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This interview was sparked by Hillary Abrams, she is the wedding coordinator of the Vallarta Botanical Gardens and she answered a call I put out for wedding coordinators here in Puerto Vallarta. Remember, in the first episode I promised to interview wedding planners and photographers, and caterers and bakers? Well, she invited me to come out to the Vallarta Botanical Gardens to show me what they have to offer to the bride and groom. Of course I leapt at the chance to have an opportunity to see the gardens and possibly do two interviews at the same time. Sweet! Little did I realize at the time what a wonderful opportunity this would turn out to be.
I had an appointment to meet Hillary at 10:00 AM at the garden so I walked out of my apartment up in the El Cerro area, next to Gringo Gulch, and walked down to the Emilio Zapata neighborhood, crossing the bridge over the Rio Cuale, passing the watchmaker who changes batteries, sizes watch bands and more, right there in the shade of a tree. The guy does a brisk business. I grab a quick doughnut from a tienda, a orange drink and then hoof it the rest of the way to the corner of Agaucate and Carranza where waiting there it the bus for the Botanical Gardens and El Tuito, waiting there at 9:00 AM. Good deal. I love it when a plan falls in place. I board the bus and head towards the back. . The bus driver didn’t want any money from me till after we reached our destination. So I picked a seat where I could plop my backpack with my audio recording equipment, microphones and cables and all that stuff, my camera rig too, right in a seat right next to me. I was soon joined in the back by a character of sorts. He was worn from what I assumed was a lifetime of just a little too much to drink. I figured he was about my age. He was jovial and had a couple of friends who came on the bus as it sat, waiting to leave for the gardens. They were friendly and very talkative. It made for an entertaining trip, my eavesdropping on the conversation. I like to listen in while not always letting on that I actually do understand what they are saying. The bus soon had its fill of passengers and took off for the garden. For those familiar with Puerto Vallarta and have taken the bus south of town to Mismaloya or Boca de Tomatlan, you will be familiar with this road. It travels along the coast winding past large estates, beautiful hotels and resorts and condos situated right on the ocean. There are beautiful secluded beaches and private ones. One of my favorite parts of this route are the speed bumps placed strategically in front of the bigger complexes. The bus will slow way down to accommodate these bumps. The second thump, the rear axle going over is always the best for your back. Especially if you happen to be standing in the bus. The bus stops at Mismaloya and Boca but then continues up along the The Horcones River that empties into the Boca de Tomatlan, up into the mountains towards the old town of El Tuito. The bus stops at the entrance of the Gardens and the driver asks for 26 pesos. Cheap like 1.25 each way. He will give you change if you don’t have exact change. The garden entrance is beautiful. You check in at the front reception area where you buy admission, you can also purchase insect repellent right at the ticket counter so if you forget yours, no problem. As I walk towards the restaurant and gift shop area, I pass planter beds and plant displays along the pathway. Such a wonderful setting, in the jungle with fresh air and birds chirping away. [caption id="attachment_549" align="alignright" width="226"] Bob Price Poses with the Philippine Jade Vine[/caption] When I reach the restaurant I recognize Bob Price from a picture I saw of him. Big tall strong guy, seemed very good natured. I asked where I could set up the microphones and recording equipment and he motions for me to set up anywhere I wanted. As I was doing the quick build of my mobile recording studio right in the middle of this Hall of Flowers restaurant area adjacent to the gift store and the kitchen, breakfast was being served to the workers. At the table where I was setting up, Bob Price, Neil Gerlowski, and a young Mexican National were sitting, eating breakfast. They were all speaking both in English and Spanish. I realized it was a job interview. The three interviewers were peppering the applicant with questions. He was fielding them with great skill in English. I was impressed with the background and knowledge and experience of this young man. I could tell he would have the job by the end of the day. I was wrong by the way, he was hired before the end of breakfast. What impressed me the most was the intelligent questioning of the man, and the kind and might I say humane manner in which they interacted with this new hire. It was really cool to see these guys in action. So Bob swung around and asked if I was ready to interview him and here’s how that went….
You can ride a bus or taxi to go to Vallarta Botanical Gardens but bus is more preferred. It costs 25 pesos each way. You’ll pass by a little town after Boca De Tomatlán called Las Juntas los Veranos which means the things that come together during the summer. Las Juntas signifies where things come together and Veranos means the summer.
Gardens founded in 2005, this November 15 it will turn 12 years old. Its concept is to create a world class botanical garden showcase where people can learn about Mexican plants. The garden has lots of collections of different native plants and exotic plants. Plants that are native to highland rain forest of Southeast Asia, they are only botanical garden in Mexico that exhibits those. They have a tropical plant house which includes the famous Philippine Jade Vines. Native plant house which is native Mexican plants. The area is a total of 55 acres but only 6 acres are under their cultivation. The rest is wild forest.
Other than the beautiful gardens, there are lots of other things you can do at the Vallarta Botanical Gardens. They have hiking trails where you can see nature, trees, orchids etc. There is also a clear river for swimming, Rio Los Horcones is one of the highlights. It is recommended that you wear insect repellent or bring bug spray since it is in the middle of a forest insects like no-see-um or sand fly are most likely always there. They also have a laboratory, it is a micro propagation laboratory for growing orchids invitro meaning grow them under sterile condition and test tubes. As they become older, they will be taken out in test tubes and pot them up when strong enough for outside condition. It costs 150 pesos, approximately to get in, $6. They are a non profit organization with some 450 members of different levels that support the garden. They have generous donors that keep the garden running. They also have a restaurant, an authentic Mexican restaurant. Also, they have a wood burning brick oven to cook home made pizzas. Lastly, they now create chocolate from scratch, they have an orchard of cacao. They are still planning if it is possible to be built as a business. They have an annual flower show which is the most attended event of the year. It will be from February 17 - 27.
Working with plants, greeting people. Visit Trip Adviser and search on Puerto Vallarta. The Vallarta Botanical Garden is number 3. It is third out of 167 things to do. [caption id="attachment_541" align="alignleft" width="300"] Hillary Abrams[/caption] My next interview was Hillary Abrams, as I mentioned earlier, she was the reason I came to the garden in the first place. She was excited to show off the new chapel at the garden and the International Peace Garden of Mexico, soon to be dedicated, right in front of this beautiful chapel. I came to find out about weddings at the Garden so let’s get to that interview.
Her parents retired to a Small beach town Mayto . From New York, she came to visit here and just fell in love with it. She was able to meet Robert Price, founder and director of the gardens and found a new life and path planning weddings and she’s been here for over a year. [caption id="attachment_526" align="alignright" width="300"] Wedding Chapel[/caption] She used to organize large scale volunteer events for one of biggest social agencies in New York so she has a history of organizing people, transportation, food, venues. Her parents are member of botanical garden. She went down here and she saw the chapel and Robert needed a wedding planner and things just fell into place. She is new to wedding organizing but all went well. The people that are getting married here are friends and family of members. These people send referrals. Visitors inquire as well. Even the website gets inquiries but mostly expats are coming here like Canadian and American.
The garden varies with every wedding, depending on couples specifics. It’s not a rinse and repeat kind of thing. They have a new chapel and they are getting lots of inquiries. When dealing with long distance clients - Skype calls, photos, Pinterest are their way of communication. The bride & groom will visit at least once and go through the menu, changes, walk through.
Every facility has a different rate but chapel rental is $2000 with couple of hours in morning with decorations of your choice. Rental for hall of flowers is $2000 with buffet option, Latin, Italian, or international buffet. It is $38-$48 per person. They can also choose the style of how food will be served. It can be buffet, family style, or plated. option. Drink options from house drink to international platinum. Different pricing per person depending on the beverages. There is an open bar for 4 hours that includes different types of alcohol, wine, and champagne. They also have orchid conservatory and vanilla house open for rental. Brunch wedding cost estimate is $7,000 - $10,000 Large wedding on New Year's Eve - $30,000 In the US average cost is around $50,000 You can reach Hilary and Vallarta Botanical Garden at www.vbgardens.org that has photos aand information about the packages. You can inquire there as well.
[caption id="attachment_543" align="alignleft" width="225"] Neil Gerlowski[/caption] He grew up in New Hampshire. Became an English teacher as parents wanted. Then moved to Arizona as park ranger for 8 years. He fell in love with Mexico and Mexican girl, now living at Puerto Vallarta with 2 kids. As executive director he does the program development and fundraising to continue the vision they have for the garden, outside the garden, and the community. His greatest satisfaction is to see people enjoy what they created. When family or couple strolling around and he sees the connection between plants and communities. It is a great source of fulfillment. More exciting thing to do is when they have funds for research in the mountains. For example fund to research on The Magnolia Vallartense discovered by a Vallartense, Ricardo Diaz Borioli who was one of the first who noticed that the magnolias here looked different than Magnolia Pacifica. Together with researchers of the University of Guadalajara including Dr.Antonio Vazquez Garcia, Dr. Miguel Angel Munoz Castro, Ana Nunez Rubio and several others investigated this plant and turns out it is a distinct species and named it Magnolia Vallartensis in honor of our city of Puerto Vallarta. And the city selected this as their official tree. A lot of their work is in collaboration with University of Guadalajara CUCBA campus and also CUC campus central Univisidertado de la Costa As well as funds from Magnolia Society International. You can go to www.vbgardens.org for the Puerto Vallarta Botanical Gardens website or go to www.issuu.com/vallartabotanicalgardens for the online edition of the magazine. [caption id="attachment_553" align="alignleft" width="300"] Cheryl L. Wheeler International Peace Garden of Mexico[/caption] Their peace garden will be announced as Mexico’s International Peace Garden with approval of the Mayor of Vallarta and International Peace Garden Foundation on February 16, 2pm-4pm.
And in honor of the dedication of the Cheryl L. Wheeler International Peace Garden of Mexico, on February 16th 2017, I produced this episode of the Puerto Vallarta Travel Show to coincide with the week of the dedication so get out and see this fabulous addition to the Jardenas Botanicum de Vallarta, the Vallarta Botanical Garden. And after you visit, don’t forget to give it a good review on Trip Advisor and see if we can make this place the #1 attraction in Puerto Vallarta. And don’t forget the Botanical Garden for a party or a wedding or a renewal of your vows folks. I will have links to everything Vallarta Botanical Gardens in my shownotes at puertovallartatravelshow.com. so check it out, check them out and add the gardens to your trip next time you come to Vallarta. That should do it for this episode of the Puerto Vallarta Travel Show. Again you will find all of the show notes to this podcast and all of our previous podcasts including the links to JR’s site and to the website where you can purchase the fantastic music of Alberto Perez who we will listen to as we play out this episode at www.puertovallartatravelshow.com, Remember that this show is an interactive one. I need your participation by sending me emails with questions for JR that you would like to hear him answer on air with me. And please Email me your suggestions for show topics that you think I should be talking about by clicking on the contact us tab on my website at the top of the home page at puertovallartatravelshow.com. And remember, if you are considering booking any type of tour while you are in Puerto Vallarta, you must go to Vallartainfo.com, JR’s website and reserve your tour through him, right from his website. Remember the value for value proposition. His experience and on the ground knowledge of everything Puerto Vallarta in exchange for your making a purchase of a tour that you would do anyway, you’re just doing it through him as a way of saying thank you. It costs no more than if you were to use someone else so do it. Really. And when you do take one of these tours, email me about your experiences. Maybe you can come on-board and share with others what you liked or didn’t like about the tour. Again, Hit the contact us tab and send us a message. Just takes a little of your time. And one more favor please, if you like this podcast, please take the time and give me a good review on iTunes if you would. It would be so appreciated if you would just take the extra time to do that for me. That way we can get the word out to more and more people about the magic of this place. So, thanks to you for listening all the way through. Thank you Bob Price, Neil Gerlowski, JR and especially Hillary Abrams for inviting me to the Vallarta Botanical Garden, this is Barry Kessler signing off with a wish for you all to slow down, be kind and live the Vallarta lifestyle. Relax, Manana. Nos Vemos amigos!
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Today we are going to be discussing more about what to bring and what to expect when you get to Puerto Vallarta, namely the airport and transportation to your hotel, resort, condo, timeshare…must I go on? Well…yes.
And if you missed the last episode, we discussed some of the basics. What to pack, the very important issue of exchanging money, cell phone and data plans and so forth so if you missed any of that, I suggest you give it a listen or read the blog at www.puertovallartatravelshow.com. That was very important information so I suggest you go back and do a little catching up. In the old days, well, it was not too long ago, you didn’t need a passport to enter Mexico from the USA, but times have changed and all of you foreigners will need passports when visiting Mexico. So if you don’t have yours or it isn’t up to date, best get that done before you decide to book a trip okay? Same applies to those of you sailing in on a cruise ship. Get your papers in order first off. Then we talked about the best time of year to come to Puerto Vallarta and what to pack so I would like to bring in a local expert, JR in PV to give us a lesson on what are the best times to come to PV, and what it’s like during times when tourists are in short supply lets join in on the conversation…. And thank you JR for the boots on the ground experience and information. Keep in mind that the water is warm, the weather is almost always humid here. You can feel it when you get off of the plane and that brings us to the tropical nature of well, the tropics like mosquitoes and other biting bugs. Now you can and should bring some insect repellent with you. We all have our favorites so bring um if you got um, but if you forget to bring the bug spray, don’t worry, you can buy it just about everywhere from farmacias to little tiendas/ stores, the local OXXO that you will find almost on every corner. Mexico’s version of the 7/11 franchise. You can find insect repellent at any of the big supermercados, even Walmart, Costco, no shortage of very familiar looking shopping venues to choose from here in Puerto Vallarta. So with bug spray in mind, let’s go right back to our favorite man on the beat, JR in Puerto Vallarta and ask him, what kind of bugs we need to be worried about here in Puerto Vallarta Mexico? Mosquito Interview with JR.
[caption id="attachment_780" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] Click the Image For The Video[/caption] Okay, so now we are all packed. We know what to bring. Passports, pack light, think cool, review what to do about money and your cell phone and internet needs in episode 2. Now you have arrived at the airport. What happens next? [caption id="attachment_392" align="alignleft" width="300"] Walkway to the Puerto Vallarta Airport Customs Area[/caption] [caption id="attachment_394" align="alignright" width="300"] Immigration Line Puerto Vallarta Airport[/caption] After getting off the plane you will follow the signage to the immigration line. Depending on how many planes arrive at the same time, the longer the line of course. You will need the immigration card the flight attendant had you fill out, and you have it entirely filled out, even on the bottom where you didn’t notice you needed to fill out but need to anyway, and your passport. It’s at this point where the immigration person after looking you up and down and checking your mug against the mug in the passport photo, maybe even asking you a question or two, will stamp your passport. You will be waived on through another long walkway to a place with luggage carousels, money exchange windows and even places where you can buy cigarettes and booze. There is also a veterinary room where you check in with Fido or Tigger. After you collect your luggage you will be asked to proceed to the customs lines where you will work your way up to the front where you will hand over your declaration card and you will be asked to press a button. If you are lucky, most people are, you will get a green light and will proceed to the next part of your journey. If you get a red light, you will be asked to proceed straight ahead of you to some tables with customs agents where they will ask you to open your bags for inspection. I have, in the many, many times I have been here over the last 33 years never been asked to open my bags. Not once. Call me lucky, but that has been my personal experience. [caption id="attachment_402" align="alignleft" width="300"] Animal Arrival Puerto Vallarta Airport[/caption] [caption id="attachment_397" align="alignright" width="300"] Luggage Carousel[/caption] [caption id="attachment_395" align="alignright" width="300"] Money Exchange Booth. Be Aware of Bad Exchange Rate.[/caption] Now. This is the moment you have all been waiting for. This is it ladies and gentlemen. If you listen to all of my podcasts and get absolutely no information from any of them, this is the part that you must listen to. After you escape the customs room you will go through some glass sliding doors and you will find yourselves in a place, nicknamed in a most loving terms of endearment, The Shark Tank. You will be walking through a corridor where on either side counters and tables and very official looking people nicely dressed, some in uniforms will try to be getting your attention. They will ask you if you need a taxi. They will say to you that they will arrange a taxi for you. They will ask you where you are staying and try to strike up a conversation with you. They will attempt to offer you things. Do Not Stop. Do not Engage These People. They are attractive, they are smiling big white toothy smiles. They look so harmless…they want to help me with my trip? They want to help me with a ride. Don’t stop. They are there to sell you a timeshare. They are there to rob you of your greatest commodity. Your time. Time is precious Folks, and your vacation time is sacred. Don’t let these sharks rob you of one single moment of your hard earned vacation. Please, push through. Smile and say no thank you. Tell them you already have a condo, tell them you are not interested and walk on by. [caption id="attachment_400" align="alignleft" width="300"] Pay For Taxis Here[/caption] [caption id="attachment_399" align="alignright" width="300"] ATM Machines in Airport Lobby[/caption] [caption id="attachment_398" align="alignright" width="300"] Line to Pass Through Customs[/caption] You may be asking why would they let people in the airport that could ruin your vacation from the get-go? When I first came to Puerto Vallarta in the mid 80’s, everywhere you turned there was someone, usually a young gringo manning a booth along the Malecon or along one of the streets in Old Town hounding everyone to take a timeshare tour and sit for a presentation. Today there are fewer traps like that in town, but I will tell you about where they are now and how to avoid them, but for some reason, the powers that be figured it would be all right to put the timeshare folks right there in the airport. I’m sure they have a deal worked out between the airport commission and the timeshare companies. Just do yourself a favor and just say no. Now I’m sure there are going to be those of you out there who will walk right up to one of these guys who offers to get you a taxi or give you a ride and just forget everything I just told you. All I can say is I told you so. Now you are asking me Barry, what can these people do to me that can be so bad? So you’re the curious type huh? Willing to tempt fate? That reminds me of a story from way back on my honeymoon. Debbie and I had just gotten off the Star Ferry From Kowloon to Hong Kong Harbor. When we got off the ferry I told her not to look at the rickshaw drivers. Don’t look them in the eye I warned her before she got off the ferry, don’t give them the slightest hint you are interested in a ride. Well, what do you think she did when she got off the ferry? That’s right, she looked at a rickshaw driver and that’s all she wrote. He rolled his cart right behind her and pushed her into the seat. Then he ran to the front and grabbed the handles, like the handles of a wheelbarrow and lifted up, making sure his passenger, my new wife was forced back by gravity into her seat As she tried to stand up in protest, he would lift the rickshaw handles up, spilling her back into her seat. She was looking back at me and I’m sure she was expecting a different reaction from me besides laughter. I had already resigned myself to the fact that I would be paying this rickshaw driver for his services. I figured I might as well take some pictures. Okay, that episode cost me about $5 and about 5 minutes of my time, but these guys, they want much, much more. I’ve heard stories about people who were practically held from their hotel till they agreed to go on a timeshare presentation and much worse. If you have a timeshare horror story to tell, send me your story by going to www.puertovallartatravelshow .com and clicking on the contact us page, and send us your story. So go straight do not stop in the Sharktank. Instead plow straight forward to the exit lobby where you will see some booths where they are selling tickets for rides from the airport to your hotel, condo etc. This will probably be the most expensive taxi ride of the trip unless you hire one to take you to a far away place. The airport taxis are regulated and prices are fixed and you pay in pesos if you have them, in your own funny money if you don’t just remember you get the best exchange rate at Bank affiliated ATM machines. You tell the nice lady behind the window where you are headed and she will charge you accordingly. If there are 1-3 people in your group, you most probably be taking a taxi, 4 or more passengers will be taking a van. The person behind the window is not charging per person for the taxi ride, but for the taxi itself. She is going to ask you what zone you are going to. I have a list attached with prices of zones and what hotels are in what zones but they are as follows…. Wow, seems like we’ve gone a too little long, next week we will talk with JR about taking buses in Puerto Vallarta. Just join us and let us be your guides. Until then, remember, this is an interactive show where I depend on your questions and suggestions about all things Puerto Vallarta. If you think of something I should be talking about, please reach out to me by clicking on the Contact us tab and sending us your message. And if you would like to purchase a copy of Alberto Perez’s song, Samba da Puerto Vallarta, or any of his other fine tunes you can click on my links page at www. Puertovallartatravelshow.com and you will find a link to buy his music as well as links to the La Palapa group of restaurants. And speaking of websites… if you are considering booking any type of tour while you are in Puerto Vallarta, you must go to Vallartainfo.com, JR’s website and reserve your tour through him, right from his website. Remember the value for value proposition. His experience and on the ground knowledge of everything Puerto Vallarta in exchange for your making a purchase of a tour that you would do anyway, you’re just doing it through him as a way of saying thank you. It costs no more than if you were to use someone else so do it. Really. And when you do take one of these tours, email me about your experiences. Maybe you can come onboard and share with others what you liked or didn’t like about the tour. Again contact me by clicking on the Contact us tab and sending off a message. And one more favor please, if you like this podcast, please take the time and subscribe to my podcast and give me a good review on iTunes if you would. It would be so appreciated if you would just take the extra time to do that for me. That way we can get the word out to more and more people about the magic of this place. So, thanks to you for listening all the way through this episode of the Puerto Vallarta Travel Show. This is Barry Kessler signing off with a wish for you all to slow down, be kind and live the Vallarta lifestyle. Nos Vemos amigos!
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So what are the best times of the year to come to Puerto Vallarta? I have a discussion with JR about that in the next episode of the show, but in short…November 15th through mid April are the best months to visit. June 15th till the end of October are the hottest and rainiest times of the year. I actually really like coming to PV in mid October. They call it the shoulder season and flights are always really reasonable and room rates are still at off season lows. You will need to be ready for a little rain, but when it rains, it’s just for a short time, usually in the late afternoon. The popular restaurants are coming off of their off season vacations. Many of them close during the entire month of September and half of October, so I try to get in while it’s cheap, not too crowded and not too unbearable as far as the heat and humidity. Look, I like coming to Puerto Vallarta whenever I can get here.
Pack light. Think cool. It will be humid here in Vallarta. Depending on the time of year, hot and humid. If you are a guy, you should have a nice pair of jeans for going out to clubs at night. A collared shirt or two for a fancy occasion and maybe a pair of nice slacks and dress shoes for that or those fancy occasions too. You will need a hat, although if you forget one you will have absolutely no shortage of hats to choose from when you get there from any number of venders you will encounter on the beach or in shops. A pair of sunglasses for sure, but if you forget those, you know you can get a pair or two in PV. You will need swimming shorts and a couple of pairs of short pants too. Sandals are a must, and if you are planning on going on a hike, bring some tennis shoes for sure. Socks, underwear, and lots of t-shirts. Remember it is hot and humid and you will be sweating some. So will you be needing a jacket or sweater? Probably not, but it can get chilly on some late December and January evenings. With that said, you will probably not need that wrap. Chances are the only time you will need something warm will be on the plane to and from Vallarta. Otherwise, stow that puppy away boys and girls, you aren’t goanna need them. That pretty much covers the clothing for you guys. For the ladies you will need Casual, summer clothing and beachwear. Especially during the hot and humid summer months you’ll want to pack cool fabrics that dry quickly when moist, offer good ventilation. You’ll need a few dressier outfits if staying at an all-inclusive resort where you may be asked to wear dressier dinner attire, or if in the evenings you plan to go out dancing or to fancy restaurant. You may want to bring a sweater for your return flight. You may need it if you go out on an evening or early morning boat ride, or if you happen to get an unlikely cool evening. You should remember to pack sleepwear, underwear and bras and other girl stuff. [caption id="attachment_441" align="alignright" width="500"] Web Cam at Cuates Y Cuetes in Puerto Vallarta Mexico[/caption] If you want to get a good idea as to what the current weather and dress attire is down in Puerto Vallarta, here’s what I do. Call me a voyeier, but Im almost always going to www.cuatesycuetes.com and check out their webcam. It’s right on the boardwalk just north of the Los Muertos Pier on the Southside of town. You know, the pier where there is this structure that lights up at night that looks like a sail? That’s where you can catch a panga to take you out to a beach or fishing or snorkeling. Anyway, this webcam is just pointing down the boardwalk, and you can see how the visitors, the locals and the tourists are dressed, in real time. You can see if they are sweating and struggling under the hot, humid tropical conditions, or if they are doing fine. You can see thunderstorms in the summer that will blow your mind too, really, so if you want to see the latest fashion being sported on the beaches of Puerto Vallarta. And If you wait long enough, the webcam swivels around 360 degrees so you can see the tables set up on the beach, the boats waiting to give a vacationer a ride on his panga, the people walking on the pier, and then the people inside the restaurant. So I bet you are wondering what the heck Cuates Y Cuetes means? I looked it up and kinda pieced it all together, so I’ll give it a try. I’m pretty sure some listener or reader of my blog, did I mention you can read my blog and shownotes at www.puertovallartatravelshow.com? Anyhoo, I just know someone is going to tell me I have it all wrong, but here it goes, in Spanish Cuates means Friends, and Cuetes means a couple of different things but two make the most sense to me. Cuetes can mean either fireworks or a firecracker, or most likely, this other translation fits better where it says Cuetes means a little drunk, buzzed or tipsy. So it’s either friends and Fireworks or Friends and Getting drunk and tipsy. Either way, just go to that webcam at Cuates y Cuetes.com. I will add it to my links page on my website. In fact, I’ll add a bunch of Puerto Vallarta webcams to my link page so go there and click away. So getting back to what to wear, Essentially, how much you pack and what you pack depends on you and your habits. I’m just giving you some guidelines. Me and my wife on the other hand like to pack light like just a carry-on and a daypack each if we can get away with it. That way we can bypass the baggage carousel and head right for the immigration line. That’s how we beat the crowd. Another way to beat the crowd to the front of the immigration line is to make extra sure you fill out the tourist card that the flight attendant gives you before you land. Bring your own pen because these attendants never have enough, and fill the card out properly. Even on the bottom where lots of us forget to look. Just fill it in. Then, before your plane starts the final descent into PVR, hit the restroom on the plane before you land. [caption id="attachment_443" align="alignleft" width="500"] Cuates Y Cuetes in Puerto Vallarta Mexico[/caption] If I do go the travel light route, what that means is that I have to have my laundry done for me about half way through my stay. I take it down to the local lavanderia in the morning, and if I’m lucky, I get it back the same day in the afternoon, although there was one time, I kept coming back for my clothes and the lady always seemed to be closed. Bad timing on my part I’m sure. I wrote a blog about it and you can find that story at my website at www.PuertoVallartaTravelshow.com along with all of the show notes to this episode including this packing list. Anyway, if you do happen to take your clothes to a lavenderia, they charge you by the Kilo, they wash and fold and wrap up your clothes for you in a neat cellophane package. It’s really cheap and pretty darn handy. Plus…I like to give them the business. They do a great job. Just remember, they aren’t your local dry cleaner like at home. If you have expensive tricky to wash clothes, don’t give those to them. Do everyone a favor including you and that perplexed looking local washlady a favor and leave your easy care washables in your suitcase. If you are not in town or in a place where there are lavanderias, , the hotels will do your laundry for you. Some are cheap, others get pricey depending on the property. If you are staying in a condo. You will either have a machine in your condo, or a laundry room somewhere on the property. Look, if in doubt, ask one of the housekeeping crew, they may be able to help you out for a reasonable fee. Who wants to do laundry on vacation right? Of course, if you pack lots of stuff, you won’t have to think about doing any laundry till you get home. Wouldn’t that be a novel idea?
Remember, if you forget any of these items, you will be able to get them in Puerto Vallarta. With the exception of your meds. Make sure you don’t forget those. I also have this list in my show-notes which you can access at puertovallartatravelshow.com.
If you are living in the 21st century, chances you have a cell phone or smart phone, iPad,laptop you get the picture, with data plans and Wi-Fi. How are we going to use these in Mexico? Most US cell providers have special Mexico US plans that include calling, texting and data. They aren’t too expensive either. My plan is with Verizon and I get their I suggest their Canada Mexico plan. It's really cheap! You should check with your carrier and use the Mexico plan that works best for you. Make sure you change your plan before you leave for Mexico. And don’t forget to take the plan off when you get home. Some tips are to download google maps of the city and surrounding areas to your phone to be able to use offline while roaming. You can use this tip at home too. If having internet in your Puerto Vallarta room is a must, check with the property first. WI-FI is available in most hotels now a days, although some places only have internet connection in the lobby. Others will charge you a daily rate on top of your room costs so if you are on a budget, and you need the use of the interwebs, figure that in to your vacation nut. And make sure that your phone is connected to the Wi-FI when you are at the hotel, condo or wherever you are staying. If you need internet, check ahead. There are also many internet cafe's in Puerto Vallarta so if things get really, really tight, you can find something. Even in a Starbucks for goodness sake. You can always bring a mobile hotspot as a back-up. We all need a plan B and talking about a plan B, let’s talk Money.
If you are coming from the US, Canada, Eurolandia, Australia, Central and South America, forget about your US Dollars, your Canadian dollarettes your European Euros or your Australian Dollars. There was a time when we would bring US dollars to Mexico and either exchange them in Hotels, exchange booths or waited in line in a bank. No longer ladies and gentlemen. Here in Puerto Vallarta the peso is king. It’s the coin of the realm. They don’t want your dollars. Imagine if you will, you are back in the States and you are working at a McDonalds. Okay maybe you can’t imagine that, imagine you are working as a barista at a Starbucks….okay maybe you can’t imagine that either, but just play with me here, at least I’m not making you a cashier at Walmart… okay but suppose you are any one of these salespeople in the US, and a Mexican National came to your line and wanted to purchase his basket of groceries, or maybe his fries and big mac, or his cup of frappe late expresso presto chango with Mexican Pesos. How would you deal with that now mr. the American, Canadian, you fill in the occupation barista you? You would look at him and ask, what do you expect me to do with this? It’s too much of a hassle for these shop owners to have to wait in long lines to exchange your coin of your realm, and they don’t want to do it, and…they will make you pay for the inconvenience you put them through. I finally learned my lesson when I tried to pay for a dinner in a Guadalajara Restaurant and I took a good 30% haircut on the exchange rate. Sheesh! So what do you do? Money is pretty important so get it right, and have a plan B and a plan C just in case. There are people out there who insist on bringing dollars with them, to exchange along the way. I would recommend against that. Bring a couple of hundred dollars with you, but only in case of emergencies. Remember, you will get the worst exchange rate for dollars anywhere you try to spend or exchange them in Mexico. The exception is Banco Azteca where you can exchange dollars for pesos. Make sure you bring your passport. Some people get pesos from their bank before they leave home by ordering them in advance. Banks do tend to offer pretty poor exchange rates. If you live in larger urban town you can find local money exchange companies that give pretty good rates and a little peace of mind to the traveler who doesn’t want to have any surprises upon arrival in PV. It is more costly however because the exchange rates are not as good as others. The best way to get pesos for your trip is to use your bank ATM card at the airport. That’s right, your ATM card at the airport. However...
First, before you leave the country, like a week before you leave the country where you live, call or go into your bank, and let them know that you will be using your ATM card in Mexico. Tell them know you will be in the Puerto Vallarta area, and let them know for how long. If you don’t tell your bank, you will more than likely be unable to access your money while in Mexico. So, don’t forget to tell your bank and confirm before you leave. Now, why do you need pesos when you arrive at the airport? Because if you use pesos instead of dollars to pay for your taxi or van to your hotel or resort, you won’t have to take that exchange rate haircut I was talking about that I took in Guadalajara. Just remember that if you pay for your airport transportation in your funny money, it will just cost you a little more, that’s all. So no big deal guys. You don’t have to do the money ATM dealie at the airport if you don’t want to. Just sayin that if you get into the swing of things with a little practice at the airport ATM, you will have a more comfortable time navigating the Money machines during the rest of your stay. After you arrive at the airport and pick up your bags, you will come to an area with manned money exchange booths. You see their smiling faces behind the glass in booths along the wall. Avoid these as they will charge you a high fee. Look around and you will see about 5 or six bank affiliated ATM machines, BBVA Bancomer, HSBC, Banorte, Banamex, Scotia and Santander. All of these machines are fine for you to use with your ATM card. You should be able to withdraw up to 7,000 pesos or approximately $350 US at one time. Depending on the Mexican bank ATM, you will most likely be charged a 25-40 pesos service fee, or approximately $1.50 mexican host bank transaction, plus, whatever your bank gets for the withdraw. Now that’s not bad considering I get charged $3-3.50 as a service charge whenever I use an unaffiliated ATM machine, so $1.50 fee, I’m okay with that. Now, my bank is a credit union and they don’t charge me to use their card at an ATM in Mexico, so I just pay the $1.50 transaction fee. This is how you will get your very best exchange rate, US or Canadian dollar. The PVR airport ATMs are all bank affiliated: HSBC, Santander, Banamex, BBVA Bancomer and I believe Banorte. These machines will pay out in pesos of course. If you see a machine that says Cashola, turn and run. While you are out around town, make sure you use bank affiliated ATM’s as well, and use the ones attached to a bank to avoid possible number skimming devices that have made it down to PV. You can also bring cash and exchange it at Azteca Banks but bring your passport. Also your hotel can exchange your money but, as I have stated earlier, this is not a good way to obtain a good exchange rate. Same with the money exchange cambio booths you will find around town. They are good in a pinch, but hey, get with the program and use your ATM card for those peso pop. Lastly, if you have no ATM card, or maybe you just don’t want to use one of those plastic thingies, send yourself the money using MoneyGram. You can do it online or go to your local Walmart and open an account to send money. Using MoneyGram you can send yourself up to $950 for $9.90, up to $50,00 for $4.90. You can pick up your money in the form of pesos at any HBC location in Jalisco Mexico, any Farmacia Guadalajara, Walmart, Banco Azteca, and others that you can discover when you are sending the money. You can also send yourself multiple MoneyGram’s that you can retrieve as you need them throughout your trip for up to a year, so if you want to send yourself more than you will need, remember you can get your money back when you get back home in dollars instead of pesos if unclaimed in Mexico. It’s very important to note that you are given a receipt with an 8 digit number on it. You are also instructed to write the recipient’s full name, spelled correctly on the form that you present to the MoneyGram Representative, and the recipient must have legal form of ID that matches exactly the name on the money transfer. Now here’s something that you should do if you use this MoneyGram method, the other day, I was in my neighborhood Vallarta Market, by the way, if you are ever in the Los Angeles area and get a chance to go inside one of these Vallarta Markets, do it! Modern, Mexican, a huge butcher section, bakery, restaurants, prepared Mexican food to take home, just remarkable, at any rate I asked the MoneyGram lady if was cool to send yourself money and here’s what she said, you are better off having a relative or friend send you the money because often times the MoneyGram place will look at the name of the sender and the name of the receiver and determine that there is some sort of fraud going on and not deliver the funds. So, bring Junior or your best friend to the MoneyGram place and have them be the sender. That way you won’t be looked at sideways when you arrive to pick up your dough. Just remember to keep your secret number secret, and don’t let some scammer try to get the info from you. If you lose the number or give it to someone else, you cannot ever get your money back. There is no recourse so be careful with MoneyGram. It’s not foolproof. So your money plan A should be to use your ATM card. Let your bank know before you go. Plan B, bring some cash and or pesos along, and plan C, send yourself a MoneyGram or two, for a back-up. Hotels and many finer restaurants and shops will take your credit cards, so there is always that option. Wow, we are going a little long, next week we will talk with JR about mosquitos and other bugs, the best time to visit Puerto Vallarta and everything you need to know about arriving at the airport, what to expect when you arrive at the Puerto Vallarta Airport and Lastly, we will get you from the airport to your hotel safely. Just join us and let us be your guides. Until then, remember, this is an interactive show where I depend on your questions and suggestions about all things Puerto Vallarta. If you think of something I should be talking about, please reach out to me by clicking on the Contact us tab and sending us your message. And remember, if you are considering booking any type of tour while you are in Puerto Vallarta, you must go to Vallartainfo.com, JR’s website and reserve your tour through him, right from his website. Remember the value for value proposition. His experience and on the ground knowledge of everything Puerto Vallarta in exchange for your making a purchase of a tour that you would do anyway, you’re just doing it through him as a way of saying thank you. It costs no more than if you were to use someone else so do it. Really. And when you do take one of these tours, email me about your experiences. Maybe you can come onboard and share with others what you liked or didn’t like about the tour. Again contact me by clicking on the Contact us tab and sending off a message. Next week we will get right into how to prepare for and what to expect when you arrive in Puerto Vallarta for your dream vacation. And one more favor please, if you like this podcast, please take the time and subscribe and give me a good review on iTunes if you would. It would be so appreciated if you would just take the extra time to do that for me. That way we can get the word out to more and more people about the magic of this place. So, thanks to you for listening all the way through this episode of the Puerto Vallarta Travel Show. This is Barry Kessler signing off with a wish for you all to slow down, be kind and live the Vallarta lifestyle. Nos Vemos amigos!
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Hello fellow travelers, welcome to the very first episode of the Puerto Vallarta Travel show. I am your host Barry Kessler and I am just so happy to be to introducing you to my favorite vacation destination, and maybe even yours, Puerto Vallarta Mexico. That music you were just listing to is performed by Alberto Perez, the owner of the La Palapa group of restaurants, La Palapa Restaurant is on the southside of town, right down on the beach in Puerto Vallarta. La Palapa, and El Dorado Restaurants as well as Vista Grill on the Hill. For those who are looking for a little romance under the stars, El Dorado has this Romantic Dining experience package you can call ahead and ask for. Imagine following a candle lit walkway to a private table at the ocean’s edge and you are surrounded by tiki torches. You’re seated at a candlelit table on the beach with your toes in the sand and dining on a 5-course gourmet menu created especially for you, and served with personalized attention to you and your every wish. Yeah, you can have that… You can download his song or even his whole CD if you like it as much as I do. I have a link to it in my shownotes on my website for show #1 where you will find it at www.puertovarrartatravelshow.com. Puerto Vallarta offers so much to any traveler who’s looking for a fun filled seaside vacation. There is something for everyone here.
Are you on a budget? No problem, Puerto Vallarta has plenty of opportunities for the budget traveler. In fact, when I first came here with my wife, well, she was my girlfriend at the time some 32 years ago, we were looking at Hawaii and Puerto Vallarta, and we chose Vallarta just because we could actually afford it. We chose a travel package that included air and a week stay at the Playa Los Arcos Hotel in Southside, romantic zone, PV, right on the water. It’s still there today and is still going strong. It was cheap, and you can still get great package deals through all the travel ticket sites. I know that the package deal is very popular with Canadians.
Maybe you aren’t a budget conscious traveler but a luxury seeker. Perhaps your idea of a perfect vacation is being pampered. Maybe you want to have a massage on the beach, or just prefer sitting by the pool drinking and eating. Maybe you don’t even want to leave the property. You prefer the all inclusive food and drink experience. Everything included, in some places even the tips. For many I suppose, lounging, reading being pampered, getting a poolside or Oceanside massage, a spa treatment, having the staff know you by name, having a private beach with beachside service is an important part of the vacation experience. Not me, just sayin, but I’m not here to judge. I’m here to learn from all of you fellow travelers. Maybe I’m missing something. I’m willing to be proven wrong. I’ll keep an open mind during our travels together. So there are the real budget digs that can cost you around $20/ night US, and there are places like the Four Seasons Punta Mita that will cost you around $1,550 a night. Air BnB’s have made it down here in a big way, There’s apartment and condo rental specialists for those looking to have an extended stay. What I’m getting at is there are lots of properties all along the Bajia de Banderas that will suit any traveler’s needs and we are going to visit them and talk about them. We are going to talk to the hotel representatives and to you the everyday traveler to get your first hand experiences. It’s going to be fun. This is going to be an interactive experience. Since this is the first episode I want to give you an overview as to what to expect from the show as it unfolds for you on a weekly basis. The first shows will concentrate on the basics. The history of Puerto Vallarta, the current lay of the land, geography, the local customs. What are the best months of the year to visit? We will talk about getting there. Are you driving? Are you flying into the airport, are you just stopping for a day on a cruise liner and only have a few hours to get a feel for Vallarta?
What to pack, Passports and length of your stay, what to expect when you arrive at the airport. Can you bring your pet? How about Groceries and Shopping for the basics? Can I get what I want? Are there supermarkets? Are there convenience stores like 7/11’s? We are going to talk about exchanging money, can you drink the water? Is it okay to eat the food? Is the ice okay in the margaritas and in my coke? What about the crime? Is it safe in Puerto Vallarta? Can you walk the streets at night? How about the police? Can you trust them? What are the people like? Can you trust them? How about the bugs? Mosquitoes? How do we prepare for that? And then there’s Transportation, once we arrive. How do we all get around? Should you rent a car? What should you do before you get into a taxi or get on a bus. I know what you are thinking…I’m gonna get kidnapped…I’m in Mexico! What, A BUS?? You mean like a chicken bus you ask??? Well… We will be talking about that too. We will be talking about all of that in the first couple of podcasts. So we are going to cover all the basics and get you prepared because I want you to have the safest and most awesome vacation you have ever had. And you are going to have it right here in Puerto Vallarta. I want to help you plan your vacation so you can optimize your valuable, hard earned vacation. I’m here to help you make the most of your Puerto Vallarta Vacation. I’m here to help you enjoy everything Puerto Vallarta has to offer you so you can get your mind off of the daily grind. You deserve the best. I’m going to make sure you get it. Deal? Deal! I’m doing this for you because of all of the help I have gotten from fellow travelers along the way. I’ve had help from many people I’ve met in Puerto Vallarta and you are going to meet many of them as the show progresses over the weeks to come. One of them is a guy I know you will like. You may even know him or have heard of him. This man was a regular poster, I would say he was a regular character on an internet web forum, well let’s say it happens to be a very popular travel advice website. Anyway, his name is John and he is best known as JR in PV. JR has lived in Puerto Vallarta for 40 years, 30 of them permanently, and for almost 30 years, he has been giving advice to travelers coming to this fair city. Well, JR has promised me that he will join us on a weekly basis to answer your questions and to tell us about what is happening during the week in Puerto Vallarta. He is an expat from London and as you will see, he still hasn’t picked up the local accent; I will have to ask him about that. You’d think he would have shaken off that English accent but, as we all know, guys that talk like that just sound smarter. Anyway, JR has this website and you can see it by going to www.vallartainfo.com and on the website at the top of the page is s a tab called Maps, and you can download maps of different sections of Puerto Vallarta. Nicely detailed and I will be referring to it as we make our journey through the city in the upcoming episodes of the show. JR also has in addition to lots of invaluable information, a tour tab at the top of the homepage as well, and if you are going to take a tour while you are in Puerto Vallarta, make sure you book your tour through the website at vallartainfo.com. Remember it’s a value for value proposition here, JR gives us great travel information and we help him out by reserving our tours through Vallartainfo.com, that’s Vallartainfo.com for your tours.
So what next? As I said, the next couple of episodes, we’ll be talking about the history of Vallarta, and lessons and the basic travel do’s and don’ts , then what? Well there is so much.
As you may or may not have heard, Puerto Vallarta is an incredible foodie destination with over 700 restaurants. Really! We will be interviewing numerous restaurateurs here in town and get their stories. We will hear about their menus, their awards, their struggles working in a town with so much competition for the tourist dollars. I will be interviewing Gary Beck, author of the Puerto Vallarta Food guide and writer for the Banderas News, covering the entertainment beat. Gary will be talking food and you guessed it entertainment! So food and restaurants will be a big part of this show. Then we will talk about what to do, what tours should a first timer take and what a visitor should not miss.
This is a seaside destination with all sorts of types of water sports and romantic, beautiful beaches where you can sit under a palapa/ umbrella, and have food and drink served to you. You can hire una launcha to take you out to Secluded beaches before the crowds hit. There’s fishing, scuba diving, snorkeling, parasailing, sailing and sailboat excursions out of the Marina Vallarta. From Nuevo Vallarta and PV you can catch a boat to the Marietta Islands. We’re going to tell you all of the greatest places to go and what not to miss, or if you just want to lounge and relax, you can just hear all about what you are missing and just don’t care. Remember, this is a sharing podcast. Maybe you are an adventurer traveler and like to hike, zip-line do healthy invigorating stuff. Well Puerto Vallarta has got you covered and we will talk about you guys.
Perhaps you are the kind of traveler who isn’t happy unless they are helping others. Maybe you feel guilty enjoying yourself while others are suffering. You know who you are. You are do-gooders. Well you do-gooders are in luck, Puerto Vallarta has so many opportunities for you to do all sorts of good. Maybe you want to help out at one of the many children’s charities set up in Vallarta. Maybe you don’t like kids and just so happens you love animals and want to help out at the local ASPCA or the pet spay and neuter clinic. There is an entire list of these organizations where your help and funds are needed and would be appreciated and I have added a couple to my website of links to do-gooder websites in PV that you can visit. Again you will find those links by going to www.Puertovallartatravelshow.com. Well, we will be interviewing these leaders, these special volunteers in the community who have found their calling and are truly Gods’ helpers for sure.
My real job is selling homes. I know a whole lot about selling houses in Southern California. That’s how I can afford to make Puerto Vallarta my second home away from home. In fact, I do another podcast called the Southern California Real Estate Answer Man Show where I do tutorials on buying and selling Real Estate in California. So if you ever want to buy or sell a home in Southern California, call me, but I have absolutely no idea where to begin when it comes to buying and selling property in Mexico. I do however, know some great agents who work all along the Bajia de Banderas. From Sayulita and Bucarias to the north, to Mismaloya and Boca Tomatlan to the South so if you are ever in the market and want a great, honest agent referral, email me and I will set you up with an agent that you will get along with. Anyway because of my natural interest in the subject of buying and selling homes, we are going to talk with local Realtors, brokers and attorneys about foreigners buying property in Puerto Vallarta. We are talking real property not timeshares here, we are talking about buying the whole enchilada. About buying a home or condo. It’s not going to be a big part of the show, but we are going to definitely touch on the subject. Maybe more than a touch, maybe a little heavy petting, but we will see. Look, I think that people who come here more than once start looking around and asking themselves, where would I like to live if I lived here. It is certainly a thought provoking subject if just for the voyeurism of the whole thing.
Talking of timeshares, we will be talking timeshares in an episode or two, that’s because it seems everywhere you turn around in this town, someone is trying to sell you a timeshare. We will be spending some time discussing the good and the bad of those timeshare opportunities with people who sell them, people who hate them and the people who just love them. Some have multiple timeshares and we will hear from them.
And if purchasing your little piece of paradise isn’t in the cards for you, we will be talking with people living in Puerto Vallarta who handle long term and short term rentals. These people and can find you a place to stay the winter, not in a hotel or a resort, but a condo or an apartment or a full on home. So many of you are snowbirds spending 3-5 months in paradise instead of battling the freezing temperatures In Minisocold, or Cleveland Ohio, or you Canadians up in Canadia from Manitoba, Toronto, Vancouver BC, Saskatoon Saskatchewan, I just wanted to say that and all over that great country to the north. Canadians are finding that their dollarettes go a lot further in Puerto Vallarta than at home in Canada. That’s why you will find such a large Canadian Expat population in PV. For some reason Canadians love this place. Of course there’s plenty of American US expats living in Puerto Vallarta as well.
We will be talking with the expats here in Puerto Vallarta, from one end of the bay to the other to get their stories too. We will discuss their reasons for moving to paradise…duh.., their challenges and successes making a go at living in Mexico. Are they looking to get a Mexican Passport and citizenship, or are they just happy to have resident status. We will have a couple of shows that cover those issues as well.
Perhaps you are considering Puerto Vallarta as your destination wedding location. Many brides to be see themselves getting married with the ocean and sand and the fantastic setting of Bandares Bay as the backdrop of their ideal wedding. Others see themselves wed at the famous Church of our lady de Guadalupe, That beautiful crowned church you see in all of those tourist photos of Puerto Vallarta. Yes, that church. You can be married there. Maybe you have decided to renew your vows in paradise and want to invite your favorite people in the world to share your special moment with you. Well, we will be talking with local wedding planners, Bakers, Dressmakers, florists, photographers, caterers and hotel operators as well as other property owners who specialize in making your destination wedding the talk of the town and an incredible memory for you to hold in your hearts for your entire lives. I’m really looking forward to that or I should say those episodes of the show because there are so many people to talk with and so many options for those of you in love who are mulling over the numerous possibilities and opportunities. So weddings, vow renewals anniversary celebrations and other special occasion locations and services will be discussed in length throughout the podcasts to follow. If you have had a wedding that you want to tell us about, let me know and we can talk about it in an upcoming show. Please share your experiences with our listeners.
Maybe you are interested in the numerous art galleries throughout Vallarta. We will be talking with a number of local artists, many of them expats themselves who now call Puerto Vallarta their home. We will be talking with local native Mexican artists as well. I have an upcoming interview Gary Thompson, who is the owner and director of Galleria Pacifico, and he will also give us a tour of the local artwork on the Malecon, the oceanfront boardwalk in Old Town Puerto Vallarta where there are the most fantastic, some would say unusual looking sculptures and artwork that are so popular here along the waterfront here in downtown PV. During the high season every Tuesday morning at 9:30, Gary gives a free walking tour where he describes the artwork and talks about the artists too. It’s going to be a real treat.
Maybe you are looking to enrich yourselves by taking a Spanish course or a cooking class so you can cook like a local. Maybe you want to take an art class with a local artist. We will be interviewing these teachers who are eager to share their knowledge so you can bring it home with you to share with your family and friends. And you can relive those experiences each and every day. Imagine if you will learning from some of the most amazing chefs in the whole world. Wow! You can do that here, and you will be so glad you listened to this show because now you have the bug.
Puerto Vallarta is a LGBTQ friendly town. You will find, especially on the south side of town that Vallarta has plenty of Gay daytime and Night time activities with , Clubs, Bars and Restaurants, beaches and even special tours actually offered specifically for gay tourists here. So yes, the Rainbow flag is flown quite proudly here in Vallarta. And we are going to dedicate at least one show to the LGBTQ community here and the clubs and restaurants that are frequented by the gay community here in Vallarta. I'm telling you, you should check out that show, it should be very interesting.
Puerto Vallarta was put on the map by Hollywood Director John Houston and Richard Burton and Liz Taylor when the night of the iguana was filmed back in 1964, so it should come as no surprise that Puerto Vallarta has a robust theater and entertainment community. We will be discussing that with Gary Beck in an upcoming show this February. So there is just so much to talk about, and as the show progresses week by week, I will be working along with friends like JR, and my buddy Agustin at The fantastic Hotel Cinco 22 B & B on Calle Hidalgo, about 3 blocks north of The Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe. I will be working with those great guys and others to bring you special offers from restaurants and hotels, resorts and clubs so stay tuned for that. Just another added bonus for my listeners and I will be bringing those to your attention as the come up. Again you will find all of the show notes to this podcast ant others to come including the links to JR’s site and to the website where you can purchase the fantastic music of Alberto Perez who we will listen to as we play out this episode. Remember my friends, and I really mean this, because I have made so many great, genuine friends in Puerto Vallarta, and I really consider all of my listeners my friends, that this show is an interactive one. I need your participation by sending me emails with questions for JR that you would like to hear him answer on air with me. And please Email me your suggestions for show topics. I probably have about 60 of them written down as of right now, but If you think of something I should be talking about, please reach out to me by email. Just click on the contact tab at the top of the page and fill out the form. And remember, if you are considering booking any type of tour while you are in Puerto Vallarta, you must go to Vallartainfo.com, JR’s website and reserve your tour through him, right from his website. Remember the value for value proposition. His experience and on the ground knowledge of everything Puerto Vallarta in exchange for your making a purchase of a tour that you would do anyway, you’re just doing it through him as a way of saying thank you. It costs no more than if you were to use someone else so do it. Really. And when you do take one of these tours, email me about your experiences. Maybe you can come onboard and share with others what you liked or didn’t like about the tour. Again, email me with your experiences. Just click on the contact tab at the top of the page and fill out the form. Next week we will get right into the history, geography and lay of the land here in Puerto Vallarta.
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