The beaches in Puerto Vallarta are filled with vendors of every type of merchandise and food you could imagine: jewelry, blankets, artwork, fish on a stick, shrimp on a stick, even coconut milk.

To get the coconut milk the vendor whacks the top of the coconut off with a machete. He then pours the milk into a plastic bag and puts a straw into it so that the customer can drink it. They were charging $40 pesos for fresh coconut milk that day.

We took these pictures out in Nuevo Vallarta during Spring Break.

Here is the map to the beach.

Downtown Puerto Vallarta is undergoing a major beautification project. The sidewalk on the shop side of the boardwalk is being doubled in width and planter boxes are being added.

The sidewalk has always been too narrow for the number of people visiting downtown. Now, instead of bumping into every other person you pass you will be able to stroll comfortably while window shopping.

It will look great when it’s finished. I’d say it will all be done in about three weeks.

Every time we go to the Soriana shopping center near Pitillal we always stop to order gorditas at Gorditas Dona Tota.

If you are not familiar with gorditas, they are thick disks made from corn meal that are split open and filled with an infinite variety of stews and shredded meats. You can find them throughout Mexico.

Gorditas Dona Tota is a franchised chain that was founded in Ciudad Victoria in the state of Taumalipas. The chain operates in almost every state in Mexico and has recently begun expansion into the U.S. Currently, they have six locations in Texas. Puerto Vallarta has only one location.

My three favorite gorditas from Dona Tota: picadillo (ground beef), carnitas en salsa verde (pork in green salsa), and rajas con queso (Poblano chile and cheese). I’m stuffed after just three.

Prices are very reasonable. Each gordita costs between $7.00 and $8.00 pesos which is about $.55 US at the current exchange rate.

The mall, where you will find Gorditas Dona Tota, is located just south of Pitillal on Francisco Villa. The mall is also home to Cinepolis, a great multiplex movie theatre that plays first-run movies in English.

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We had some good barbacoa tacos from the “Aqui es Tlaxcala” taco stand located on the corner of Calle Brasilia and Calle Ecuador. The stand is on the back side of the Municipal Stadium two blocks from the 8 Tostadas Restaurant. The stand is also located directly in front of my favorite tortilleria in Puerto Vallarta.

Good stuff! Makes you hungry just looking at them. Use the map below to make your way to the taco stand. You might also want to read about my favorite tacos in all of Puerto Vallarta.


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Galeria Flores is hosting an art opening for artist Sara Garcia Saturday, February 14 at 6:00pm. The opening is a great way to start your Valentine’s Day evening.

In addition to the works by Sara Garcia, you will be able to see hundreds of great artworks from the other artists represented by Galeria Flores: Rodolfo Morales, Ian Sanchez, Luis Castellanos Valui, Nube, and Ribot.

Galeria Flores is located in the space above Memo’s Fine Art Framing Shop, which many of you already know. We’ll see you there!

A good friend of mine Joel, who is my source for great taco stands, is putting together a specialty tour company to take people to see the real Puerto Vallarta.

One of the tours he is working on right now is a taco stand tour to visit some of the great taco stands around town that a visitor wouldn’t normally have the chance to try. Tacos are the heart and soul of Mexican cuisine.

To get feedback on the new tour, he is offering a free tour to two groups of VallartaBlog readers. On the tour, you will visit 4 different taco stands to try a variety of tacos. The tour lasts about 2 ½ hours.

To get an idea of the types of places you will visit, take a look at some previous posts: Tacos El Carboncito, Tacos Willie, Tacos El Grano de Oro. These aren’t necessarily the places you will visit but it gives you an idea about what to expect.

Joel is offering the free tours until February 21 to the first two groups of people who reply. If you are interested in the free tour, get in contact. Tell us when you are available and if you have any special preferences. Transportation is provided from your hotel or condo. The group limit is 4 people per tour and participants will pay for their own tacos and sodas. Everything else is included. Just to give you an idea of cost, tacos and sodas typically cost less than one dollar apiece.

The taco tour is a really cool way to see another side of Puerto Vallarta. Buen provecho!

The stadium’s facilities include:

• A running track
• Soccer fields
• A basketball gymnasium
• Basketball courts
• A softball field
• A baseball field
• Fron Tennis courts
• A skatepark
• A boxing ring

There really is something for everyone. Activities continue throughout the day starting at 7:00am to 11;00pm.

Puerto Vallarta residents can sign up to play in any of the active sports leagues which include soccer, softball, baseball, and basketball. I play in the softball league which is really well run and has more than 700 participants.

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Puerto Vallarta has so many great, well known activities for visitors. I have made a short list of some offbeat activities, that you might not have thought of, that you can do for free or for a minimal cost. Here’s the list. Have fun.

1. Ride a Full Bus Route - If you really want to see Puerto Vallarta, hop on a bus and take it to the end of the route to see where you end up. Be adventurous and take the first bus that passes by. You will go through neighborhoods you would never see otherwise. If you get lost, just grab a taxi to get back to where you want to go.

2. Take a Taxi Tour - The taxi tour is related to the bus tour. Hop in a taxi and tell the driving to take you someplace interesting that tourists don’t normally go. If you are worried about being taken to someplace too far away, pick a neighborhood you are interested in and have him give you a tour there.

3. Eat at a Taco Stand - If you want to try real Mexican food, go to a taco stand. The tacos they serve probably won’t have much in common with the tacos you are used to eating back home. Look for a taco stand that is really busy, which indicates good food and lower chances of intestinal distress. Read about a real Mexican taco stand.

4. Eat Roasted Corn - Eat an elote (roasted corn on the cob) or elote desgranado (corn kernels served in a cup). You smother your corn, in cream, mayonnaise, chile and lime juice. Good stuff. You will find many vendors on the malecon, Puerto Vallarta’s boardwalk. Every neighborhood will also have a place that sells elotes. Usually, from the front room of someone’s home. Elotes are one of my most favorite things about living in Mexico.

5. Shop at a Mercado - Visit a mercado (market) that caters to locals for an authentic experience. A good market is as much a social experience as it is a shopping experience. You will be able to buy, all kinds of produce, meats, fish, and seafood. Have a meal at one of the loncherias (lunch stands) for some really good, and really inexpensive food. One of my favorite Mercados.

6. Watch a Softball Game - Almost every day of the week starting at 7:00pm and ending at 11:00pm, softball games are being played at the municipal stadium. Map. Puerto Vallarta has a very active softball league for both men and women. In total there are more than 700 players in the league.

7. Take a Water Taxi - From the pier at Olas Altas, you can take a water taxi to the secluded beaches of Yelapa and Quimixto. The water taxis leave about once an hour in the morning and return every hour in the afternoon. Skimming along the water in a Panga boat is a lot of fun.

The other day while waiting to get a haircut, I found a great little restaurant downtown, two blocks from the main plaza, called Rincon de Tlaquepaque. The sound of the sizzling grill and the amazing smell of meat and chiles pulled me right in.

Rincon de Tlaquepaque specializes in birria (stewed goat’s meat) and tortas ahogadas (drowned sandwiches). They call them drowned sandwiches because the sandwiches are smothered in salsa. Tortas ahogadas is a popular dish from Guadalajara.

I ordered the tacos de birria which were really good. Dishes made from goat’s meat are dishes that that I have to be in the mood to eat. I find the flavor can be too strong for my taste. This time the flavor was very mild.

The restaurant is not much to look at from the outside, but inside it is brightly colored and cheerful. A very typical small family style restaurant. The restaurant was spotlessly clean which is a major plus in my book.

Tacos de birria. Next time I visit, I will try the tortas ahogadas because they looked fantastic. After I finished my tacos, I nearly ordered one just to try it out, but better judgement prevailed.

Prices were reasonable. I paid $40 pesos for 3 tacos and a diet Coke.

The restaurant is easy to find. Just head South 2 blocks from the main plaza and it’s located almost on the corner of Morelos and Libertad streets.

 
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Another good taco place downtown.
More good tacos here.

On December 12, the Virgen of Guadalupe, the patron saint of Mexico and the Americas is celebrated. Twelve days of processions to honor the Virgen culminate with a morning mass. The turnout for the Dia de Guadalupe in Puerto Vallarta is always large. I was able to get some good pictures of the final processions.

More about Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Puerto Vallarta