Too Slick.

There's a nice bar/restaurant downtown that overlooks the Malecon called "The No Name Cafe." It's been around for awhile, but the new owner decided to have his "opening night" last night and a bunch of us went to check it out after hearing there would be live entertainment in the form of a couple of guys from Canada.

By the time we got there, the joint was a hoppin' but since one of our friends is a friend of the owner, it wasn't long before we had "front row golds" for the show and a frosty Margarita in hand. The owner was a member of the Calgary Flames hockey team and the fact that his establishment has the sport's bar theme is very appropriate. ( Apparently his handle as a hockey player was "The Beast." )

The live music commenced shortly after our arrival and we soon learned the two middle aged performers are known as "Too Slick." They'd been doing the cruise ship circuit for a few years and just recently jumped ship for this port of call. Well, they are quite entertaining to say the least! The keyboard player is a trip to watch since his enthusiasm translates into a series of contortions worthy of a man half his age. He's the Olga Corbett of the keyboard and I couldn't help from getting a sore neck just watching him gyrate spasmodically during the performance. Nice guy though. He came over after the first set to chat and we learned he's from Kitchener, Ontario and has only been in Mexico for six weeks. The lead singer is a vision of leather and tattoos but croons like Lionel Richie. His voice is very easy on the ears and his repetoir is guaranteed to please the slightly older set which is what Vallarta needs. All in all, it was a fun night but we never got around to testing the menu other than a nibble or two on some chicken wings. We'll have to save that for the next visit.

Destilladeras Beach

In my humble opinion, one of the best beaches on Banderas Bay is the beach known as Destilladeras. It's a classic beach with all the requisites for the sun and surf seeker. It's wide, long, has hard packed sand, not overly crowded, and gorgeous! There's a constant rolling surf for the board enthusiasts and once you swim past the solo crasher, the water is pristine with a sandy bottom--- in other words: perfection.
The seafood operation on the beach (the name escapes me), supplies individual palapas, tables and chairs and you have the choice to bring your own fare or purchase from the menu. We had the quesadillas and the BBQ shrimp which was served with a heaping helping of rice, some salad and a few crispy french frys. It was all very tasty and didn't gouge our budget. There are also boogies boards for rent or you can just stroll the seemingling endless stretch of sand and admire the work of Mother Nature. Beach vendors are scarce and one can actually read without being constantly solicited for "braids?"
Destilladeras is located on the North side of the Bay, along the coastal highway about 45 minutes from Vallarta after taking the turn-off for La Cruz. Happy trails!

The Shoreline

My pedometer has led me to an internet cafe called Gloria Jeans downtown. I gather the name comes from the brand of coffee they serve and I have to say, it's quite delicious. According to the pedometer, I am 2,238 steps from Marbella or 1.83 miles so once I get home, that's a decent morning workout.
Yesterday I had a date with the Bobbsey twins-"Flotsam and Jetsum". I found a dirt road leading to the beach and went for a long jog on the beach and as the tide was still very high, there were lots of floating "treats" in the wake. I saw a dead blow fish, small pieces of driftwood, an interesting coconut covered with barnacles, the odd broken shell and a rubber sandal. Interesting. Concentrating on that kind of thing takes my mind off the huff and puff of the jog and the end of the beach came sooner than later. There weren't many people out as we head into the low season, just some guy jogging with his two pit bulls. All in all, it was a pleasant change of pace and I rewarded myself with a carton of orange juice on the way home.

Savory Seafood.

There are so many good places to eat in the city of Puerto Vallarta that choosing a spot to nosh becomes something of a challenge. Since Vallarta is on the coast, many of the best dishes are seafood, so why not start there?
How about a spicy seafood linguini in chipotle sauce? Now that's sabroso! A small place called "Polo's" across from the Cine Bahia has this wonderfully original dish and it's beome a favorite in our family. They also do the jumbo shrimp, stuffed with cheese and wrapped in bacon if you want to give your gall bladder a work-out. It's delicious but verrry rich! "Tino's" in Pity City (Pitillal) does a great version of the same dish, but at $180 pesos a plate, you better have deep pockets. Perhaps a better choice is their pescado Serandeado which they are well known for. That's just to name a few. Apparently there is a contingent of teachers heading to "Ocho Tostadas" behind the stadium after school today which reminds me that they do a wickedly delicious plate of coconut battered shrimp among other specialties. I like the ambience of this place because it's a tad funky, off the beaten track and doesn't have the circus-like atmosphere of Mauricio's or Coleguita. I can do without clowns and battle of the bands while I'm eating, not to mention some of the more off-beat "attractions" one is inclined to encounter at these super busy establishments. Last, but not least, it's hard to beat a plate of fresh shrimp on the beach at Destilladeras on a Saturday or Sunday morning, with the smell of the salt air to accompany your meal and the big blue sea as a backdrop.
More savory spots to consider later...

A New Discovery.

On a recent visit, my Canadian friend Nicole gifted me with a talking pedometer and it has become my new best friend. This tiny gizmo goes with me everywhere and in my concerted effort to walk my way to a better me, I have become a City Explorer.

Oprah Winfrey told all of us in T.V. land the other day that a good physical fitness objective is to walk 10,000 steps each day. Once I got my pedometer, I became somewhat obssessed with reaching that goal. It's quite challenging when you consider that 6,3000 steps is equal to about 5.21 miles. I've been taking long walks in the evening through the streets of Vallarta and attempt to switch my route from time to time just to keep it fresh. I found a nice detour that leads to the beach and everyone knows walking in the sand is much more of a workout. Anyway, yesterday I was walking along the beach heading towards town and I came across a new establishment that caught my eye due to its attractive design. It turns out it's a new restaurant/beach club called "Papagayo" and what makes it different is the layout. It has plenty of comfy loungers, hammocks, and even some couches facing the ocean. It's all set up around a giant palapa which offers bar seating, equipales, etc. The menu is simple beach fare and the beer is reasonably priced, so what's not to like? I even had a brief chat with the manager, Richard, who suits the role to a T since he is tan, buff, blonde and did I say buff?
Papagayo is now on the list for our next T.G.I.F. and I have high hopes that it will be a good place to hangout when the soul craves the sea.

Return to the Mercado

Having recently read a column by my fave editorialist, Mark Morford of the San Francisco Chronicle, I was compelled to re-evaluate my choices. I'm referring to super markets, with an emphasis on the word "super." Morford's point is that the giant stores are "sucking our souls" with the assault on our senses of all the neon lights, mega-stacks of toxic food, and the "circus like" atmosphere and having given it some thought, I had to agree! Therefore it was with a certain amount of determination that I convinced my husband to grab one of our plastic mercado bags and head for the outdoors and what we found was more than we bargained for.

Smiles, service and quality were in abundance. The butcher who was willing to hand slice the bacon to just the right thickness, the Senora who stopped dusting her wares to hand me the roll of paper towels from the top shelf, the fish monger who gave us a discount on those jumbo shrimp, and it didn't end there. We found cauliflower bigger than my head, grapes the size of ping-pong balls, purple and orange mangoes, field tomatoes, huge bouquets of cilantro, sticks of cinnamon, mandarins, the list goes on. More importantly, however, we found conversation. We ran into people we hadn't seen since joining the rat-race; people who actually had the luxury of time and asked about our families and our lives with interest.
Once we had loaded our bags to the brim, wrapped up the last conversation and headed for the car, we both felt satisfied by the experience and know we will be back very soon.

Becoming A Mexican Citizen

After all these years it was suggested that a group of us might want to trade in our FM3's (working papers) for full Mexican citizenship. Heck Ya!

It took some serious shuffling of paperwork, copies in triplicate, my girls' birth certificates and about $130 dollars and off we went like a herd of turtles bound for the office of immigration in Tepic, Nayarit. It wasn't nearly as painful as I had envisioned. Yes, we had to wait while the rep. interviewed us one by one and we had to let them know why we wanted to become Mexican citizens, (I like tequila and coco locos?) Actually, all of us have children born in Mexico and the majority are also married to Mexicans, so it became apparent that having citizenship would make a lot of sense. We were photographed and finger printed and the whole time treated very kindly which made the experience rather pleasant. Once we were all paid up and all the signatures affixed, we headed over to a place called "Mama Rosa's" for chilaquiles and a celebratory beer. We can't say it's a done deal just yet as all the paperwork gets sent to Mexico City and we'll hear back form them in about six to eight months, but none of us have any reason to believe we won't get accepted. The final step will be to get our Mexican passports which I feel will be a super document to possess and I can tell you that my husband is as proud as can be that I will become a documented citizen of his beloved country.

Casa Gigante!

I was invited to tour a new house in the Marina area yesterday by my student. Her father is the one who designed the house and since it is clearly the biggest house in the area and possibly the entire city, I was more than a little curious.
It's difficult to find the words to describe a house of this type primarily because I've never seen anything like it! The word massive comes to mind, but even that may not be sufficient. How about GIMUNGOUS? I haven't heard yet what the square footage is but my guess is somewhere between 55-65,000 square feet give or take a few thou. What makes the place extra spectacular is the decor. The theme is antique/religious, and to that end, the house is chock-a-block full of old religious iconography. I was told the huge oil paintings of saints and other religious figures are from all over Mexico. There is a man and his son from Spain on ladders hand painting religious murals on the upper walls. Apparently they've been painting for weeks. I could go on and on about the place but it really needs to be seen to be believed. It faces the golf course in the Marina and you certainly could'nt miss it if you were passing that way. I won't be at all surprised if it's on a house tour in the near future and should be really amazing once all the furnishings and final touches have been installed.

Fave City Contest

In the monthly Lonely Planet electronic newsletter they posed a question to their readers: What city grabbed your heart during your travels? I have never responded to their queries in the past, but this one seemed too easy. What have I got to lose by throwing down my thoughts about the town I still call home?

Twenty-odd years ago, a city by the name of Puerto Vallarta grabbed my heart and it still hasn't let go. There are just so many reasons to love this coastal chunk of fun in the sun I barely know where to begin.
The city of Vallarta has an insane amount of sun. Due to its geographical location (on the same latitude as Hawaii), it has something like 315 days of sun per year. Combine the inviting climate with endless beaches, the Sierra Madres covered in the lushest of green coats, red tiled roof-tops and cobbled streets and you have a wickedly inviting combination.
The people of Vallarta are as warm as the days are sunny. Everyone smiles and makes you feel like family especially if you reciprocate their hospitality. From the balloon vendor on the sea-side "Malecon" to the chubby Senora hawking her flautas, everyone has a kind word for the strolling gringo. The Spanish language adds to the beauty of the place and it's a great place to learn it since many local Mexicans make it their living to teach Spanish to visitors.
Vallarta is a city that awakens your senses: White-washed casitas with the fancy grill-work on the windows; tropical flowers blooming everywhere; steep cobble-stone streets leading up the mountainside to some hidden jewel of an eatery; the braying mule; the clang of the water truck; the flute notes of the knife-sharpener; the smoke from a hundred street comals; the waves of the Pacific beating against the yellow sands of the Malecon. It's an endless array of sensual delights against a backdrop that reminds visitors of Greece? Hawaii? Morroco? No. It's 100% Puerto Vallarta and it's home to me.

Burning Burrito Beckons

The idea behind the "Burning Burrito" is NOT to offer cooking lessons for fanatics of Mexican food, although in the future there might be some "tips" related to NOT burning your burrito...no, the idea is to offer info on living and working in Mexico. After twenty years of trial and error, failures and success, It came to my mind that it might be fun to share some of my knowledge with others. (I was also looking for a creative outlet.) If you've ever thought about moving to Mexico or working here, then this is a good place to gain some insider's info on topics such as job availabilities, working visas, accommodation and much, much more. Vallarta is constantly evolving and things are always happening...just as the world truns, the Burrito Burns!

Friday means T.G.I.F!

We are off to try the new seafood spot in town, "Coleguita II." If it's as good as the one on the highway to Ixtapa then we have a winner. Famous for heaping portions of fresh shrimp and fish, the place is a hit with locals and visitor alike. The fish ball "caldo" to start is a tasty way to get things started although the actual fish ball looks a bit strange...and they always offer a plate of complimentary fried bananas to finish off the meal. Oh yes, and a kahlua and cream concoction which must have a low alcohol count since they served one to my fourteen-year-old daughter without so much as a pause. Viva Mexico!