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SHE SAID…
September 28, 2003
It has often been said that truth
is stranger than fiction. I would venture to say that
the statement was coined with Puerto Vallarta in mind,
except that I know that it wasn’t. Many adjectives
have been used to describe the things that happen in
this town, including unbelievable, surreal, Kafkaesque...And
they are all that – and more.
In this particular case, I was thinking
mostly of the controversial turnstiles installed in
some 173 of the blue buses, the ones that have caused
children, pregnant ladies, handicapped folks and senior
citizens to complain bitterly over the last few weeks.
The matter went all the way to the state capital of
Guadalajara. (And that’s apart from the 100+ buses
circulating through town without license plates or permits…)
From Guadalajara, word came down that the turnstiles
had to be removed. Oh, goody! Everyone sighed in relief.
Then a few days later, the bus drivers’ union
managed to get an “amparo” from the courts.
Now, if I understand the concept of this judicial measure
well, it resembles the American Chapter 11 defense.
Basically, the latter protects the party in trouble
from its creditors (or complainants) while it tries
to “reorganize”. An “amparo”
in Mexico allows one to continue operating as always
until such time as the court or some higher body decides
whether the new law is enforceable or not. (Last year,
restaurants in this country got an “amparo”
against the tax that the federal government wanted to
levy on imported liquor served in their establishments.)
So now, the famous Puerto Vallarta
“blues” could continue using the turnstiles
past the original “compulsory removal” deadline
of September 15th. This would also give them time –purportedly-
to see where they could acquire the laser sensors that
they were told to get to replace the turnstiles. If
you recall, the whole idea of the turnstiles came from
the bus owners. They wanted to reduce the losses they
had been suffering due to some bus drivers’ failure
to hand over the day’s entire take. I guess they
felt it was okay to do unto others for years (like not
giving students the 50% discount they were entitled
to by law - for example) but not okay when it was done
unto them…
But the story doesn’t end there.
It must be that some “amparos” have more
clout than others because one week later, our Mayor
declared that there would be “no truce”
and to show his determination, 19 of the “blues”
were taken out of circulation and he informed the media
that the permit regularization process would begin soon.
To add a little something to my ongoing
saga with Mexicana airlines, I want to share with you
a couple of things that happened to me on my latest
mini-trip up to Montreal. Firstly, when I flew from
Vallarta to Mexico City, the flight landed about a half
an hour late. I had no time to go through Immigration
to have my FM-3 stamped as I would miss my connecting
flight. The Mexicana agents rushed me to the departure
gate. When I came back, although I could have pretended
to be a tourist, I decided to be honest and tell the
immigration agent what had happened on my way up. This
is the conversation that took place: Agent - “Sorry,
I have to fine you.” Me - “Why?” Agent
- “Because it is YOUR responsibility to check
in and have your FM-3 stamped.” Me - “And
miss my connecting flight?” Agent - “Tell
them to hold the plane.” Me - “You have
got to be kidding!” Agent (hesitatingly) - “Ok.
I’ll let you go this time, but don’t do
it again.” Me - “Thank you so much! God
bless you for understanding!”
The other thing was the box I was
bringing back with me in which I had packed a chair
that held a special meaning for me. The Mexicana agents
told me I would have to pay for excess baggage. I said
no, I was entitled to two pieces of luggage, one little
suitcase and the box. So they said they would charge
me for excess weight. I said no, I was within the limits.
So they said they would charge me for “excessive
dimensions”. I was tired, it was 6 a.m., so I
paid them $60. dollars, to add to the $1,300. they had
charged me for the ticket…
On the positive side, I promised
my cousin that I would tell my readers how absolutely
wonderful a city Montreal is - when it isn’t covered
in dirty snow. It is that! There is nothing more pleasant
than seeing all the tables out on the sidewalks, all
over town, filled with people enjoying themselves till
the wee hours of the morning. There is a joie de vivre
there that is unequalled anywhere. What a shame that
the authorities in Vallarta should be considering removing
the tables on Olas Altas. I hope they reconsider.
I heard that a nasty hurricane did
damage in La Paz last week. Did you know that the Spanish
word "huracán" (ouragan in French)
originated with the name the Maya and Caribe Indians
gave their god of storms? And what we call hurricane
is a cyclone in India, a typhoon in western Pacific
nations of the northern hemisphere and in Australia,
well, down under it’s called a Willy-Willy! Now
you’ve had your bit of trivia for the day.
I wish you all well, and to our Jewish
readers: L’Shana Tova! Hasta luego.
pvmomto3@hotmail.com
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