To Live and Work while also Enjoying Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Sabores Restaurant-San Vincente

2011-09-07T13:37:00.006-05:00

I had the pleasure of eating last week a great restaurant located off the beaten path in the town of San Vincente. San Vincente you ask? Located just off the main highway 200 between Puerto Vallarta and Bucerias is the town of Metzcales At the taffic signal, take the main road east that takes you to most of the housing developments for Mexican homeowners.  Only about 2.5 miles up the road you find a brand new shopping plaza anchored by a Farmacia Guadalajara. Sabores is behind the Farmacia and faces a large community Palapa that the restaurant uses to serve its clients.   Francisco the owner will rush out to greet you by bringing a cloth tablecloth, cloth napkins, and silverware to the table of your choice.
Why go this far out of the way for a restaurant? It is because Sabores does an excellent job of preparing food with all fresh ingredients and a style developed by the Chef/Owner himself. Whether you just want pizza, or an entravagant meal of Paella, Francisco can prepare it all!   The first time I went I ordered the Fish Filet with Currysauce and my friend ordered the Paella.   Since Paella takes about 45 minutes to prepare (as it should) we had a Fish Cerviche appetizer, that was a meal in itself and I highly recommend it.   My fish arrived on a china plate with a very large portion of fish, fresh sauteed vegetables and wild rice.......just delicious! The curry sauce is unique in that it has a Caribbean flavor to it as it is sweetened slightly with pineapple.   The Paella was worth the wait! Served in the Paella pan it was a generous portion enough for two with all the ingredients needed to make a proper Paella even Saffron.   Many restaurants in Mexico use an imitation Saffron from a root, but not Francisco!
Francisco is of Peruvian heritage, but owned a catering company in the US for 20 years serving many clients in the state of California.   The menu reflects all of these flavors from Mexico, Peru, Caribbean, and the United States. While simple, it has plenty of selections to choose from.
Enjoy Sabores and tell Francisco Edward sent you!!

Ron Morgan Properties

2011-06-24T15:45:00.000-05:00

I recently joined Ron Morgan Properties as a minority partner in his real estate office located in Bucerias. As a real estate specialist I can assist anyone interested in finding, selling, renting, or managing their properties in the north bay area including Bucerias, La Cruz Huanacaxtle, Sayulita, or San Francisco (San Pancho). If you know any friends or relatives that need help with real estate in Mexico, as a multiple property owner I can help them with all of the details and intricacies involved in buying or selling real estate in Mexico.

You can contact me anytime via email at edward@ronmorgan.net Our website is full of choices and options at www.ronmorgan.net

Hurricane Beatriz

2011-06-22T15:31:00.000-05:00

Just as I finished talking about the first Pacific Hurricane of the 2011 season, the next one creapt up very suddenly and was already making its impact in Acapulco, Zihuatenejo, and Manzanillo. Heavy rains down south even though the hurricane now called Beatriz was making its way up the coast. We got close as hurricane warnings stretched all the way up to Cabo Corrientes (Mayto Beach). Waiting for its impact as it got closer, started out with a steady rain on Monday morning and all of a sudden just after lunch it stopped and the sky became clearer and clearer.
When I looked up the hurricane track, Beatriz had taken a sharp left turn out to sea. No impact here although it started our summer rainy season and we now see rain almost daily as it should be! Welcome back to the green forests and jungles of the hills. It is so beautiful!

Hurricane & Rainy Season in Puerto Vallarta

2011-06-12T08:25:00.000-05:00

Our first Pacific Hurricane of the 2011 season quickly appeared and dissappeared along the Pacific coast without any impact to the Mexico. Hurrican Adrian began last weekend and strengthened to a Category 4 and this weekend it is already gone. I originally thought it just might be the trigger to get the rainy season started this year, but it seems that it had no impact, however, last evening we a just a little lightening and thunder with a soft steady rain for a while. Thank God!
It has just been so very hot and humid these last few weeks, and I hope that was the beginning of the rainy season. The hills and jungles will quickly come alive again and change all of this dust and brown to the beauty of the summer season in Puerto Vallarta. I hope so!
Back to Hurricanes and you have to quickly realize that the geographical configuration of the Bay of Banderas that we live in, does not really allow Hurricanes to come ashore. The bay is about 40 miles deep to the Malecon and having a Hurricane make a right turn towards to the shore is a rare phenomenon, as only one Hurricane Kenna did so about 8 years ago.
So no worries and plan your vacation any time of year, but be prepared for the summer rains that usually only come in the evening hours and your sunny beach day will not be marred.

Guadalajara One More Time!

2011-05-06T20:44:00.001-05:00

Spent another great weekend in the City of Guadalajara this past weekend! This time I had to do some service for my BMW at the dealership as there are none in Puerto Vallarta, and working on importing the car to Mexico was part of the main reasons for the trip, however, I always make a point of going to the city a few days early to enjoy it. The overnight stay this time was at the Frances Hotel www.hotelfrances.com about one block from the Main Cathedral. This is the oldest hotel in Guadalajara and was built in 1610, so if affords the opportunity of a well built old hotel with wooden floors, basic gated elevator, and a great atrium lobby. The have a large assortment of types of rooms ranging in price from 643 pesos-1200 pesos for a mini suite. Some have air conditioning, but not all so be careful to get the type of accomodation you wish. The covenient location is not too be beat for the price!
It was Childrens Day in Mexico, so there was lots of children all around with many stores offering free drinks and snacks to children. Spending Saturday afternoon around the city again with a quick bite to eat next door for Tortas Ahogados, (the drunken sandwich specialty of Guadalajara) we walked around and spend some time in San Juan de Dios Flea Market a favorite place of mine. Right next to Plaza Los Mariachis for a few beers and crowd watching makes a great afternoon. Dinner would be at my favorite place again, Birrieria Las Nueves Esquinas http://www.las9esquinas.com/inicio.html that serves their own lamb and goat dishes with homemade salsas, tortillas, and all the fixings. Fantastic!!
Sunday it was the day back in Tonala for the madness called the Sunday Flea Market. Besides the usual sensory overload, I finally made it all the way through the market from beginning to end. Only took me three visits! This time I was more familiar with the area as know what I was looking for, so it becomes much easier. Lunch was at a great Seafood restaurant across from the Flea Market Mariscos de Arandense http://mariscoselarandense.com/ on the main road. They have an extensive menu with large portions, fast service, reasonable prices, large seating area, and good quality of seafood. They have been around since 1998 and provide 2 locations around Guadalajara. I recommend it as it away from the flea market madness and crowd to provide a little oasis for your lunch. There are however, many other vendors scattered about the Flea Market area and you can rest your feet, feed your hunger and thirst very easily through these small vendors that seem to have some great selections and quality of food.

Semana Santa (Easter Week)

2011-04-22T20:34:00.000-05:00

This is the 2nd year that I am now living through the craziness of Puerto Vallarta during Semana Santa oaka Easter Week. I quickly forget the madness of so many Mexicans heading to the coast mainly from Guadalajara to enjoy the beach for a few days. This is the major spring holiday for most Mexicans and you can count on Government offices, banks, and some business being closed Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday. Make sure you have done all your business earlier in the week!
What makes this week so interesting is the amount of traffic, since most vacationers have arrived via cars causing congestion on these crowded streets, especially in the areas near the beaches. But the every vigilant police departments are keeping thing under control!
It is acutally the slowest time of the year for most upscale restaurants, hotels, and condos as Mexicans cannot afford the higher prices of these places. The beaches, however, are packed and you will hard pressed to find any space to call your own. The beach vendors, taco stands, and reasonably priced hotels and restaurants do very well this week. I just tend to stay away from the beaches and hang out at home for a few days as by Monday things will return to normal as we head into the summer months and the impeding change in the weather!

Battered Women Fundraiser

2011-03-27T12:58:00.000-06:00

The Rocky Horror Picture Show became the focal point of a fundraiser last night by the PV Battered Womens Shelter. It had been many many years since I religiously went to the 12 midnight showing in Denver at the Odgen Theater. So when my friend told about the showing for 2 nights only, I had to jump on board. The event was held at the Palms nightclub where so many shows are taking place now and the 100 pesos donation went to the charity. They are close to building their own facility as none exists here in Puerto Vallarta and I was amazed at the statistics of how many women are victims of abuse in Mexico!
With raffles, door prizes, and of course the infamous movie it was a fun night. I saw there were quite a few of the 'die hard' Rocky Horror Picture Show fans with all the accutrement including the toast, spray bottles, newspapers, confetti, rice, etc. that I so fondly remember. The lack of attendance at the event was the only downside and maybe they will have a better crowd tonite at the 1000pm showing? I hope so as it is a worthwhile cause and a lot of fun to boot!

Las Carmelitas Restaurant

2011-03-23T09:19:00.001-06:00

Very high above Puerto Vallarta lies one of the highest buildings in the surrounding area that serves as a restaurant called Las Carmelitas Restaurant. I had been there many years ago so I was somewhat familiar with the steep road up that way as well as the food quality and view. The road is quite manageable because most of it is cobblestoned. However, to my surprise they have built a new restaurant even higher up above the old restaurant! Only 3 months old the new location is even more spectacular and much larger. While funds are still short to complete the project it was adequately finished to enjoy a pleasant meal in a pleasant enviroment. The tile work is very detailed and is very upscale, so I can understand it is going to take a lot more money to finish it completely.
The old place had so-so Mexican food, but the view was what is was all about, so most people did not care. The new place has transformed the whole experience into a first class restaurant with fantastic mango margaritas (150 pesos, expensive but very large), and a new menu that specializes in Continental cuisine such as seafood and steak. No Mexican food to be had!
We ordered the "Carmelitas Special Fish" and it was fantastic! Between 2 layers of Mahi Mahi fish it was stuffed with onions, mushrooms, peppers, cheese, and shrimp, then a mole type sauce on top. It was served with rice, vegetables, coleslaw, and garlic bread. Very tasty!
Another person ordered the Seafood Stew which was a tomato based soup just loaded with seafood like shrimp, crab, scallops, fish, mussels, and oysters.....also very tasty.
Now to the view, as it is spectactular and there is no place else in the surrounding Banderas Bay area that you can see the whole bay! We were there for sunset and it was spectacular! With the birds flying around us because of the altitude, I would say we were around 1000 feet above sea level!
Las Carmelitas is not cheap and they do not accept credit cards, so bring plenty of cash, but the view, service, and food was well worth the entire experience. Entrees are priced 200-400 pesos.

Old Dirty Bitches Show

2011-03-22T08:04:00.000-06:00

Now renamed and revitalized, The Originals show that was at Blue Chairs for so many years has returned back to Puerto Vallarta in a new location a The Palms/Viva Show Bar! Located at 508 Olas Altas next door to Sama Martini Lounge, the new location provides a large area to handle large audiences. I am so pleased that the "ladies" have decided to keep PV in their hearts and find a location to perform their amazing shows. Frank the MC, leader, and founder of the group continues to lead the ladies by being a great commentator and MC. While there are other drag queen shows in PV, none compare to the talents and quality of Jackie, Angie, and Diva.
The routines last night included Joan Crawford, Tina Turner, Katy Perry, Britany Spears, and an amazing Yodeling song by Diva were all well received by the small but enthusiast audience. The show was about 1 1/4 hours long and was done very well. Go see the new "Old Dirty Bitches" show as it is the best in PV! They perform Wednesdays and Sundays at 8pm but don't be surprised if it 830pm before they hit the stage........remember its Mexican time.

Sayulita, Mexico

2011-03-21T09:22:00.001-06:00

I decided to drive the back way into Sayulita for the first time since last year and this was via the turnoff road to Punta Mita. Then there is a turn off to your right, just before the back entrance to the Four Seasons Hotel that takes on a wonderful 4 lane road northward past Lumbia where it turns in a 2 lane road for the rest of the way to Sayulita. This part of the road has visible signs of damage including washed out bridges from the heavy rains last fall that also washed out the main bridges into Sayulita and San Francisco. If you want to go there the quick way just follow the Federal Highway 200 out of Puerto Vallarta northward and the entrance from that direction is clearly marked. Sayulita is well known in the area for its great surfing waves and that is evident by the many vendors and stores related to the surfing business including board rental and lessons.

Upon arrival in Sayulita on a Sunday, it was very busy and I was lucky to find parking. It was also the flea market day, so many stands had been setup along a road towards the beach. We decided to grab some drinks and appetizers, so we headed towards the beach and I was amazed at how many people where on the beach! It felt like I was back on Los Muertos Beach in PV! This could have all been because of the 3 day holiday weekend as well. We enjoyed a bucket of beers (7 vs the usual 5), deluxe nachos, and shrimp cerviche all for a very cheap 250 pesos so about $20.00 at El Capitan Pablo Restaurant right on the edge of the beach. Service was great and we enjoyed watching all the surfers and beach goers beyond.
After our break, we decided to walk around and do a little shopping. I had been looking for some cloth placemats around Mexico in my travels and had not found them, but walking into Galeria Hamaca and they had a wonderful selection from various parts of Mexico. The ones I purchased were from the Chiapas region and I am very pleased to have finally found them.
Our drive back to PV was along the main 200 highway and we were back in about 40 minutes.

El Chivero Restaurant Bucerias

2011-03-20T09:27:00.001-06:00

My favorite beachside restaurant has to be El Chivero located on Avenida Pacifico #9 just north of the small Malecon on the beach side of Bucerias near the Main Plaza. I have been there countless times and have always enjoyed the ambiance, service, and food. It always has a place to park in front and just walking a few steps through the restaurant you are on the wide open Bucerias beach that runs for miles in either direction. They have nice palapas with dining tables and chairs as well as reclining lounge chairs situated on the beach in front. So you can enjoy your day there as there is no rental charge for anything as long as you purchase food and beverages from them.
The menu provides a wide range of food from appetizers to full blown dinners at reasonable prices. So order your 2x1 all day drink specials or a bucket of Cerveza and enjoy a wonderful day on the beach in Bucerias at El Chivero!

Blue Shrimp Restaurant

2011-03-18T08:06:00.001-06:00

I finally made it back to The Blue Shrimp http://www.blueshrimp.mx/ last night at their new location on Los Muertos Beach next door to Daiquiri Dicks. The location has always been a favorite of mine because of the massive Palapa roof and great ambience the place brings. Unfortunately a few predecessors have not survived this location, but Blue Shrimp has a following from their old location off of the Malecon that I am sure will follow. The new location seems to also provid them a lot more walk-by traffic as they were quite full last night.
Arriving about 20 minutes before sunset, it is a great location for the nightly event as we sat along the beach side railing overlooking the beach. I was pleased that the food was a good as it has always been, eventhough the pricing seem a bit higher. The service was a little inanttentive, but good and might have been due to a full restaurant. We enjoyed the fresh tender Calamari appetizer and then ordered three different shrimp dishes; Tequila, Coconut, and Portuguese (cheese stuff & bacon wrapped). The presentation was as great as it always was with the Coconut shrimp displayed on a tray with 1/2 a coconut filled with their awesome Green Goddess dipping sauce. The Portuguese Shrimp dish was also displayed with skewers stuck into 1/2 of a papaya and a little flaming tomato as a garnish! All entrees come with rice, vegetables, and of course their great salad bar.
If you like great shrimp with a menu that allows you to buy it by weight and size, Blue Shrimp is not to be missed!

Marisma Taco Stand

2011-03-16T07:45:00.000-06:00

My favorite fish taco stand and I know the favorite of many visitors and Vallartans is called Marisma Taco Stand. It is located in the short block behind El Brujo and the roads leading into (Basillo Badillo) and out (Venustiano Carranza) of the short tunnel in Zona Romantica.
A very simple menu of deep fried fish & shrimp, smoked Marlin, Crab, Spicy Squid, and various Quesadillas provides the perfect selection for that quick meal. Made with homemade tortillas and all prepared to order it is excellent! While their pricing is a bit higher than most taco stands, it is worth the extra money for a high quality product. Stop by and enjoy one, two, three, or more as there is no pressure to eat and go. They even speak English!

Gemelas Beach

2011-03-14T07:37:00.001-06:00

Another great beach that I have been to many times is called Playa Gemelas (The Twins), located just past Punta Negra Beach on Carr Barre de Navidad 200 between 2 condo complexes, the Playa Gemelas Condominios and the Intercontinental Hotel complex. It is a little tricky to find as there is minimal signage with a gate and a staircase it is the only public access. The beach is on a time schedule opening around 9am and closing at 8pm, so do not get caught down below as I once did and had to climb over a condo complex wall to get back up the main highway!
Parking is just along the main highway wherever you can find a space and not get towed away. The walk down to the beach is about 100 steps in a zigzag pattern in fairly good shape, but due to storms and heavy rains there are sections that require a bigger jump to continue on the path, especially at the bottom to the beach there is a 2-3 foot drop. There are no services here, so have to bring your own food and beverages, however, I often see food vendors on this beach. The beach is lifeguard patroled as well.
What makes this beach so special and worth the walk down? It must be the small size, the great soft yellowish sand, and of course the beautiful crystal clear waters! There are some large shade trees against the wall to the condo complex, so there is shade all throughout the day if you do not have an umbrella. On Sundays it is quite busy as it is a favorite beach for the Mexican locals as well. Just enjoy it and I have been there through a fantastic sunset as well!

Bucerias Art Walk

2011-03-11T09:07:00.000-06:00

Every Thursday evening from 7pm-9pm the Bucerias Art Walk is held in the beachside town of Bucerias about 30 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta. www.thebuceriasartwalk.com/index.html
Considered the "Center of the Bay" Bucerias is a neat little town with lots of beachside hotels and condos for rent in a quiet sleepy setting with great beaches. I have been to the Art Walk a few times already and have always enjoyed the leisurely stroll along the Main Street one block from the beach, where many shop owners open their doors to promote local Mexican art from the area. This includes many other areas of Mexico as well such as Puebla, Oaxaca, and Veracruz. At least 6 restaurants are located within the area so after your walk around to see the great works of art, a bite to eat is easy!
The restaurants include infamous Marks Restaurant that has been a staple in the area for many years, providing an excellent menu, great wine list, and fine service. I have enjoyed their Beef Carpacio with Ostrich Pate, the Calamari with Wasabi and Tomato Colis sauces, the Seafood Pasta, and of course their great choice of brick oven Pizzas. www.marksbucerias.com/
For a great evening of seeing great artwork as well as visit a difference place to be seen and eat, come to the Bucerias Art Walk on Thursday evenings.....it is worth the drive!

Careyeros Beach near Punta Mita

2011-03-07T20:28:00.002-06:00

Yesterday I finally made it back to my favorite beach in the Puerto Vallarta, called Playa Careyeros. I found it many years ago when I was looking for some boogie boarding waves and there were none in Punta Mita. It is located on the back side of Punta Mita and is accessed along some dirt roads on the back road to Sayulita. Surprisingly it is located below some very nice houses and villas along the coast and since it is outside the Bay of Banderas, it provides some larger but rolling waves. Access is provided via staircase next to a B&B called Casa las Brisas.
Now what makes this beach my favorite? It must the Caribbean-like sand, the crystal clear waters, and shallow depths.......what else makes a beach great! Sundays are fairly busy as many of the Mexicans in the know go here and since there are no restaurants or public facilities, you really have to prepare. By prepare I mean bring you own towels, chairs, food, beverages, etc. to make your day complete. On occasion I have seen a few food vendors strolling the beach, but I would not rely on it as a source of a meal or beverages.
Even on the busier days, the beach goes for at least a mile toward Punta Mita and there is plenty of space to get away from the other beach goers. It also happens to be a great place for collecting sea shells. There must be a coral reef not too far out as I always see pieces of white coral laying on the beach, sometimes very large ones. Since it is a a small bay, there is an abundance of fish and I have even seen divers go near the rocks and pull out some very large oysters.
I have seen blowfish washed up on the beach as well as a small group of stingrays in the water, so I would caution swimming later in the afternoon or evenings. Some say that the small sharks do come out later in the day, but I have never seen any and have been there through sunset and dusk hours.
It is a great beach in a secluded location and if you want to venture out of the ordinary, Careyeros Beach is the place to go!

2011 Puerto Vallarta Writers Conference

2011-03-05T08:57:00.000-06:00

This past weekend I made the commitment and time to attend the 6th Annual Puerto Vallarta Writers Conference sponsored by Biblioteca Los Mangos and the Puerto Vallarta Writers Group. I had been a faithful attendee at the group's weekly Saturday meetings, but in the last few months I found myself no longer attending. Why? I do not know except the usual Saturday chores and activities started to get in the way and I allowed that!
I need to get reinspired and back to writing, so I decided to attend the conference at the last minute. Since I was a late registrant the fee was 1300 pesos vs. the 1000 peso normal charge if I had booked and paid by the end of January. Friday evening begins with a general welcome and the guest speaker Rick Najera http://ricknajera.com/ with his "Becoming a Writer-Seriously & Pain of the Macho" speech. Rick is a very funny guy as he is a comedian, writer, poet, screenplay writer, play writer and provided us with some funny stories with his wit and humor. This was followed by a wine and cheese event to get to know each other.
Saturday morning started early with workshops by Susie Albin-Najera and Rick Najera ranging in topics from travel writing, blog writing, freelance writing, humor writing, etc. Susie is the owner of the blog http://www.http//themexicoreport.blogspot.com/ and her blog is atypical as most of the news from Mexico by reporting only the positives about this great country.
After lunch, the 1st Panel Discussion was held by Sarah Cortezb http://poetacortez.com/ and Michael Bracken http://www.crimefictionwriter.com/ on the topic of "What does an Editor Really Want"
The afternoon workshop was conducted by Lisa Brackman http://www.lisabrackmann.com/
who recently published her first novel and it was in the top 100 Books on Amazon.com with her topic of "Writing the High Impact Novel". The other workshop was conducted by Sunny Frazier http://www.sunnyfrazier.com/ "Finding a Publiser. What are they Looking for?
An afternoon break and then the 2nd Panel Discussion was held with Sunny Frazier, Michael Bracken, and Doug Danielson, "The Money's in Your Shorts: Writing and Selling Short Fiction"
The evening mixer concluded the day.
On Sunday we are up again early with morning workshops by Sarah Cortez "No Time to Forget: The Fundamentals of Writing of Memoir" which was of special interest to me as I am working on a novel about my Father's life as an escapee from Poland at the end of WWII. Michel Bracken also conducted a seminar "Sin, Suffer, Cash the Checks: A Hands on Intro to Writing & Selling Confessions" which was writing short story essays in romance magazines.
For our final send off, Lisa Brackmann came back and did a closing speech "Becoming a Writer-Seriously & Rock Paper Tiger". She was quite an inspiration as a newly accomplished writer.
That afternoon was the "BookFest" which was an opportunity to buy and meet not only the authors/speakers at the conference, but many other accomplished Puerto Vallarta published authors as well. This was my first writers conference and I thouroughly enjoyed my experience and I think I got reinspired to write. That is why my blog has been updated finally........after a year of no posts!
Let us now hope I can make the transition to novel writing and get to working on my book about my Father's life!!

Driving to Mayto Beach

2011-02-27T20:09:00.002-06:00

The next day after a great breakfast at El Jardin Del Tuito, we were off mid morning to take the only road to Mayto Beach area. It is partially paved and mostly still dirt, but it has greatly improved from the first 2 times I ventured out that way over the past few years! I am sure someday it will be finally paved all the way to Mayto.
You drive past a few small farming towns going up and down the small hills and finally only downhill toward sea level. Remember El Tuito is a high altitude desert town! The last 5 miles are actually nicely paved and the drive is great. We arrived at Mayto Beach, but I wanted to explore a little bit of the other beaches as I had only briefly stopped at the small fishing village of Tehuamixtle the last time I was out there. I had only done the overlook, but decided to go down to the village itself today. It has several restaurants and is a oyster fishing village with oysters served as the specialty in the restaurants. For some reason a large stuffed shark was right at the edge of the pier and I am not sure why?
After leaving Tehaumixtle I saw a sign straight ahead for a restaurant and thought it might be a place to have dinner later. So we followed the dirt road around the hillside of rocks and found overselves over on the other side of a very long beach we could see in the distance fromTehuamixtle. Located there was a resort of bungalows for rent on the hillside. It was a simple place with basic amenities, but a nice pool and restaurant was available. It was quite a view from there to miles of beaches with nothing and no one on them!
Back to Mayto Beach where our Mayto Hotel was prearranged for the night. This is a 12 room hotel that was fully equipped including AC, Sat TV, nice towels, full baths, and a great pool right on the Mayto Beach. They had their own restaurant serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner with palapas and lounge chairs on the beach. The also provide massage services for an extra charge, full bar, and usually ATV rental eventhough they were out for repair.
It is just a wonderful beach with very few people and the ability to walk for miles and not see anyone! There is a government run Turtle sanctuary on Mayto Beach with usage during the breeding season. All of this will probably change one day as a large developer is beginning to sell lots for a rather large development just inland from the beach........so we will see how quickly that all changes!
If you are looking for unspoiled beaches miles long this is the place to go!

Driving to El Tuito

2011-02-27T19:21:00.001-06:00

A short trip south of Puerto Vallarta was in order as my friend had a few days off and I felt we needed to get away from the hub hub of PV and find a tranquil quite place to retreat. I have been to El Tuito for day trips several times before but this was my first overnight. That means El Tuito where many Vallartans escape and spend time to relax, paint, draw, or write. El Tuito is a quiet ranch town that happens to be the district area for many Mexican government offices and lies about halfway between PV and Tomatlan.
We arrive after a 45 minute drive on a lazy Saturday afternoon and a few blocks from the main square is a quaint French B&B El Jardin Del Tuito that provides just 3 guest rooms in a very nice setting with large rooms overlooking their own private backyard garden with large pool, flowers, animals, and a manicured lawn. www.jardindeltuito.com/ I do believe it is really the only place to stay in El Tuito and with breakfast included it is a great option. Very peaceful, tranquil, and quiet....No TVs.
After we stopped at the Church to watch the entrance of wedding, we found a place for a late Mexican lunch of Chicken Enchiladas and Chicken Pasole at El Patio del Mario right next to the main plaza. Very good and great prices!
Walking some more up the main street provides you a couple of restaurants, hardware store, grocery stores, etc. but not really any souvenir or arts & crafts places. I was a little surprised to see the lack of souvenir shops, as I heard El Tuito has some great pottery creators. So back to El Jardin and an afternoon nap.....what else is there to do? It was a pleasant day and I relaxed by the pool reading a book.
We decided to go back out around sunset to see if things might be happening on a Saturday night at the main square, but after sitting round watching the people.....nothing was happening. A quick stop a taco stand for a dinner snack, we decided to go back to El Jardin. If you are looking for a happening place, it is not El Tuito! But we wanted a quiet relaxing place and that is what we got!
Tomorrow we go to Mayto Beach and I'm sure it will be a great place......

First Show at Teatro Vallarta, Puerto Vallarta

2011-02-20T07:51:00.003-06:00

I finally made it to the Teatro Vallarta for my first show in February. It was the ballet Romeo & and Juliet performed by a Russian traveling troupe. Purchasing tickets can be very easy as you have the option of purchasing them online (ticketing fee) or in person at the box office. I decided to purchase them at the box office as I like to see exactly where the seats are and that was not possible online. Due to a friends recommendation I decided to purchase the tickets in the 2nd tier of pricing which puts you about 1/2 way up the theater seating from the stage. Since the theater is relatively small with only about 2000 seats you get a good view from there without breaking the bank.
Arrived the night of the performance via cab, but noticed that they do have valet parking available and the lobby has a full bar/snack shop for you purchase items which you CAN bring into the theater. As a matter of fact the seats have cup holders....very convenient.
The unique feature of this theater is that entrance is only from the bottom, so if you have some who is handicapped there is quite a climb to your seats from down below....so be aware. The seats were comfortable and movie theater quality with each step up a new row, so that big person in front of you is never an issue by blocking your view. The stage was of nice size, but certainly not as large as I am accustomed to in the theaters in the US. Emergency exits are only at the bottom of the stage and at the top of the last row.
The show was almost sold out, so it was nice to see that large of a crowd, but at least 75% were Gringos. So it was nice to see the support from the expat and "snow bunnies" crowd. The show was excellent and with a 15 minute intermission it was about 2 hours total.
A nice experience in a nice theater made we want to go home and see what else they might have coming up. A great symphony performance will probably be my next choice, however they have their own weekly inhouse show "Fandango" which is features a historical dance performance of Mexico. I have heard it is very good. For tickets and more information: http://www.teatrovallarta.com/

Driving to Tonala and Guadalajara

2011-01-06T16:45:00.000-06:00

After about 5 hours we end up directly into Tonala the shopping mecca on Sundays in Guadalajara. This was my 2nd visit so I was not going into sensory overload this time!! It is Sunday Flea Market day and for miles the vendors are out in full force displaying their wares for all to see. Of course I had to do some more purchasing of Mexican handicrafts including a new plate for my wall, some small flower pots, and usual things I like to buy there for 10% of the price in Puerto Vallarta!
We head to my favorite hotel from there about 20 minutes away Gran Hotel de Reyes http://www.granhotellosreyes.com/. It seems to be the best deal and I like being across the street from Plaza Los Mariachias and the inside Guadalajara Flea Market San Juan de Dios. After a bit of a rest from the 3-4 hours of walking in Tonala we head over to a restaurant I have come to love called Birrieria las Nueve Esquinas www.las9esquinas.com/ingles/index.html with their special recipes of Goat and Lamb. Homemade corn tortillas, homemade salsas, homemade beans, etc. it has won many awards for providing authentic traditional Mexican recipes and preparation methods. Once again it was fantastic! Located at a plaza that has 9 street corners because many streets come together here......that is the origin of their name. After dinner a walk around the sights of the main square, cathedral and many other plazas finds us back near the hotel at Plaza Los Mariachis for some dessert!
I love this city and tomorrow we make the 5-6 drive back to PV......and work!

Driving to San Miguel de Allende

2011-01-03T16:20:00.000-06:00

After leaving Guanajuato our drive to San Miguel de Allende was only about 1 and 1/2 hours. Arriving by early afternoon and a quick drive around town we found a public parking lot to leave the car and get to know the city on foot....probably the best way as parking is very limited. So we began our walking tour of the city and my first impression is that the look and the feel of the city was very uniform and the city codes must prevent the building owners from making any major changes to their street side appearances. The beautifully handcrafted doors and bright paint colors make for a pleasurable image of a well kept city. The shops along the way provided many handicrafts, furniture, and design ideas for furnishing homes. San Miguel de Allende is the birthplace of one of the main revolutionarys when Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1810 and therefore his namesake.
There are numerous beautiful churches in the city including the main cathedral the Parroquia, the pseudogothic church in the heart of San Miguel de Allende. We took some great photos of the church during sunset and later that evening witnessed a spectacular light and sound show displayed on the exterior of the church depicting the Mexican Revolution.
With a great late lunch at an Italian Restaurant, we once again we decided to take the 'cheap' around the city tour bus and it provided us with a great around town trip of many of the places to be seen including the birthplace of the water aqueducts and a drive to the upper roads with a fantastic sunset overlooking the city. It seemed that the expensive ones were located around the main square of the cathedral so we started to walk back to our car parking lot and noticed many smaller inns along the side streets. We had not previously arranged a hotel as we were unsure of where we were going to overnight and many of the hotels around the main plaza seemed a bit expenseive, so we ventured back toward our car along the side streets and found a great place with only 6 rooms for 450 pesos each. We decided to make that our overnight!
We arose fairly early as our plan was to make it to Tonala near Guadalajara for the Sunday Flea Market shopping experience that I have done once before and wanted to do it again!

Driving to Guanajuato The City of Tunnels and Beyond

2011-01-02T19:32:00.011-06:00

Since living in Mexico as of December 2009, I wanted to go and see a bit of the country that I now call home! So this past December my Mexican friend Alvaro and I decided to make a whirlwind 4 day trip to areas beyond Guadalajara which I had been too a few times already.
So off we went at 6am and about 7 hours later arrived in Guanajuato, Mexico without any incident...not even a military or police checkpoint. Mainly took the toll roads because of our need for speed to get to our destination. We had pre-arranged our stay at the Hacienda D'Cobos Motel the GPS guided us there quite easily. After a quick checkin we decided to find some lunch and explore this fantastic city before our planned city tour began around 3pm. I find that taking the tour buses on the first visit to a town helps you get a feel of the entire place without missing some great and important sites. Guantajuato literally means "Hill of Frogs" and was founded in 1548 as a silver mining town. Since Guanajuato is such a difficult city to maneuver around, it was really the best choice. The city is composed of 3 "levels"; the lower tunnels, the main streets, and the upper roads along the hill sides. Due to the constriction of buildings, roads and the increase in cars the city had to build tunnels underneath itself to handle the traffic flow around town! These are amazing places with entrances, exits, and underground parking. The entrances and exits to the tunnets were scattered in cul de sacs and even with them getting around trafficd on the main streets took a long time. The longest tunnel is about 1 mile long and our tour took us through many of them. The design of the city was very European with many houses entrances only accessible via walkways and sidewalks. We also had stops at the very upper street level to see the whole city from above, a great sunset spot, a working mine, a Torture Museum and of course the Mummy Museum. All in all worth the price of 10.00 USD to see so much in about 3-4 hours! After returning to the hotel it was time to once again venture out and find dinner. Since the city is a bit of tourist place restaurants were not cheap, so we found a reasonably priced one inside a hotel and had a great meal. The next day we would get back up to the upper roads via taxi and take some more great photos of this picturesque and wonderful city during daylight. We located the cable car and rode down back to the hotel that way. And we are off to our next city of San Miguel de Allende!

Shopping Trip to Tlaquepaque & Tonala

2010-10-15T07:33:00.052-05:00

At last a shopping trip to Tonala was in order. My fellow coworker Heriberto decided he as going to go to Guadalajara (GDL) and so I jumped on board and said......."let's go shopping".   With a planned Friday afternoon departure, we drove to the 4-5 hours to GDL. I had prearranged my hotel again at the Gran Hotel los Reyes as it was the perfect location and the right price, and we headed directly there. Hery was staying with a friend so we parted ways with plans to meet the next day for some shopping on Saturday in Tlaquepaque. A friend of mine from Mexico City met me at the hotel and we had a nice evening with drinks, dinner, and Mariachis at Plaza Los Mariachis across the street.
The next day was they day for "real" shopping as it will be my first trip to the Sunday flea market in Tonala! Many of my Mexican friends from PV have told me about this overwhelming experience, so e prepared........ but I was not!! Miles of vendors combined with multitudes of people all squeezed into a 5 foot wide aisle, combined with the sights and sounds of wares, food, and trinkets being sold from makeshift stalls and in the small ailse, make this a total sensory overload!
I was on a mission however, so I persevered. I had a list of things to buy that had been looking for and of course several things I did not have the list..........but a buyer I was. It was just too irrestiable to find so many Mexican goods at these prices.   I bought two very large flower pots that I paid about $40 USD for BOTH that would have cost me about $100 USD EACH in PV. I bought a wall mask, I bought a wall plate, I bought other small flower pots, I bought a painting, I bought, I bought........ Now how do we get all this stuff back to the car? After carrying and making my friends help carry, Hery pointed out these cart people who do the hauling for for free.....only a propina "tip". So they will follow you around for as long as you want carrying all of your purchases in their cart? "Of course, he replied" What more can you ask for?
After about a couple hours of this madness we decided to get more money!! Why not? So conveniently across the street are several bank ATMs in the area and a row of great restaurants. After more cash withdrawal and full bellies we venture back into the madness for what?   More shopping of course!
But time was running short and we wanted to back in PV by dark, so we had leave the shopping tasks somewhat incomplete. After dropping my friend from Mexico City at the bus depot a few miles away we head back on the road to PV with happy "shopping" faces. I begin to visualize where to put all my newly purchased items at my place in PV and I begin to make new plans to go back as soon as I can!

Rincon de Guayabitos, Nayarit

2010-09-10T21:36:00.018-05:00

A short drive north of Puerto Vallarta about 1 and 1/4 hours takes you to the coastal town of Ricon de Guayabitos. I have passed it many times on my drive down and up from the US or to Guadalajara over the past few years and thought it was time to check it out. A planned to find a hotel on the beach and it took some time to find a value as most of the places were in the 2000-3000 peso range, which I thought was too expensive! I finally found a place called Las Cabanas del Capitan on the beach with a very nice pool and hot tub. http://www.bungalowselcapitan.com/ It was cheaper at 950 pesos as it did not offer the full services like TV in the room....but who needs that for a 1 night stay?
Arrived in the evening and since it was rainy season, the rains came, and boy did they come that night! Finding the hotel was a little tricky as I had forgotten to bring along the address and name! Little hard to find a place when you forget the name! Decided to grab a bite to eat on the main street while I worked on my memory bank to remember what it was called.
Anyway, found it after a few searches around as there is really only the main entrance street and a parallel street along the ocean. Check-in was simple even in the torrential rains and we were escorted to a simple room near the front entrance with a King size bed, bathroom, ceiling fan, AC, etc.....just right for a 1 night stay. The rains let up a bit, so we decided to venture out and explore the property and ended up in the hot tub for a few minutes before they closed the area.
The next day with clear sunny skies, we went back out to main street and found a place for breakfast and a tour operator asked us about a bay cruise to show all the beaches and the island we could see from shore. Why not? I like to do a tour the first time I am at a new place as it gives you the real feel for the area. The main street of Rincon de Guayamitos seemed to just be loaded with shops and restaurants like many Mexican tourist towns.
About 2 hours later we were met on the beach and took the small ponga to the main boat out in the bay as there is not dock in this small bay. It was a bit of a "party" cruise with some Mexican entertainment onboard, loud music, and a free drink....but indeed it took us to at least 6 private beaches in the area and it was very interesting. Unfortunately for me, about 1/2 way through the cruise, I discovered I had misplaced my car key and was worried about where it was and therefore did not enjoy the whole cruise, because I had no idea where the key was!
Upon return to the beach area my panic continued as the key was not any where I thought it could have been; beach, boat, ponga, room, car, grounds, etc. It must have come out of my pocket while on the Bay cruise into the ocean. Now what to do? I know I had a spare at home that maybe my neighbor could bring...but so far away? I remember I had an emergency one in the car glovebox, but how do I get it? Only solution was to break the smallest window I could to get inside and open the door....but guess what? No way to open the door from inside....damm BMW security systems!
Then I remembered that I had seen a Mexican boy who was very skinny and could probably crawl in through that small vent window and get the spare key out of the glovebox for me? A search on the beach and we located him. In he went, located the key, and was able to start the car to allow us to unlock it from inside. Found some plastic to cover the broken window as I knew the rains were going to be a for sure occurence and we were on our way back to PV.
While I knew we had major rains in Rincon de Guayabitos, it was the night that the main bridge washed out between Puerto Vallarta and Nuevo Vallarta! So the drive back to PV found us detoured not only at the bridge through Neuvo Vallarta.......we had to detour the back way from Sayulito to Punta de Mita to Puerto Vallarta too! The bridge to San Pancho had also dissappeared that last night!
Rincon de Guayabitos seemed to be a popular Mexican weekend destination and vacation spot as I did not see many Gringos, but I thoroughly enjoyed the town, the beach, and area and recommend it for a short getaway!!