PVRPV BLOG

Interior Design students at The New England Institute of Art cross cultures to work with citizens of a Mexican village on plans to create new Community Center. Reuse – Recycle- Reclaim drives project.

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Drew, who winters in the village of La Penita de Jaltemba, on the west coast of Mexico was attracted to the town for its blending of people with many cultural personalities.  She also was drawn by the sense of community and common desires to help La Penita through its growing pains and daily struggles. “We love the town the way it is,” says Drew, but we want to help and do so by making suggestions and backing them up by stressing the importance of recycling, opening the mangroves for fresh water, by providing a few scholarships and building Eco-parks.”

While back in Brookline, Drew, who teaches Interior Design at NEiA, approached her students about taking on a project to help La Penita reach its long-time dream.  The center’s design, to benefit everyone from children to the elderly was quickly embraced.

The site is an existing basketball court with two smaller buildings adjacent to the town plaza.  Drew brushed off her architectural skills and laid out the program based on what she knew her townsfolk in Mexico wanted.  “The project is large; as long and as deep as a 15-story building lying on its side,” says Drew.  “I did the base work and then handed it off to the students.”  

Each student is concentrating on a specific area.  One is creating a yoga studio which impacts another student’s design for the main event area.  Another is incorporating a tire wall that abuts the gift shop. The reclaimed tires used on one side create a wall, while on the opposite side those tires are carved into storage spaces.  The Center will include an indoor/outdoor play area, an arts and crafts room, a library and reading room, changing room, public restrooms, a commercial kitchen and permanent dining area.   The main event area will be able to host up to 300 guests from annual fundraisers to monthly local meetings.  There is also a large area dedicated to receiving and organizing recycled items delivered by the townspeople.

Throughout the entire process, the students have corresponded with people in La Penita. “This is a rare opportunity for students to not only design a space, but to work with people of another culture with different needs and desires,” says Drew.  “They have worked day and night and gladly attended a weekend class, spending all day Sunday working on the project.”  The actual building of the facility may be years away, as Drew and her fellow La Penita residents work to raise the funds, but the groundwork will be laid.  “I hope to continue the project in future classes,” adds Drew.

The progress of the student’s work can be tracked on the Community Center response link on http://jaltembajalapeno.com.

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Titan Arum: with two meters high and weighing 75 kilos, also known as “Bunga Bangkai” or “corpse flower” due to the hideous and unpleasant odor the fly-pollinated inflorescence produces, made its apparition in Rio Blanco in the high mountains of the Estado de Veracruz, México, listing it as the largest flower of the world.

Its country of origin is Sumatra, Indonesia, and belongs to the family of Araceae. Besides its extraordinary size, as mentioned before, it has another characteristic which makes it unique: it emits a fetid odor of rotten flesh which makes it really hard to be near it for a long period of time. But although its fragrance is pretty unpleasant for most of us, it attracts a lot of insects whom involuntarily contribute with the plants pollination. The plant takes from 9 to 21 months for the stem to flower –to only last less than a week, as once it reaches full bloom the spadix collapses from its own weight and the spathe withers away, possibly never to bloom again. Its flowering is quite an event as it has the peculiarity of blooming only during three days every 40 years, but I can assure you that during these days, the Titan Arum does not go unnoticed, since the species is an herb that can reach heights of 7 to 12 feet and weigh as much as 170 pounds! And its leaf can reach 20 feet tall and 15 feet across! Not only it is the world’s largest flower, it is one of the most bizarre and improbable organisms on the planet.

Titan Arum is developed by the parasitic Euphorbiaceae, the Rafflesia Arnoldii, which is also found in the humid forests of Sumatra and Borneo in Indonesia, as well as in the jungles of Southeast Asia. It was discovered in 1818 by Thomas Stamford Raffles & Joseph Arnold. The inflorescence may reach almost a meter of diameter and can weigh up to 11 kilograms, making them the biggest plant in the world. They are fleshy, red or orange colored flowers, with 5 lobes that remain open between 5 and 7 days. And as with many other humongous plants, this happens once in several years.

Flowers that emit a strong fetid scent, similar to rotten meat, are capable of emitting heat. It is believed that this mechanisms work for them in order to mimic the heat and the odor of a dead animal to draw the attention of flies, which are insects that pollinate it. The plant doesn’t have any leafs, buds nor roots; you can only see its flower, therefore it doesn’t make the photosynthesis process. It is a plant that is a parasite to trees by growing on its roots, in order to obtain the necessary nutrients. Its vegetative organs are reduced into a web of cellular fibers that in their majority are found between the tissues of the host plant or by forming a twisted and underground organ called rhizome.

Titan Arum: a privilege that Mother Nature bestowed on this town in Veracruz.

A while back we met a most interesting person by the name of Tim Longpre, president of PVRPV, a major vacation rentals company in Puerto Vallarta. He was sharing with us, with great pride, about the 5th anniversary of his company. We shared with him that it was also our fifth year (an anniversary of sorts) of coming to wonderful, charming Puerto Vallarta. Each year we have stayed for about two months to get away from the Canadian winter. When Tim found out that we had been driving to Mexico from Toronto, Canada for three years he was most intrigued for not many Canadians do. Listening to our stories he thought that it was quite an adventure. Would we be interested in sharing our story for his blog?

Well, driving to Mexico can be an adventure and there are many issues to consider before you do this. Our family and friends were very concerned that we would even think of such an undertaking. Some even thought that we were losing it! Seniors and all that. Didn’t we realize the dangers of driving because of crime in Mexico? Yes, it is still a common question; the safety issues. We thought about it, discussed it at length and concluded that the danger and safety concerns really stem from a long standing war between drug gangs and law enforcement in the Mexican/ U.S. border areas. Would these “bad guys” really be interested in an elderly couple driving on toll roads in Mexico? We think not.

 Any country has crime and the U.S. and Canada are not exempt from this. Should one innocent be affected by crime it would most likely be because of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Where ever you are. Folks, unfortunately, most bad things happen in your own neighborhood where you are familiar with everything.

So are we going to stop living and hide? Not.

Once we had dealt with this important concern we agreed to drive and add to the excitement. And why not! We are retired and we have the time. From here on it became a matter of planning. Get out the maps, when to start the trip, where to drive, where to cross borders, what paper work was needed, extra car insurance, health insurance, where to stay etc., etc. The better the planning and preparation, the smoother the trip. It is the unknown that will make things interesting. Generally, we found the Mexicans warm and friendly who will do anything for you. With good cheer, a smile and a “propina” (tip) at the appropriate moment most of your problems will be solved.

Coming from Toronto, Canada, there are two ways to drive. One is via the west through the Phoenix, Arizona – Nogales crossing. This route takes 6 days. The other is via the east through Dallas and the San Antonio – Laredo crossing, taking 5 days. The west route is indeed one day longer but much more scenic especially in the states of New Mexico and Arizona. Driving through Canada and the U.S. is uneventful, no surprises, good roads, lots of motels and gas stations. It is at the Mexican border that the fun starts.

Yes, there is a customs check-point to cross into Mexico but, if indeed there is customs staff, they just wave you through; it seems as if they are not interested at all to check anything. Unlike the U.S. customs, waltz right in. What a relief. No nasty customs officials expecting a hand out etc. The mind games we play. But what about all these papers. Where do we go for them! Well, for instance, if you cross at Nogales, you get through the check-point and you are driving on a nice highway for about twenty minutes and then you come upon a low white building. Aha, customs again! This is where it all starts. The paper work that is.

The process is somewhat bureaucratic, time consuming and can tie you up for almost two hours. There are line-ups. Go to wicket 1 – go to wicket 2 – go to wicket 3, then go back to wicket 2 for photo copies of all the important papers i.e. passports, car ownership, plates, tourist cards etc., etc. What is this! Raised eyebrows on our part. We would never be that inefficient in Canada. Our customs are so clever.

But eh, this is Mexico. Remember the first order of the day! Good cheer. We are troopers. Follow the process, the system. In essence, the Mexican government requires only two documents: one paid up tourist card and a paid up temporary car import license. For this they issue a decal with a unique number which must be prominently displayed in the upper centre of the inside of your car window. More on this later in my story. A cautionary note! Drivers in Mexico must carry Mexican car insurance issued and carried by a Mexican insurance company. Valid Canadian or American car insurance is not valid in Mexico. This insurance can be purchased from the internet (cheaper) or at the Mexican border. Here is the funny part. The Mexican customs do not ask or verify if you have such insurance. You are on your own. Don’t take chances.

Well, all is now in order and we are legally in Mexico. In most instances there are two types of roads in Mexico: the “Libre”    (free) or “Cuota” (toll). Where available we always take the toll roads even though it costs more but it is worth it. These toll roads are far superior then the libres and are certainly as good as any in North America with lots of stops for washrooms, a major plus for seniors. The smart traveler does not travel at night in Mexico. So around five o’clock you plan to be in a town with a choice of motels, hotels etc. Take some time to plan your overnight stays and even find out where the motels are located. The internet is a wonderful tool for this. If you have not planned for a motel you can have some funny surprises.

This is what happened to us.  Around five o’clock we were near a medium sized town, off the toll road, looking for a motel. Drove into town. Where were the hotels! Drove up and down. Asked. Nothing. By now it is getting dark and the city lights are on. We were tired and really wanted to get of the road. Finally we found a hotel. A big sigh of relief. The much needed rum and coke started to look good. All we need is the cost of the room, the key and we are settled. Life starts to look good again. The man says “that will be 750 pesos for the night señor.” This appeared to be sort of high for rural Mexico. My wife says that is probably for your best room, we would like the room that you advertise for 390 pesos. “Ah,” the man smiles, “but that is only for two hours however drinks are included!” With drinks! Only for two hours. We’re puzzled. It slowly dawns on us, we were in one of Mexico’s infamous “love” hotels. I don’t really know why we bee-lined out of there but we did. In retrospect, we should have stayed and taken the room. I mean, come on, and free drinks!  It even had a mirror in the ceiling.

Life is bad again. Where are we going to stay? We returned to the highway, the libre this time, and finally we found a motel (say dive.) This is a place where the Mexican truck drivers stay overnight. Quick check-in though. Amazing. No papers, no signatures. No anything. Just pay 200 pesos and you get a key. That’s it. Find your room. There was a toilet and a shower. Praise the Lord. Unable to lock the door with the key. Shoved the dresser in front of the door and there we were, safe, and as snug as a bug in a rug. The rum and coke never tasted better. For dinner we had corn chips. Our first taste of Mexican cuisine.

We have forgiven them for the fact that the old, old, T.V. high up in the corner near the ceiling, mysteriously came on very loud at five in the morning. Well, time to get up eh! The dresser was still in place. Bags and wallets were still there. We felt secure. But then we needed the dresser to stand on to turn off the god awful noise of the T.V. Tranquility had returned.

We checked out as soon as we could and carried on with our journey to Vallarta. The more we thought and talked about the previous day and night’s experience, the more we started to giggle and actually laughed out loud. Life can be a bummer and fun at the same time. We arrived in Puerto Vallarta late in the afternoon where we were welcomed by the friendly PVRPV concierge who looked after all our needs. He probably is still wondering why we had those smirks on our face. I mentioned before about the window decal for the car. On our second day in Mexico, a small stone hit our front window and caused a tiny little star. Nothing to worry about. Cost of doing business. Right! Well, this tiny little star soon turned into a major crack all along the front window and we really needed to replace the window. We found a car-window place in Vallarta and the fun started explaining about the import license sticker.

You could not take it off without destroying this decal. What to do! You cannot leave the country without it. They did not speak English and our Spanish is not adequate for a situation like this. We sure were glad that we had hands and feet. The best language in the world. With raised eyebrows on the part of the service guy it was decided to cut the old window in half. Then two more cuts and we ended up with a piece of glass the size 4 x 7 inches with the temporary import license nicely preserved. This will make fine paper weight some day. It was strongly suggested that we tape this piece on the window when we got to the Mexican customs. Really? From our experience, the Mexican “aduana” (customs) is very bureaucratic and how would they know for sure that we were not trying to sneak a car over the border! We insisted that the glass place prepare a “factura” (official receipt) indicating when and why the window was replaced. Once they understood the reasons they became very cooperative and created a very important looking document which would explain everything. We’ll keep our fingers crossed until we are back in Canada again.

So, still wanna drive to Mexico? Well folks, this will be added to our travel stories and experiences. Priceless.  Look at it this way, life is a roller coaster; just make sure you are in the front seat. Scream!!! We have enjoyed P.V. very much this year.  Our condo was great and fulfilled all our needs. In fact we have already renewed for next year. Will we drive again! Probably. We now really know how to do this and what to expect.

 We hope that some of the information and stories were helpful. Go for it folks. You only live once. Enjoy.

 Best regards and happy motoring – Feliz Viaje

Johannes and Maureen van Pinxteren

Toronto, Canada.

PVRPV – Puerto Vallarta Rentals Premier Vacations

Bud Kennedy

My heart sank last weekend when I turned on the radio after a beautiful weekend in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. 

“My family doesn’t go to Mexico anymore,” a morning-show host said just as I was unpacking a necktie from the Fabrica la Aurora design market.

“Absolutely not,” his sidekick chimed in. “No Mexico for us!” 

The hosts agreed that Mexico is just too dangerous and violent and that no sane person would go there.

I guess that leaves me.

True, last weekend was one of the most horrible in memory for violence in Ciudad Juarez and along the border. The 50 people killed included two Americans in Juarez tied to the U.S. Consulate. One was pregnant. 

But 800 miles south in San Miguel, it was a peaceful weekend. Mariachis sang Las Mananitas at midnight in the garden outside the cathedral. More than 200 wedding guests enjoyed a ceremony and fireworks show where the only threat came from a few falling embers. 

Look, no matter what you hear, the U.S. has not warned citizens to stay out of Mexico. 

The State Department warning says to stay out of Chihuahua, Coahuila and Durango — particularly Juarez. 

At any given time, about 500,000 Americans are visiting Mexico. According to the State Department, 79 Americans were killed there last year, 23 of them in Juarez. 

Mathematically, that means the rest of Mexico is safer than Dallas or Houston. It’s four times safer than New Orleans. 

Just stay away from the border. 

Juan Hernandez, the Fort Worth Republican who served in former Mexican President Vicente Fox’s Cabinet and later in Arizona Sen. John McCain’s presidential campaign, said Friday that Mexico is heartbroken over the killings. 

“All over the country, newspapers are saying this has brought a level of outrage that had not existed before,” Hernandez said by phone from Washington, D.C., where he will speak today at the March for America immigration protest. 

He said it’s “not fair” to blame crime on Mexico: “These are international organizations.” 

President “Felipe Calderon is risking his own life fighting the drug dealers,” he said. “Mexico is in a great battle to stop this from spilling over into the United States.” 

He and his family also love San Miguel. 

But his brother Francisco Hernandez, a Fort Worth lawyer, said friends are now warned not to visit neighboring San Luis Potosi. 

“Nothing about this is new,” Francisco Hernandez said. 

“The criminal element is not new. The drug dealing and the violence are not new. All that’s new is the level of attention.” 

Juan Hernandez said he’s glad that Gov. Rick Perry enacted a border safety plan last week, sending helicopters and improving communication between county sheriffs and state law officers. 

“Gov. Perry is a great friend to Mexico,” Juan Hernandez said.

“Mexico needs friends in this war.”

That, too, is nothing new.

Have a look at the original posting: http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/03/20/2054924/away-from-the-us-border-mexico.html

The following blog entry is from PVRPV Staff Member Paloma Bartz

Pet Heaven in Puerto Vallarta is an altruistic partnership led by two cat lovers: Gary Phillips & Bob Lloyd. They have built a shelter for animals which bears about 150 cats; it is noteworthy that only during spring-summer 50 were housed. The refuge is a ranch of approximately ½ acre. They not only give them shelter, but a better life. They feed and nurture them, as well as, pamper and love them.

The kittens they take care of aren’t currently in physical adoption, but rather virtual, since they’ve created a program called “Virtual Adoption Program.” Where you can virtually support your cat with a donation of $ 100.00 USD for a year and its name and photo, along with your name and your home town or country will be displayed on the wall called “Heaven’s Keepers.”

So if you’re one of the many cat lovers, help contribute the cause.

http://www.petheavenmx.com/

Spanish Version listed below Version en Espanol enlistada abajo

The following blog entry is from PVRPV staff member Betty Aldana

Wrapped in a beautiful cove in the Bay of Banderas lies the peaceful village of Yelapa, Jalisco. While there is a road to town, it is much easier to access by boat. The water taxi to Yelapa leave daily from different places (Los Muertos pier is the most popular spot to embark) in the area of Puerto Vallarta.

The tranquility of Yelapa is ideal for those people seeking a place to enjoy a relaxing vacation. When I went visited, I let myself be wrapped by the magic of this beautiful fishing village and we found all sorts of fun activities including horseback riding and a beautiful waterfall to explore. I felt as though I’d stepped back in time with men on horseback and women on foot throughout the village.

Yelapa beach is covered in a blanket of golden sand and is a great place for swimming, diving or an adventure ride on a parachute. If you are not as energetic, you can relax in one of the numerous beach chairs, sunbathe and enjoy a delicious cold drink.

We are fortunate to enjoy such beautiful places in our beloved Puerto Vallarta and I hope you take time to visit Yelapa as soon as you have the chance: you won’t regret it.

Here are a couple of websites to help you with watertaxi schedules and planning your trip to Yelapa:

Yelapa information

Palapainyelapa

Espanol:

La siguiente entrada del blog es del personal de PVRPV, Betty Aldana

Abrigado en una preciosa ensenada de la Bahía de Banderas se encuentra el pacífico pueblo de Yelapa, Jalisco. Si bien hay un camino al pueblo, es mucho más fácil el acceso por barco. El taxi acuático a Yelapa sale todos los días desde diversos lugares (el muelle de Los Muertos es el más popular para embarcar) en el área de Puerto Vallarta.

La tranquilidad de Yelapa es ideal para aquellas personas que buscan un lugar para disfrutar de vacaciones enteramente relajadas. En mi visita, me dejé envolver por la magia de esta hermosa aldea de pescadores y encontramos todo tipo de diversión, entre otras actividades, paseos a caballo y una hermosa cascada de agua para explorar. Me sentí como en los viejos tiempos el hombre a caballo y las mujeres a pie.

La Playa de Yelapa, se cubre en una manta de arena dorada, y es un lugar magnífico para nadar, bucear o aventurarse a un viaje en paracaídas. Si usted no es tan enérgico, se puede relajar en una de las numerosas sillas de playa, tomar el sol, y disfrutar una deliciosa bebida fría.

Tenemos la suerte de gozar de los hermosos parajes de nuestro querido Puerto Vallarta y espero que te tomes el tiempo para visitar Yelapa tan pronto como tengas la oportunidad: no te arrepentirás.

He aquí un par de sitios web con los horarios del taxi acuático y para ayudarte en la planificación de tu viaje a Yelapa:

Yelapa information

Palapainyelapa