puerto Vallarta possesses a more laidback ambiance than other Mexican resort cities, it is a great destination for an exotic family vacation. Most importantly, Puerto Vallarta is both safe and entertaining for children of all ages.

Puerto Vallarta offers everything from waterfall horseback rides and snorkeling tours to canopy tours that allow children to swing between the trees of the Mexican jungle. Children of all ages can swim with dolphins at the Sea Life Park or sit back and watch whales during the high season – generally November to March.

Even if you want to spend a day relaxing at your resort, better hotels and resorts will offer children’s programs featuring unique cultural and educational activities. Come see why Puerto Vallarta is not only a great place for your family to relax; but also offers a unique opportunity to enjoy a city unlike any other.

Of course, no family vacation to Puerto Vallarta would be complete without a trip to the beach. As the area surrounding the city consists of 26 miles of white sand shorelines, there are plenty of beaches perfect for the little ones.

Playa Los Muertos, one of the most popular beaches in Puerto Vallarta, features placid waves great for swimming. Even during the high season, you will find plenty of room to spread out in the sun.

Also within the Hotel Zone, Playa El Saldo – known as Marina Vallarta – is a wide and well-maintained stretch of sand offering great views of the city and its mountainous setting. Playa Pelicanos is usually quiet, making it a great place for your family to escape the beach crowds while remaining in the heart of the city.

For family fun, visitors to Playa Destiladeres and Playa Bucerias can expect elegant white sand beaches, fresh seafood at charming palapa-shaded cafes and mild waves – perfect for boogie-boarding or learning to surf.

If your children are interested in learning to surf, however, the best option might be Punta Mita. Also known as Playa Anclote, Punta Mita has long been celebrated as a great place for beginners to get wet as waves are consistently mild. Additionally, there are a few surfing schools catering to travelers unique to this pleasant beach.

Families can also find plenty to do in Viejo Vallarta, Puerto Vallarta’s Old Town. Viejo Vallarta is a network of cobblestone streets lined with welcoming inns, independently-owned restaurants and galleries showcasing local arts and crafts.

One of the most popular activities in this friendly neighborhood is a stroll down the famous Restaurant Row, located on Basilio Badillo Street. This area features several blocks of restaurants, bars and cafes that can cater to any palette with everything from gourmet European cuisine to rustic local recipes.

Many of these restaurants will have dining options for children, much like the Hotel Zone. One of the city’s most recognizable landmarks – the Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe – also rests within the narrow streets of Old Town.

The church soars above the neighborhood and has been at the center of local religious and cultural life for nearly 80 years. Constructed over a 12-year period beginning in 1929, the cathedral’s open-air theater has been used for events and festivals since its dedication.

If you are planning a family vacation to the area, the month of December may be the best time to visit Viejo Vallarta. Your family will be able to enjoy the 12-day Festival for Our Lady of Guadalupe – centered at the grounds of the cathedral – in addition to everything else this authentic Mexican neighborhood has to offer.

On Sunday nights in Puerto Vallarta, the downtown seaside boardwalk – known as the Malecon – becomes a family-friendly festival. The crowd, consisting of tourists and local families alike, always enjoys the fun atmosphere and the fireworks display after sunset.

The centrally-located Los Arcos Amphitheatre is known for free shows, while clowns and street performers provide plenty of free entertainment. Most restaurants along the boardwalk will have children’s menus available. But save some room for desert, as tasty treats – everything from cotton candy to crepes and deep fried bananas – are available on the boardwalk.

It must also be mentioned that under the new restrictions of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, all children now require passports to visit Mexico. Effective January 8, 2007, this change reflects the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s effort to alleviate travel concerns regarding border security.

When planning your family vacation to Puerto Vallarta, simply make passports one of the first steps on your list and you won’t experience any hassle at all.

Los Arcos is located at Highway 200 Sur Km 12, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

North, offshore beyond the Mismaloya cove, rise the green-brushed Los Arcos sea rocks, a federal underwater park and ecopreserve.

The name comes from the arching grottoes that channel completely through the bases of some of the rocks. Los Arcos is one of the best snorkeling grounds around Puerto Vallarta.

An eco-preserve is a place where the environment is Number One. All things natural are protected here at this popular destination. This is a federal underwater park that offers people the opportunity to snorkel and scuba dive in a rare environment.

Go underwater and investigate the brightly colored fish and steep rock walls that protect this marine area.

Snorkeling near the wave-washed Los Arcos is a Puerto Vallarta “must do.” Swirling bunches of green algae and branching ruddy corals attract schools of grazing parrot, angel, butterfly, and goat fish.

Curious pencil-thin cornet fish may sniff you as they pass, while big croakers and sturgeon will slowly drift, scavenging along the coral-littered depths

Los Arcos is an excellent and very safe snorkel site to start for experienced and not so experienced snorkelers. One can spend hours gliding above the shallow coral reef and rock bottom. It is an underwater national marine park reserve that is protected by the Mexican Government.

So it is illegal to fish, or remove anything from the bottom; hence, a ton of people friendly, tropical life is there to enjoy.

Anytime of the year you can expect endless number of schools of angel fish, puffer fish, needle fish, clown fish, parrot fish, and damsels that feed on the shallow reefs of Los Arcos. Don’t forget to keep your eyes out for octopus, lobster and small spotted eagle rays, which frequent the site year round.

There are so many reasons to visit Puerto Vallarta Mexico, in case you are in need of some inspiration here are a few of the great things about Vallarta!

1. Legendary restaurants: Eat barbecued snapper with your feet in the sand or chateaubriand with a killer ocean view.

2. Adventure and indulgence: Ride a horse, mountain bike or go four-wheeling into the mountains, dive into the sea, and relax at an elegant spa — all in one day.

3. Natural beauty: Enjoy the physical beauty of Pacific Mexico’s prettiest resort town, with cobblestone streets to climb to emerald green hills, and the big, sparkling bay below.

4. Authentic art: PV’s artists and artisans — from Huichol Indians to expats — produce a huge diversity of exceptional folk treasures and fine art.

5. Diverse nightlife: Whether you’re old, young, gay, straight, mild, or wild, PV’s casual and unpretentious party scene has something to entice you after dark.

Puerto Vallarta is the best adventure-vacation destination on Mexico’s Pacific Coast, at least for the sheer variety of activities. The water’s warm and swimmable year-round, although downright bathlike July through September.

The big blue bay attracts sea turtles, humpback whales, several species of dolphins, and a growing number of snorkelers and divers.

The fishing is excellent — from deep-sea angling for gigantic marlin and sailfish to trolling near shore for roosters and red snapper.

Banderas Bay and the beaches to the north and south have waves for surfing as well as plenty of calm bays and inlets for swimming.

Among the lush subtropical mountains — so close to the coast and laced with streams and rivers rushing to the ocean — are challenging mountain biking trails for the fit, and, for those who prefer gas-driven excitement, dune and ATV safaris into the hills.

Many family-owned ranches have horse-riding tours at reasonable prices — lasting from an hour or two to overnight forays into the Sierra.

Most tour operators provide transportation from strategic pick-up points, usually in downtown Puerto Vallarta, Marina Vallarta, and Nuevo Vallarta and sometimes in Conchas Chinas,

but you’ll save traveling from one end of the bay to the other by choosing an outfitter near your neck of the woods. Party boats and private yachts are great for accessing gorgeous and hard-to-reach beaches, primarily south of Vallarta along Cabo Corrientes.

There is something for everyone here in Puerto Vallarta, even if all you want to do is work on your tan and a good book at the same time!

The World’s First Condo for Gay Men Unveiled in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The Private Residences at Casa Cupula offers discerning buyers the best of two worlds!

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico – You don’t have to be an heiress with the last name Hilton to have your own private residence in a five-star hotel. Condo-hotels have become very popular way to buy a home in many of the top mainstream hotel resorts.

Now Vallarta’s own Casa Cupula, named one of the “Top 5 Most Luxurious Gay Guesthouses in North America” by the editors of Out & About, announces: The Private Residences at Casa Cupula.

Billed as the world’s first condo-hotel for gay men and friends, The Private Residences at Casa Cupula combines the best of two worlds: the luxurious services and ambience of the award-winning Casa Cupula with the pride of ownership and potential return of a real estate investment in gay-friendly Puerto Vallarta.

“Building on Casa Cupula’s successful growth, it was a natural progression for us,” stated Don Pickens, General Manager for Milagro Properties – owner and developer.

“We have many guests who have purchased homes and condos in Puerto Vallarta after staying with us, but they told us they regretted having to trade off Casa Cupula’s ambience and services because they wanted to buy real estate. Now we can offer the best of both worlds.”

These condo-hotel units are available in both full and fractional ownership. A fractional interest offers fully deeded ownership in perpetuity (unlike a timeshare) for as many four-week periods as available and as decided upon by the buyer.

Buyers then keep their capital investment to a minimum but still own a luxury home of the highest quality.

 Community amenities include rooftop terrace with an infinity dipping pool, secure indoor parking, shared use of an SUV, 24/7 security and a state-of-the-art gym and spa. PLUS all of Casa Cupula’s luxuries including room service, concierge, free continental breakfast, free WiFi Internet access, luxurious linens and much more.

Each unit will be uniquely designed by some of Mexico’s most celebrated designers – no more cookie-cutter designs where each unit looks like the next.

They include home theaters with LCD TVs and music speakers in the baths and on the terraces, dual-headed showers, in-suite laundry, mini-split air conditioning, amazing views, built-in Jacuzzis… the list goes on and on. Some units also even include individual dipping pools, gourmet kitchens and private roof-top terraces.

AUTHOR: Roie Griego   

PETITION:
“Urgent Animal Adoption Center Puerto Vallarta, Mexico “  
RECIPIENT:
The Honorable Government Officials of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

The undersigned wish to support and compliment the important work of the Centro de Acopio Animals by requesting an Animal Adoption Center in the Centro area of Puerto Vallarta.

Since M.V.Z. Jorge Guevara Aguilar, Jefe del Centro de Acopio Animal has already expressed in a document entitled Patronado de Contro de Mascotas y Fauna Silvestre A.C. that they intend to establish a location in city center…where individuals may receive information, visit animals & understand the adoption options offered, it would appear that we share common goals and that an adoption center in the city center can be a reality with our mutual cooperation.

Any one of the buildings currently not in use on the Isla Cuale would be an ideal location for an adoption center & place to house a limited number of animals while waiting for adoption.

This easily accessible location will offer healthy, premium animals a chance at life in good homes, both locally and internationally.

The center would be maintained by local animal-loving volunteers, and all the animals kept there would receive complete veterinary care and sterilization. The volunteers would be responsible for the cleaning and feeding of these animals and maintaining the center.

The volunteers will accept the responsibility of ensuring that these animals create no health concerns or problems for nearby businesses or other fauna.

The City would not incur any expense related to this proposal.

Our objective is to work long term with the Acopio and the municipal government, making it possible for Puerto Vallarta to take a leadership role in Mexico for its intelligent and humane treatment of the animals in this paradise called Puerto Vallarta.

With little effort on the part of the city, Puerto Vallarta can become the leading city in Mexico as being “Animal Friendly”. The Center will become a wonderful tourist attraction for Puerto Vallarta and bring goodwill to our beautiful city as well as many animal-loving tourists.

Being an “Animal Friendly” city means many positive things for Puerto Vallarta and will in turn help both the animals and make Puerto Vallarta a premier destination as one of Mexico’s most progressive & caring cities.

For more information and contents of this petition contact: http://www.petfinder.org/shelters/MX01.h…

by Lee Breeze  

Plan the Perfect Mexican Wedding and Honeymoon,
How to Celebrate Your Special Day In Beautiful Mexico!

Formerly the exclusive domain of celebrities and the ultra-rich, “destination weddings” have in recent years become accessible to more and more couples looking to add an exotic twist to their special ceremony.

It is easy to combine a marriage ceremony with a beautiful honeymoon in Mexico. In fact, 10% of the 2 million American couples who marry each year plan destination weddings – a 200% increase in the past decade, according to Conde Nast’s Bridal Group Infobank and Modern Bride magazine. What could be more romantic than having a tropical Mexican wedding and honeymoon at one of Mexico’s top luxury resorts?

Destination weddings are currently one of the most popular trends for couples. Destination weddings combine a wedding ceremony and honeymoon, allowing the couple to exchange vows and celebrate with friends and family in a picturesque location away from home.

More and more couples are finding the simplicity of one coordinated destination wedding package an alluring way to blend wedding romance and exotic honeymoon adventure. Destination weddings bring together one-of-a-kind nuptials with dream locations. Most couples opting to marry in Mexico choose one of Mexico’s Caribbean resorts or Pacific locations.

From golden beaches with turquoise waters, to old colonial cities with their charm, cobbled streets, domes and archways, Mexico is becoming increasingly popular as a destination for American and Canadians to get married, and given the opportunity to get married amongst stunning scenery, it’s not hard to see why!

Another advantage of a “destination wedding” is that by requiring the wedding party to fly to another country will likely trim your guest list to your dearest friends and family.

Plus you will be able to visit with your guests over a long weekend rather than just an evening or afternoon, and with a Mexican destination just a short flight from most U.S. cities, it is easy to treat your guests to a memorable time.

If you want to get married in Mexico, there is nothing legal or technical stopping you from doing so; but you will need to plan ahead and get a few documents together, fill in a few forms and pay a few fees.

You can opt for a legal ceremony that requires blood tests and legal paperwork to be performed within Mexico. Or you can select to have the legal paperwork and ceremony done at home and save the symbolic and/or religious ceremony for the beach.

Many couples choose this option for its simplicity, and most resorts have a wedding planner to help guide you through the process, whichever option you choose. Wedding planners can also take care of all the details, from catering, lodging and music, to entertaining any children that might make the trip.

Resorts such as Golden Parnassus and the J.W. Marriott in Cancun are all-inclusive resorts that offer wedding services. If you are planning to tie the knot in Acapulco, the Avalon Excalibur is a good choice, or you can be married and honeymoon like the stars at the famous Las Brisas Resort,

Hollywood’s playground. From a beautiful, well decorated occasion at the prestigious Palmilla Resort to a nice small beach ceremony overlooking the Cabo San Lucas arch at sunset, Los Cabos has stunning locations for any style of wedding. One of the most amazing locations to tie the knot is Ristorante Da Giorgio Cabo.

Set atop a cliff overlooking the famous arch and lover’s beach, this restaurant might just be one of the most romantic settings in all of Los Cabos. The world-famous Hotel Playa in Mazatlan has been hosting unforgettable weddings for over 35 years.

They offer on-site locations such as the beach, beside their own waterfalls, pools and gardens, or in a magnificent reception hall.

The Hotel El Cid Marina Riviera Maya offers a complimentary wedding package when your guests stay at the resort. The beach-front package includes all you need to have a dream wedding, from the cake and the music, to having all the proper documents ready.

They supply a wedding coordinator to ensure your special day goes smoothly. The El Cid can even supply the witnesses if required. This is yet another advantage to an all-inclusive resort, where everything is included in the resort price, making all-inclusive an affordable option for travelers on a budget.

Mexico has two types of marriage ceremonies, civil and religious. The civil ceremony is the only one that has any legal standing, and is recognized outside of Mexico. The civil ceremony requires that the couple have positive identification, such as a passport or birth certificate, a blood test performed in Mexico, and wait three days from the filing of the paperwork to the ceremony itself.

If one or both parties are divorced, you must provide proof that the divorce has been final for at least a year. Also, four witnesses are required, two for each member of the couple. The ceremonies are performed in the local registrar’s office by a government official.

However, arrangements can be made to have the ceremony in an outdoor location. Your wedding planner can arrange this for you. The couple receives a certification, stating that they are legally married according to the laws of Mexico. This is largely recognized as legal worldwide.

The religious ceremony is mostly for show, pomp, and pageantry. These are held in a church, or perhaps an outdoor location, such as a beach or garden. The couple must show proof of a civil marriage, performed either in Mexico, or at home, before a religious ceremony can be performed.

Destination weddings take considerable planning and research, and the best properties & accommodations often book far in advance of the wedding date. The earlier you begin planning your wedding, the greater the likelihood you will be able to book the perfect property for you and your guests.

Exotic locations, luxury resorts and the ease of combining your wedding and honeymoon into one exciting event make Mexican destination weddings one of the most popular trends in weddings today.

Puerto Vallarta, México – Intejet has opened its rute number 13 to Puerto Vallarta at a promotional price of 2,800 pesos round flight for two persons, hoping to increment it’s participation in the market of national airline customers.

In the inauguration ceremony, executive president of Interjet, Miguel Alemán Velasco, stated his desire that the company be the best airline at low cost with high efficiency in Mexico.

“We’ll charge less, so that people can spend more on their destination, so they can travel with their family more often or that businessmen can have more opportunities to get to Vallarta”, he said.

Jalisco’s governor, Emilio González Márquez, pointed out the relevancy that this port of Vallarta should count with more communication ways, since it’s one of Mexico’s most important entities with a considerable number of habitants and high growth.

(Vallarta Blog, Wexico)

By Jim Tourigny

Puerto Vallarta a Port in the Storm Since the 16th century, when Spanish soldiers first landed on the shores of the Banderas Bay, it has been known as a safe haven. During that era, the need for ships to find shelter along the Pacific Coast was of vital importance.

These safe havens helped to provide ships with shelter if pirates and renegades were to attack. They also provided ships with a place to seek repairs and to stock up on needed supplies such as food, water and firewood.

In the late 16th century, Captain Pedro de Unamuno proposed that a settlement be built on Banderas Bay; however, he was not he first to suggest this. Other navigators such as Gonzalo de Francia, Sebastian Vizcaino and Lopez de Vicuna had proposed ideas that such colonies be constructed, but their requests never received any formal attention.

However, in 1644, a shipyard was built in what is now known as Mismaloya. Two of the ships constructed in that shipyard were built for Bernardo Bernal de Pinadero and were used to help colonize the southern region of California.

A City is Created During the 19th century, mining companies from Cuale and San Sebastian used the area to load and unload materials and mining supplies. At that time the area was known as Las Peñas. Halfway through that century, the area was dubbed Las Peñas de Santa Maria de Guadalupe.

This formal name was bestowed by Don Guadalupe Sanchez Torres (he delivered salt to the mines, which was needed in order to refine the silver). He named the area this because he arrived there on December 12, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Don Guadalupe Sanchez Torres was so fond of the area that in the latter half of 1851, he brought his entire family there to live. It wasn’t long before other families began to arrive and a small village began to emerge.

Each family did their part to help the local economy grow. Some brought salt while others devoted themselves to agriculture and raising cattle. It was during this time that the French and Germans began to appear in this area in search of Brazil wood, a strong wood that they processed in order to acquire dyes.

By the year 1880, Las Peñas had a population of 1,500 inhabitants. Families from various places including Cuale and San Sebastian, came to Las Peñas to make lives for themselves.

Within a few years the port was officially known as Las Peñas thanks to Admiral George Dewey’s report to the U.S. Naval Hydrographic Office, which was used to establish the exact geographical positions of cities along this coast in order to make an accurate map.

In 1885, Las Peñas was open to national maritime traffic and on July 23rd of that same year, a Maritime Customs Office was established. In October of the following year, the town was given its official political and judicial standing by the State Congress. Over the next 20 years, Las Peñas flourished thanks to the collective efforts of Don Guadalupe and the many families who settled there.

Growing pains In Puerta Vallarta The people of Las Peñas also suffered their share of setbacks. In mid-1888, a pot of grease, which was being heated over a fire in local restaurant, burst into flames and set the structure ablaze. The fire spread quickly, destroying more than half of the homes in town.

It is said that the fire would not have caused such extensive damage had nearly all the town’s male inhabitants population not been at a cockfight. In 1911, a waterspout hit the village, leaving more than 100 inhabitants homeless. In 1922, an outbreak of Yellow Fever spread through the city, causing more than 150 deaths.

In early 1911 Las Peñas’ first post office was opened, and later that same year a telegraph was installed. In 1889, the port of Las Peñas was upgraded to a municipality. It was at this time that the settlement’s name was changed to Puerto Vallarta, in remembrance of the Governor of Jalisco, Don Ignacio L. Vallarta.

 Thirty-five years later, the Montgomery Fruit Company purchased 70,000 acres for banana plantations in the neighboring town of Ixtapa.

Because of the surplus job opportunities created by these plantations, Puerto Vallarta began to flourish.

Eventually, a railway was built in order to transport the bananas to El Salado and eventually onto the United States.

Unfortunately, in 1938, the company was forced to leave the area due to new laws and restrictions that had been put into effect.

Other products such as beans, coconuts, corn and tobacco continued to be grown and shipped to national markets.

The World Discovers Its Beauty Unlike some other cities in Mexico, Puerto Vallarta was not created for tourism. However, in the 1930′s, the city got its first taste. Those who visited the area loved it so much that they began returning year after year.

Word of Puerto Vallarta’s beauty quickly spread, and each year the number of tourists grew. By 1950 the city was known internationally, but what really put Puerto Vallarta on the map was the movie Night of the Iguana (filmed in 1963) and the steamy romance between film stars Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.

Thousands of tourists flocked to the area, eager to see the location where the movie was made. That exposure helped the city grow quickly. Transportation improved, hotels were built and the city now had a new primary income source, tourism.

Because of that growth, Francisco Medina Ascencio, governor of Jalisco, and Sr. Jose Vasquez Galvan as mayor of Puerto Vallarta, pronounced decree No. 8366, which elevated Puerto Vallerta to the status of a city. Puerto Vallarta has come a long way since 1930.

Today, hotels and restaurants line the beaches. Cruise ships come into port on an almost daily basis. Tourism, which was once nonexistent, now draws in more than half a million visitors a year, turning this once a tiny fishing village into a sought-after vacation destination.

by Lisa DiSpirito

Browse Puerto Vallarta’s Unique Art & Jewelry Shops.

While Puerto Vallarta is best known for its peaceful beaches it also offers a variety of other attractions including an eclectic shopping scene. Shopping in Puerto Vallarta involves browsing local boutiques and art galleries on back streets and discovering the numerous stores in shopping plazas.

While shopping in Puerto Vallarta you’ll find everything you’re looking for and things you can’t live without including one-of-a-kind pottery, ceramics and the beautifully hand-blown glass that Puerto Vallarta is famous for.

Puerto Vallarta is quickly becoming a mecca for artists and art collectors. As the city’s reputation grows as an art center it sets itself apart from most other Mexican beach resort cities. Some of Mexico’s most well known painters and sculptors as well as international artists show their work in Puerto Vallarta’s numerous galleries and museums.

Walk down the Malecon, Puerto Vallarta’s boardwalk, and you will witness an outdoor gallery of bronze sculptures created by various artists. The Malecon is one of Puerto Vallarta’s most popular attractions with its convenient and attractive shopping, restaurants and nightlife.

From one unique experience to the next, shopping in Puerto Vallarta is easy and rewarding with its diversity of shops and their locations. For a change of pace from the shops and boutiques that line the beachfront Malecon, check out Paradise Plaza. Paradise Plaza is the ultimate shopping experience that offers convenience, comfort and luxury.

Located inside this entertaining shopping plaza are more than one hundred shops and restaurants. As you browse through Paradise Plaza you can enjoy cultural events and artwork on display, Mexican-inspired shops and galleries and stylish clothing ranging from contemporary resort wear to traditional embroidered dresses.

Designer clothing, ceramic tiles and fine silver jewelry are all very popular shopping items in Puerto Vallarta. Known as the world’s largest producer of silver, Puerto Vallarta boasts world-class workmanship and original designs with this precious metal.

Shoppers can choose from a huge variety of styles, some with precious and semi-precious stones, including amethysts and topaz which are native to Mexico. When searching for your perfect silver accessory, picture frame or other items be sure to look for the engraved .925.

This will be displayed on all true sterling silver. For some of Puerto Vallarta’s most stylish and innovative silver creations, stop into Daniel Espinosa Jewelry. This jewelry store is owned by one of the trendiest designers in Latin America. Daniel Espinosa has become a legend with his work with silver and the elements he combines with it to create some of the most fashionable and innovative designs.

With a wide range of jewelry, exotic fashions, casual beachwear and one-of-a-kind works of art Puerto Vallarta will surprise and delight you with its numerous shopping opportunities. Puerto Vallarta is a wonderfully unique vacation spot with unlimited shopping scattered along gorgeous beaches, tropical mountains and everywhere in between.

By Griffin Page

Puerto Vallarta is considered to be a paradise by the locals as well as by those who visit. Why do you ask? The answer is simple: The large town (as we’d rather call it because it retained most of its Mexican flavor) offers all the luxuries of a big city while allowing you to enjoy the beauty of pristine nature only 10 minutes away.

The area surrounding the Bahía de Banderas can only be described as a natural outdoor concert hall. Over 360 different species of birds either migrate to or reside in this area. Talk about an orchestra!

Because the bay is surrounded by 3 different types of mountain ranges (including the famous Sierra Madre), we profit from a wide variety of vegetation ranging from the sub-tropical jungles on the east and south sides to the low deciduous type vegetation found in the north. And if you drive to higher altitudes within these mountains, the vegetation changes again to offer you pines and oaks.

What does that have to do with birds? Well, depending on their usual habitat, behavior and diet, some birds will choose different areas to live and nest in. For example, rarely will you see a Frigate bird far inland, or see a Yellow-winged Cacique standing on a sandy beach.

The north side of the bay is dryer in comparison the east and south sides. There, you may encounter lagoons, small rivers and arroyos, agricultural areas as well as a costal environment.

A lagoon is the perfect place to enjoy the beauty of a Purple Gallinule, an American Coot or a Green Heron. Near arroyos and in forests, you may come across a Vermilion Flycatcher, a Rufous-backed Robin, a Squirrel Cuckoo and even most likely see lots of Orange-fronted Parakeets.

On the coast of the entire bay, Brown Pelicans and Magnificent Frigatebirds display their aerial acrobatic talents. A show you will surely appreciate. Also found on the coastal area is a wide variety of sea gulls, my favorite being the Heermann’s Gull for it’s 2 tone gray body, white head and beautiful red beak.

At sunset, the beaches, mangroves and estuaries provide dinner for the Snowy Egrets and Great Blue Herons while the Neothropic Cormorants perch in preparation for a night’s rest.

South and east, because of the abundance of rivers and lush sub-tropical vegetation, we can more easily find San Blas Jays, Green Jays, Yellow-winged Caciques, Barn Swallows, White-winged doves, and if your lucky, you’ll even spot an Elegant Trogon, which displays most vibrantly, the colors of the Mexican flag: Green, white and red.

As you go up in altitude, Military Macaws may be sighted; resting in a tree or flying in pairs, and their strident unique voice will surely attract your attention.

Raptors such as Hawks, Ospreys and Turkey Vultures may also be seen soaring over ocean cliffs, islands and mountains.

Very common to the area is the infamous Great-tailed Grackle. This bird can easily be recognized by its iridescent black body, purple shimmer and yellow eyes (females are smaller in size and of a mate darkish brown).

It got its name for its long fan-shaped tail and is locally known as the “Zanate”. It will boldly steel your peanuts or dog food if you leave it out on the balcony, and here, I speak from experience.

Our little corner of paradise has lots to offer to the novice or experienced bird watcher. If you’ve never been on a bird watching tour, try it. You won’t be disappointed as most become enthralled by the beauty and lovely music these lovely creatures provide. Besides, an easy stroll in a musical and peaceful environment may just be what the doctor ordered.

by Robert H. Mohlenbrock

THIS LAND

In western Mexico, where the Pacific coastal plain gives way to the foothills of the Sierra Madre Occidental, visitors encounter a range of vegetation, from tropical deciduous forest to the “weeds” that grow in disturbed areas around rapidly developing villages.

Recently I explored parts of the southwestern states of Jalisco and Nayarit, following both coastal and inland roads. My base of operations was Puerto Vallarta, near the mouth of the Rio Ameca. This town, with its cobblestone streets, was settled in the 1850s by families that farmed, raised cattle, and purveyed salt used to refine the silver that was mined in the mountains.

Served today by a nearby international airport, Puerto Vallarta is rapidly becoming a popular tourist destination. Tennessee Williams’s The Night of the Iguana, directed by John Huston and starring Richard Burton, was filmed in the vicinity in 1963.
 
What are commonly called weeds–plants that grow where they are not wanted–are generally opportunistic plant species that are adept at colonizing soils opened up by human activity or other disturbance. Many of those I saw in Mexico, such as grasses, were species I knew from the United States.

Typically, weeds germinate from seeds that are windblown or have been lying dormant in the soil. They grow and spread rapidly but usually give way to competition from other species unless the habitat continues to be disturbed. Most weeds also persist in particular natural habitats; grasses, for example, thrive where there are periodic fires that suppress woody plants.

Driving from Puerto Vallarta toward the villages in the foothills, I noticed that the vegetation along the roads included tropical plants I had seen on other trips to the Tropics. These species–grown as ornamentals or for their fruits or other uses–had “escaped” cultivation and were now mixed in with native species that were new to me.

Away from settlements, the forest consisted primarily of native species, with fewer escaped ornamentals. Had I ventured high into the mountains, I would have encountered pine and oak trees, but the foothills support a tropical deciduous forest.

One place to sample this plant community is the ravine cut by Rio Tomatlan, sixty miles south of Puerto Vallarta. Where Highway 200 crosses the river, the ravine can be followed on foot for a short way downstream until the going gets rough. Tiny spike moss, maidenhair fern, and larger ferns grow where there are moist, rocky outcrops.

No up-to-date, comprehensive field guide was available for this region, but I could identify some families of plants in this native forest based on my knowledge of temperate species. Other families, however, were strictly tropical. I made detailed notes about the plants I saw and looked them up in technical manuals after I returned home.

For wetland areas, my task was easier; I will describe their flora in a future column. Nearly one-third of the wetland and aquatic species I encountered in Jalisco and Nayarit are found in the United States; others have close northern relatives. Apparently, these habitats offer consistent conditions across an immense geographic area, enabling plant species to become widely distributed.

HABITATS

Disturbed sites harbor weedy species, many of which are found in the United States. Among these are goose grass, Egyptian grass, natal grass, broad-leaved plantain, patience dock, filaree, purslane, spotted milk spurge, black nightshade, black medic, and ragweed.

Escaped ornamentals include such fruit trees as papaya, mango, guava, and breadfruit. Indian almond, with its thick, leathery leaves, is grown more for its beauty than its fruits.

Ornamentals with beautiful flowers are royal poinciana (also known as flamboyant), wild poinsettia (a shrub or small tree, actually native in some parts of Jalisco), African tulip tree, orchid tree (a member of the pea family with orchidlike flowers), lantana, ixora, and a yellow-flowered vine known as Allamanda.

Tropical deciduous forest plants can be seen along the roadsides with the escaped ornamentals. Gumbo-limbo, with its peeling red bark, is a conspicuous tree, and there are several pod-bearing trees in the genera Acacia, Pithecellobium, and Enterolobium. The latter, known as monkey’s-earring, produces hard, flat, circular brown pods that give the plant its common name.

Coral vine, with clusters of brilliantly colored flowers, climbs over much of the vegetation. Wildflowers that are common include golden-glow (a relative of black-eyed Susan and native as well to the United States), a verbena with purple flowers, wild petunia (Ruellia), and a bright yellow-headed cosmos.

Deeper in the forest, a common tree is Lysiloma divaricata, a member of the pea family; it has six to thirteen pairs of small leaflets per leaf and small whitish flowers crowded into small spherical heads. Often growing with the Lysiloma is the silk-cotton tree, with a trunk equipped with stout spines and pink- to rose-colored flowers with five hairy petals as much as six inches long.

Other trees are soapberry, roble (Tabebuia impetiginosa), a small nightshade with velvety leaves, and Mexican elderberry. The shrub layer includes Tecoma stans, closely related to the trumpet vine of the eastern United States, and anil, or indigo bush, a source of blue dye.

Among the many vines are a purple-flowered morning glory, an orange-flowered morning glory, and a species of Clematis, or virgin’s bower. Wildflowers include a bright red cardinal flower, a handsome purple-flowered species of Salvia, and a sprawling, pale-blue-flowered Eupatorium.
 

And again, it’s Tuesday in Vallarta. Everybody working or vacationing has had enough rest on Monday from the crazy Nightlife in PV accompanied by a clearly increasingly humid and hot weather.

It has rained a few times and tourism has gone away with the cool climate, forcing everybody to hold on their wallets and look twice on prices such as food, rentals and alcoholic parties.

If you look carefully, many places have 2×1 signs. Commercial Mexicana, Gigante and Soriana have some specials on liquors and other stuff that they give you a 3×2 discount. Also remember Pollo Feliz and some other Fast-Food chains have special offers on Tuesdays like Dominos Pizza and Tower Pizza.

Also something to consider is that since it’s the rainy season, there is much more business in Home Delivery and you might get some good deals on food on wheels. Chinese Food isn’t too popular, after the Sushi boom here in Vallarta, but it’s still great food, affordable and most of these restaurants deliver right to your door. Here in Olas Altas (Viejo Vallarta) I’d say Dragon Rojo is the most known Chinese restaurant.

Besides Foods and Drinks, there are several other Home delivery services, in case you don’t want to get your feet wet. CMQ Pharmacies is one of those with home delivery services.

Check out the ones near you and try em out!

Here the phones:

PALMAR DE ARAMARA
01 (322) 224-7070 
From 9am to 10pm

REGIONAL
01 (322) 224-6989
From 9am to 10pm

MEZCALES
Tel. 01 (329) 296-5050
From 9am to 10pm

Ok, I need to order a Chicken now, I haven’t had one in months and there’s nothing better than a good movie with hot spicy chicken after a hard relaxing Monday

Bon Appetite!

By Kate Kilpatrick

I haven’t figured out why, but clowns are more popular here than anywhere else in the world.

In Mexico there are two main types of clowns: the caras blancas (“white faces”) with crisp clean costumes and big red shoes who perform at kids’ birthday parties. 

The payasos callejeros (“street clowns”) who travel from the city’s poor suburbs to mime and dance for pesos at busy intersections. Their costumes are shabbier. Many of them paint teardrops on their faces to portray their circumstances.

I heard about the street clowns on one of my first days in the city, and I’ve been trying to find one ever since, searching downtown streets. Finally yesterday I saw a family of street clowns.

I stopped on the grassy, trash-filled corner (a dying rat limped its way past me to hide behind some rocks) and watched in amazement as the father and his three children ran out into the street to perform and, during their short breaks when the light turned green and the cars rumbled past, they huddled together on the concrete median—touching, hugging and playing.

When I finally walked up to the father and asked if I could take some pictures, he was incredibly cool. A soft-spoken and humble man, Augustin told me he’d worked in a restaurant on Walnut Street in Philadelphia for six months. He says the money was good—he could earn a lot more than he does here—but that he got sick and had to return to Mexico.

Back in Mexico, he works in the fields during the week planting and harvesting corn and carrots. Every Saturday and Sunday he and his three daughters, shy little girls with big smiles, travel an hour or two by bus to come to this corner where they work together to raise money for the oldest daughter’s high school expenses.

When the light turns red again the oldest daughter runs out into the street facing the stopped cars. She jumps up and down, dancing for the oncoming traffic. I’m hungry and I need something to drink, she mimes by rubbing her belly and lifting her thumb to her mouth. If you have money don’t be greedy, she says by tapping her elbows and wagging her finger back and forth.

Before the light turns green again she winds her way between the cars hoping a driver or passenger will drop a few coins into her hand.

Then the family runs back to the median as the cars once again race past. Waiting for the next red light, Augustin straightens his tiniest daughter’s big red wig and hugs her tightly.

By Dave Simmonds

The Art of the Bribe…Mordida. When I was younger and dumber, in my late teens and early 20’s, Mexican laws, were non-existent as long as you had a $20 bill in your pocket.

Whether it was getting caught peeing in the parking lot of Hussong’s Cantina in Ensenada or most anything short of murder, it seemed like a 20 spot would take care of the problem.

Working for years on that rule it’s a minor miracle that I’m alive and walking freely today. Fortunately, I wised up as I aged, as most of us do.

In fact, Mexico is a country steeped in law and tradition. What surprises many gringos is that the laws are different than in the United States. Mexico operates under the Napoleonic Code instead of English common law as is practiced in the states.

Mexico law is codified as referenced in law books, with unique circumstances having no effect on innocence or guilt. When in court, the judge looks up the law and applies it. Sentences tend to be longer with fewer back-room deals being negotiated.

The harsh penalties tend to have a direct effect on illegal acts by many Mexicans. They know they’re going to jail if caught, so they for the most part abide by the law. Law suits with large awards are very uncommon.

I know Americans who have spent time in Mexican jails, and believe me, you don’t want to be one of them. If you break the law and can bribe your way out of going to jail, do it.

Better yet, respect the laws of Mexico. Remember that you are in their country and show proper respect to the institutions that prevail. Otherwise, keep that $20 handy.

Puerto Vallarta’s nightlife ends early — about 6 a.m., when the disco music is silent and the most raucous of the clubs sweeps out its heartiest party people and lock the front doors.Everyone eats late, eight, nine, even 10 p.m. — most bands don’t start playing until 11 p.m. There is music for everyone — reggae, hard rock, flamenco, punk rock, ballroom music, pop, jazz — even folk music can be heard in Vallarta’s more bohemian haunts.

Mexican culture is everywhere. Mariachis, traditional bands of strolling troubadours, entertain on the streets and beaches most every hour of the day or night. Presentations ranging from puppet shows to major dramas are put on in an open air theatre on the malecon and major hotels host weekly forklore and festivals designed to acquaint vacationing tourists with the music, food, drink, and dance of Mexico.

The center of nightlife is the downtown malecon (beachfront walk) where many of the city’s better restaurants specialize in fine food and then bring on the bands or the canned music in the late evening. Not everything happens at street level.

Late night clubs can be found on the upper floors of malecon buildings and the best way to judge them is to listen for the music you like and watch for the crowds of people overflowing onto the balconies.

South of the Rio Cuale, in the Olas Altas – Los Muertos Beach area, is another bunch of all night discos, rock and jazz clubs, and even a few strip bars where the drink prices are high and the customers are mostly men. And outside the city, hidden away in the jungle or along secluded beaches, are luxurious restaurants and nightclubs that offer an evenings entertainment, dinner, drinks, and dancing under the tropical stars.

Most clubs are never more than a short taxi ride away, but the adventurous will want to explore Puerto Vallarta’s nightlife on foot, strolling along the malecon or ambling about the Olas Altas – Los Muertos neighborhood.

By hypermex.com

By Justin Burch  

While most tourists visit Puerto Vallarta to experience the beaches, resorts and unmatched natural beauty, there is a more creative allure just beneath the surface.

Though Puerto Vallarta is far from a sprawling city, the community houses more galleries than any Mexican destination outside the capital.

Throughout the years, artists and aficionados have flocked to the majestic landscape of Puerto Vallarta. The results can be seen throughout the galleries of the city – in everything from painting, sculpture and ceramics to jewelry, literature and fashion.

Yet, even if you don’t step inside any of Puerto Vallarta’s galleries, you will still find yourself surrounded by art – courtesy of public sculptures throughout the city and the paintings lining the walls of local restaurants. Regardless of where you set foot in this gorgeous city, you are sure to be overwhelmed by the powerful creative spirit.

Inside the galleries of Puerto Vallarta, you will find everything from folk art to the most challenging contemporary compositions of the region’s vibrant art scene. One of the most well-known galleries is the Galeria Arte Latinoamericano – a two-story collection of Puerto Vallarta’s finest painters and sculptors.

Another great destination for locally produced work is Galeria Dante. Featuring more than 50 artists from the Puerto Vallarta community, this gallery has been awarded top honors in numerous publications.

While there is a strong focus on locally produced artwork in Puerto Vallarta, don’t be surprised to find some famous names on the walls. For instance, Galeria Omar Alonso has displayed works by documentary photographer Sebastiao Salgado and European artists such as Wouter Deruytter and Michal Macku.

Galeria Corsica – a popular destination for collectors – features artists championed by Mexico City’s Museum of Modern Art. The Galerie des Artistes – a space known for its many rooms of unique pieces – has also been known to exhibit works by Diego Rivera and Jose Clemente Orozco.

One of the most celebrated art forms of Mexico is Mata Ortiz pottery, an elegant craft on display in a pair of galleries. Both Galeria Mata Ortiz and Galeria de Ollas feature some of the best ceramic work you will find anywhere in the world.

You can also find traditional work produced by the Huichol – a tribe residing in the mountains outside Puerto Vallarta – at Galeria Piramide. Not only will you be able to see incredible examples of traditional bead and woven art, you can witness these indigenous artisans working at the gallery.

One of the most popular events in Puerto Vallarta is the Old Town Art Walk that takes place each Wednesday during the tourism season – generally October to April. On these special evenings, you will find at least 17 galleries open late to display everything from the newest work of local artists to treasured paintings by Old Masters.

by Dushka

 I don’t remember the first time I went to Puerto Vallarta. That’s how long I’ve been going there.

I used to walk barefoot on the cobblestone streets in my pajamas, swim in the open ocean, whine so I would be allowed to jump in the pool immediately after lunch (the answer was a consistent, steadfast no), listen to Guantanamera, take rides on a parachute pulled by a motorboat to see the world from a bird’s perspective, take long walks on the beach with my father or a brother or a sister or a stepmother or a friend, hold my breath under water from one end of the pool to the other, pretend to play chess, play backgammon, tan with coconut oil way before SPF, highlight my hair with beer, go dancing and eat tacos at the corner stand at 4:30 a.m. before heading back home under the light of the moon.

I celebrated my birthday at the round dark wood table in that apartment at least 8 times before I turned 15. Puerto Vallarta was my default vacation spot all through high school and college.

It’s so different now. When I first started going, the Posada Vallarta was the only hotel in a long, pristine beach. Nuevo Vallarta didn’t even exist. Now there is traffic, shopping centers, a Starbucks, high-rise after high rise right on the sand and a real airport with an international wing with direct flights to Phoenix, Denver, San Francisco and who knows how many cities in Europe.

This weekend, lying on a cot under a Palapa, Salvador – the man who brought me a drink and whom I’ve known for at least 25 years – asked me what I thought of all the changes. I just looked at him and shrugged. He said sadly “I guess you can’t stop progress”.

I can’t talk about what Puerto Vallarta is like now because I have no perspective. I know it for what it used to be, and it’s definitely become something different. I guess that’s what happens to everything.

Fishing trips in Puerto Vallarta? The hardest part may be deciding when to go to this tropical paradise? Different seasons mean different fish.

So, decide on the type of fish you want to land first and then make your travel arrangements.

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico is located on Banderas Bay on the Pacific Ocean. Population in the coastal city normally averages around 350,000, but it hosts over 3 million visitors a year, among them many deep sea fishing enthusiasts.

The tropical weather is perfect for fishing trips. Expect year-round daytime temperatures to average 80º F (27º C); nighttime gets a little cooler.

Fishing trips in Puerto Vallarta run year round, but if you are intent on landing a whopper-sized tuna, then you’ll need to visit between June and February.

Marlin (blue, black and striped) is available from later summer through November and during the spring months of March and April.

Sailfish are in season year round, but to improve your chances of landing this fish, visit during the winter months between November and April. One of Puerto Vallarta’s largest fishing events, its Sailfish tournament, is held in November.

If you can only take holidays beginning in May or June, set your sights on Dorado or Yellowfin tuna. These fish remain in season through the summer and into the late fall. Tuna, in fact, is only out of season for 3 months of the year: March, April and May.

Fishing trips and charter excursions abound in Puerto Vallarta. Trips leave every morning and cater to private intimate groups or larger groups of 4 fishermen or more.

Most fishing trips in Puerto Vallarta are complete packages, which include transportation, fishing gear, bait, ice chests, and drinks. However, be sure to check with your charter company as some expect you to bring along any food or drink you may require.

Fishing licenses, sold by the charter, will also be at your expense

Your fishing charter hosts will be expecting a 10-15% tip, so bring your Pesos. The peso is the local currency, but US dollars are readily accepted, as well.

Besides fishing trips in Puerto Vallarta, you might also want to soak up the sun on a beach. Banderas Bay is dotted with 25 miles of enticing sandy beaches. Or if it’s mountains you seek, the picturesque Sierra Madre chain is to the east.

Oh, and make sure when booking your fishing trips in Puerto Vallarta, that your charter offers purified or bottled drinking water. You don’t want a case of the trots detracting from your fishing adventure.

FishingMentor.com

Forget the tie – give Dad a little father-son vacation this Father’s Day. South of the Border.

Book by calling 1-888-PARADISE or online at www.casamagnapuertovallarta.com using rate code PKG.

by David Simmonds

They’ve tried to ruin it. Chain hotels line the beaches north of town. The jungle line creeps higher and higher up the hills Stoplights! Oh yeah, they’ve tried to screw up my first destination, 25 years ago, into the interior of Mexico…but they haven’t succeeded.

Not if you know where to hang. You see, in my mind there really are two sides (literally) to Puerto Vallarta. There is the north side of the Rio Cuale and there is the south side. And except for motoring to and from the airport, there are very few reasons to ever venture on the north.

I first arrived in PV by dilapidated VW bus in 1971, shortly after completion of the road in from Tepic (100 miles to the north). I was a 21-year-old college student and thought I had truly found my Valhalla. I never wanted to leave.

Unfortunately, my traveling buddy, Tom Dawson, considered his Stanford education to be of slightly more value than mine at San Diego State and insisted we get back for fall classes. One blown engine in the Sonora Desert later, we did just that. Has anyone ever NOT blown a VW engine?

That first trip I found a camping spot tucked in between the hills and the beach, in the south comer of town. We camped for free, bought fresh fish from the local fishermen and considered an early retirement. Ironically, I have been staying in hotels in this same section of town ever since.

My primary abode is not luxurious, but it has more charm than a southern politician: a hotel named La Posada de Roger. Opened in 1970, Roger’s, as it is known, has grown from several rooms with shared bath to the present 40 rooms, all with bathrooms. The years have added a second story swimming pool and a restaurant/bar, the Tucan.

The beds aren’t real comfortable, the beach is three blocks away, and the rooms on the street side can be a little noisy, but you’ll love this place. Roger has moved up the coast to Bucerias, and has left the inn in the very capable hands of his brother, Federico Garcia.

The Tucan has become a regular watering hole for the expats and long time travelers to PV. Late afternoon and early evening attract a wide range of interesting characters. Truth and fiction seem interchangeable, but never boring.

You may run into a white haired gentleman of 72 years. Guy. Guy came to town in 1958 and opened a fine, still operating, beachfront restaurant, La Palapa. He had been in the restaurant business in Malibu, California. prior to his arrival.

He has stories of drinking with John Wayne, carousing with John Huston; well he has plenty of stories. And I do believe them all to be true. Guy is a good man. When asked if he knew any Spanish on his arrival, Guy will reply, “Hell, I didn’t even know how to say “adios”; that’s why I never left!”

Or certainly look for “Gris” to shuffle in, cane in hand, for a cool libation. Gris (sounds like grease) is short for Griswold. I have heard his age pegged at somewhere between 80 and 90. He’ll admit to having first come to town in the late ’40′s. The daily ritual involves Chenny, the young bartender, needling Gris to the point of Gris trying to brain him with his cane, yelling, “leave me alone,” and finally departing mightily angry.

It’s all fairly horrifying until you see it a few times and come to realize: this is keeping Gris alive. You come down to it, these two, the old gringo and the young Mexican bartender, care deeply for each other. I know for a fact that Chenny would protect the Old Man from anyone.

The daytime barkeep is Juan Carlos, a real bright, charming Lothario who used to wait tables in San Jose, California. He’s pretty sure he prefers PV, and has no intention to return to the States. Juan Carlos may rent you his VW bus for $35.00 per day… something to consider.

Read the rest of this entry »

 By  SethyG

I recently was assigned to take a trip out of the country and examine the advertising from a different culture.

I didn’t like the idea of going to another country, but I complied and booked a trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. It was a hard decision to make — going to an all-inclusive resort on the beach  but I made it.

The city of Puerto Vallarta is an interesting mix of down-trodden/poor areas and a (more than) healthy insertion of American (or cosmopolitan) flare.

It wouldn’t be surprising to me if the city’s economy relied solely on tourism — this is evident while walking through Old Town as you are accosted nearly 100 times to book a tour, or two… all funded by the same company.

Enough about PV, the city. Let’s get on to the things that I noticed about PV’s marketing efforts.

1. Your product needs an icon. – I’m not talking about a logo, per se. I’m talking about a mascot, something that the public can identify with. Bonus points for making the mascot a cartoonish character. Maybe extra bonus points for blatantly stealing an Disney character (Uncle Scrooge).
2. A common theme. – When nearly the entire world loves something, embrace it. I can’t count on my fingers the number of commercials and print ads that I saw that was themed with the World Cup. Soccer is gold down there, and there’s not a lack of it in advertising.
3. Price? Who cares! – Don’t put a price on anything. This is probably due to it being a giant tourist destination, but I don’t recall seeing any cell-phone ads with rates or phone prices.
4. Simple and Colorful. – A majority of the print ads I saw were very simple and extremely colorful. In many cases, there was no headline, just the name of the brand. As much as I like copy and clever headlines, I really enjoyed these ads. I think it really spoke to the power of the brand… or maybe there’s just not as much competition down there.

Those were the major things I witnessed in good ol’ PV, but I’m sure there’s more.

Its easy to take walking around Puerto Vallarta for granted when you live here. 

A slow walk on the beach, or through old town and Zona Romantica on the cobblestone streets.

How often do we think about how wheelchair accessible Vallarta is?

For many tourists who are physically challenged this is a large factor in where they choose to vacation.

Puerto Vallarta may not be as wheelchair equipped as the United States but there is something here for everyone, if not only an experience that makes you happy for what you do have in your life.

At age 14, I became a complete C-6 quad, without the ability to transfer. Typical story: shallow water, drowning, resuscitation, three months of rehab, then shipped back home.

Of course, depression followed. Mine lasted nearly three years. I simply couldn’t see any reason to be happy. Little did I know a one- month trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico––four years after my injury––would help me see something other than self-pity, and that was gratefulness.

My family decided to take us four kids on a month-long vacation to Mexico around Christmas 1997. I was in full-swing, post-high school rehab at the time, in a program to learn independent living skills. I was, needless to say, overwhelmingly excited to leave medical rehab behind and delve into a completely new experience.

I was sick of everything related to being disabled. This trip to Mexico was a long time coming, even though I was fully aware––in theory––that our destination wasn’t going to be wheelchair-friendly.

We flew to Puerto Vallarta via Mexicana Airlines. So far, so good. It seemed like any other airline experience within the US. The realization of what, exactly, I was getting into, however, dawned on me once we landed: There was no ramp from the plane to the airport.

I had to be carried by two Mexicans down the stairs then pushed nearly a quarter of a mile off the tarmac through the back entry of the airport, in order to go through Customs.

Puerto Vallarta is poor––extremely poor. Wheelchair accessibility is only to be found at larger resorts, popular restaurants, and if you’re lucky, at the major streets in town. That’s it. The rest of the city might as well be a gigantic stop sign that reads, “Sorry, friend. You ain’t going anywhere in that wheelchair!”

I was resigned to this fact. After going through Customs, employees of the airport bungee-corded my chair to the top of a Dodge Ram truck, lifted me into the cab, and drove my family and me to the three-story inaccessible villa we rented 10 miles away. Thank God I left my powerchair at home!

The scenery was what I expected. I expertly looked for signs of wheelchair access. It was sparse. Let’s just say if they had dumped me on the side of the road, I would’ve been horribly screwed. Never before did I feel so vulnerable. I tried to forget about that and think about all the fun we were going to have.

And we did have a glorious time, but I can’t even begin to count the number of times my bony butt was hoisted up over some stranger’s shoulder to be carried into a boat, up some majestic stone stairs to get into a top-rated restaurant, or just pivot-transferred into the back of a cab. Every ounce of out-in-public forms of independence I learned in rehab at home were utterly useless in Puerto Vallarta.

It’s strange, but I actually became accustomed to living in this completely inaccessible land. It was gorgeous and the people were friendly and always willing to help me at the drop of a hat. But could I live there? Most definitely not.

After our trip ended, I flew home. Everything about home suddenly seemed different—and better. I appreciated all of it more. The first thing that stuck out was the ease of moving about in my city of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Zooming up and down the curb-cutted streets, hopping on and off the city bus via the automatic ramp system . . . I was gleeful.

It seriously felt like I was floating in water; completely effortless, weightless. I realized I had taken all of this for granted before my trip. Gratitude flowed through my veins and the self-pity that was such a constant presence in my post-injury life virtually disappeared.

It’s not a huge revelation that a month in Mexico made me appreciate the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) more. But it’s noteworthy to realize that it helped me replace a poisonous emotion with a beneficial one: self-pity to gratefulness. The fighters and founders of the ADA are not merely heroes. They’re more than that. Words simply cannot describe all that they’ve done for us.

Justin Dart and everyone who fought the “insurmountable” fight: I don’t know how they did it. I honestly don’t think I’d be able to do what they did. What I do know is that I’m happily resting on their laurels, and for that, I’m humbly grateful.

By Tiffiny Carlson

The third Sunday of June, this year the 17th, Father’s Day, Día del Padre. Mexicans and americans all over Vallarta  honoring all the fathers throughout  our lives. It is not an official holiday here in Mexico.

Quite possibly alot of people here in Puerto vallarta do not know the origin of “fathers day” the official holiday coming from the United States. For those of you who dont, here is the story.

The genesis of the holiday seems similarly me-too-ish. The story goes that Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington, was attending a Mother’s Day service when she started thinking about her father, a widowed Civil War veteran who brought up six children alone — essentially, he became a mother as well as a father to them.

One is left to wonder: Had the late Mrs. Smart still been in the picture, would her daughter have lobbied for a Father’s Day? The moral of this story: Much as mom’s work is often unnoticed and underappreciated, dad’s role apparently slides by even lower on our radar screen.

He may be out of the house a lot, but remember the bedtimes stories he would read to you when he got home, the games of chess and catch, those fishing and camping trips, and how nervous yet proud he was when you went out on your first date?

So here’s an idea for this Father’s Day weather you are a Mexican, Canadian or American; don’t just tell your dad that you appreciate him. Appreciate him for all he has to offer: ask him about what he was like growing up — try to find out what made him who he is today; ask him about his work — his expertise can be unexpectedly valuable; share his interests and hobbies — you may find you enjoy taking in a ball game, building a toolshed, or watching that John Wayne movie that he’s always talking about more than you ever thought you would, if you do it with dad.

And make sure to articulate your affection — reach out to him and even the most inexpressive father will reach back to you.

Here is a fathers day breakfast inspired by all the mexican dads here in Vallarta, all men love to eat and even if your dad is not a Mexican how could he not love Huevos Rancheros!

They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. So why not cook something delicious for Dear Old Dad this Father’s Day?

HUEVOS RANCHEROS
Like many Latin American dishes, huevos rancheros blend Old and New World culinary history. When Spaniards arrived in 16th century Mexico, they brought chickens with them, which began Mexico’s love affair with the egg in myriad forms. Huevos rancheros, or ranch-style eggs, were traditionally served at second breakfast, around 11:00 a.m. Basic recipes call for a briefly fried tortilla topped with poached eggs and a spicy sauce. Our robust version also includes chorizo, black beans and cheese.

1/4 cup canola oil
2 thick corn tortillas, preferably stale
2 chorizo sausages, cut into 1/4-inch slices and browned
1/2 cup drained canned black beans
Fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/2 cup bottled salsa
1/4 cup crumbled queso añejo or grated dry
jack cheese
4 poached eggs (see related recipe at right)
2 Tbs. Mexican crema or sour cream
1 Tbs. coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 small avocado, pitted, peeled and cut into
1/2-inch cubes (optional)

Preheat an oven to 400°F.

In a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, warm the oil. One at a time, fry the tortillas, turning once, about 5 seconds per side. Using tongs, transfer to paper towels to drain.

In a small bowl, combine the sausages and beans. Season with salt and pepper. Place 2 Tbs. salsa in each of 2 cast-iron egg pans. Place a tortilla on the salsa, then top each with 2 Tbs. salsa, half of the sausage-bean mixture and 2 Tbs. cheese. Transfer the pans to the oven and bake until the cheese is bubbling and the beans are heated through, about 7 minutes.

Remove the pans from the oven; top each with 2 poached eggs. Garnish with the crema, cilantro and avocado. Serve immediately. Serves 2.

 From Tori Ritchie’s Tasty Ideas For Father’s Day: Brunch With A Kick

Open Daily noon to 1 am. The complete menu is available until 11pm.
Bar snacks are available until we close. Email or call us for reservations or more information.
322-222-2099
Basillo Badillo 212
Colonia E Zapata

Joe Jack Fish Shack here in Puerto Vallarta is a excellent place to eat. Not only do they have great food but also great service in a chill atmosphere. Their friday fish fry, all you can eat fish and chips is very popular.

I was happily surprised by their Ensalada de Camaron, not only do they know how to prepare seafood, this butter lettuce accompanied with cold marinated baby potatoes, green beans, black olives and a boiled egg was exactley what I like a salad to be!

Celebrating its first anniversary, Joe Jack’s Fish Shack has “wowed” us with Nor-Cal meets Mexico flair – flavorful, simply and expertly prepared local seafood, meats and even freshly ground burgers.

The Fish and Chips have become legendary, the ceviches unequaled. The tequila selection and handcrafted cocktails are sublime. Casual, hip, fun, and festive. Open Noon to 11pm Bar and late night munchies ’til 1 am.

Like his other ventures in the states, joe prides himself in creating a fun, “casually hip” space to enjoy food that is comforting and nourishing to the soul, an extensive drink and wine menu, icy cold cerveza, all presented and hosted by his warm, welcoming staff.
Puerto Vallarta Lifestyles Magazine
 
More Joe Jack Fish Shack Reviews
*Jack’s refreshing mint-laden mojitos or a homemade white wine sangria anchored in fresh fruit, you might even be up for Octopus Pozole (traditional hominy stew with a not so traditional twist)…Vallarta Dining Guide

*After 20 years of experience as chef and later opening two restaurants called Luna Park in North America, Joe Jack comes to Vallarta…Banderas News

*Joe Jack has arrived in Puerto Vallarta. After leaving Luna Park, his two phenomenally successful restaurants in San Francisco and Los Angeles…Tribune

If are looking for some tasty seafood and fresh menu items or possibly only a fine mojito, Check out Joe Jacks Fisk Shack here in Puerto Vallarta, located in the Zona Romantica.

Why not visit Puerto Vallarta with your dad for fathers day. With many airlines and hotels offering special “fathers day” rates and packages, there is something for everyones budget!

With so many activities here in Vallarta every Dad is sure to enjoy a little fun and luxury in paradise.

One thing many dads are  sure to love is a round of golf!The Puerto Vallarta area is the host to  seven fantastic golf courses, all of which have a variety of features to offer golfers of every experience level.

Sure to be fathersday  specials all over Vallarta, why not make this one to remember.  Here is a package any dad would love!

The CasaMagna Marriott in Puerto Vallarta is offering the “Puff, Putt and Pamper” Father’s Day package. The four day/three night package includes:

· Deluxe Ocean View accommodations
· Daily round of golf at either Vista Vallarta or Marina Vallarta golf courses
· Bucket of chilled Mexican beer upon arrival
· Tequila tasting
· Cigar rolling demonstration and cigars for the group
· 50 min. Men’s Sport Massage followed by a Sports Pedicure at the resort’s new 22,000 square ft. Ohtli Spa.
The package is good from now through Dec. 16, 2007 and starts at $684 per night. Use the rate code PKG when calling the hotel or booking online.

If your dad loves golf, Puerto Vallarta is a great place to surprise vacation with him. Here are the descriptions of the seven golf courses the Vallarta area boasts.

 Marina Vallarta Golf Club
The 18 championship holes of the Marina Vallarta Golf Club were designed by American architect Joe Finger. It has a magnificent view of Banderas Bay. Several natural lagoons are situated within this Vallarta golf course which is abundant with wildlife and several water fountains.

Vista Vallarta Nicklaus Golf Course
Vista Vallarta Nicklaus is a must for Puerto Vallarta Golf. Regularly hosting professional golf tournaments like the 2002 EMC World Golf Cup, it is a beautiful golf course melded into the foothills of the Sierra Madre Mountains and offers breathtaking views of the entire bay. The Jack Nicklaus Signature Course opened April 2001 and is one of the most challenging golf courses in Puerto Vallarta.

Puerto Vallarta Vista Vallarta Weiskopf Golf Course
Vista Vallarta Weiskopf Golf Course, built in the rugged, dense jungle terrain of Puerto Vallarta Mexico is making a name for itself. The challenging layout of this Puerto Vallarta golf course, which presents scenic views as it winds through the jungles in the foothills of the Sierra Madre Mountains, offers just as much of a challenge as the Nicklaus golf course.

Puerto Vallarta Flamingos Golf Club
Flamingos Golf Club was the first golf course in the Puerto Vallarta area and was built in 1978. Surrounded by a lush tropical vegetation and over 1,800 palm trees, this one of a kind site combines gently sloping fairways with natural lagoons, marshes and estuaries where over 100 different species of birds thrive as well as numerous other animals such as crocodiles, turtles, rabbits, raccoons, armadillos and even white tailed deer.

Puerto Vallarta El Tigre Golf Club
El Tigre Puerto Vallarta Golf Club. “Create the most exciting championship golf course in Mexico”, was the challenge given to the team of Von Hagge, Smelek and Baril, designers of over 200 of the world’s finest golf courses. The result … a 7,239 yard masterpiece golf course that is challenging for even the most experienced golfers yet easy enough for beginning golfers to enjoy..

Mayan Palace Nuevo Vallarta Golf Club
Nestled between the sparkling Pacific and majestic Sierra Madre Mountains, the Mayan Palace Nuevo Vallarta Golf Club meanders through a tropical forest and winds around shimmering lagoons. The greens are flanked by at least two bunkers on every other whole, with water hazards placed throughout the immaculate fairways. Wind is a factor for players on this flat course.

Puerto Vallarta El Tamarindo Golf Club
The El Tamarindo Puerto Vallarta Golf Club is one golf course not to be missed and is considered by many to be the most beautiful golf course in Mexico. Architects Robert Trent Jones Jr. and David Flemming created a masterpiece when they were given the run of this sublime site in a vast ecological preserve.
Located 2 hours from Puerto Vallarta, and 60 minutes from Manzanillo, plan a day trip to Puerto Vallarta El Tamarindo golf club that will be unforgettable.

Following Highway 200 to the south, you will find the dense, lush jungles of the Sierra Madre Mountains. Along this highway, you will pass through a primarily residential area, sometimes referred to as Taxco by the Sea, but known to most as Conchas Chinas.

Located just south of Los Muertos Beach, Conchas Chinas starts at the water’s edge and stretches up to the top of the mountain. This residential community is one of Vallarta’s most prestigious areas where some of the most beautiful homes along Mexico’s Pacific coast are located.

This area is renowned for its exclusive villas and condos, some of which are featured in programmes screened around the world and is the choice for private relaxation. Many gated communities perched high on the mountainsides directly on the ocean, enjoy one of the best beaches in Vallarta and the town is only a few minutes away.

For many, that’s the primary reason for living in this exclusive zone just south of Vallarta’s South Side. But it’s not the only reason. A major consideration is always resale value, and Conchas Chinas has it in spades with some of the most expensive properties along the entire coast located here. In the following table of pros and cons, consider these comparisons.

Pros:
View of town and Banderas Bay
Stable value of land and properties
Location close to town, yet in another world
Most properties have parking garages and street parking is plentiful
Direct access to beach from lower Conchas Chinas properties
Neighborhood association very strong
Strict building codes

Cons:
Lots of stairs in most properties
Very few homes have yards
No playgrounds for children, although streets are generally safe
Prices may be out of the range of many

Strict building codes may make remodeling prohibitiveThe majority of people buying Conchas Chinas oceanfront properties are post-retirement. The home is usually not their primary residence, so it doubles as a family vacation spot and source of rental income.

Rentals are very successful in this area, both on the beachfront and along the winding streets of nearby Amapas and the hills of Conchas Chinas. The larger villas and condominiums on the hills are very popular with group rentals, many returning year after year for their annual conventions or conferences.

Construction varies from the earlier period in the ‘50s and ‘60s to the newer residences of the current decade higher on the hill. An advantage is that it’s one of the more stable areas for withstanding earthquakes, as the homes are built on rock. It doesn’t get more solid than that. The Vallarta style is common, with large, open terraces facing the view, frequently with swimming pool or Jacuzzi.

Although yards aren’t common, many have been built in or around the trees of the jungle, offering shade. Palapa roofs are popular as well, some of them quite expansive, offering protection for entertaining guests. Even though original wall colors were white, it’s becoming more popular to paint the adobe walls pastel colors such as peach, tangerine, yellow or nectar.

Early architects were pioneers in style and construction, such as Guillermo Wulff, associate of legendary director John Huston. Others are José Díaz, Oscar Montiel and Arturo Ramos. The hacienda style creates walls around an interior courtyard, nearly always with a fountain or water element.

Several levels take advantage not only of the views, but also of the hillside terrain. Some of the larger homes even have tennis courts, while several beachfront homes offer private beach access with showers and changing rooms.

The entire area of Conchas Chinas, whether it’s the beachfront or the hillside or closer Amapas, is the most exclusive residential area on the coast. As building continues further north, it only throws into striking contrast the advantage of living so close to Puerto Vallarta, where the best restaurants are at your fingertips.

Entertainment continues to offer a variety of theater, movies, musicals and other shows for evenings spent on the town, a major consideration for group rentals.

A variety of properties are available, such as this month’s cover. Other properties include condominiums, lots, villas and even entire buildings. Costs generally begin from just under a half million to over $4 million USD.

From someones favorite travel site.

A fishing boat docked in a tiny Mexican village outside of Puerto Vallarta. An American tourist complimented the fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.

“Not very long,” answered the fisherman.

“But then, why didn’t you stay out longer and catch more?” asked the American.

The fisherman explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.

The American asked, “But what do you do with the rest of your time?”

“I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs . . I have a full life.”

The American interrupted, “I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat.”

And after that?” asked the fisherman.

With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York City! From there you can direct your huge new enterprise.”

“How long would that take?” asked the fisherman.

“Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years,” replied the American.

“And after that?”

“Afterwards? Well my Friend, that’s when it gets really interesting,” answered the American, laughing. “When your business gets really big, you can start selling stocks and make millions!”

“Millions? Really? And after that?” said the fisherman.

“After that you’ll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a siesta with your wife and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends.”

And the moral is: Know where you’re going in life….you may already be there.

.

Do you have a brand new passport or are you thinking about getting one? If so, the CasaMagna Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa wants to be your first … date/stamp.

Deal: Show the CasaMagna Marriott reception desk that Puerto Vallarta is your first port of entry and they’ll give you $100 resort credit when you check in – just mention their “Passport to Paradise” promotion. Caveat: The offer is only good for U.S. citizens with a 5-night minimum stay. Has no cash value.

What country had the honor of being your first passport stamp?
When: Offer good through Dec. 15, 2007

Why Go: They have a large outdoor infinity pool with a swim up bar. Need a babysitter? They’ve got one right on the property—go ahead, enjoy some down time.

Why Not: You’ve got a passport filled with stamps and don’t qualify.

More…Details: The deal is a well-kept secret: I called the Marriott U.S. toll-free number (800-228-9290) and the suggested (888) 727-23473 [888-PARADISE] to inquire about the deal and neither reservationist had heard of the “Passport to Paradise” promotion. They could not find it in their records at all.

Contact: CasaMagna Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa, Direct international phone number: 52 322 226 0000

by JENNIFER GARCIA

Britney Spears had a whirlwind getaway in Mexico this weekend, where she let her new hair down – and offered some friendly advice to fellow tourists.

Over her three-day vacation, the singer, 25, stayed at the Four Seasons in Punta Mita, 26 miles from Puerto Vallarta.

Britney spears was spotted over the weekend vacationing in Puerto Vallarta where she “accidentally” flashed her thong.
Though she’s been sweating off her baby-weight by dancing in the studio, and though she’s been looking HOTT and thin when she’s seen in public, these unedited photos show that not EVERYTHING on Brit’s body is toned yet

While strolling on the beach with a pal at the Four Seasons, Spears stopped an older couple, also guests at the hotel, to warn them: “Be careful, there are lots of man o’ war jellyfish washing up on shore, you don’t want to get stung,” a source tells PEOPLE.

According to the source, Spears was “very sweet” – and the couple didn’t recognize her until she started talking to them.

“She seemed happy and carefree with her friend,” says the source.

Spears, who went to Mexico on Thursday and returned to Los Angeles on Sunday, was photographed over the weekend in Mexico wearing a turquoise-and-white sarong with her blonde hair extensions in a messy ponytail.

The weekend away comes just days after she posted a message on her Web site, saying she was at “rock bottom” when she went to rehab earlier this year and thanking fans for their support. “I love you for still loving me,” she wrote.

Spears, who has been recording a new album, also recently performed several shows in Los Angeles, Miami and Las Vegas in recent weeks.

Admittedly, recent productions here have been somewhat limited; underlining the expected resurgence in feature film production was the recent announcement by Walt Disney Studios of their “South of the Border” to shoot here in mid-July, 2007.

The project is a live-action feature film directed by Raja Gosnell (Yours, Mine and Ours; Scooby Doo 1 and 2, Never Been Kissed, Big Momma’s House) set mainly in Beverly Hills, Puerto Vallarta, and Mexico City, and is about a spoiled Beverly Hills toy chihuahua lap dog which gets dognapped while in Mexico and tries to get back home.

Variety reported a few days ago that Piper Perabo (The Prestige, Cheaper by the Dozen, Slap Her, She’s French and Coyote Ugly) has been the first principal cast member signed to the project. Casting Valdes opened the extras’ and local actors’ casting office for “South of the Border” here in Vallarta last week and have 8 weeks for casting, auditions and preparation.

6 to 8 weeks of filming (July and August) is planned for the Puerto Vallarta region and then they’ll head to Mexico City for about 6 more weeks of filming (September and October.)

Contact castingvaldes@yahoo.com for more information regarding casting.

Currently a “reality TV” show produced by Bunim, Murria Productions for MTV is shooting here, utilizing local buildings for sets and roving with their cameras as far as San Pancho, Nayarit.

Recently Wolfgang Richter, a Vancouver, B.C.-based producer (and instrumental in creating the British Columbia Film Commission in the mid-70′s) was here in Vallarta scouting locations for a possible feature.

Dreamworks Studios shot second-unit footage for their now-in-release feature film “The Heartbreak Kid” here on the bay. An uncomfirmed report has veteran actor/director Clint Eastwood poised with an Angeline Jolie-starring project in pre-development in the Vallarta region.

As the `friendliest city in the world’ (Condé Nast Travellers Magazine, Readers’ Poll), Vallarta has got a leg up on other potential production centers. Movie making is a tough haul, an oftentimes hectic, stress-filled long day’s journey into night process. It helps if you can have some fun, sun, good eats, and a comfortable 5-star bed to fall into at the end of that day.

And if the traffic police, permits’ department, customs, immigration, and other authorities are all on the same channel, better yet. If there’s a talent pool of extras, technicians, equipment and services available, another big plus. And if you spend less dollars, well, that just about clinches it as far as producers are concerned.

Puerto Vallarta tempts with an array of A-list attractions: Beautiful beaches, superb sports, fabulous festivals, naughty nightlife, delicious dining and drinking, and an authentic Mexican atmosphere are on the list of attractions that beckon honeymoon travelers and others to this seaside city on Mexico’s tropical Pacific coast.

1. Strolling El Malecon
The town center’s boisterous beachfront promenade, the Malecon, is a whirlwind of happy activity. When you’re here, you can’t help but feel you’ve discovered the real Mexico. (Congratulations. You have.) During the day, couples walk, singles flirt, teenagers snack, children play, acrobats perform, and venders hawk coconut fudge and leather bracelets. At night, mariachi musicians in the town Plaza strike up the band as twosomes young and old clutch one another and twirl around Malecon’s many attractions.

2. Shopping and Exploring gay Puerto Vallarta
Malecon-area boutiques are among shoppers’ favorite attractions. Bargains include silver jewelry from Taxco and soft leather shoes like woven huarache sandals that take one day to custom-make. Galleries specialize in local artists’ paintings, village pottery from Mata Ortiz and Casas Grandes, or riotously colorful Wixarika (Huichol) Indian beadwork and yarn paintings. The open-air arcade along the Cuale River sells inexpensive crafts like tooled leather items, woven and beaded jewelry, embroidered blouses and bags, and hand-painted “Talavera” ceramics.

3. Enjoying the Nightlife
Café des Artistes, helmed by French-Mexican celebrity chef Thierry Blouet, promises a memorable meal in magical surroundings indoors or out. Continue the party at a Vallarta club. Visitors who crave the excitement of crowds dancing en masse head for Christine, which flaunts laser shows and roving international DJs. For sipping Champagne and dancing on the sand, moonlit Nikki Beach is the sexiest of Puerto Vallarta attractions.

4. Golfing the Championship Courses
If your favorite club is called Big Bertha, you’ll be awed by Puerto Vallarta’s spectacularly scenic championship . Many hotels offer golf packages and golf concierges. Puerto Vallarta’s seven 18-hole Par 71 or 72 courses designed by the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Robert Trent Jones, Tom Weiskopf, and Robert Van Haggen are attractions for golfers the world over. Nicklaus’ Vista Vallarta hosts the Puerto Vallarta Championship, a PGA Tour Champions Tour event, won in 2006 by American Morris Hatalsky.

5. Skimming Along Banderas Bay
Puerto Vallarta is set on ocean-deep Banderas Bay, which has watersport attractions aplenty. Intrepid fishermen come to hook big game including yellowfin, sailfish, amberjack, and trophy-size black marlin. Surfers are drawn to the tall waves off the nearby beach town of Lo de Marcos. Scuba divers seek out Vallarta waters for their crystalline visibility, black coral formations, and large marine life such as sea turtles and dolphins. Yachting season kicks off with the San Diego to Puerto Vallarta Regatta in the fall and reaches a fever pitch with the Banderas Bay Regatta in March.

6. Whale Watching
Our mammalian brethren, the whales, also consider Puerto Vallarta one of winter’s attractions, and frolic in Banderas Bay from December through March. You can spot humpbacks from the beach or close-on a licensed whale-watching expedition with a group like the Whale Watching Center, which also runs dolphin tours.

7. Sending Sea Turtles to the Sea
Animal lovers can join in Puerto Vallarta’s sea turtle release. Throughout November, tiny hatchlings break out of eggs that have incubated in protected shoreline pens. Hotel guests witness the newborn sea turtles crawl into the ocean under cover of dusk, and a cheer goes up when the last baby swims off. This heart-warming tradition is observed at beachfront hotels including Marriott CasaMagna, Presidente InterContinental, and Dreams Resort.

8. Sailing and Snorkeling around a Secluded Island
Vallarta Adventures runs diverting, reasonably priced full-day and half-day trips. One entertaining choice is a party-boat ride to Las Caletas, a secluded isle where film director John Huston lived. Day-trippers can sunbathe, swim, snorkel, hike, play with parrots, and enjoy Mexican-spiced chicken and ocean-fresh paella cooked on the beach. Attractions for those who like to veer off the beaten track, the company’s San Sebastian expedition involves a picturesque drive or thrilling prop-plane flight to a 17th-century mining town high in the Sierra Madre Mountains.

9. Tequila Tastings
Tequila is made in Puerto Vallarta’s home home state of Jalisco. This is the true Margaritaville, where extensive tequila menus invite visitors to experiment. Tequila shops in town offer free tastes, as do airport duty-free shops. (Make sure you can carry bottles onto your flight.) Concierges can arrange day trips by air to the town of Tequila, where distillery tours await. The best-quality tequilas are 100% blue agave, with no additives. Clear, golden, and aged all have their attractions. Trust your own taste buds.

10. Puerto Vallarta Food & Film Festivals
November means the Puerto Vallarta International Gourmet Festival, a ten-day epicurean extravaganza. Restaurants offer special menus and globe-trotting guest chefs; special events include tastings, cook-offs, parties, and gala meals galore.

December brings the Vallarta Film Festival, which unfurls subtitled features, shorts, documentaries, and animated film attractions from the Americas. Participants dash from Puerto Vallarta premieres to meet-the-cast receptions to outdoor screenings of classics by local hero John Huston.

  by Archana

Ok, last minute trips will not be perfect,
…but they can definitely be thrilling and awesome!!and all that jazz !

We started off on Saturday 04/14 early morning, literally dragging ourselves off the bed and into the 9 am flight after missing the early bird 7am one (How in the world did Uday think we were going to make that?).

I did not have high hopes for the city but boy was it beautiful ! I looked at several websites trying to plan activities for our 4 day trip before we got there but one got there.. it was pretty much …

good food, good beaches, good time, good weather …and .. o yea, bad pirates  !

I will let the pictures speak for themselves but I highly recommend a trip to puerto vallarta to rekindle & revamp some of that lost/weary spirit in a relationship.

It was such a nice honeymoon get-away that if two 20-somethings walked around holding hand-in-hand, they will very likely bump into a curious local (or one of the dozen or so savvy timeshare salesman) asking them if they are “honeymooners”.

Needless to say, there is definitely some nice golf courses in the city to attract the “patchy adams” (this city hosted the 2005 world championship) and enough shopping buzz on the streets (downtown is a beautiful mix of restaurants, diamond & silver shops and some upcoming shopping joints) to welcome the “peachy madams”.

Also, the city boasts some 400 odd restaurants, mostly based on the hill slopes, offering some savory menus (mostly seafood)and splendid sunsets for the connoisseur in you to feast on.

The place boasts of the same weather as Hawaii besides the intimacy of a small town, filled with friendly people and good-looking latina singles, making a nice get-away for couples and singles alike  !

So I say… pack your bags muchachos y muchachas!
(dont forget your spanish cheatsheets) Get ready for some amazing time in the BBB (beautiful banderas bay) !

It was a beautiful day at the beach at Boca de Tomates. The beach is just outside Puerto Vallarta to the north. An odd little place with fishermen on one side and a bunch of little fresh seafood beach restaurants on the other. It is right at the mouth of the Ameca River where it lets into the Ocean and it is a popular camping spot for the locals during holidays and semana santa.

But on the most interesting and cool things on the beach are these little pin-wheel kites. They are made from cut styrofoam, 2 nails and a piece of balsa wood. They are hand painted with just markers and they sell for about 30 pesos but are absolutely cool. They fly instantly, spinning, spinning in the air. The kids absolutely love them and it keep them busy forever. I cant think of a better deal for $3.

That’s one thing about Mexico that I love, the ingenuity. The kites were such a simple concept, I found myself wondering why we never made these kites in Vancouver while I was growing up. We were always stuck with the traditional kite model that never wants to fly and you have to run and run and run to make it go anywhere. I would of been very happy with one of these.

Anyways, go to the beach and get a kite. You can actually take them apart and take them home, although they are quite breakable and disposable. Boca de Tomates has been the only beach I have ever seen them on, although it could just be because I wasn’t paying attention.

Happy Kiting!

(source: thingstodoinvallarta.com)

The Spaniards came to Mexico in the 1500’s and conquered the Indians who had lived there for centuries. Subsequently called the Spanish colony of Mexico a third group of people came to be recognized.

They were known as mestizos. They had both Indian and European parents, grandparents and other ancestors. Today, the majority of the people in Mexico are mestizos. To be a mestizo is to be part of Mexico’s history and many mestizos are very aware of their Indian heritage.

Nearly all Mexican people speak Spanish which is the official language of the country. Interestingly, over five million Indians still use their Indian language in everyday life and can also speak Spanish. Maya and Zapotec are the major Indian languages spoken.

Being Indian in Mexico does not depend on ancestry but rather on a way of life and mindset. Most Indian villages lie in the interior regions of the Yucatan and in the rugged areas of central and southern Mexico and much in a similar fashion as their ancestors. Government programs have helped to introduce modernization and initiate mainstream Mexican life style.

Numerous Mexican farmers live near their fields in small villages where houses are perched along simple dirt roads or cobblestone streets. In many villages, one finds a Catholic church in the plaza or Central square along a few stores and government buildings and of course, an open air market place.

Nearly seventy five percent of all Mexicans now live in cities or towns. In Mexico, there are now eight cities with population over 500,000. Mexico City now boasts over ten million people.

Numerous cities and towns in Mexico began as Indian communities. When the Spaniards arrived, these became more like towns with plazas and homes with patios. In modern day, the cities are so largely populated, life in many ways mirrors life in the United States.

Families live in rows of homes built in the Spanish colonial style, and suburbanites live in apartment buildings and houses. Mexico still has its share of poor people who live in slum shacks or scantily furnished rooms.

Many people come to the cities to find work but there is not enough work for the population that is increasing rapidly as a result of a traditionally high birth rate and a sharply reduced death rate. Presently, more than half of the people in Mexico are under the age of twenty.

Almost all Mexicans speak Spanish, the official language of Mexico and nearly all other Latin American countries. Many words that are used in the USA, such as canyon, corral, desperado, lasso, macho, patio, rodeo and stampede, came from Mexico.

More than five million Mexican Indians will primarily use their Indian language in daily life. These Indian languages include Maya, Mixtec, Otomi, Trascan and Zapotec.

Mexico’s people way of life includes many old customs from their Indian past and the Spanish colonial period. Mexico changed quite rapidly during the 1900’s.

Life in the cities became quite similar to that of the USA however Mexican villagers still follow the older way of life. Today, many households consist of an average of five or six people.

In many homes, several generations of the same family still live together. Women now have jobs outside the home and the women living on farms will work the fields as will the boys whereas the city boys will have part-time jobs while in school.

People and Culture

Despite its population of 350,000, Puerto Vallarta feels — and thinks — like a small town. People know their neighbors; school chums run the city and the corner taco stand.

Although the majority of vallartenses (residents of Puerto Vallarta) are far from wealthy, most are middle class, and securely employed; few of the alms-seekers downtown are locals.

Vallartenses value nice things, but much less so than sharing and socializing with family and friends. In her book The Magic of Puerto Vallarta, Venezuelan Marilú Suárez-Murias aptly describes Puerto Vallartans as “free, proud, simple, noble, friendly, kind, and never in a hurry.”

Like many others from around the world, Ms. Suárez-Murias visited in the 1980s and opted to stay. Vallarta has one of the largest English-speaking expat communities in Mexico consisting of Americans and Canadians especially.

Expats tend to settle in Old Vallarta or the condos and private homes climbing the ocean-facing hills south of town. Small towns like Sayulita, north of PV, are also popular.

The Hotel Scene

Choosing where to stay may be half of the equation to having a fabulous vacation. Unfortunately, it’s not an easy task since Puerto Vallarta has something for every budget and personality, from cliffside condos with stairs winding down to the sea to classy little cottages surrounded by nature trails.

Gran turismo (beyond 5-star) hotels and resorts are found up and down the coast; think private beachside villa with a private plunge pool. Some of those on the prettiest beaches are in Punta de Mita and the Costalegre, but you’ll find them also in the south and north hotel zones, Marina Vallarta, and Nuevo Vallarta.

Nuevo Vallarta has mainly all-inclusive hotels. Southern Nayarit State, north of PV, has a sprinking of small hotels, guesthouses, private rentals, and B&Bs, many of them popular with honeymooners, families, and anyone looking for more intimate digs away from large crowds.

The Food Scene

First-time travelers come for the sun and sea, but it’s PV’s wonderful restaurants that create legions of long-term fans. Only a generation ago, much of the best, locally caught fish was shipped to Guadalajara; Vallartans had to buy it back frozen, or overstock and freeze fresh catches for future meals.

Likewise, a variety of vegetables was hard to find. But as the destination has grown in popularity and dozens of excellent chefs have opened restaurants, the culinary outlook has improved exponentially.

Now those who know where to look can shop locally for designer greens, baby eggplant, and an increasingly sophisticated range of ingredients.

PV’s level of culinary chic is reflected in November’s International Gourmet Festival, when dozens of guest chefs bring new recipes and ideas from around the globe.

It’s not just foreigners and Cordon Bleu-trained chefs, however, that keep the foodies fat and happy. Seaside family-owned eateries grill fish right off the boat, and tiny city cafés have great eats at bargain prices. And a number of streetside stalls are as hygienic as five-star-hotel restaurants.

The Overall Vibe

Mexico’s second-most-visited resort after Cancún, Puerto Vallarta is, without a doubt, “touristy.” From the clean streets to the English-speaking personnel and menus, business owners and tourism officials aim to help you feel at home.

But you won’t feel like a cipher or, worse, a bothersome intruder. Cancún didn’t exist before the 1970s, and employees and business owners are imported from elsewhere. In contrast, the majority of Puerto Vallarta’s tour companies, restaurants, and hotels are run by local people — proud of their city and happy to have you.

Happy, because tourism is PV’s only real industry. And though plenty of twentysomethings party all night at Señor Frogs or Carlos O’Briens, this is not a spring-break destination. A sense of decorum and pride in the city keeps things reasonably restrained.

Thinking Outside the Bay

As numerous as the activities in and around Puerto Vallarta and Banderas Bay are the opportunities beyond its boundaries. Vallarta Adventures and smaller tour operators make things easy with day trips to the mountains, Guadalajara, San Blas, and the nearby estuaries at La Tovara.

While tour companies can design individual, overnight tours, most folks heading north or south of Banderas Bay rent a car and go on their own. But there’s plenty to keep you busy in and around Puerto Vallarta, so if your time is limited, establishing a base of operations there is usually the least hassle-free way to explore.

A Brief History

Except for small coastal settlements that subsisted on fishing and a small enterprise importing salt (used to separate silver from stone), the first European and mestizo settlers in the region were miners and mine owners far from the coast, in the mineral-laced Sierra Madre.

When mining petered out in the early 20th century, many families moved to the band of rich farmland near the coast around present-day Puerto Vallarta.

Tourism along the gorgeous, 42-km (26-mi) Bahía Banderas (Bay of Flags), really took off in the ’50s and ’60s, when a Mexican newsreel showed off its natural beauty and famous lovers Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton brought the paparazzi during the filming of Night of the Iguana, in 1963.

by Justin Burch

The beaches in and around Puerto Vallarta may be the most diverse in Mexico. Located at the midpoint of Banderas Bay, the area surrounding Puerto Vallarta boasts 34 miles of coastline, 26 of which are sandy beaches. Within the city, the beaches are elegant and pristine, bordered by restaurants and resorts. Beaches to the north of the city tend to be longer and wider, with great opportunities for surfing and swimming. South of Puerto Vallarta, the mountains topple into the sea in places, creating placid coves and intimate sandy pockets.

Playa Los Muertos is the most frequented beach in Puerto Vallarta. This sandy beach is long and wide with small waves perfect for swimming. Despite its popularity, there is usually plenty of room to spread out a towel and soak up rays. Los Muertos is a bustling place full of craft and food vendors; the beach itself is lined by numerous resorts, restaurants and bars. This is also a great place to ride a parasail and get a bird’s eye view of the city. The beach has the added attraction of being on the edge of Viejo Vallarta, Puerto Vallarta’s beautiful old town.

Several other beautiful beaches lie in close proximity to the city’s Hotel Zone. Playa El Saldo, also known as Marina Vallarta, primarily caters to hotel guests. However, the beach is wide and well-maintained, offering stunning views of the city and its mountainous backdrop. Playa Pelicanos is generally quiet, making it a great place to escape the beach crowds while remaining in the heart of the city. Playa Las Glorias is the name of the sandy stretch between Playa Pelicanos and Marina Vallarta. If you’re staying in a hotel north of the primary Hotel Zone, you will find this excellent swimming beach outside your back door.

North of the city, the beach of Nuevo Vallarta offers a wider stretch of sand with fewer rocks than most beaches within Banderas Bay. As favorites of families, visitors to Playa Destiladeres and Playa Bucerias can expect mild waves (perfect for boogie-boarding or learning to surf), elegant white sand beaches and fresh seafood at charming palapa-shaded restaurants.

To the North, Punta Mita, also known as Playa Anclote, is distinguished for its row of pleasant beach restaurants and gentle slope, making it a perfect beach for all ages. With consistently low, rolling waves, Punta Mita is also celebrated as an excellent place to learn to surf. There are even a few surfing schools that offer instruction to travelers.

For those with more experience on the waves, the tiny community of Sayulita is the place of choice. A surfing mecca of international renown, the shoreline of this picturesque fishing village is home to abundant coves and beaches where surfers hunt perfect waves and day trippers relax in the sun. As Sayulita has developed over the past few years into a surfer’s town with a bohemian feel, travelers will be treated to a refreshing, laid-back attitude.

A few miles beyond the northern-most point of the bay are the beaches of San Francisco and San Pancho. Sporting a windswept and primitive feeling, with deeper, creamier sand and rougher waters than inside Banderas Bay, these beaches are ideal for travelers who want a taste of pristine nature and the open sea.

To the south of Puerto Vallarta lie such treasures as Playa Gemelas, Playa Garza Blanca, and Playa Punta Negra. Because both are slightly more difficult to access, you’ll find beautiful beaches that are fairly secluded and scarcely used, with great rock outcroppings for snorkeling. In this area, you’ll also find Playa Mismaloya, where John Huston’s The Night of the Iguana was filmed in 1963, putting Puerto Vallarta on the international tourist map.

With a rustic South Seas feel, Boca de Tomatlan is a small sandy cove at the jungle’s edge three miles south of Mismaloya where the Tomatlan River meets the bay. Boca de Tomatlan is the last beach stop on the primary road heading south from Puerto Vallarta. It is another great site for swimming or snorkeling with a couple of lovely beach restaurants where you can sit under a palapa on the beach and enjoy fresh seafood.

To the south of Boca de Tomatlan are a number of quaint fishing villages, secluded beaches and peaceful coves. Playas Las Caletas and Las Animas are elegant, rock-lined stretches ideal for quiet relaxation. Quimixto, one of the largest fishing villages in the southern half of Banderas Bay, features a number of excellent restaurants and the best surf south of Puerto Vallarta. Near the southern-most point of the bay, Majahuitas and Yelapa allow visitors to feel completely removed from civilization. Bordered by lush jungles, these beaches are the definition of tropical privacy.

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico: T-shirts featuring inebriated croakers dangle from the walls of Senor Frog’s, one of the hottest nite spots in the town of Puerto Vallarta, now the #2 rated tourist destination in Mexico.

Puerto Vallarta has so much going for it like para-gliding over Banderas Bay, hiking the exotic foothills of the Sierra Madre, and your Maven’s favorite, perambulating around boutiques that feature the artwork of Sergio Bustamante. If the name doesn’t ring a bell, he is the one with the colorful sculptures of suns and moons gleefully hugging one another, and women in arks.

No matter the selection, it’s almost a sure thing that you will need your lorgnette to read the prices. Mostly they’re filled with little zeroes at the end.

“Oye,” asserted the Maven (Oye is short for “oy vey” en espagnol.). The salesman called back “Ciao, Maven.” Now where is the sense of saying goodbye when we were just saying hello? It didn’t matter, for the Maven’s mind already had taken a holiday back to those balmy nights where street vendors sold gelati and watermelon on the sidewalks of Rome. And then, of course, who could forget the frisky Italiano who tried to pinch the Maven on the Via Veneto?

With a quick adios (as the Maven needed to practice her Spanish), the night really belonged to the Screaming Maven, her rebellious teenage daughter, who scraped up a party of Britney Spears’ wannabes who lived to act out the intellectual lyrics “Oops, you did it again.”

Cautiously, the Maven entered the premises of Senor Frog’s, only to be greeted by an earth shattering blast of mariachi music, as grown men blared notes from their trumpets. “Wow, that guy is hot,” remarked the young Screaming Maven to which your Maven spoke back, “Yes, it is quite hot in here.” From there the evening slowly disintegrated, as the Maven searched for anyone over the age of eighteen.

No use the Maven putting on her faux diamond lorgnette to peer at anyone or anything, when clearly this was going to be a long evening that somehow reminded her of “The Night of the Iguana,” a movie that put Puerto Vallarta on the tourist map in the 1960s. Everyone remembers it was Liz Taylor who followed Richard Burton to the movie set every day, and refused to leave until all scenes between Burton, Ava Gardner, and a frisky iguana were over. Today it’s Liz Taylor who trails Michael Jackson everywhere, and no one discusses iguanas any longer.

But why dwell on the past when a bevy of volunteers from the audience had rushed to play one of those witty dart games. Vaguely, with all the cigarette smoke shortening your Maven’s air supply, did her mind retain a memory of eating Shepherd’s Pie at a pub in Winchester with everyone playing darts and churlishly singing Elton John songs, wondering if he really had a shot at soccer once he retired. Are you daft? Yet here at Senor Frog’s, once the game was announced, the Maven heard a girl bellow out, “Go for it!” It took some time to realize that she was really someone’s mother. “I want to play” she whined, and then made a run for the stage.

“Break three balloons and you win a prize,” the game show host explained to the contestants. The award? Either a papier-mache piggybank or a miniature bottle of tequila. Raise your hand if you know which one might have been chosen. One. Two. Three. The mother missed and had to surrender the darts, but decided to run around the stage until the host wrestled with her. The music blared. Tequila flowed.

Just then the Maven had had enough and flagged down the waiter who took one look at the Britney Spears impersonators and began dancing with all of them. However, noting the Maven was about to have a breakdown, he motioned for a server who came up quickly and whispered something in the Maven’s delicate ear. “Momento,” the Maven responded, and noticed how impressed he was with the Maven’s impeccable Spanish. As your Maven reached for the ear trumpet lodged in her Louis Vuitton bag, the man spoke into it. This is what he said, “WHAT DO YOU WANT, MAVEN?”

There went the waiters again beginning the beguine with the teenagers or whatever it is they’re dancing these days. Having had enough by this time, the Maven tapped the senor on the back. When he turned around, he had such a pleasant little look on his face that the Maven couldn’t resist asking him to take her picture, por favor. After all, who would believe your five star Maven at Senor Frog’s? “Si” he calls out, and disappears into the crowd with the Maven’s famed Hasselblad. All was not lost as your Maven thought back to when the last waiter had snapped her picture. Of course. It was Monsieur Abdul in the Sahara Desert as your Maven mounted a camel and rode gleefully into the Moroccan sands. As the reverie faded, though, the Maven found herself frantic about locating her Hasselblad, and thought perhaps she should call 911, only who would answer?

Inexplicably, the head waiter returned with the camera, put it on the table, and then took from his pocket a handful of pink balloons that he made into a pink poodle. Without warning, he placed the doggie balloon hat on the Maven’s head! Now everyone screams, “GET THE CAMERA!”

Before we know it, we’re heading out the door and how many more times can the Maven say adios? The young Screaming Maven approaches. “We’re coming back to Senor Frog’s. Promise you won’t be with us.” The Maven promises. And with love & knishes.

(source: camerontours.com)

The architecture in Puerto Vallarta may be part of the reason so many people are attracted to this city.It has an old “city style” that will relax you and make you wish you never had to leave this tropicle paradise.

walls adorned by flowerpots blooming with bougainvillea, geranium, hibiscus, copa de oro and splendid ferns, Vallarta is a city full of colorful culture.

Puerto Vallarta is a city full of contrasts. You will find modern architecture alongside colonial architecture, the jungle and the sea, recreation and peace In the downtown area.

Without a doubt, one of the strongest draws of Puerto Vallarta is the beauty of its colonial streets, which are a perfect blend of old and new. You need only take a walk along the Malecon to fully appreciate this.

Caballito de Mar – A bronze statue of a sea horse made by Rafael Zamarripa, it is emblematic of Puerto Vallarta. There are two statues; one located on the Playa de los Muertos (the original), and the other (a reproduction), at the intersection of Diaz Ordaz and Morelos streets.

 Edificio de Correos – Located in the city center between Morelos and Mina streets, the postal building is an old house built in a traditional style with a courtyard that is still in its original state.

 El Faro – Inaugurated on Aug. 15, 1932, this lighthouse is located in the Vallarta Marina. In 1979 it was declared a historical monument.

 Statue of John Huston – The image of the famous director stands in the middle of Isla Rio Cuale, an island that divides the city into two parts. The bronze statue was made in 1988 by Carlos Ramirez to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the filming of “The Night of the Iguana.”

 Fuente de los Delfines – You can find this dolphin fountain next to open-air theatre Aquiles Serdan. James Bottoms built this modern styled bronze structure in 1987. It symbolizes the fraternal bond between Santa Barbara, California, and Puerto Vallarta.

 Glorieta de la Pareja – Located on the Malecon and sculpted in bronze in 1984 by Ramiz Barquet, this statue depicts a human couple.

Travel agents now have the opportunity to become Puerto Vallarta specialists with the new PV Pro Specialist Program. This easy to use, interactive on-line program offers travel agents information and tips on the destination along with perks, incentives and ongoing support to help them sell travel to Puerto Vallarta.

This new interactive program gives travel agents an opportunity to gain in-depth knowledge on all that the destination has to offer, from its vast array of accommodations, to its internationally acclaimed restaurants, exciting activities that include everything from snorkeling, kayaking, scuba diving, to eco-tours and canopy tours, ATV excursions, mountain biking, horseback riding, and whale watching, just to name a few!

PV Pro was developed by Destination Ventures; a company that specializes in helping travel agents sell travel to Mexico. Travel agents interested in becoming a Puerto Vallarta specialist can register on-line for the free PV Pro program. The program offers agents numerous benefits including an on-going support program, in addition to perks and incentives to help them better sell the destination. Some of the benefits include:

Certification: Three “Continuing education credits” from The Travel Institute (US) and CITC (Canada), towards earning professional designation as “Certified Travel Counselors.”

Sales Materials: Access to sales materials on the interactive online campus in PDF format that can be easily downloaded and printed, ready to hand out to clients

Online Interactive Forum: An innovative online chat room that allows “students” to connect with other agents selling Puerto Vallarta to share tips and ideas on planning itineraries as well as expand their destination knowledge.

Consumer Leads: All Puerto Vallarta specialists will be listed on the official Puerto Vallarta Tourism Board website giving consumers an opportunity to find a PV pro in their area.

Quarterly Newsletter: An electronic newsletter containing valuable news and information on Puerto Vallarta will be e-mailed to all specialists.

Points Program: Graduates can earn reward points for every booking they sell to Puerto Vallarta by registering the details online. Points can be used towards FAM trips to Puerto Vallarta.

Puerto Vallarta is one of the more popular and fastest growing tourism destinations in Mexico. A destination that’s rich in culture and steeped in tradition, Puerto Vallarta conserves all of the charm and character of an authentic Mexican town and is home to numerous cultural festivals from music, theater and film to culinary arts, traditional indigenous cultures, and colorful religious processions; as well as sports tournaments including championship golf, some of the best game fishing in the world and nautical regattas. Also, its internationally acclaimed restaurants offer some of the finest culinary delights in Mexico.

In celebration of the Summer Solstice, the Art Walk association prepares Art Walk in Puerto Vallarta, for the next June 20th, from 7 to 10 PM.

Art lovers will be happy to know a special summer edition of Art Walk in Puerto Vallarta is scheduled for June 20th, on the eve of the summer solstice.A coordinated exhibition with the best authors from each gallery Participating in this event.

Vallarta Art Walk’s Founder Barbara Peters of Galería Vallarta says the Old Town Art Walk Gallery Association decided on the summer Art Walk because “the many visitors expressed disappointment that there were no more Art Walks after the end of March. Next season, we will have weekly cocktails through the end of April 2008.”

Galleries will be open for the summer Art Walk from 6:00pm-10:00pm with refreshments served. Peters further explained, “Because of the evening rains during the summer season, it is difficult to plan events that require walking around the Centro area, but generally we do not have rains in June.”

For a full list of galleries participating in Summer Solstice Artwalk Vallarta contact Barbara Peters of the Galeria Vallarta. 

Also in Vallarta on Thursday, June 21 surfers from across the globe will unite to celebrate International Surfing Day. The annual observance, now in its third year, was established to inspire waveriders everywhere to take a day to share and acknowledge their mutual love of surfing and our beach and ocean environments.

“This is a great opportunity for us surfers to celebrate our sport by simply doing what we love to do most – going surfing,” says Evan Slater, renown big wave surfer and Editor of Surfing Magazine.  “It’s also a great opportunity to remind everyone about the need and importance to protect our oceans, waves and beaches.”

As in previous years, the Surfrider Foundation is hosting beach clean-ups and other events in locations throughout the world. “This year we are hosting over 75 beach clean-ups worldwide, including events in the United States, Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Australia, Japan, Mexico, France, United Kingdom, Peru and elsewhere,” says Surfrider Foundation Executive Director Jim Moriarty.

For more information contact the Surfrider Foundation.

by Keith A. Fitzpatrick

 Many people come to the Puerto Vallarta area to Surf and enjoy the beaches,this is an over view of surf spots in the area, ideas for surf lessons and advice on the sport here in the Bahia de Banderas.

Over the last decade, the allure of surfing has helped transform the sport from a cottage industry into a multi-billion-dollar lifestyle market, with more people falling under its spell and taking to the water each year.

And the Puerto de Vallarta bay area has become a favorite vacation spot for wealthy and middle-class Latinos, who are rapidly buying up real estate along its glorious coastline.

Of course, they are taking up this Hawaiian tradition–the “sport of kings” in increasing numbers People of almost any age can practice the sport, as long as they can swim and are reasonably healthy.

In fact, surfing is gaining popularity among the X-generation’s wealthy elite, who are taking the fast track to surfing “nirvana” by starting out with surf instructors or hiring surf coaches to hone their acquired skills–often in the Puerto Vallarta/Banderas Bay area. The growing number of surf professionals there usually have novices up and riding during their first lesson.

Mexico’s Pacific coastline offers world-class surf and enthusiasts travel it in search of the perfect wave–on “surfari,” often camping in the wilds or staying in small towns near surf breaks. A “surfari” is not for newcomers to the sport, however.

A novice surfing a remote area alone would be akin to a mountaineering novice scaling Everest solo. The safest, easiest type of surf trip involves hiring a surf instructor or coach with local knowledge and years of experience, and more enthusiasts do precisely that in Mexico each year.

While most surf destinations are seasonal, offering only one or two locations with consistent waves three to six months per year, Banderas Bay (home to Puerto Vallarta’s international airport) has up to 300-plus days of surf, good weather, spectacular views, Caribbean colors and warm, crystal-clear water.

North of Puerto Vallarta on Highway 200, 20 different surf breaks pepper the coastline from Nuevo Vallarta (8 miles away) to Punta de Mira (22 miles away), which have up-market hotels. For surfers there is something for everyone–from small beginner waves to intense, experts-only reef breaks.

Although most of Banderas Bay’s beachfront access is privately owned and land access often difficult, help is at hand. Local surf legend, Dave Sinclair of Coral Reef Surf Shop in Bucerias (12 miles north of Vallarta on Highway 200), is not only a surf history encyclopedia and marvelous raconteur, but also an excellent source of help and information.

With 46 years’ surfing experience, his knowledge of the area and advice on where and when to surf is matched only by his knowledge of surf instructors and launches for hire to satisfy all budgets and tastes.

 by Jubal

 While on vacation here in Puerto Vallarta, why not consider going to one of the many health spas and treating yourself to a real relaxing experience. With many choices of professional high quality service spas in Vallarta, you can find one that suits your needs and your budget!

Just imagine; a day off from the children,a possible recovery from a hard week of partying, or just a good start to a vacation or some time for yourself,getting a massage or one of the many treatments available could be the best thing to help you enjoy your vacation that much more. Here is a write up on one of the many spa resorts Puerto Vallarta has to offer.

Feeling bedraggled and bemused? Consider a few hours of pampering at Contacto Natural Health Spa and Resort, for a quick pick-me-up. Tucked away in the jungle just ten minutes south of Puerto Vallarta’s Zona Romantica, Contacto Natural is the ideal place to forget your troubles and get back to basics, with the help of one of several soothing treatments offered.

I personally recommend the Fangoterapia (mud massage). Be forewarned, however, that you will be asked to don a disposable paper bikini that does little to camouflage past dietary excesses! Gratefully, a luxurious terry robe is also provided, offering momentary coverage for the short trek from changing room to treatment center.

The massage is preceded by a vapor medicinal, in the Spa’s domed, circular steam room, where one sits on built-in concrete benches before a central stone cauldron that intermittently hisses and issues cleansing herb-laced steam. A quick cold shower is next, after which one is invited to sit and relax for ten or fifteen minutes, while sipping cold mint tea and munching on a mixture of peanuts and dried peas. This “pause” or time-out, if you will, somehow heightens one’s awareness of ambient sounds, smells, sights and sensations.

One becomes gratefully present to the ubiquitous rooster crowing, the dog barking, the crackle of car tires against pebble-strewn roads, the tingle of a gentle breeze against one’s skin, the rough-hewn log planks that serve as walls in the sitting room, the earthy smell of burning incense riding the air, the resident Chihuahua (Camilla) who pokes her head in, sniffs and wanders off, the surrounding melodic dialogue of nature—chattering, peeping, tweeting, trilling.

Lying on the massage table, now oblivious to the cares of the world that precipitated the visit here in the first place, one is no longer self-conscious, much less concerned about the bikini-turned-thong paper underwear riding up into bodily crevices. The sound of recorded flutes in the background, the scent of menthol wafting from the masseuse’s hands beneath one’s nostrils and the distant memory of a simpler life transports one to another dimension.

For the next forty-five minutes one is gently scrubbed with a juta (loofah), rubbed down with a natural herb-infused mud that is eventually baked dry with the aid of a high-intensity overhead light, treated to a neck and head massage, wrapped mummy-style in a light-weight blanket and ultimately left alone to savor the experience.

All too soon (eternity would not be long enough!), one is escorted back to the same simply appointed changing room and offered a delicious hot cinnamon-apple tea to sip on after cleansing one’s mud-caked body with a welcomed hot shower. The final amenity—a lovely atrapasueños—dream catcher—cradled in a long crimson leaf alongside a delicate red blossom, is presented at the time of payment ($45USD–not including tip).

Contacto Natural is a little bit of heaven on earth, offering a variety of services from pedicures ($25USD for 50 minutes), body waxing ($70USD for 70 min) and an avocado body treatment ($60USD for 60 min) to hot stone therapy ($60USD—45 minutes), Aztec sweatlodge ($25USD for 2-3 hours—minimum of six people) and Reiki ($US40 for 60 minutes).

Combination packages of several treatments and vegetarian meals are also available, as well as long-term stays ranging from three days to a month for individuals and groups The grounds are lush with vegetation, the facilities rustic and unpretentious, the staff friendly and accommodating, the cost of services/lodging reasonable and the location perfect for a retreat designed to nurture body, mind and spirit.

MUD MASSAGE
Contacto Natural
El Naranjo 123, El Nogalito
Road to Mismaloya Km 5
Tels. (322) 221-5419
(322) 221-6010

Details:
The Spa is located in El Nogalito, the turn-off for which is posted on the highway to Mismaloya. Subsequent signs guide you to Contacto Natural, where you will most likely be greeted by Cimba, a huge but friendly Great Dane. If you are without transportation, the Spa can provide a pick-up service. Whatever service/package you decide on, I suggest you don’t wear makeup, leave your jewelry at home, and allow plenty of time to enjoy the experience.

Living here in Puerto Vallarta for the last couple of years I have learned the importance of the different kinds of chiles used in Mexican food. Like many people who have never experienced real Mexican cooking(Taco Bell, and Tex Mex dont even come close), the only chile I knew of was the Jalapeno, small,green and HOT!

Now two years of enjoying  the best Mexican food I have ever eaten in my life has opened my eyes to the different taste and style each chile brings to a recipe! Here is a list and small decription of the main chiles that are used in many fine Mexican dishes. I hope you enjoy, test but be warned, some of this can be excrutiatingly spicey if used in overabundance. With that said I will leave it to you with a Buen Provecho!

The Poblano chile is the kind we use for Chile Rellenos. It is dark green, about the size of a bell pepper, but tapered at one end. It can be mild or fiery hot. To prepare these chiles, if you have a gas stove, lay the chiles over the open flame and char the skins well, turning with tongs occasionally. The better charred, the easier to remove the skins. Drop the charred chiles into a plastic bag, close the bag and let stand for 30 minutes to one hour. Take the chiles out of the bag, and under running water, remove skin, veins and seeds. If you are preparing for Chile Rellenos, slit one side carefully, remove seeds and veings and leave stem intact. If you have an electric stove, this same procedure can be used by charring the chiles under the broiler.

The Serrano is the hot one! It is about 1 1/2 inches long and bright green. You can find these canned, but don’t expect the same flavor or results if used in one of our recipes. We use fresh ones. If you are back North and don’t have access to a serrano, use any small green hot chile rather than a canned one.

The Guerro is the one we know as the California or Anaheim chile. It is very mild in flavor, medium size, tapered and pale yellow green.

The Chipotle is an even hotter chile pepper. For some reason we seldom find this fresh in Vallarta, but we do have it both dried and canned. It may be just as well as it is said that this chile can singe your eyebrows or the hair on a man’s chest. Caramba! The flavor of just a tiny piece of one is exquisite. We used the canned ones and keep the left-overs in a jar in the refrigerator.

The Ancho is a commonly used dried red chile in our recipes. It is a mild flavored one, about the size of the pobano, dark red in color and has a wrinkled skin when dired. In different parts of Mexico, you may find these big dark red chiles called by another name, such as tenir. Chiles tend to cross fertilize to the point where even the expert has difficulty distinguishing one from the other.

The Mulato is often used when ancho is called for in a recipe. Our chile lady says “Es mas or menos igual”, in English, “It’s about the same”. It is deep brown, longer and more tapered than the ancho and a bit more pungent.

The Guajillo is a dried red chile that gives more color than taste to our recipes. It is about 4-5 inches in length, narrow with a smooth skin and is a “must” for Ray Cote’s Pozole. All dried red chiles are best used if deveined, seeded and soaked in just enough hot water to cover for about one hour and then put through the blender with the soaking water before adding to your recipe. You may see a similar chile called guayon. As far as we can tell, they are interchangeable like the mulato and ancho.

The Cola de Rata, the rat-tail chile, you probably know by another name, chile del arbol. You will find it both fresh and dried in our markets. It is that skinny one, about the size of your little finger. Dried ones are often toasted and stuck at random into a plate of refried beans.

The Chilaca looks very much like the guajillo and guayon.

The Pasilla is the same color as the ancho, and has a bit more bite to it. It is about seven inches long and thin.

The Jalapeno is an old friend to most of us. Rarely do you set a Mexican table without a small bowl of canned jalapenos, the same as gringos put the black pepper mill on the table. Jenny McGill, our Consular Agent, knows Mexicans who have traveled to China, Russia and other parts of the world with chiles in their purses or luggage to compliment their foreign dishes. She even knows the wife a a Mexican Ambassador to Iceland who selected and packed her four-year supply of chiles before she thought about packing the silver or looking for warm clothes to wear.

The Pequin is a tiny red dried bullet and is super potent! Jenny says she used to grow these in her front garden just to keep the door-to-door salesmen away. Some of our recipes need the pequin to impart the original flavor of the dish. Just crumble the dried pod between your thumb and forefinger and add to the other ingredients.

Hailed by critics as Mexico’s Art Mecca, Puerto Vallarta has seen a major growth in its exciting cultural life within the last five years. Over 30 art galleries have opened throughout downtown, Marina Vallarta and Vallarta’s South Shore.

There’s an exciting arts event almost every day of the week in Vallarta, as well as exciting special events free of charge to the public. Puerto Vallarta’s cultural arts community is lead by the Department of Culture, the Puerto Vallarta Convention & Visitors’ Bureau, The University of Guadalajara, Buenaventura Hotels and Sheraton Buganvilias Resort and joined by art dealers, gallery owners, visitors and artists from all over Mexico.

Puerto Vallarta will celebrate the 6th Annual Mexican Film Festival March 15-21, which draws great Mexican actors, directors, producers and screen players each year.  A series of classical films are exhibited on an oversized screen at Los Arcos in the center of town. Premieres are presented at the local Cinema Bahía.

Downtown gallery owners organize an Art Walk Show every Wednesday from November-April and take turns hosting visitors for a cocktail party. Galleries in Marina Vallarta arrange Art Walk Shows each Friday.

First Thursday in Puerto Vallarta showcases lively music concerts and dance presentations. The event takes place on the first Thursday of each month at a local hotel or at the open-air, seaside amphitheater next to City Hall.

Library Los Mangos also runs a Film Video Session every Friday at 6:00 p.m., where great films from a range of eras are shown to the public, free of charge.

Each Sunday at 8:00 p.m. from January-April, Xiutla, a renowned folkloric ballet group, performs at Los Arcos, the Amphitheater across the street from Puerto Vallarta’s Main Plaza, downtown.

The stunning Los Arcos open-air amphitheatre at the Main Plaza features a lively local band on Thursdays and Sundays throughout the spring. Visitors can enjoy salsa, jazz, folklore, Mexican, Italian, modern and ballad concerts.

The Main Church, an architectural masterpiece, offers classical concerts and choir music. Stroll by local hotels and hear the melodies of octet and strings quintets, the mystical rhythms of Eastern or Medieval music, and classical mariachi in traditional Jalisco style.

Library Los Mangos opened a fascinating monthly exhibit, whereby artists can take their imagination to fly, which draws Vallarta’s greatest art aficionados and connoisseurs. Workshops in art, music, etching, sculpting, clay, theatre, painting and drawing are offered at Isla del Cuale Oriente for extremely reasonable prices, where visitors are encouraged to attend.

Visitors may witness the creative literary works of Vallarta’s most talented writers during the Poetry and Short Story Festival, which takes place in late March-early April. Local writers submit their poems and other works for presentation and award, which is attended by the top nationally renowned literary figures.

Puerto Vallarta’s May Cultural Festival has emerged as one of the best national recommended festivals. The festival is set to take place May 17-31, 2002, and all events are free of charge. International artists perform using a myriad of artistic mediums and attract a growing number of visitors each year. The Festival de Arte closes with a fantastic fireworks display in the Main Plaza, simultaneously celebrating the anniversary of the city.

Visitors who love and appreciate cultural experiences and fine art are encouraged to experience Puerto Vallarta’s festivals and weekly events first-hand. The variety of international events designed for the cosmopolitan visitor are complemented by the flavor of traditional Vallarta by the sea.

Located on the Western Pacific coast of Mexico in the state of Jalisco, Puerto Vallarta’s charm remains largely undiscovered, along with its cobblestone streets, stunning beaches, plentiful marine life, lush Sierra Madre Mountains, exceptional restaurants, fine Gourmet Festival, new golf courses and vibrant art culture.

Weather I am going out for a night on the town or looking to enjoy a good dinner with my boyfriend, Viejo Vallarta Restaurant  is one of my top places to go.With great service and great prices,  I am never to shy to ask for another of anything!

Be it beer,Liqour,or wine you fancy ,they have a full  bar of all. With the most reasonable prices on the Malecon,its hard to beat a night out dancing to their in house band,live every night of the week!

The best location for chilling out sipping a cold one and people watching on the Malecon. Being located directly behind the pole for the Paplanta Flyers provides a spectacular, above crowd view of the show . Viejo Vallarta makes for a great  spot to watch the evening events of the Malecon and to catch a memorable sunset.

Both floors of Viejo Vallarta are devoted to Mexican food and culture. The lively bar opens at 11 a.m. and the dining room at 6 p.m.  Fabulous murals cover the walls celebrating the Mexican people and their history.

The view is absolutely stunning:  the Malecón of course, with its never-ending parade of people and the whole Bay of Banderas at your feet. Sunsets at Viejo Vallarta are a must. And while the atmosphere, the drinks and the great view are important, what keeps locals and tourists’ coming back again and again is the food.

The top floor of Viejo Vallarta is dedicated to fine dining. The extensive menu is a series of mouthwatering color photographs of each dish offered. Soups and salads, chicken mole, fajitas, Sonoran beef, a 34 ounce (!) T-Bone steak and giant shrimp just to name a few. Classical Mexican cuisine served with a variety of tasty sauces is offered every evening from 6 p.m. to midnight.  

Opening everyday at 11 a.m., the bar at Viejo Vallarta serves up 2 for1drinks until 4 a.m. A colorful spot to take a shopping break midday and enjoy some carne asada or tacos with an ice-cold beer or cocktail.

The evenings and nights at Viejo Vallarta heat up the Malecón with live music, the locals playing pool and listening and dancing to the latest tunes from México and the United States.  

A favorite during Spring Break, Viejo Vallarta blends history with very reasonable prices. A fixture on the Malecón for more than 30 years, the view is unsurpassed, the beer is always flowing and the good times go on until the wee hours of the morning.
 

The growth of the Vallarta real estate market continues to be very strong, with sales tripling for the local real estate association’s MLS (Multiple Listing Service).

Doubling for developers compared to the 2004-2005 season, reports Mark Venegas of Venegas World Realty.

This type of growth is unprecedented for Puerto Vallarta and it doesn’t seem to have an end in sight.

“If anything, as many realtors and developers
state, there are strong reasons to believe it’s here for a while,” continues Venegas.

“This is just the beginning of something really big.     We haven’t even got going yet,” says Wayne Franklin of Tropicasa Realty and the president of the Vallarta real estate board.

In 2004 there were an estimated $300 million USD in new construction
sales and nearly $100 million USD in sales for the MLS service. “That total of $400 million is destined to be surpassed in 2005, with $250 million in sales already registered by developers and realtors as of the beginning of June,” adds Venegas.

Roughly two-thirds of this new development is condominiums. Larger projects of 150 or more units are being built around the bay, with smaller boutique projects scheduled for the South Shore as space and availability allow.

As experts in Puerto Vallarta Real Estate, Puerto Vallarta homes, Puerto Vallarta condos, rentals and new developments in the Puerto Vallarta Mexico real estate market, Venegas World Star Realty specializes in matching gay Puerto Vallarta luxury home, second home, retirement home or investment home buyers with select locations.

By buzzsugar

 FRIDA

Salma Hayek’s performance as Mexican painter Frida Kahlo is astounding.

 The film follows Kahlo’s very turbulent life: from a debilitating accident, to her troubled relationship with Diego Rivera (Alfred Molina), to her reputation as a communist and lesbian, to her untimely death.

The film beautifully captures the great passions and terrible pains that influenced Kahlo’s artwork.

MY FAMILY

Admittedly I didn’t take into account Jennifer Lopez’s performance in My Family when I recently questioned her acting talent.

The film is a heartwarming portrayal of Jose and Maria (Lopez plays a young Maria), first-generation Mexican-Americans who build a life together in California in the 1930s. As time moves steadily onward, they face discrimination, police corruption and deportation, yet they also watch as their family expands and they raise six children.

The focus shifts to their son Jimmy (Jimmy Smits) who marries a Salvadoran woman to help her stay in the country. By the 1980s, the third generation in the family is struggling to assimilate to modern American youth culture. There is rarely a dull or empty moment in this film about a family’s unconditional love for one another.

Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN

Children of Men director Alfonso Cuaron wrote and directed the riveting, sensual tale about what happens when you take two strapping young men and an older woman on a road trip near Mexico City.

Let me give you a hint at the answer: some sex, jealousy, fighting — all the good stuff. Gael Garcia Bernal plays one of the young men and he is unbelievably good-looking. The film provides an excellent — if often difficult — look at Mexico in all its beauty and heartache.