Issue 916, October 24 - 30, 2014

Catch us online @ vallartatribune.com

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News MEXICAN VANILLA

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October 24 - 30, 2014 Free Issue 916

Events

CARMENT AT THE MET

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Charity pasitos de luz

FR EE

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Photo by Archive

North Shore Living

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Friday Oct 24 - 30, 2014 Director noemi zamora noemizamorareynoso@gmail.com Editor Lic. Madeline Milne mmilne@Vallartatribune.com Editorial Board Marcia Blondin Raymond C. Beaty Lois Ellison John & Christie Forget Landon Hollander Nancy Van Landingham Robina Oliver Sales Team Rebeca Castellón rebeca.castellonn@gmail.com RAMIRO LOPEZ ventastribuna7@yahoo.com Designer Cynthia E. Andrade G. cisandra@vallartatribune.com cysandra@gmail.com

Vallarta Tribune is an activity and entertainment guide and merely publishes information as it is provided by the advertiser or event host. We do not assume responsibility in errors or omissions other than to correct them as soon as they are made known to us regarding event schedules, locations and/or prices. In addition, we do not assume any responsibility for erroneous inclusion or exclusion of information except to take reasonable care to ensure accuracy, that permission has been obtained to use it, and to remove it as soon as is practical upon receiving your notification of error.

We recommend you always confirm prior to attending or visiting an event or establishment. Weekly publication edited, printed and distributed by Ediciones y Publicaciones Siete Junio, SA de CV Grupo Editorial Tribuna Calle 21 de Marzo # 1174 Col. Lomas del Coapinole Del. El Pitillal, Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco México CP 48290 Tel. (322) 226-0829, 226-0800 editor@vallartatribune.com * www.vallartatribune.com * www.facebook.com/vallarta.tribune

Welcome to Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit

Here is some advice to make your trip a little easier and more enjoyable.

TIME ZONE: The entire state of Jalisco is on Central Time, as is the southern part of the State of Nayarit starting from San Blas in the north.

BUSES: A system of urban buses with different routes can bring you from one end of the bay to the other and all the spots in between. Current fare is $7.50 pesos per ticket and passengers must purchase a new ticket every time they board another bus. There are no “transfers”.

TAXIS: There are set rates within defined zones of town. Do not enter a taxi without agreeing on the price with the driver first. Price is per trip not person.

MONEY EXCHANGE: Although you may have to wait in line for a few minutes, banks will give you a higher rate of exchange than the exchange booths (caja de cambio). You will need your passport. Better yet, use your bank card to withdraw funds from any ATM machine. Note that ATM’s in the banks are the safest to use and generally charge lower fees.

DRINKING WATER: For the 17th year in a row, Puerto Vallarta’s water has been awarded a certification of purity for human consumption. The quality of the water tested at the purification plant varies greatly from what comes out of the tap at the other end. So do be careful. If you want to be doubly sure, you can pick up bottled water just about anywhere.

EXPORTING PETS: Fall in love with the street dog outside your hotel or a puppy on the Malecon doesn’t mean they can’t come home with you. The process is fairly inexpensive and only takes a day or two. You need a certificate of health from a local vet among other things. The time of year that pets can travel in the cargo section of the plane may be your biggest challenge.

For the most up-to-date information contact the Puerto Vallarta SPCA at spcapv@gmail.com.

COMMON SENSE: Just as you wouldn’t walk around your hometown drunk and beligerent, it is not acceptable to do that here. While Mexicans are a forgiving bunch, basic politeness is appreciated.

For the guys, peeing in public is a major faux pas and if you are caught, can get you tossed in jail or an expensive fine.

Pay attention to your surroundings. Pay your bills. Be courteous. And have fun!

DRINKING AND DRIVING: First off – just don’t. The consequences are not worth it. Taxis are cheap and plentiful.

Fines are as much as 10,000 pesos.

You can be taken to jail and your vehicle impounded. There are many checkstops on the weekends and you will be asked to blow if they suspect you have been drinking.

LEGAL SYSTEM: Not knowing the law is not an valid excuse in Mexico or anywhere. If you find yourself caught in a legal situation be aware that guilt is presumed until your innocence can be proven. This is a very difficult lesson to learn if you are visiting from the United States or Canada in particular.

Immediately contact your consulate for assistance.

Emergencies: 060 Red Cross: 065 Non-Emergency Police 322.290.0507 Fire Department: 322.223.9476 Ambulance: 322.222.1533

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American Consulate Nuevo Vallarta: 322.222.0069 24 hrs Guadalajara: 333.268.2145 Canadian Consulate 322.293.2894 24 hrs: 1.800.706.2900

TA AS P N

A TIS AR

This week´s special All pasta and 1 glass of “Vino tinto de Gaza”

only $129 PESOS Venustiano Carranza 276 Tel. 322 223 2267

Immigration: 322.224.7719 Consumer Protection: 01.800.468.8722 Tourism Offices Jalisco: 322.221.2676 Nayarit: 322.297.1006

Introducing Frankies Vallarta´s newest Italian Restaurant Newly opened, Frankie’s is fast becoming the new favorite Italian restaurants. They sell delicious, thin crust pizza. They also have incredible artisan pastas and salads. Their Italian chef, who definitely knows his way around the kitchen and their Italian owner guarantee you are eating an authentic Italian Mangiare. Prices are low to moderate. Try their Italian wines; the list is small but carefully selected.

Calling in Mexico Calling phones in Mexico can be tricky as it is different than in the US or Canada. There are different codes you need to use depending if you are calling landlines or cellular phones and if they are local or long distance.

Long-distance calls from within Mexico For national long-distance calls (within Mexico) the code is 01 plus the area code and phone number. For international long-distance calls, first dial 00, then the country code (for the U.S. and Canada the country code is 1, so you would dial 00 + 1 + area code + 7 digit number).

Calling Cell Phones (from a land line) If you are calling from a landline within the area code of the Mexican cell phone number dial 044, then the 10 digit number including area code. Outside of the area code (but still within Mexico) dial 045 and then the 10 digit phone number. Cell phone to cell phone only requires the 10 digit number.

Phone Cards Phone cards (“tarjetas telefonicas”) for use in pay phones can be bought at newstands and in pharmacies in denominations of 30, 50 and 100 pesos. Pay phones do not accept coins. When buying a phone card for pay phone use, specify that you would like a “tarjeta LADA,” because pre-paid cell phone cards are also sold in the same establishments.

Calling Toll-Free Numbers Some toll free numbers work from Mexico to the US and Canada, but many do not.

You need to dial a different prefix.

To call the following toll free prefixes, dial as follows: 800 numbers Dial 001-880-then the number 866 numbers Dial 001-883-then the number 877 numbers Dial 001-882-then the number 888 numbers Dial 001-881-then the number

Editorial 03

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Friday Oct 24 - 30, 2014

SPCA of Puerto Vallarta

Editor´s Note

I

t continues to heat up around town, though the weather is cooling down – thank goodness!

This past weekend I joined some friends on a dry run for a new tour being offered by Making Waves – the jet-ski business out of Mismaloya. We started at about 10 am and jet skied from Los Arcos to Majahuitas beach with stops at Boca de Tomatlan, the little beach

by Ocean Grill and Majahuitas for a 30 minute snorkel in what are arguably the best fish watching waters in the bay.

On the trip back we passed by a pod of dolphins that appeared to number in the dozens, jumping out of the water and playfully splashing around. When we reached dry land about 2-2.5 hours later, a couple of cold ones along with ceviche, guacamole and quesadillas quenched our thirst and satiated our hunger.

As residents of the bay, most of us were very familiar with where we were going and what we were doing, but even so it was a great reminder about how gorgeous and rich with wildlife this bay is, especially in rainy season when everything is that much more lush. So, whether you live here year-round or are on holidays, this tour is an exciting but easy way to spend the day and a great excuse to take a voyeuristic peek into the homes of the rich and (in)famous along the ritzy southshore.

In other news, we have a great article by long-time resident Frank K. Meyer on the history of one of the area’s most deserving charities, Pasitos de luz. This is a two-parter so be sure to check back next week for the second half. Coming next week we also have Sandra Cesca back with her series on local plants and we have a few more new and returning contributors coming on board as well.

The Markets are almost open, with all of them coming online in the next two weeks. From Lo de Marcos to Old Town, we have so many opportunities to spend our dollars on locally produced foods, crafts, art, beauty and health products. Of special note: "The

Saturday Market formerly at the Paradise Community Center, then Coco's Kitchen, will reopen November 6th with a brand new name and space. Times, location and all the celebratory good news will be in next week's Tribune.”

Look for Marcia's usual Market column.

Here at the Tribune we wish the many dedicated vendors from all the various markets much success and we strongly encourage you to get out and support the people who are committed to creating such beauty in all its forms.

In addition to the markets, all of our live theaters are back producing more fabulous shows. Of particular interest is the reincarnation of the Boutique Theater in the upstairs at Nacho Daddy’s on Basilio Badillo. They had untold troubles with shady landlords last year and we wish them great

Time Change Time Change! On October 26th set your clocks back one hour. In Canada and the United States, the time change does not occur until November 2nd, so mark your calendars.

Also, remember when traveling north in Nayarit, the time changes once you pass Lo de Marcos by one hour earlier!

success this year in their new location. On a sad note, the Paradise Community Centre has shut its doors due to another unscrupulous landlord. It is uncertain at this time what will happen to the Paradise Stage and the church but it has been confirmed that the Saturday Co-Op Market will cease to exist. This is a huge blow to the Olas Altas area businesses and residents. If you are in the neighbourhood please remember to support the wonderful restaurants that are along Calle Pulpito during this difficult time. Coco’s Kitchen, Maia and Pulpito 116 are all excellent establishments.

Plenty going on this week.

Personally I’m off to visit the birthplace of Mexico as we know it, or so the story goes. Details next week.

Safe travels, Madeline

October is Adopt a Shelter Month. Help us continue our efforts. Get involved…rescue, adopt, foster, volunteer, donate or educate. You can learn more about the SPCA Puerto Vallarta by checking us out at www.spcapv.com/ home or on Facebook.

How to become a volunteer? Volunteers are needed all over! We have pawesome volunteers in Canada, the United States and of course here in Puerto Vallarta.

Volunteers do many tasks from visiting our shelter and walking, cuddling or taking care for our animals, driving people to and from the sanctuary, social media and web site work, posting online “For Adoption” ads, airport transportation, crate management in BC and Alberta, home checks, animal delivery to new homes, foster home management, newsletters, adoption stands, Farmers Market booth, networking and fundraising.

All types of talent are needed but most important is DEDICATION. Check out our album of volunteers on Facebook This week we are honoring Stephanie Dubinsky. Stephanie spends her winters in Puerto Vallarta assisting us at the sanctuary. She is one of those passionate animal rescuers that NEVER turns a blind eye and always says YES when a terrible situation arises and we need help.

You too can come and spend a rewarding afternoon cuddling the animals at Puerto Vallarta’s SPCA Sanctuary. Our dogs and cats are awaiting “forever homes” and your help is needed to jump start their socialization. The goal is to get these animals adjusted and ready to interact in the real world. The majority of the SPCA animals either come from extremely abusive situations or they have been abandoned. Your love and attention can make up for that sad history. During your visit, you can interact with the animals and even take a dog (or two or three) for a walk. You can also play with the animals, assist the vet or help with dinner time.

We have scheduled tours each week starting at noon. We ask everyone to meet in the Costco parking lot beside the large tree. You can either caravan in your own vehicle or ride with us out to the Sanctuary (reservations necessary).

The length of the tour is at the discretion of our visitors and can be from two to four hours in length.

Please contact Nicole Martin at nicole@cupocity.com to make a reservation.

To see all the animals available for adoption, visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/spcapv. Go to Photos where you will also find individual Albums for all the animals available as well as a bit of their history.

We always have a need for used towels and bedding. Please contact us a spcapv@gmail.com if you can help.

Are you or someone you know traveling from Puerto Vallarta to Canada and want to help us get more animals to fur-ever homes? Please contact us if you can be a travel companion spcapv@gmail.com.

Ahoy! Welcome to Puerto Vallarta MONDAY 27/10/2014 GRAND PRINCESS PRINCESS CRUISES 08:00:00 a.m.

05:00:00 p.m.

2600 PERSONS

news 04

Friday Oct 24 - 30, 2014

News Bites Automotive Automotive industry is a big deal in Mexico.

The automotive industry in Mexico is firmly established and constantly growing; 51.846 billion dollars of auto parts were exported in 2013.

GM emphasized the interest of international assemblers to invest in Mexico, considering sales of new vehicles in the country. The country’s production potential is between 1.4 and 1.7 million units.

Aerospace Aerospace is pretty big too.

The Mexico Aerospace Show will take place from April 22 to 25 2015 in the Santa Lucía airbase. According to forecasts, the country will export more than 12.3 billion dollars over a five year period and require more than 110,000 employees in this sector.

Benito Gritzewsky, president of the Mexican Federation of the Aerospace Industry (Federación Mexicana de la Industria Aeroespacial or Femia), estimated that exports from the aerospace sector will increase by 17% in 2014 compared to 2013.

According to official estimates, the number of aerospace companies in Mexico will triple by 2020. Also, 75 national companies are expected to participate in the country’s aerospace sector by that same year.

Tourism Mexico has become the second leading tourist destination in America, with 24.2 million tourists in 2013. A total 16.2 million tourists visited during the first half of the year.

The number of international tourists and currency entry hit a record high during the first half of 2014, revealed the Ministry of Tourism (SECTUR).

Energy Mexico plans to invest 8.5 billion dollars in projects related to clean energy. Of the 80 projects planned for the next two years, 80% will focus on the wind sector, 15% on solar power, and the rest in hydroelectric stations.

According to estimates by Franklin Templeton Investments, Mexico could receive 29 billion dollars in private investment in energy by 2018 (1.9% of the GDP). By 2020, total investment could reach 50 billion (3% of the GDP).

Mexico uses only 3.2% of its potential capacity to produce wind power. According to the US government, this opportunity represents an investment of more than 20 billion dollars. The Canadian TransCanada Corp could double its 50 billion dollar investment in energy in Mexico by 2018.

Foreign Direct Investment During the first half of 2014, the top countries that supplied FDI to Mexico were Spain, with 2.544 billion dollars (26.1% of total); the Netherlands, with 1.952 billion (20.1% of total), and Belgium, with 1.261 million dollars (13% of total).

• During the same period, the manufacturing industry was the sector that received the largest amount of FDI, at 6.985 billion dollars, followed by the financial and insurance services sector at 1.979 billion and the trade sector at 1.202 billion.

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Exclusive roses to be sold in US

P

uebla farmers recently signed a contract with Plantas Continental to sell their roses in the United States.

The initiative, headed by Puebla Gov. Rafael Moreno Valle, will introduce two rose species exclusive of the state — the “Puebla” rose and the “5 de Mayo” rose — as well as 129,520 other varieties of roses to be sold in the international market.

Because the Puebla and 5 de Mayo species only exist in the state, rose producers will be able to easily gain access to

the market and increase their earnings, said Moreno Valle.

He added that without this exclusive patent, trade would be limited to only the national market and the producers’ earnings would be less. Moreno Valle said that agricultural contracts are important because they put producers in direct contact with businesses and cut out the middlemen who earn money without really working.

“We want a more efficient market, one that assures more benefits and a better quality of

life in the country,” said Moreno Valle. The governor added that his administration will push for economic restructuring and look for products that do well in each region of the state, especially those with high market demand.

Moreno Valle asked that the producers be vocal in this strategy, saying that it could be a viable path to revive rural areas and address poverty and inequality.

The governor also announced that 5.5 million pesos ($423,000) will be invested to support rural producers in the municipalities of San Felipe Teotlalcingo, Chiautzingo, San Salvador el Verde and Tlaltenango.

THE NEWS

US, Mexico strike deal on trusted traders

B

acked by trucking groups, customs brokers and others involved in cross-border trade, the United States and Mexico announced an agreement last Friday aimed at streamlining the passage of goods across the border in both directions.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner R. Gil Kerlikowske joined Aristoteles Núñez Sánchez, chief of Mexico’s Tax Administration Service, in signing an accord that mutually recognizes each other’s “trusted trader” programs.

At a small ceremony at the San Ysidro Port of Entry, Kerklikowske called it “a significant achievement for the trade relationship between the United States and Mexico.”

The arrangement is similar to one currently in place between the United States and Canada, and “will ultimately result in a more efficient and secure supply chain between the United States and Mexico,” Kerlikowske said.

Clogged border crossings in San Diego County cost the U.S. and Mexican economies close to $7.2 billion in gross output and

more than 62,000 jobs in 2007, the latest data available, according to the San Diego Association of Governments. Núñez, the Mexican customs chief, said that “the hope is that the mutual recognition allows foreign trade to flow more easily but in an atmosphere of security and protecting lives and society both in the United States and Mexico.”

“If we are able to implement the program the way it’s supposed to work, everybody benefits with the reduction in cost, the reduction in wait times,” said Martin Rojas, vice president for security

and operations at the American Trucking Associations.

U.S. trade with Mexico in goods and services totaled $536 billion in 2012 — with $243 billion in exports and $293 billion in imports, according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.

By volume, the second busiest U.S. commercial port of entry with Mexico is Otay Mesa, which last fiscal year processed 780,000 truck crossings that carried $23 billion in merchandise into the United States, according to CPB.

Original: www.utsandiego.com

Mexico’s foreign reserves rise by $364 million

M

exico’s foreign reserves increased by $364 million last week to $190.83 billion, the Bank of Mexico said. Gold and foreign currency reserves rose in the week ending Oct. 10 mainly due to a rise in the value of the central bank’s foreign assets.

Reserves have grown by $14.31 billion since Jan. 1, the Bank of Mexico said in a statement.

The M1 money supply, which includes currency, coins and demand deposits, contracted by 3.72 billion pesos (about $277 million) to 889.39 billion pesos (some $66.22 billion) last week, the central bank said.

The money supply has contracted by 28.48 billion pesos ($2.12 billion) since Jan. 1.

Original: www.laht.com

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Friday Oct 24 - 30, 2014

US expands programs to improve environment along Mexico border

T

he United States and Mexico are continuing their collaboration to improve environmental health along their shared border with more than $8.6 million in grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The funding was announce during a border tour led by EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy in San Diego.

“Water, waste and environmental health concerns cross national boundaries, and environmental solutions benefit communities on both sides of our shared border,” said McCarthy. “Border environment projects have already benefitted 8 million border resi-

dents, providing 63,000 homes with first-time drinking water service and 569,000 homes with first-time wastewater services.”

The EPA funds were awarded in partnership with the North American Development Bank and the Border Environment Cooperation Commission to advance commitments in the U.S.-Mexico environmental collaboration known as the Border 2020 program.

Border 2020 is a bilateral, collaborative effort that aims to protect human health and the environment along the U.S.Mexico border.

The North American Develop-

ment Bank and the Border Environment Cooperation Commission are international organizations established to preserve, protect and finance environmental infrastructure projects in the U.S.Mexico border region. To date, EPA has invested $597 million in border environmental programs.

The grants announced October 7 are in addition to seven environmental improvement projects announced earlier in 2014 along the California and Arizona U.S-Mexico border, which leveraged an additional $425,500 from the recipient organizations.

Original: www.laht.com

What ever happened to Mexican vanilla?

By Kate Bielamowicz

A

romatic vanilla is native to Mexico, yet the country only produces 1 percent of the world’s supply, said Óscar Mora Domínguez of Finica Xanath, a vanilla farm in Veracruz.

Mora Domínguez is part of a small group of Mexican vanilla producers who are working to rescue Mexican production, as well as the species vanilla planifolia, which is in danger of extinction according to report by the National Commission for Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity.

“Vanilla is lost to us. Vanilla in Mexico is like looking at something in a museum. It’s ancient,” Mora Domínguez said.

“But it isn’t that. It shouldn’t be that. It’s a candy, a honey, a mole, a coffee, a perfume. It’s a reflection. It’s a medicine. It’s us. It’s ours,” he said.

And it’s true. Nine of the 15 Mesoamerican aromatic vanilla species are found in Mexico.

The plant was first discovered by the Totonaco in the northern areas of Veracruz and Puebla.

It is a cultural symbol and an economic one in the region.

Yet the current problem, says Mora Domínguez is that although there is demand for natural vanilla, the production doesn’t exist.

Natural vanilla production is not a quick and easy process, either.

The average vanilla plant takes 3 to 4 years to produce, said Mora Domínguez.

His farm, Finica Xanath, does every step of the harvesting vanilla, including pollination.

“Some days we might pollinate

5,000 flowers by hand. Imagine that when vanilla flowers only last half a day,” he said.

“It’s a lot of cost and a lot of production.”

For this reason, Mora Domínguez is advocating a combined effort between businesses and producers to help drive the production of Mexican vanilla and reach the demand that is otherwise unmet due to economic and ecological issues.

Some organizations are taking notice, particularly the Mexican Orchidology Association (AMO) and the Franz Mayer Museum.

They are specifically featuring vanilla in their upcoming exhibition, “Orquídeas. Otoño 2014” (“Orchids. Autumn 2014”).

Vanilla, after all, is a type of orchid. “It’s one of the oldest types of orchids,” said Eduardo Pérez, president of AMO and National Autonomous University of Mexico professor.

Vanilla is endemic to Mexico but the majority of vanilla consumed in Mexico is artificial, Pérez said.

Orchid festival organizers are hoping that platform will help grow awareness about Mexican vanilla and drive production efforts.

“We have contacted various producers of vanilla to come and showcase their products so that the people might become more familiar with Mexican vanilla,” said Pérez.

“The idea is that the consumer has direct access to the producer,” he said. Finica Xanthal vanilla farm is one of those producers.

“Whenever you smell real vanilla, you crave it. This is the connection we want to make,” said

Franz Mayer Museum Director Héctor Rivero Borrell Miranda.

“Orquídeas. Otoño 2014” will feature orchid exhibitions, photography, products for sale, educational workshops and conferences, many of which will be geared toward the preservation and cultivation of Mexican vanilla.

“People often go to the orchid sale, but not the conferences, which is why we picked vanilla as a theme,” said Professor Rebeca López of AMO. “It’s our country’s ‘black gold.’”

The orchid festival will be held from Oct. 15 to 19 at the Franz Mayer Museum in Mexico City.

Over 300 plants from 60 different species will be on display.

Puerto Vallarta is home the spectacular Vallarta Botanical Gardens and its’ new Vallarta Conservatory of Mexican Orchids which will showcase living native plants, primarily Orchids.

Source: The News

NEWS 06

Friday Oct 24 - 30, 2014

Of Markets and Men 2

By R.L. Avery

A

lot has happened in the last two weeks. I struggle to pare it down. A trader that has been in the business twenty-five years told me he’s never seen a day like Tuesday of last week. That’s saying something. Where are we at now? Not

today or last week or even where we’ll be two months from now.

Where are we in the big picture?

Well we are in uncharted waters.

Never before have governments around the world run deficits like we are seeing and they just keep printing money. (The death of Money, Currency Wars, by James Richards) The same people who were running things on Wall Street six years ago are running them again. Some of these people were hauled before congress but none faced prosecution.

(Greg Smith, Why I left Goldman Sachs) Most were given millions of dollars in salary’s plus bonus’s then new titles at other investment banks. As if that wasn’t enough they have been given cheap money and more or

less told to go at it again; inflate everything that you can inflate.

It’s worked.

The stock market has been going straight up for three years yet if the stats are right you haven’t noticed. Why? The common stock investor has not participated in this rally. You, the investor from main-street are in bonds. That doesn’t mean you should be impervious to the shenanigans of Wall Street and government.

What do you think happens when you reward people for failing? For driving institutions that are too big to fail into bankruptcy? What happened to all of the reforms? Three quarters of them expired before being acted upon is what happened.

Einstein said, “Insanity is

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doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results” Yet that’s what we seem to be doing with the banking system.

So what caused a ten percent drop in the Index’s? I could tell you it was slowing growth around the globe.

Maybe it was the recouring insolvency of Portugal, Italy and Greece or China slowing or how about Ebola? The fact of the matter is this. It is not the last snowflake that cause’s the avalanche to fall. Which one, where? It is the foundation that the snowpack is built on.

The markets have been built on cheap money given to morally bankrupt institutions at best and criminals at worst.

Now the Fed has been taking it

away. But wait! We staged a rally late last week because James Bullard (a non-voting member of the Federal Reserve Board) suggested maybe stopping the money supply wasn’t really in the cards. He jawboned a rally!

The Government is too cozy with Wall Street bankers and I suggest you take notice. I leave you with this Quote by Thomas Jefferson. (The full quote you will have to goggle) “ I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever let private banks control the issue of their currency…

The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people to whom it properly belongs.”

Cruise ships sail into Vallarta

2

014 will see 116 cruise ships dock in the port of Puerto Vallarta according to the Maritime Terminal Director, Miguel Angel García Beltrán. This will be a significant increase over 2013 an increase when 81 cruise ships visited our city. This increase is about 266,000 passengers and brings an estimated $25.6 million dollars of increased revenue to the city. Until the end of 2014 Puerto Vallarta will see two, and often three, cruise ships docked at the Terminal.

All projections are that 2015 will be an even busier year with 142 arrivals already scheduled and confirmed, increasing the port calls by 22% when compared to this year. Norwegian, Princess, Carnival and Holland America are the four most frequent cruise lines to dock in Puerto Vallarta.

Carnival represents 34% of arrivals; Princess 20%; Norwegian 19% and Holland America 16%.

Energy Reform Most Transcendental event for Mexico, Blair Says

F

ormer British prime minister Tony Blair has praised Mexico’s moves to reform its energy sector as “the most significant political event” for the country which could develop its resources with the help of the United States and Canada.

Speaking to university students on Tuesday, Blair said that if Mexico took advantage of the shale gas revolution and developed renewable energy resources with these partners, it would be the most transforming event in energy since the founding of the

Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries.

Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto recently signed a law allowing private participation in Mexico’s energy sector, permitting foreign companies to explore and drill for Mexican oil and gas for the first time in 70 years.

Peña has also signed legislation overhauling the country’s education system and the finance sector. The former prime minister, who left politics in 2007 and now works as an advisor for companies in the energy and finance

sectors, explained that the benefits from the reforms would not arrive overnight.

“These reforms will work, they will bring change, they were completely necessary, but it will take time for the benefits to be evident,” Blair said, adding that they had been well received by the international community.

While in Mexico, Blair will attend “Business Summit 2014,” which will be held in the central state of Queretaro from Oct. 26-28, and will be inaugurated by the Mexican president.

LOCAL 07

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Wellness Latina

By Marcella Castellanos info@wellnesslatina.com

What's the BUZZ in Mexico?

S

arah Faulkner, a traveler from California was recently at a potluck for natural, whole food living. Intrigued when aside from being an author, I learned she's a beekeeper, I had to learn more. Lately, the buzz is that there isn't a lot of buzz going around these days due to an alarming rate of bees dying off known as "colony collapse disorder," I thought it a perfect opportunity to get the facts straight about what's going on with these tiny, often misunderstood critters.

Why did you get into beekeeping?

Sarah: I got into it due to learning about colony collapse disorder. Increasingly, I became aware of the value of all bees and other smaller entities, though I'm not an animal lover per se. I see the value of all creatures as a part of life.

What's going on with the bee population?

Sarah: Many populations are in extreme danger. Loss of habitat, unbridled use of pesticides and probably GMOs (genetically modified organisms) which are plants that can only be created in a lab and are being produced with no

restraints. These altered productions are causing bees to respond in ways not expected. GMOs are being pushed by enterprises that care more about profits and not about people's well-being.

Long-tem studies have shown that GMOs cause rampant tumors in animals.. A huge percentage of the wheat, soy and sugar produced in North America is genetically modified.

What is colony collapse disorder?

Sarah: The bees go out to forage and never come home.

Nobody knows for sure why there is speculation of GMOs, pesticides, etc. One-third of the food supply is dependent on food pollinations - almonds, veggies and fruit. Even GMOs need pollination.

The things we're used to having on our plate would not be there.

What's going on in Mexico?

Sarah: It's nebulous. If bees are eradicated from the planet, then humans have 5 years or less. Global warming is a huge concern, but if bees aren't here it's probably a moot point. Recently, according to Christina Sarich of NationofChange.org, a Mexican judge who would not be bought off, ruled that honey production and GM soybeans could not co-exist.

This judge honored the concerns of small bee-keepers

Friday Oct 24 - 30, 2014

and will stall the growing season for Monsanto -the biotech giant's GM soybeans in Yucatán denying them a permit.

Paradise and Parenting

What are some solutions?

Sarah: Invite bees to live on your property. Grow bee friendly flowers at least 10 different kinds if possible, but any will help. And if possible have a beehive.

Is raw honey better than processed honey?

Sarah: Oh god ya. It has tons of micronutrients and enzymes. If you heat the honey hotter than 95 degrees you will start to kill the enzymes. It's antibacterial, highly healing. It's being used now in many burn wards in hospitals because healing from severe burns is vastly accelerated with the use of honey."

How do you know if it's raw?

Sarah: 1) Ask has the honey been heated? 2) Is it filtered? 3) Is it raw? If you see honey with honeycomb, it's safe to say that it's raw. Honey that's unprocessed and is straight from the hive is raw. (* I often buy honey from a street vendor that brings it to sell directly from his beehive) What's the most important thing a person should know about bees?

Sarah: They are vital to the continued existence of humanity.

They're not interested in us at all.

People who are afraid of bees don't realize they're not interested in you.

Marcella Castellanos is a bilingual, certified Health & Wellness Coach, working with individuals to increase their vitality by adopting healthier habits. She offers detoxing , weight loss programs and workshops as well as one-on-one coaching to help you thrive! Get seven days of smoothies FREE at www.wellnesslatina.com

Leza Warkentin

Lost in Translation

L

adies, we need to talk. Let me preface this talk by telling you all how very much I love my dear husband, and how (almost) every minute I am very happy that we found each other. He is absolutely the only person could that tolerate the drama, the chaos and the laundry that seems to go hand and hand with a life that has me in it.

If you too have found your very own longsuffering Mexican mate, and you are considering making things more permanent, let’s just take a moment to go over a few points. In any marriage, you will look back at some point and realize (hopefully with a sense of humor instead of a deep, wracking regret) that some of your beloved’s qualities that seemed so endearing at the beginning are now the things that send you on some long walks with your dog.

I think this is probably doubly true for bicultural marriages. There are so many new, exciting things about a person from a completely different background. All the romance! All the music! And the language! He can teach me Spanish! Let me tell you something, honey. You will not appreciate a language lesson when you don’t know the words for “toilet seat” and you have to demonstrate (daily) the way that you would like it positioned when not in use.

There are a few things that I KNOW you both think are great now. I’m here to tell you: a few years down the road, you will think the other person is great in SPITE of these things.

It’s so sweet when you start figuring out the other’s language. My husband thought it was “flowering” instead of “flirting”. This is adorable.

He used to giggle at my toddler-like Spanish too. Nowadays we are resigned to the fact that our conversations are probably twice as long as most people’s, being said in two languages just to be sure, and we will have at least one, major, language-based misunderstanding per week (outside of the normal misunderstandings of

every marriage). For example, my husband didn’t realize I meant that this past Friday the kids would be home from school, so he scheduled a work meeting. The realization that we both came to on Thursday night at 11pm was, in technical terms, A Major Drag.

It’s very romantic to start a relationship with someone who constantly loses track of time while staring into your eyes, and would spend 12 hours straight with you because stuff like being anywhere else just doesn’t matter. This disregard of the passage of time turns around to take a big bite out of you when you are supposed to be at a party at 5, and he is finishing up that song he is learning on guitar at 4:59 (I almost have it!). To be fair, we were still the first ones at the party. And he really does know that song.

My dream was to have children that a) didn’t sunburn and b) spoke two languages. I was so excited for the day when I would hear my children speak Spanish as well as they spoke English. My husband shared with me how he felt the same way about hearing our children speak English like true Canadians. We were thrilled about this special gift we were bestowing upon our children. Until the day my son told me “Um, yeah, mom, just speak to me in English, your Spanish doesn’t really sound right.” Until the year our daughter became the English drill sergeant with her daddy, demanding repetition and accuracy. Apparently being bilingual comes with a bit of a smart mouth.

But they do, indeed, have the loveliest, golden, burn-resistant skin. And that man still causes me to lose track of time when he turns those brown eyes on me.

So I guess what I’m saying is, ladies, I may speak a lot of Spanish, but I still don’t know the words for “toilet seat”. And he still doesn’t know that what he’s doing isn’t really “flowering”. As long as he’s still doing it, he can call it whatever he wants. The best things about any marriage never really need translating anyway.

LOCAL 08

Friday Oct 24 - 30, 2014

Tales to Tell

My Life In Vallarta

By Lois Ellison loell87@yahoo.com

Autumn In The Air

D

id my title make you scratch your head or go “huh”?

Well, here in Vallarta, the calendar may say it is autumn but it’s probably not what you remember from your youth.

Growing up on the East Coast, the autumn I knew was dramatic: a chill in the air, a riot of colors overhead, followed by the rustle of fallen leaves underfoot. With autumn came the promise that hot chocolate and ice skating were just around the corner.

Later as an adult, I lived in other states that also had four more or less distinct seasons.

When the last chrysanthemums faded and many other plants had gone dormant, you knew it was time to prepare for winter.

Even in northern Florida temperatures dipped into the chilly zone and the few non-palm trees shed their leaves.

But now I need to listen and look more closely to recognize the season. The changes may be subtle, but they are there.

Walking on the Malecon every morning, we start to notice familiar faces.

As the snowbirds begin their annual migration, we revive our guessing game of who we’ll see over the next few months.

“What happened to Red? She never made it last winter”?

“Do you think Shorty will have a new girlfriend”? We don’t know all of their names so we make them up and it adds to the fun.

Restaurants are re-opening.

Some boast a new coat of paint.

Some offer new menu items.

All are eager for the season to begin. It’s a long summer when you don’t have much income.

Soon we’ll be tempted by new theater and cabaret productions and our social calendar will be full. My yoga classes are getting busier with familiar faces and seasonal friends.

During the summer, I am often the only student and even though it’s nice having a private lesson, I’m sure my teachers prefer a

roomful of students. Until the other night, we hadn’t had any rain to speak of in the last few weeks.

Temperatures remain high and the air hangs heavy with humidity, enveloping you like a thick blanket. At least in the summer we can count on good storms to temporarily cool things down.

In autumn we wait for that one blissful morning when a good stiff breeze blows the humidity away and cooler days are upon us.

From our terrace I can see the hill behind Gringo Gulch slowly beginning to take on an ever so slightly brownish hue.

That is as close to fall color you’ll ever find here. I sit on the terrace waiting for more signs of autumn to appear.

In the meantime, our azalea puts on yet another splashy display of color and I get ready to plant some basil.

This must be papaya season.

The past few weeks you can find those pods of gold for a mere eight pesos per kilo.

That’s about thirty cents a pound. I think I could live on papaya. Soon the strawberry truck will begin making rounds and I can diversify.

North of the border may have fall color, pumpkins and turkey dinners. In Vallarta you can celebrate two Thanksgivings, Dia de Los Muertos and the International Gourmet Festival.

Best of all you won’t even need a sweater.

www.vallartatribune.com

Kathleen Phelps

I

t was 1960, her name was Candy, and she was as sweet as her name. She had just started working as a cocktail waitress at the Slate Brothers Night Club on La Cienega Blvd., and Henry Slate told her to do something about her teeth, and quick. I was a senior dental student doing her dental treatment.

She told me that the comedian Lenny Bruce had just finished performing there, and a new guy, Don Rickles, would be starting the next week.

She also told me that they were in need of an attendant to park the cars for the patrons. She promised me, that she would get me the job, if I finished her teeth in one week. I did as I said I would and she had the most beautiful smile that you could imagine.

She followed through, and I had the job as their parking lot attendant.

There was one more condition, which I had no problem agreeing with. She told everyone that I was her boyfriend, so that no one would hit on her with her boyfriend outside parking cars I met Don, the first night that he started at the club. He drove up, and I parked his car. When the show started at about 10 pm, I could slip inside the door and watch his routine.

Everybody knew who Lenny Bruce was, but who is Don Rickles anyway?

When he first started at Slate Brothers, he wasn’t getting as many laughs as he should. Candy told him, some of her customers were disappointed with his show that night.

He invited her, and her boyfriend, me, to join him at an after hour’s restaurant on Sunset Blvd. for breakfast. He liked our feedback and would often invite us out.

I remember him asking me if I would mind if he told his audience that I was a dentist. From then on it went something like this. “Hey folks, times are really getting bad.

In fact, terrible. Yes, times are so bad that we have a dentist

outside parking your cars. Give him a good tip will ya?”

Then one night everything changed for Don. He had just started his first show when in walks Frank Sinatra with a small group of his friends. Everybody was looking at Frank and Don nodded at him and said, "Come right in, Frank. Make yourself at home. Hit somebody."

Complete silence followed and all eyes were on Sinatra.

Suddenly Frank bursts out laughing and the whole audience went hysterical. That was all it took. From that moment on Don Rickles became a big star.

Don was really a very sweet guy off the stage. He had been surprised to learn that I made Candy’s teeth. He asked us if we would be getting married when I graduated and we told him who knows. Don had a girlfriend, Barbara, but he didn’t want to get married till he made the big time clubs. His dream at that time was Las Vegas. I think that we all really enjoyed those times we spent together after the shows.

After my graduation, my family and I were passing through Vegas, and I saw Don Rickles

name on the marquee at the Sahara. I got them to stop, and after we checked into a motel for the night, we went to the Sahara.

I asked the head waiter at the lounge if Mr. Rickles happened to be around, and as we were standing there, along came Don. When he saw me he took a double take, and then said, “Hey you; go ´park my car”, and we all had a good laugh.

“So now you’re a real dentist.

Where’s your office?”

“I am starting a practice in Palm Springs” I told him.

“Hey, good place. A lot of rich old women there.”

We sat there for about a half hour, and before he had to leave, he invited my whole family and me to see his lounge show with his compliments.

This column is dedicated to hearing the stories of the many interesting people who are visiting or live in Puerto Vallarta.

This week, Frank Meyer, tells us another of his interesting brushes with celebrities. If you have a Tale to Tell, contact Kathleen Phelps at kphelps1948@gmail.com or by cell phone at 322-142-2245.

events 09

www.vallartatribune.com

Would you like to include your non profit event announcement in the Vallarta Tribune? Please send details directly to editor@vallartatribune.com Maximum 50 words. Deadline is Monday for Friday distribution.

Vallarta – Nayarit Gastronomica October 22 - 25, 2014 Seminars, cooking demonstrations and events held at various locations around the Bay of Banderas with respected industry professionals, primarily in Spanish. vallartanayaritgastronomica.com October 30th “FLAVORS” History & Winetasting - Workshop featuring different countries starting with Spain Every Thu-Fri-Sat from 5-7 pm More information: ilianamorfin@ yahoo.com October 31st Costume Party at Sonar 9pm-2am No Cover Día De Los Muertos Oct. 31-Nov. 2, 2014 A celebration of life in death, this colourful Mexican tradition remembers loved ones who have passed with festivities. In the main plaza of Puerto Vallarta you will find an altar competition along with a parade along the Malecon on November 2nd.

Old Town Farmers Market Opens November 1st, 2014 The popular farmers market that goes by the ‘make it, bake it, grow it!’ motto opens for its 6th season in Lazaro Cardenas Park in Old Town. With about 80 vendors offering hand produced creations to over 800 shoppers each week, this is a must-stop event every Saturday.

November 2nd Celebrate Octoberfest with THE NAVY LEAGUE & THE AMERICAN LEGION, at Hacienda Alemana 378, Basilio Badillo. 6 to 9 p.m. Live music and lots of gifts to be raffled.

All you can eat buffet, wine and beer - 450 Pesos Funds will be used for Community Relations Projects.For tickets please contact Fred and Dorothy Piontkowski at :322-209-0064 International Sailfish & Marlin Tournament Nov. 12-15, 2014 Sponsored by the Puerto Vallarta Fishing Club, the Puerto Vallarta International Sailfish and Marlin Tournament celebrates its 59th year. In effort to recognize conser-

Friday Oct 24 - 30, 2014

‘Carmen’ Comes early to Vallarta

By David Rohde

O

n Saturday, November 1, Puerto Vallarta will be treated to another treat from the Metropolitan Opera in New York. The Met in HD series will simulcast Bizet´s “Carmen” with a staging by Richard Eyre.

The broadcast starts at 11:00 a.m. This is due to the time change in Mexico that does not go into effect until after the performance in the U.S. A pre- opera lecture will be given by Vallarta Lifestyles´ editor, Paco Ojeda, at 10 a.m.

“Carmen” is one of the most popular operas in the repertoire and one that also possesses some of the most popular melodies in classical music.

The mezzo soprano, Anita Rachvelishvili, from the country of Georgia will be the Carmen.

The NY Times said that “her blooming voice blazes when she leans on it at the top and bottom”.

The Latin Post writes that “She brought her customary lush voice to the role of the gypsy.

It´s hard to find a better singer who possesses all the qualities needed for Carmen. Not only does she have the correct voice, but also the acting abilities and the fire for the role.

The mezzo was in top form, she sang with power and it was almost impossible to take your eyes off her”.

Join a growing number of Vallartans who are taking advantage of what these simulcasts offer. The opera is SUBTITLED IN ENGLISH and there are behind-the-scenes interviews with cast, conductor and others who help to bring these works to us.

TEATRO VALLARTA Presents Carmen at the Met in HD Saturday November 1st 11am Join Paco Ojeda at 10am for a preview lecture on Carmen

Costume Party The Solar Bar Paraguay 1290 Col. 5 de Diciembre Friday, October 31 9pm - 2am (No Cover)

vation efforts changes have been made to this year’s event including only marlin of over 220 lbs, sailfish of more than 77 lbs, tuna over 66 lbs, and mahi-mahi over 22 lbs will qualify.

Exciting prizes and events surround the tournament.

International Festival Gourmet Nov. 13-23, 2014 Vallarta’s most popular gourmet festival celebrates its 20th anniversary this year with 29 restaurants participating in Vallarta and the Riviera Nayarit.

Local chefs work alongside international chefs to create exceptional meals on specially priced menus. visit FestivalGourmet.com.

International Fireworks Festival December 20 – 31st, 2014 This eleven day fireworks festival will play host to five countries as well as five states.

Each nightly display will last 20 minutes and be launched from three locations to ensure optimal viewing across the bay.

Wednesday February 4Th, 2015 The 4th annual fund raiser for the John Ozzello memorial food bank Enjoy a day of Whale Watching as well as helping to support the local food bank. $650pp 9am-4pm leaving Paradise Village Marina in Nuevo Vallarta Tickets: Sandi or Randy Nystrom 322-103-2828 or rsnystrom@ hotmail.com January 24th, 2015 4th Annual TASTE OF LA CRUZ Marina Riviera Nayarit in La Cruz de Huanacaxtle 3-7pm TASTE OF LA CRUZ will feature restaurants, businesses, artisans and musicians from Nayarit and Puerto Vallarta.

Perceptions

of Art

By Marcia Blondin marciavallarta@gmail.com

D

el Shores is coming! Del Shores is coming! And he's bringing his latest movie with him too! No, you haven't already seen it...nobody in Mexico or anywhere outside of the United States (and only a few there) have seen it because the International Premiere of Southern Baptist Sissies opens here in Vallarta!

Fireworks, please!

and a short reprise during last year's Voice of Vallarta Broadway Week. There will be a costume contest and plenty of time to strut your stuff, so dust off your platform boots and bustiers and let's get a little Time Warped.

Voice of Vallarta's final audition is this Saturday. Come and cheer on your friends/families/ neighbors/total strangers! It's cool inside the Main Stage Theatre.

Be there by 2pm if you want to audition and the show will get underway at 2:30.

This amazingly talented man will perform My Sordid Best at Act II Entertainment Saturday, October 25th. Then on November 1st, Del will show his movie at 7 pm then entertain you once again with his Sordid Best then there will be a party to meet Del Shores and have great drinks and nibblies.

The show will be screened once only! Get your tickets now at the box office or Vallatatickets.com

Dracula Gay in the Red Room has a few more shows...will be especially fun Halloween night!

The makeup was very well done and parts were very funny indeed.

Let me explain 'parts' - it is in Spanish, and what I understood was... very funny indeed!

Halloween is next week and Rocky Horror Picture Show will be shown at 8 pm at Act II with a few of the cast members on stage from the stellar production at the Palm a couple of seasons ago

Rehearsals continue for Assorted Fruits and Vegetables that opens November 6th. I have a small yet ridiculously hard part in it! I hope you will come to see it and bring every single person you know.

HEALTHCARE 10

Friday Oct 24 - 30, 2014

www.vallartatribune.com

North Shore Living

The Best Medical Centre of the West Submitted by Vallarta4Real

T

his is a “Did you know about this? article”, contributed

by Dr. Max Greig, a local Orthopedic surgeon, who interestingly grew up here as a child, got his basic medical training in Guadalajara, and then specialty training in the USA and Germany.

Importantly, he chose to set his practice up here in Vallarta, specializing in joint problems and has been a major contributor to the growth and establishment of Puerto Vallarta as a top destination medical centre.

Many also recognize him as one of the main creators of medical tourism to this destination, and a continuing motivator to improve medical services here.

Many of you know Dr. Greig and have been helped by his thorough diagnoses, therapies and when necessary, pain relieving surgeries, especially with shoulder, hip and knee problems and lack of mobility issues. And, along with Dr. Max, as he is known, there are many other top professionals and medical professionals here: Internists, Cancer Specialists, Dental, Eye Surgery, Nutrition Experts, Dialysis, Cardiac Surgeons, Bariatric Surgery, GYN Surgeons, Chiropractic, Plastic Surgery, and others. In fact, Puerto Vallarta offers a wide range of medical and hospital services equal to the national

By Fabien Madesclaire Fabien@g3mex.com level and even internationally.

For the past two decades ago “Medicine of High Specialties” was established firmly in Puerto Vallarta. And the bar continues to be raised. Not too long ago, one of the major clinic/hospitals here advertised itself as offering help for the following: stomach problems, sunburns, minor fractures and accidents, but also ambulance and air evacuations…

In other words, people left here for serious treatments… but now, and said not without a little pride, people come here for all kinds of treatments and surgeries.

The locals, who used to go to Guadalajara for dental and X-rays, now do it here, too.

Vallarta has more than 300 specialists attending to all types of medical problems, even heart and brain surgeries, in both private and public hospitals and smaller clinics and offices.

Most of these are certified by National Specialty Boards, and many have international training and recognition.

There are also hundreds of regular general practitioners spread throughout the valley and the bay as well as laboratories and pharmacies. It also bears importance to mention the many “Wellness” spas and alternative therapy centres, doing great stuff to make you feel better,

and equally important for your wellbeing.

So, how do I find a good doctor?

A good health provider?

Even a good spa?

Well, the best way is a word of mouth recommendation.

Then familiarize yourself with the main hospitals: Amerimed, CMQ (two locations), San Javier (two locations), Medasist, and a number of “clinic hospitals” like Versalles, Las Palmas, Belen, San Antonio, Tondoroque, MedicAir… Also read through the local publications and magazines, visit Bandera Bay News, and Health Resources, and even write to the address on this column.

Note on Cornerstone Hospital: Closed at this time till further notice – new owners and administration in progress, but worthy of mention.

So, you are in good hands!

If you have lived here a while, go ahead and recommend the good doctors and practitioners you have experienced to friends, neighbors and others.

Give testimony of the good attention, how nice the facility is, the nursing staff, that English is spoken and understood, and feedback about other related experiences. The doctors are doing their part, and you too can help keep Vallarta as the top medical destination for locals and foreigners alike.

Disclaimer: Vallarta4real doesn’t directly represent or advocate any one doctor or medical service… nor diagnose or offer treatments, just general sensible information and relaying tips from other readers.

Vallarta4Real… a source of tips and comments from real estate and health providers, but with interesting local culture information and stories, so you can understand and appreciate the area, especially you lucky visitors, property owners and those seeking of good health…

And… share back your own discoveries, experiences, & questions at vallarta4real@ yahoo.com

T

he North Shore of the Bay of Banderas, and up the Pacific coastline on the Riviera Nayarit, is a varied and spectacular terrain offering lovely beaches, lush jungles, world-class surfing, fishing and water sports.

Too, this area is now famous for a large and ever growing community of environmentalists, spiritualists and yoga enthusiasts.

Here you will find quiet a little Mexican village right next door to a gorgeous multi-million dollar resort. There is truly something for every taste and budget.

Some Highlights of the North Shore Region Punta de Mita: Punta de Mita has several personalities. One is that of a sleepy fishing village, with easy and less expensive access to boat rental for a day on the bay, or an intensive deep sea fishing excursion. On the other hand, there is the super elegant and luxurious resort side of Punta de Mita, where the rich and famous (or the rich and discreet) come to play and get away from it all. Fabulous condos and villas abound.

Litibu: Heading north from Punta de Mita is the exclusive resort area of Litibu. Gorgeous golfing, perfect beaches, with some stronger tides—as you are now directly on the ocean and not protected by the Bay of Banderas. This is a hot spot for surfing pros! Find eco-friendly property ownership options at Rancho Litibu, where you can purchase a lot and build your own little jungle/beach paradise.

Punta Sayulita Punta Sayulita is up from Litibu and located at the very point on the ocean that leads into the Bay of Sayulita. Another beau-

tiful jungle hideaway, with some spectacular lots and development properties available for purchase and construction.

Sayulita We can’t say anything about the town and beach at Sayulita that hasn’t already been said.

Here you can surf, shop, eat, and flashback to 60’s. A little piece of Santa Cruz California tucked away on the west coast of Mexico.

The properties range from simple open-air casitas to luxury villas.

Pretty much anything goes on this beach. A great spot to do some people watching; and a perfect location to let your freak flag fly!

San Francisco (frequently referred to by the locals as San Pancho) Arrive in San Pancho, and step back in time to a more traditional Mexican town. Men on horseback ride through the streets and roosters run free. Tranquil, and laidback with an interesting population of both Mexicans and Expats, a flourishing art colony (the Colectivo San Pancho) and a very active community of environmentalists spice up the scene. If you’re looking for a getaway, San Pancho is a perfect and very unblemished retreat.

Lo de Marcos Small and unhurried is the word for Lo de Marcos. Your big decision for the day will be whether to nap in the hammock before or after lunchtime. Here you can commune with nature, the ocean, or a good book. You’ll never want to leave!

To find out more about North Shore properties, feel free to contact me anytime at G3MEX Real Estate Group: 322-2090832 or on my cell phone at: 044-322-135-0424.

VALLARTA SHOPPING DIRECTORY The only complete guide for Vallarta´s best galleries, boutiques, spas, restaurants and more. vallartashoppingdirectory.blogspot.mx

W

elcome returning visitors, residents and new tourists to Puerto Vallarta, our paradise nestled between the mountains and the sea. Here you will find the most variety of dining, shopping, entertainment and fun of any tropical destination.

This page is dedicated to showing you the best we have to offer in Vallarta , not only the fine businesses who are listed here, but a total of 185 local merchants in 20 categories such as Best Restaurants, Boutiques, Jewelry, Specialty Foods, Art Galleries, Craft Galleries, Travel and Tours, Boutique Hotels, Real Estate Agencies, Services, Beauty Shops and Spas, Entertainment and Bars, Cafes and more...

We are proud to announce our new website …http://puertovallartadining-shopping.com/ which links directly to our original online site…vallartashoppingdirectory. blogspot.com Click on either site and you will find the most unique shopping

and dining experience with photos of the various restaurants and shops, links to their websites and Facebook, contact information and write ups about their products and services. On the website you can click on any category such as Restaurants and it will take you to the page with all the restaurants .

Be sure to check out the loca-

tions listed on this page such as CASSANDRA SHAW for the most unique jewelry , FAITH COLLECTIVA for handcrafted malas and accessories, PATRICIA GAWLE CERAMICS, for whimsical ceramic artworks, GALERIA DANTE for the largest selection of art in town, GALERIA VALLARTA for art in all forms at affordable

prices, COLIBRI for Folk art and specialized ceramic décor, DI VINO DANTE elegant wine and tapas bar. NACHO DADDY for great Mex/Tex food and live music, BUMERANG CONSIGNMENT SHOP for slmost new clothing for men and women, VALLARTA FOOD TOURS for a culinary and cultural journey through Vallarta,

and the beautiful ELEMENTS OF DESIGN store where you will find every type of decorative accent for your home and unique gifts.

LOS BAMBINOS our favorite local musical group will be entertaining locally starting in November but are available for bookings.

Have fun and enjoy your stay in Puerto Vallarta.

Basilio Badillo 269 A Puerto Vallarta, Jal Mon - Sat 2pm-11 pm (322) 223 3734 From USA or Canada 1-269-282-9550 info.divinodante@gmail.com www.divinodante.com

MEN AND WOMEN’S JEWELRY AND ACCESORIES. CASSANDRA SHAW JEWELRY 223 9734 BASILIO BADILLO 276 OLD TOWN OPEN DAILY

Nacho Daddy Mexico is the place in Puerto Vallarta where American, Canadian and European ex-pats and tourists across the globe gather to drink, eat, dance, listen to great music,watch football and having a rip-roaring good time.

287 Basilio Badillo in old town 322 223 0838 www.nachodaddymexico.com

Celebrating the Colorful Magic of Life

Kathleen Carrillo Gallery

K

athleen Carrillo, along with her husband and writer Andrew Marcus, reside in the Jungles just outside of Puerto Vallarta, along the Rio Cuale. Here, they run their Art Retreat Center and Studio. Kathleen has her masters degree in fine art specializing in painting and printmaking.

She has been painting for over twenty years, and has national and international acclaim.

Her works are found in public and private collections throughout the world and she has won many awards. Her original images are sought after and sold quite frequently before they are complete. She is often working

on commissions, and preparing for gallery shows. You can be assured that your originals and giclee prints will have the expression that you would expect, and the highest quality works available on the market. Kathleen personally signs and numbers each hand embellished, limited edition giclee and guarantees your purchase with a certificate of authenticity.

Look for her art at her new location at Constituci贸n 325 next to Banderas Bay Trading Company, just around the corner from where her gallery used to be.

They also reside part of the year in Sarasota, Florida where she produces her many giclee editions.

Old Town Farmers Marke

“Gearing Up for the OTFM-TC’s 6th Season” Download 200,000+ brand logos in vector format for free http://www.logoeps.com/

O

ver eighty local producers have spent their summers busily readying themselves for the 6th season of Puerto Vallarta’s favourite weekend attraction: the Old Town Farmers Market-Tianguis Cultural.

We’re just one week away from cutting the ribbon on this “make it, bake it, grow it” option for national and international visitors. In fact, we’re the perfect blend of a North American style market celebrating the tradition and culture of Mexico’s outdoor tianguis markets. As registered non-profit/association civil organization, we focus on the “buy local” movement as well as entrepreneurial and community development.

Today, over 100,000 national and international shoppers come out every season to scoop up a wealth of one-of-a-kind goodies: • Farm-fresh produce and berries • Pickles • Organic coffee • Artisan breads • Traditional British fruit and meat pies • Greeting cards • Flavourful cheeses • Baked goods • Homemade dips, dressings, salsas and moles • Custom made bikinis and resort wear • Deli meats • Handcrafted jewellery, sandals and accessories • Natural body products • Refreshing agua frescas (flavoured water) • Freshly cut tropical flowers • Greek yoghurt • Nut butters • Eye-catching décor • Clothing for all ages • Prehispanic instruments, Huichol art and traditionally woven items • Fresh coconut water • Organic pet food They also check out the local non-profit organizations and on-site services such as chiropractic adjustments (with an American-certified doctor) and rejuvenating massages. And now you can too!

A Foodie’s Delight With all of that exploration, you’ll need to replenish your energy with the market’s mouth-watering food

and refreshing beverages.

International food vendors will wow you with a variety of lip-smacking International fare, including Thai, Indian and Taiwanese dishes.

And of course, we have a fantastic spread of Mexican favorites from tacos and empanadas to burritos and green pozole. We even have vegan entrees, such as hamburgers, al pastor and falafels.

Just remember to save room for the sweet stuff!

• Cakes • Cookies • Artisan chocolates • Sticky buns • Ice cream • Candied nuts • Peanut brittle • Sweet breads • Chocolate-covered bananas Simply head on over to our new International Food Court which is located under shaded pergolas on the eastern side of Lazaro Cárdenas Park. Relax and dine to the rhythms of local musicians.

On Opening Day, we’ll feature Tatewari, a 4-member Flamenco guitar band.

Join in on the Fun Come on out and enjoy the live music, wonderful weather, farm-fresh produce and artisan goods at the OTFM-TC! Our 9:30 am ribbon-cutting festivities will start the market fun on Saturday, November 1, in Lazaro Cárdenas Park. This beautiful town square is located in Vallarta’s Emiliano Zapata neighbourhood. For only 10 pesos an hour, you can park in the garage directly beneath Lazaro Cárdenas Park. Public buses and taxis also come this way with a Pino Suarez Street drop off, just steps from the market.

We look forward to seeing you this Saturday (9:30-2) and every Saturday from November 1 to April 25. If you have any questions, our Information Booth will be open during market hours. And if you’d like to become an OTFM-TC vendor, volunteer or chef demonstrator, we’ll have applications on hand. For market updates in English – and now in Spanish – please visit www.oldtownfm.com and “like” us on Facebook.

et - Tianguis Cultural

Find us at Parque Lázaro Cárdenas Romantic Zone Saturdays 9:30 - 2:00 pm

Old Town Farmer´s Market - Opening Day - November 1st 9:30 am to 2:00 pm Join us every saturday at Lazaro Cardenas Park

REAL ESTATE 16

Friday Oct 24 - 30, 2014

www.vallartatribune.com

Building in Mexico: part dos

L

and Ownership in Mexico: I did not know that you could own land in Mexico. This is an oft heard mantra from those with only partial knowledge.

From the coast to fifty kilometers inland and a hundred kilometers from the US border, foreigners cannot hold direct title on land, but there is a mechanism in place called a fideicomiso (A bank trust) which allows you to own land within that 50 kilometers of the coast or 100 kilometers of the US border through a bank trust.

This is all legal and very secure, although many ignorant of the process like to flash a knowing sneer as if it is all going to be stripped away from you one day. A fideicomiso is not a lease. You own it through the bank trust, and have to give heirs for when you pass away that are logged on your fidocomiso, Many who go to Mexico and either purchase land and build, or purchase a house/condo leave their brains at the border. I’ve heard of some doing it all on a handshake (!).

If buying in Mexico as a foreigner within 50 kms of the coast or 100 kms of the US border, you will have to set up a fidoceimiso. There are a couple ways of doing this and the most common is to purchase your property or house through a reputable real-estate agent.

The more sophisticated purchaser of Mexican property can purchase land from a seller with a knowledgeable lawyer or notary public, but it would not be recommended without a solid understanding the process and knowing that your lawyer or notary public has done it before – a strong grasp of Spanish would also curtail confusion and mis-comunication should you be determined to go this route.

Many people who have purchased land or a house/condo without a reputable real-estate agent in the fold have later found that they don’t own what they’ve paid hard-earned dollars for with no grounds for recourse.

The People: Mañana … we’ve all heard the word, it sounds so quaint and it’s meaning so aloof: I’ll get to it tomorrow … If you build in Mexico, I bet every last peso I’ve ever spent that you will come to hate this word. This is no joke, as you will hear this word many times and you’ll come to understand that it hardly ever means ‘tomorrow’.

From the Canadian perspective, it is often a shirk or a polite

or ‘soft’ no. It can also mean very possibly in the future, but when?

I don’t know. I remember one time, I was over 50% along in my project and I’d heard the M-word from my plumbing/electrical contractor over the phone, and having completed the conversation and hanging up, was working on just standing and seeing if I could make myself blow-up. Frustration is not an adequate word for what I was feeling.

A Mexican friend/employee saw me and asked me what was wrong. I explained and he just smiled and said some of the wisest words I heard in Mexico: “Amigo, you are not going to change the people here in Mexico … they will change you”.

This is all true, after all, I was building in Mexico because I fell in love with the place and the people, but really, if it were not for the people, Mexico would not hold the spell it does for both me and my wife.

I’m not suggesting that you double the estimated time to build, but adding a contingency, and keeping a ready supply of that contingency of patience on hand at any time for your body and mind is going to help in the building process.

Building in Mexico was one of the great experiences of my life, and as a bonus I ended up with a reasonable grasp of Spanish, which I enjoy practicing at any opportunity.

I was at a dinner party one time and one of the American guests said, “Mexicans are friendly on

the surface, but you can never get close to them” – this was prior to my building in Mexico.

Really, nothing could be farther from the truth from my perspective. I’ve laughed until I’ve cried with my Mexican friends, I’ve shared horrible grief with my Mexican friends, and I never feel more welcome as when I return and see my Mexican friends.

The Building Process: Once it was completed, two Americans stopped by my place in front; on the road where I was, and one offered, "Wow, what a beautiful bit of architecture."

“Thanks, it took some doing”, I replied to which his friend said, “Yeah, we both built our own places over in Los Barriles, and I’ve often thought that once you complete your first project, as you have, you ought to get a badge or something”.

We all laughed about that but all agreed that we wouldn’t trade the experience for anything.

My place is built, essentially, in the most typical Mexican way, with concrete block and cement, and this method is the one I can offer advice on. Not so typical for the region, my house employs lots of wood as both doors and architectural features.

In Todos Santos, there are many forms of construction: Everything from straw bale to rammed-earth, and foam-block.

There’s even an earthship, but the most common, by far, is block and concrete. Blocks are made in small outdoor ‘factories’ and can differ in quality greatly due

to quantity of cement used (or not used). Ask around and get a few opinions on the source and quality of the blocks before you begin. As a GC you will be hiring concrete workers (Abiniles) both Maestros (Journeymen) and Asistantes (Assistants, or Helpers).

You will also likely be hiring sub contractors. It is common to appoint a capitan (forman0 to your job-site (obra). Maestros ought to come recommended as, in my experience, there are many different levels of skill and talent, but they all will command a maestros rate of pay.

You should take the time and go and check out some past jobs that the core of your crew has done and speak to past clients of theirs – nothing you wouldn’t do if you were building in Canada.

Same with any subcontractors that you hire – make sure their workmanship is equal to what you have in mind.

I brought to my job-site a considerable amount of experience, and a lot of solid equipment and tools: Items like a brand new 1/2 yard gas powered cement mixer, a powerful 220v table saw, and a full library of pnematic tools among other items. Much of this equipment and tools the workers on the site had never seen, or not seen represented in equal quality, yet I still had issues with unequal rise on a stair set in concrete, openings that were too small and required much chipping to fit doors and windows despite correct rough openings listed on the plans.

You have to monitor everything.

None of the crew that I had hired had ever built anything with proper building plans, and I could barely order a taco in Spanish without error when I began.

Photos help tremendously for inspiration, and intent on quality of workmanship. Visiting buildings with your foreman to observe workmanship you wish to have on your job-site is also very helpful, and it clarifies intent.

Maybe you see a fantastic example of a wrought-iron gate that you want and maybe you are sub-contracting that out. Bring the sub-contractor a photo before you ask for a price, or bring the sub-contractor by the example, that way, both of you know where you are heading. A couple of times I did this type of thing with sub-contractors, they smiled and informed me that I was showing them their work.

Your average Mexican does not have a lot of money and often, to them, a million dollar house is what they have, only bigger. This may sound trite, but with items like electrical and plumbing, one must ensure that, first, you have a very good plan that your subcontractor understands and they list all items and you go over it with them.

Even with this type of diligence, I experienced items missing, not, I believe maliciously, just missing.

Items like too few switches for lights, but all in all, my project turned out very good compared to some.

Most houses where I live have receptacles that don’t work – never

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REAL ESTATE 17

Friday Oct 24 - 30, 2014

Charity in Vallarta

By Frank K. Meyer

I have, or switches that control things in other rooms. Some even sport exposed lamp-cord leading to fixtures, yes, you have to be on top of things. I’m happy to report that all my switches operate what they were intended, and all of my receptacles work. My own experience with differing visions of end product resulted over what was termed a grey water system.

Often, in Mexico, there is no option to hook into a waste water system, options include black water going a septic system, and grey-water going to the garden.

“So, Alberto, included with all of this is a grey-water system, right?”

I confirmed, looking over the plumbing & electrical quotation.

“Si, si, Dean, todos inclusivo!”.

I’ve seen these systems, or rather not seen them; I’ve stood in beautiful gardens where owners have proclaimed statements like, “Yeah, and all our grey-water is channeled into the garden as well”. One can’t see the system, only the fact that it is contributing to watering the garden. You don’t want this water sitting, you want it percolated deep in the soil for obvious reasons.

I had no Idea how a grey water system worked, and apparently, either did Alberto. Nearing completion of my project, I asked when the grey-water system was going in, and he exclaimed that it was in.

My grey-water system consisted of a pipe sticking out of the side of the house from which all the sink, dishwasher, laundry, and showers flowed, andelé. My property is relatively steep creating drainage problems that a more level site would not suffer, but we solved the issue with five mini leach-fields, but the point here is take nothing for granted!

What To Pay: This is not an easily answered question … I can only pass on what I paid, and what I heard other people were paying at the time that I built (2007).

This is also region specific,

and what is a good wage in Todos Santos in BCS would likely be astronomical in, say, Tequila, Jalisco.

I’m not a cheap person by nature … actually loath people who are cheap for cheap’s sake.

I know that I was far from paying the cheapest in town (I wanted to be fair, but not be throwing money away), and I know that there were some builders and architects that I respected as people paying, more or less, the same as I was, so I was comfortable in my rates of pay. For a maestro, I was paying $600.00NM/day, and for an asistente, the rate I came up with was $350.00NM/day. I think at the time the prevailing minimum wage in Mexico was $30.00NM or $40.00NM/day – that’s right, I was paying a 20 fold increase over minimum wage. I witnessed much lower rates of pay, and some deplorable conditions that these hard working men were living and working in.

Even if you are keeping the labor at arms-length via a builder, I believe it your responsibility to inquire as to the living conditions of the workers on the site. I’ve seen ‘building contractors’ with underpaid crew I found that some quotations from contractors varied wildly, as they sometimes do in Canada, so one is wise to get multiple quotes when possible as well as making sure everyone is quoting the same scope of work. Many Mexican contractors, like Canadian contractors, have tremendous skill and strong technical knowledge, and others, not so much.

There is always the dreaded ‘mañana’ factor as well – be diligent, as you would in Canada, and get references, and look at the workmanship of past projects. I’ve been brought to see proud owners show me work that I would not be pleased with – set your standards and stick with the QC as you will have to live with the results, not the contractor.

first heard about Pasitos De Luz in the year of our hurricane (October 2002). A friend from the church that I was attending at that time had asked me to help her sell tickets to a benefit concert for Pasitos De Luz. Since I had never heard of them before, I asked Suzy Zapata to take me there and show me the need. She did, and ever since then, I have been enchanted with the work that Yolanda does with those loving children Shortly after that, I wrote an article about Pasitos De Luz, and their need to get their therapy pool completed, and as a result of that story, a very generous man donated 10,000 pesos, and another friend, Monty Merrell, spent 3 weeks doing the work necessary to finish the pool. That work included the tile setting, and the plumbing, amongst other odds and ends.

The IFC also jumped in to give a helping hand, with Mel Bornstein, chairman of the Education committee being able to add to their existing roof, and put in a new floor, making it easier to move around in the wheel chairs that the children use.

Pasitos De Luz had grown to accommodate 56 young children, all with some type of disability. But now I will let Yolanda Sanchez tell you the history of this work.

Yolanda’s Story On December 2nd, 1999 I joined a group of 8 mothers of children with different disabilities. We began to work together with their children, with the assistance of specialized therapists in just one room of one house.

When in a family such as this,

and the odds appear to be stacked against you; there should always be a “Light” somewhere along the way which should help to guide you and lighten the load That is how “Pasitos de Luz” came into being It was founded with all the enthusiasm and the love that I feel for the children and in particular by supporting the mothers. We came to exist as a group out of the great need that mothers have. It gives them the chance to be able to work and bring some money home, because on their own they were not always able to look after the demands and needs of their children and also make a living.

We started with virtually nothing; we only had two boards to help children stand up, a baby– walker and 2 cots, a few dishes and an excellent physiotherapist who taught us a great deal.

We rented a place as a base for the charity, then another, finally moving to a half-built house that was lent to us, owned by my husband. Slowly but surely, we were able to adapt it to children’s needs. This house is where we are now currently based, on E. Corona in Col. Bobadilla in Puerto Vallarta, in the state of Jalisco, Mexico.

We had been in operation for just a few months, when we were advised by the city president to go to a public notary to register officially as a charity; and that is how: “United Mothers for the Rehabilitation of their children AC.” Came to be officially recognized as a charity on November 22nd, 2000.

We have continued to grow since those humble beginnings as a group of eight mothers, and we now offer more services than ever before. Not only for the handicapped child, but also for their mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters of the disabled child.

Besides the therapy pool, which I mentioned previously, Pasitos De Luz has grown to be able to help many more families than they could at the beginning.

Our vision is to establish "Pasitos de Luz" as the best child welfare rehabilitation center in Puerto Vallarta (Always as a not-for-profit organization), complete with rehabilitation areas, therapies, recreation, all supported by the most advanced and well-trained team, to provide support to children with disabilities that come from low income backgrounds. The project intends to offer communal areas to form a Special Club for children and young people with disabilities, with specific, adapted facilities for them, which include areas of recreation, education, games, gym and hydrotherapy that helps them to remain active and develop their mental, physical and social development.

To support, WITHOUT CHARGE, families in Puerto Vallarta from low income backgrounds and their children with varying disabilities.

Pasitos de Luz offers them a caring and loving environment. A home away from home.

Friday Oct 24 - 30, 2014

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Fun on the Riviera Nayarit

By Cat Morgan www.rivieranayaritfun.com

Markets Opening for High Season

E

very town around the Banderas Bay and along the Riviera Nayarit has their own Tianguis, Mercado, or farmers market; some of which run all year around, and some only during the high season. As we move into the high season local farmers markets and tianguis’s are beginning again with all kinds of goodies for sale!

Every year local vendors and businesses come and sell their goods which range from local grown organic fruits and vegetables, homemade yogurt and cheeses, jams, honey, soaps and lotions, fresh cut flowers, all kinds of custom jewelry, shoes and clothes, different types of art creations and local artist displaying their wares. Different foods are

always a big hit; it’s fun to browse about whilst eating an empanada, slice of pizza, homemade tamales, BBQ , salads, steak sandwiches hot off the grill, smoked fish and all sorts of cakes, breads and pastries and just about everything in between. Most food vendors have a taste set out for you to sample. Okay, I’m hungry now!

Kicking off the season is one of my favorite markets; the La Cruz Sunday Mercado, opening on Sunday, November 2nd, which is also “Day of the Dead “or “Dia de los Muertos”. The celebration begins and runs through November 3rd.

Dia de los Muertos is a highly celebrated and honored Mexican holiday, as they take the time to honor their loved ones who has passed on. It will be fun to see the different painted skeletons, faces and sugar skulls at the Mercado. This Mercado has

it ALL! Including the best peanut vendor around, Cacahuate Carlos!

It’s one of the largest markets in the bay and on the Riviera Nayarit.

The La Cruz Sunday Mercado is located at the La Cruz Marina with plenty of room to walk about, see the 200 vendors, listen to live music and enjoy the beautiful view of the La Cruz Marina and

weekly La Cruz Tianguis every Wednesday all year around. They have fruit and veggies, movies, clothes, kitchen items and other items. With the same directions as above to La Cruz, go to the light and make a left down the main street. The Tianguis is just past the round-about (Glorieta.)

Bucerias Tianguis is also

space FREE to vendors! What a wonderful thing for local people!

Sometime, vendors only sell a few items, and then they have to give that money to the organizer of the market.

Way to go Christy! The Bucerias Monday Market will have all sorts of vendors with different foods, breads, jewelry and everything

Every year local vendors and businesses come and sell their goods which range from local grown organic fruits and vegetables, homemade yogurt and cheeses, jams, honey, soaps and lotions, fresh cut flowers, all kinds of custom jewelry, shoes and clothes, different types of art creations and local artist displaying their wares the bay. To get to the market, take the 200 road north. Not long after the Terralta light you will see the turnoff on the right heading to La Cruz. After going past the Oxxo’s, look for a sign saying La Cruz Marina and go left there. Go down to the last street and go left, then right to the La Cruz Marina, which is where the La Cruz fish market is as well.

If you get to the light (the only light) you have gone too far, and will need to go back.

Come early for a good parking space. The La Cruz Mercado opens at 9 and closes at 2pm.

In La Cruz you can also find the

year around every Sunday and it is located in the dry river bed. It gets larger, as most of the year around markets does during the high season.

They have everything from making keys and electronic cords for phones and computers to fresh fruits and veggies and all sorts of clothes, tools, cleaning supplies, laundry soaps, cakes and pastries and juices and elote…LOVE elote with lime and chili!….all kinds of crazy stuff!

The Bucerias Monday Market at the Art Walk Plaza is beginning on November 3rd. This year Christy B. has offered the

in-between. Stop by the Art Walk Plaza….just down the street from Mark’s Bar and Grill and right by Floydilou and Mikes place, the Bucerias Art Gallery and Studio, located on the south side of the Kissing Bridge.

Let’s support the Bucerias local community!

The Bucerias Art Walk begins on Thursday, November 6th this season and is every Thursday during high season. Enjoy walking around the north side of the kissing bridge and visit the art galleries. Talk to the art gallery owners. Swing on by Jan Marie next door to Mark’s and taste a

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riviera nayarit 19

Friday Oct 24 - 30, 2014

Living In La Cruz

By Chris Bouchard

Permanently importing your car into Mexico One couple’s experience Mexican wine while you check out the amazing Talavera tableware and hand blown glasses, a great collection of hearts and other unique items.

The larger Jan Marie Boutique across the street from Mark’s has an amazing collection of Katrina’s this season, as well as a great selection of home furnishings.

The Art Walk Plaza, who hosts the Bucerias Art Walk has delicious tamales and punch. Take a look around the different artists and art located there.

There is also a Bucerias Farmers Market on Wednesday down towards the Decameron at Rosa Mexicana Restaurant. Its jammed packed with vendors and offers a nice variety of fresh foods, art and jewelry. The Bucerias Senior Center gals will also be there selling their beautiful creations. They are getting started sometime in November.

Tianguis Artesanal Nuevo Vallarta is a local producer´s market is opening on Saturday, November 8th from 9-2. “We strive that all our vendors are producers of what they sell. We have unique, original and inexpensive products and art pieces.”

Along with all of the wonderful items at a local tainguis, such as Huichol Art, handmade cigars and finger painted pieces, they also have recycled art in metal and wood, glass blown pieces, watercolors, as well as an interesting collection of handmade wood furniture and fiber glass furniture and fiber glass sculptures!

They are behind the OXXO that is across from Mayan Palace´s Sea Garden (by Villa Varadero, near the dolphin adventure of Vallarta Adventures). Coming from Bucerias, you take the 2nd entrance to Nuevo Vallarta, go

straight towards Villa Varadero.

You will see an OXXO before Villa Varadero. They are located at the plaza that is behind that OXXO. Mercado del Pueblo, Sayulita’s Farmer’s begins November 7th this season.

The market is located near the entrance of town, on Calle Revolucion, just north of the main bridge with about 80 vendors who provide a wide variety of products and organic foods.

Enjoy the live music every week with the opening band” Son 3 y un Violin”, previously Dos Betos y las Musas.

El Mercado del Pueblo started in 2009 and focuses on bringing local, sustainable, and organic products to the community and for the people of Sayulita and surrounding area to discover the seasonal, fresh foods of the region.

Although many markets have organic products, the Sayulita Mercado not only focuses on the organic culture, but also features a wonderful venue for cross cultural sharing of food preparations, growing techniques and healing practices. Visit with friends and meet a lot of new ones…I hear there will be some surprises this season!

Lo de Marcos Tianguis is held each Saturday from November 1st to March 28th from 9:30am until 2:30pm and is a new market new market owned by Armando Contreras, and coordinated by Claudia Curtis will support local residents, farmers and organic growers, and feature the works of over 40 talented artisans. Many of the vendors live and work along the Riviera Nayarit pueblos.

Lo de Marcos has needed a tianguis, and I am happy to see this finally happening.

Lo de Marcos is located about 30 minutes north of Sayulita, (just beyond San Pancho). Take a left into Lo de Marcos and the tianguis is down on the right…you can’t miss it!

Guayabitos tianguis has a tianguis every Monday located in the town square.

The easiest way to get there is to take a left at the Pemex and go left. You will see the town square on the left.

A small yet fun tianguis includes all of the fun items and delicious foods at super pricing.

This authentic Mexican pueblo is made for shopping!

La Peñita Tianguis is one of the largest tianguis on the Riviera Nayarit, and is open all year. It sizes down during the summer months, but come high season, this tianguis becomes huge, filling the entire town square as well as a very, very long path of vendors with everything you can think of!

To find the La Peñita Tianguis, take the 200 road to La Peñita. Go to the last light, (the second light after entering La Peñita). You will need to get in the right lateral to make a left there.

Take a left and go down the main ave. to the end. The town square is on the left.

Thanks for tuning in! If you’re looking for a rental, tours, fishing boats or information around the Riviera Nayarit contact Cat at Cat@Catmorgan.me Have a super week everyone!

Cat Morgan is owner of RivieraNayaritFun.com and also NewEnergyConsciousness.com If you have any questions, comments or Riviera Nayarit news please contact her at Cat@CatMorgan.me

T

ime for a new car. Cindy and I provide airport pickup for guests at our boutique inn, and as a realtor I do a lot of driving, helping clients to find their piece of paradise here in Vallarta-Nayarit. The ol’ Nissan was wearing out, so we decided to import our 2007 Ford Edge. It has very low mileage, so it seemed like a no-brainer.

A couple of Gringo buddies, who had successfully imported their cars this summer, referred me to their import brokers. I e-mailed the documents they requested, then we headed for the border in order to arrive at about the time my papers would be ready. And then the game changed.

On September 1, Mexican Customs slammed the door on importation of US and Canadian autos while they implemented new regulations and stricter enforcement of existing regulations. (In the process charging a few brokers and officials for various sins.)

Three weeks later, imports resumed, with a huge backlog.

We arrived in Nogales, September 29th, and waited for word that we were, “good to go”.

Patience is a virtue, but with no guarantee of a hard date for

our border crossing, and our first guests of the season arriving soon, we decided that Cindy should fly ahead.

I cooled my heels in Nogales.

Finally, on October 7th, I got the call and headed to my broker’s office.

I was accompanied through the entire border process by his employee. Then Jorge said goodbye and I rolled across the border, for the last step - clearing customs and immigration. I punched the red light/green light button and got RED LIGHT. Pull over. Crap. Let’s just say that I eventually got on my way and made the trip home in three days.

I went to Tepic about ten days later after the Mexican Feds advised Nayarit that our car had been duly and legally imported, and could now be registered here.

Tomorrow, I go to Mezcales and get my Nayarit plates. Mission (almost) accomplished!

All in all it was a great process.

My brokers were super, under less than ideal conditions. As always in Mexico, the people treated me great. And patience remains a virtue.

The Numbers: To permanently import your car, its serial number must begin with a number, 1 through 5, and must be a 1985 through 2008 model.

Each November, this range bumps up a year. We paid $US 1,200.00, (about average) plus an extra $200 for having a Canadian car. There is an extra process because Canadian ownership documents vary considerably from the standard US Vehicle Title Form. Fair enough, but I suspect that it’s really a form of revenge for Canadians being notoriously lousy tippers. (Come on, people let’s shed that reputation, shall we?)

Chris and Cindy Bouchard are expat Canadians living and loving in Vallarta –Nayarit. Contact them for further info at chris@domusvallarta.com or cindy@VillaAmordelMar.com

Friday Oct 24 - 30, 2014

CLASSIFIEDS 20

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Tianguis and Farmer’s Markets

IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERS Emergency Phone Numbers

A

ll the towns have some type of weekly market. In Banderas Bay and Riviera Nayarit we are blessed with many excellent farmer’s, artisan and co-op markets. Most are open from 9am – 2pm unless stated.

The police station or the fire department is 060. For Non-Emergency calls, dial (322) 290-0507 for the Police Dep & (322) 224-7701 for the Fire Department.

Old Town Farmers Market –Saturdays Starting Nov. 1st in Lazaro Cardena Park, in Old Town Over 80 Vendors

Ambulance Services Red Cross Ambulance: 222-1533 Global Ambulance: 226-1014

Southside Market – Coming Soon Check back here next week for more details.

Hospitals

Marina Vallarta Market – Thursdays Starting November 6th

Ameri-Med Hospital: 226-2080 Cornerstone Hospital: 224-9400 San Javier Hospital: 226-1010 Medasist Hospital: 223-0444 C.M.Q. Hospital: 223-1919 I.M.S.S. Hospital: 224-3838 Regional Hospital: 224-4000

Tianguis Artesanal Nuevo Vallarta –Saturdays Starting Nov 8th – At the plaza behind Oxxo Bucerias Monday Market - Mondays Artwalk Plaza, starting Nov 3rd Bucerias Farmers Market - Wednesdays At Rosa Mexicana - starting in November

La Cruz Sunday Mercado Sundays At the La Cruz Marina Starting Nov. 2nd Largest Farmer’s Market in the Bay wth 200+ vendors La Cruz Tianguis Year-round Wednesday Below the glorietta in town

have fun

Bucerias Tianguis - Year-round Sundays In the arroyo (riverbed) on the far side of the highway

Other Important Phone Numbers

Sayulita’s Farmer’s Market – Fridays Begins November 7th Excellent selection of Organics – some of the best coffee in the area.

Lo de Marcos Tianguis – Saturdays 9-2pm New local market - Starting November 1st Guayabitos Tianguis – Mondays year-round In the main plaza La Penita Tianguis – Thursday year-round Largest Market in Nayarit - excellent for crafts

PICK UP YOUR COPY OF THE TRIBUNE AT TOURISM OFFICES SATURDAY MARKET A PAGE IN THE SUN FREDY TUCAN´S PANCAKE HOUSE CONSULATE OFFICES YO-YO MO´S MARINA RIVIERA NAYARIT

LIVE MUSIC VENUES Please be sure to contact the venue to confirm all events.

Café Roma Encino 287 Centro Mon-Sun 10:pm -3:00 am Beboteros Diaz Ordaz 565 Malecon 322.113.0099 Benito’s Paninoteca Bar Nima Bay, Local 12, “Marina Vallarta” 322.209.0287 El Patio de mi Casa Guerrero 311 esq.

Matamoros 322.222.0743 Encore Lazaro Cardenas51, Bucerias 329.298.0140 La Bodeguita Del Medio Paseo Diaz Ordaz 858, Malecon” 322.223.1583 Tu-Sun 9:30-2:00 am Murphy’s Irish Pub Morelos 484 Altos 1, Centro

La Palapa Pulpito#103, Playa los Muertos” 322.222.5225 Las Adelitas Av. Fluvial Vallarta 234 322.293.7778 / 22.113.0373 Nacho Daddy

287 Basilio Badillo nachodaddymexico.com Philo’s Delfin15, La Cruz de Huanacaxle”329.295.5068 Thu-Sat 8:30 pm Que? Pasa Aquiles Serdan 625, Col Emiliano Zapata 322.223.4006 The River Café Isla del Rio Cuale Local4 Centro 322.223.0788 Vitea Libertad Edificio Malecon 2, Centro” 322.222.8703

American Consulate: (322)222-0069 or 01-333-268-2145 Canadian Consulate: (322) 293-0098 Motor Vehicle Dept: 224-8484 Consumer Protection (PROFECO): 225-0000 Immigration Office: 221-1380 National Telegraph: 224-7970 Electric Company (CFE): 071 Water Company (SEAPAL): 223-1516 Municipal Services: 223-2500 Tourist Protection: 223-2500 Ministerio Publico: 222-1762 Animal Protection: 221-0078 Wake-Up Service: 031

Emergency Phone for Sayulita Dial 066 from any standard land line. Dial 080 from Mexican cell phones. To report suspicious activity in Sayulita, please dial 045-322-141-5994.

Emergency Numbers for Bucerias & La Cruz Numbers for the Police Department in case of emergency are 291-0049 and 291-0666.

Emergency number: 066 Police, Bucerias & La Cruz: 298-1020 Civil Protection (Fire, Ambulance): 291-0295 Ambulance, Santa Rosa Clinic: 298-0157

CHARITIES 21

www.vallartatribune.com

Friday Oct 24 - 30, 2014

Non-Profit and Charitable Organizations F or visitors to Puerto Vallarta who wish to support the less privileged in our paradise, this is a list of some of the many organizations that could benefit from such kind gestures.

If you would like your organization recognized here, please email details to editor@vallartatribune.com.

Acción En La Cruz: aid residents of La Cruz de Huanacaxtle by providing provisions in exchange for community services performed. www. landon5120.wix.com/accionenlacruz Alcoholics Anonymous: In English Puerto Vallarta Alanon Club Basilio Badillo 329 www.recoverpv.com Amazing Grace Missions Assisting families in Majisterio & Progreso with necessities and job training and English. Children’s programs also. Tax-deductible in USA & Canada.

Contact slw2014nv@gmail.com American Legion Post 14: raises resources and manpower to improve facilities needing building maintenance www.americanlegion14.org Asilo San Juan Diego Home for the Elderly - Contact: Lupita Sanchez Covarrubias 222-1257 or malupita88@hotmail.com or www.mexonline.com\asilosanjuandiego.htm

Becas Vallarta, A.C. – Provides scholarships to high school and university students. Tax-deductible in Mexico and USA. Polly Vicars at (322) 223-1371 or Buri Gray at (322) 221-5285. www. puerto-vallarta.com/amf Bucerias Bilingual Community Center: Supporting families, seniors in Bucerias. www.buceriasbilingualcommunitycenter.org Casa Hogar - A shelter for orphaned, abandoned, disadvantaged or vulnerable children. Luz Aurora Arredondo at 221-1908, Rita Millan (322) 141-6974. casamaximocornejo@gmail.com

Centro Comunitario SETACGLBT – Services the GLBT community, including treatment and referrals, education, English classes, HIV testing and counseling. Paco Arjona 224-1974 or paco@setac.com.mx Clinica de Rehabilitación Santa Barbara - Rehabilitation of the handicapped. Contact: Laura Lopez Portillo Rodriguez at 224-2754.

COLINA Spay and Neuter Clinic - Free and by-donation sterilization clinic in Old Town. Only open Sundays, Contact: cez@rogers.com or 322-104-6609

Asociación Down - Assistance to persons with Down’s Syndrome – Contact: Ana Catalina Eisenring at 224-9577.

CompassionNet Impact – Transforming the lives of people living in chronic poverty. Job creation, education, emergency food, medicine & clothing. Tax-deductible. Cell: (322) 133-7263 or ric@4compassion.org

Banderas Bay Women’s Shelter - Safe shelter for women & children victims of domestic violence. www.compassionforthefamily.org

Corazon de Nina A safe, loving, home-environment for 20+ girls rescued from high-risk situations. Donations & volunteers

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT AT CORAZON!

CORAZON thanks Lynnette Fairclough FOR ALWAYS EXCEEDING OUR EXPECTATIONS... for having the patience with three different English programs, for your gentle yet firm approach with our girls and now our boys, for always offering to help, for taking the time to listen, for being such a dear friend - we thank you! Our girls' grades in English have soared to a minimum of 90% in English, several have 95%+ - this would not have been possible without your support Lynnette!

CORAZON is a home for children who have come from difficult situations. Fully funded by private donations. For more information: www. corazondenina.mx

always welcome! Totally self-funded. www.corazondenina.mx abundancia@corazondenina.mx

La Brigada de la Basur:a A weekly meeting of neighborhood children to clean Vallarta Streets. Contact Que?Pasa 223-4006

Cruz Roja (Red Cross) - Handles hospital and emergency service in Vallarta. It is the only facility that is authorized to offer assistance to injured people on the street. Contact: 222-1533, 222-4973

Mexico Ministries & Mission, Inc. raises funds to the poor in Vallarta. Contact Fr. Jack+ 044 322 229-1129 christchurchbythesea.org

Desayunos para los Niños de Vallarta A.C. Feeding programs, education programs, day care centers for single mothers. 22 343 11 or 22 225 72 FB/desayunosninosvallarta

Navy League - assists in the transportation of donated medical supplies from the U.S., organizes work groups to paint and repair facilities, and operates the local Toys for Tots program. www.vallartanavyleague.org.

Discapacitados de Vallarta, A.C. (DIVAC) association of handicapped individuals dedicated to helping one another. Ivan Applegate at 221-5153.

New Life Mexico - Challenging Child Poverty with health and education programs. Philippa Vernon pvp@ newlifemexico.com

Families At The Dump: Supporting families living in the landfill or garbage dump thru education and sustainable opportunities. www.familiesatthedump.org or 297-7425

Paraíso Felino AC Refuge and Adoption Centre for cats and kittens in the Bay of Banderas. Luis Donaldo Cel. (322) 120-4092

Fundacion Punta de Mita LDG. Ana Lilia Medina Varas de Valdés. ana@fundacionpuntademita. org Tel. (329) 291 5053 www.fundacionpuntademita.org

Pasitos de Luz - substitute home for low income children with any type of handicap, offers rehabilitation services and special support to their families. 299-4146. pasitosdeluz.org

Friends of PV Animals Volunteers working to enhance the lives of shelter animals. For info and donations visit friendsofpvanimals.com

PEACEAnimals - Free mobile spay/neuter clinic operating 48 weeks a year, primarily in Puerto Vallarta.

Tax-deductible. peaceanimals.org

Grupo Ecológico de Puerto Vallarta: Arq. Luz del Carmen Pérez Alvarez cayro_13@hotmail.com grupoecologico.com

Pro Biblioteca de Vallarta Raises funds for Los Mangos Public Library.

Tax-deductible Ricardo Murrieta at 224-9966

Horizonte de Paz: Shelter for men of all ages who are troubled with alcohol & drug addiction. Donato Schimizzi: 322 199 9523

Proyecto Pitillal, “Busca un Amigo” - Association created by underprivileged mothers of paralyzed children. Contact: 299-4495.

Puerto Vallarta Garden Club: Beautify and protecting the environment. vallartagardenclub.com PuRR Project - A no-kill cat shelter, a natural un-caged environment. www.purrproject.com Refugio Infantil Santa Esperanza- Shelter for Children. Tax-deductible. ccshf.ca Roma’s Kids - Educate the children of the Volcanes and surrounding area: Math, English and computer programs a priority. 100% goes to the kids. kids.romamexico.com The International Friendship Club (IFC) - Supports the Cleft Palate Surgery Program & families in need.

322-222-5466. ifcvallarta.com. ifcvallarta@gmail.com.

Toys for Tots Vallarta - Distributes toys and constructs playgrounds for Puerto Vallarta area during the Christmas holiday period. Jerry Lafferty 322 221 6156 or Lourdes Bizarro lourdes.bizarro@marriotthotels.com.

Vallarta Saludable (Healthy) – Healthy living through organics, stevias, cooking workshops, serums reversing dialysis and reality show.

NAOTF.org Suzy Chaffee suzynativevoices@aol.com

Friday Oct 24 - 30, 2014

SUDOKU easy

BRAIN TEASERS 22

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Challenge your brain! Sudoku is easy to play and the rules are simple. Fill in the blanks so that each row, each column, and each of the nine 3x3 grids contain only one of each of the numbers 1 through 9.

medium

Number Blocks

hard

Word Search

What’s a number block you ask?

The numbers in each row add up to the totals to the right. The numbers in each column add up to the totals along the bottom. The diagonal lines also add up the totals to the right. Some of the numbers are missing. Try to fill in the missing numbers between 0 and 12.

Can you find the hidden names? They may be horizontal, vertical, diagonal, forwards or backwards. ANN BAXTER, AUDREY HEPBURN, AVA GARDNER, BETTE DAVIS, CAROLE LOMBARD, GLORIA SWANSON, GRETA GARBO, HEDY LAMARR, INGRID BERGMAN, JANE RUSSELL, JANE WYMAN, JEAN HARLOW, JEAN SIMMONS, JOAN CRAWFORD, JUDY GARLAND,LANA TURNER, LAUREN BACALL, MARILYN MONROE, MERLE OBERON, MYRNA LOY, RITA HAYWORTH, VERONICA LAKE,VIRGINIA MAYO, VIVIEN LEIGH.

1. Loan - Pool - Great White 2. Clog - Pump - Flat 3. Rain - Fur - Trench 4. Silver - Tin - Nickel 5. Coffee - Oil - Air 6. Tulip - Lamp - Onion 7. Saturn - Dirty Shirt Collars - Newleyweds 8. Date - Cook - Phone 9. Spock - Suess - Phil 10. Fire - Soda – Safe

Commonym 7 Answers 1. sharks 2. shoes 3. coats 4. metals 5. filters 6. they have bulbs 7. they have rings 8. books 9. doctors 10. crackers

What’s a commonym you ask? A commonyms is group of words that have a common trait in the three words/items listed.

For example: thewords; A car - A tree - An elephant.. they all have trunks. These will make you think!

Wuzzle 7 Answers 1. Cry all the way to the bank 2. The stakes are high 3. That’s too bad 4. Eyes in the back of my head 5. Miniskirt 6. All in All

Commonym

Wuzzles

What’s a wuzzle you ask? A wuzzle is a saying/phrase that is made up of a display of words, in an interesting way.The object is to try to figure out the well-known saying, person, place, or thing that each wuzzle is meant to represent.