|
January 12, 2003
Hello Anna. I
just wanted to say thank you for your column. I think you are very fair and diverse
in your comments and observations. I spend 6 months of the year living in beautiful
PV and love every second of it, however l do have a beef: the new Los Arcos on
the Malecon. I don't know if this is just me but they
have no personality. They are too plain, ordinary looking… What is it about
them? Maybe floodlights to accentuate the beauty will help? I was hoping the new
arches to be more ornate l guess instead of looking so pre-fabricated. What
do you think Anna?
Ella Dear Ella,
Personally,
I happen to agree with you 100%! No further comment.
Anna
Dear
Editor, We return here every winter for 5 months and love
Puerto Vallarta and all it has to offer.
On our return here, how very delighted
we were to find that a friend had subscribed us for the free email newsletter
put out by ofertasvallarta.com In this weekly e-newsletter,
we receive special discounts and 2 for 1 offers from local restaurants, businesses,
dentists etc. Because we are on a fixed income, in the
past we have not been able to enjoy many restaurants in town, but now with these
offers, we have already dined out at some of the very best in town for a fraction
of what it would have cost us before. Now, instead of eating out twice a month,
we are able to enjoy eating out twice a week, and still save money. What a wonderful
program! For those of you, foreigners and Mexicans, who
have not subscribed to this wonderful free e-mail program, do it now. You will
be glad you did! Thank you for giving us even more to
enjoy in your wonderful town!
Sincerely,
Cindy and Robert Beare.
Vancouver,
BC
Editor In my
opinion, the past month of December brought a delightful moment in an otherwise
disappointing year for ecological hopes for the year of 2002 in Puerto Vallarta.
The absence of many buses in the center of the city during the month of December
permitted a reduction in noise, smog and danger on the streets of Vallarta not
enjoyed for many years. With the beginning of the new
year, the agreement that permitted this reduction in bus traffic ended. We have
returned to a stream of, often, practically empty buses plying Morelos and Juarez.
Users who complained of long waits for the fewer buses of December, are now complaining
of the long waits as several buses pass before "their bus" comes along. I
understand that new bus routes, which will include provisions for fewer buses
in the center of the city, will go into effect later in January. Personally, I
enjoyed the reduction of traffic in the center of the city in December and I congratulate
those who reached that agreement. Therefore, I encourage more dialog between authorities
and bus companies on this subject. If other residents
or visitors to Vallarta also have an opinion on this matter, I would encourage
them to submit their observations to the Municipal Office of Tourism or this newspaper.
While it is the authorities and bus companies who are discussing bus service for
Puerto Vallarta, it is the user who will be the most affected by their decisions.
If others would like to comment on the bus service of Vallarta or make any recommendations,
this would be an appropriate time to do so. R.C. Walker
Grupo
Ecológico de Puerto Vallarta, A.C.
Tel. & Fax: 222-0897
ecology@rentals-tours-mexico.com
Dear
Editor, I am amazed to learn that there are crocodiles
in the Bay of Banderas. More, that those captured have been released. I have been
fishing on the outlet of the Ameca River, standing in water to my knees never
dreaming about the danger of one of these dangerous beasts. They adapt to fresh
and to sea water. They can kill a horse or cow, pull a fisherman under water quickly
while ripping, twisting off a leg, or a head. Tourists
should be warned (in English) to be alert for crocodiles. Imagine the effect if
one tourist is devoured. These animals have no more place here, in the Bay, than
a dozen roaming lions. Adios. Bud Dear
Bud: Crocodiles, just like the rest of the natural
beauty that surrounds the Bay of Banderas, have existed since long before any
tourist stepped foot for the first time on this land. This is why the local inhabitants
of the region have no right -and tourists even less so- to expel those magnificent
animals from the lands that has belonged to them for over 350 million years. During
the near 100 years of historical data recorded in the region, only two encounters
between crocodile and man have been reported. In both cases, the only results
were a big scare and a few scratches on both sides. On
the other hand, the crocodiles of the bay whose population oscillates around 150
specimens, do not go around looking to capture and kill tourists. On the contrary.
When they detect a human presence, those magnificent reptiles, fish eaters that
they are, flee terrified, whether they be small specimens measuring a bare 10
inches or large 9-foot males. Also, in countries
such as the United States and Australia, there are at least 10 fatal cases per
year that generally occur due to the negligence of the victims, and even that
is not motive enough to exterminate the reptiles off the face of the earth. Personally,
I believe that your fear is due to a great lack of knowledge of the behavioral
patterns of the species, information that I have done my best to spread in the
pages of Vallarta Tribune and the PV Mirror web site. Furthermore, there are a
number of television programs and documentaries broadcast on TV on that very same
matter. If that is not enough, it will give me great pleasure to invite you to
join me on my weekly night excursions to search for and capture the crocodiles
of the bay, or, if you prefer, you might choose to visit the crocodile sanctuary
located at the University of Guadalajara facilities here in Vallarta. In
closing, detailed information on the presence of crocodiles in the bay is posted
in Spanish throughout their natural habitat. For the foreign visitor to understand
them, the solution is simple: ask the authorities to publish them in other languages,
or ask our visitors to take the initiative and learn the language of the country
they are visiting, as I do when I visit countries where the official language
is not Spanish. Best regards,
Professor Fabio
Cupul
Head of the Crocodile Conservation Program in the Bay of Banderas
Universidad
de Guadalajara
Buenas Tardes, I
read your PV mirror all the time. I enjoy Ana Luz' restaurant reviews and have
tried several places she has mentioned. We have been coming to Puerto Vallarta
for the last few years and want to take a short trip to Guadalajara while we are
visiting in March. Can you tell me where I can find out
what the bus schedule and rates are from the Camionera at the Airport in Puerto
Vallarta? Muchas Gracias. Art
& Jeri Paley Dear Art & Jeri,
The best bus
line in Mexico (the most luxurious and comfortable) is ETN. You can visit their
web site at www.etn.com.mx and I'm sure you will find all the information you
need there.
The Ed.
Dear Editor, Read
with interest Kim Ducoté's letter in the Vallarta Tribune 298, December
23-29, 2002 with regard to the availability of recycling in Puerto Vallarta. We
have published an article for the past couple of years indicating that residents
and visitors to Puerto Vallarta can personally deliver metal refuse to: COMPRA
Y VENTA DE CHATARRA (Armando Gutierrez F., Owner), San Salvador No. 234,
Col.
5 de Diciembre, Tel: 223-2570.
Monday-Friday: 9 to 14hrs, 16 to 19hrs., Saturday
from 9 to 16hrs., Closed Sunday. They will receive the
following metals and are currently paying the indicated price:
Copper - $8.
Pesos / kilo, Aluminum - $5. to $7. / kilo, Bronze - $5. / kilo, Batteries - $5.
to 10. Pesos per battery For several years, we have delivered
old newspaper to Doña Clementina who lives in front of the C.E.C.A.T.I.
hotel on Guerrero Street, next to the Trio Restaurant. She donates money she receives
from the recycling of newspapers to a seminary school. We
recommend composting of organic yard waste and kitchen waste in a compost pile
you can make at home. We have a book on the subject (in Spanish) in our small
ecology library or would be happy to give some guidance to get started. In
February of 2000, the Grupo Ecológico de Puerto Vallarta, A.C. proposed
a municipal recycling program, which includes separation of refuse in homes and
businesses, to the Municipal Ecology Council. This proposal was approved, but,
as of this date, it has not been implemented. We continue to advocate for its
implementation. We are also aware that recycling has
been practised by those who live and work in the garbage dump ("pepenedores")
and that during the past couple of years there has been a concession awarded to
a private company to conduct recycling in the municipal garbage dump. As
an ecology group, our primary interest is to increase awareness of recycling among
those living and visiting in Vallarta. We emphasize that everyone can contribute
with their own actions and disposal habits. Perhaps your company could provide
us with further information, in Spanish, if available, or assistance in obtaining
this goal. R.C. Walker, Member
Grupo Ecológico
de Puerto Vallarta, A.C.
Tel. & Fax: 0 (1152322) 222-0897
ecology@rentals-tours-mexico.com Dear
Mr. Walker,
Your response was forwarded to Ms. Kim Ducoté, Director
of Public Affairs and Marketing, CCA Environmental Consulting, Inc. in Seattle,
Washington, U.S.A.
Thank you so much for the information.
We're sure that
our readers will also benefit from the knowledge.
The Ed.
Dear
Editor, In response to a letter published in the January
6 issue on the subject of Puerto Vallarta's "bloodless" bullfights,
I feel compelled to comment upon a few of the writer's (Laurent Matte) opinions
and conclusions. Firstly, the three-part drama of a bullfight
("Corrida de Toro") is a Spanish and Latin-American institution which
dates back over one thousand years. The "French" have NEVER had bullfights
- only carnival-like exhibitions intended solely for the entertainment of the
largely foreign (American & Canadian) tourists who have nothing better to
do between tours of the Eiffel Tower and Montmartre. The
work of the Picador and that of the Banderillastas is an absolutely essential
prelude to the drama of the Final Act - namely the obligatory killing of the bull.
Mr. Matte finds this whole scenario a "travesty," inhumane and, at least
in his case, only supportable for the two minutes that he stayed - because he
could no longer stomach for "one more minute this inhumane treatment of a
defenseless animal." The bulls used in first-class
Corridas, like those in Puerto Vallarta and elsewhere all over Mexico, Spain and
Latin America in general, are of the Miura variety and are trained for one purpose
and one purpose only - to confront a 100 pound Matador in a ritualistic and beautiful
duel to the death. The Miura bull weighs approx. 1,000 Kilos or over 2,000 pounds
(one ton !!) - and were it not for the Picador and the Banderillas would consistently
kill the Matador within minutes! I say that visitors to
Puerto Vallarta are lucky to have available to them every Wednesday afternoon
at 5:00 P.M. a truly legitimate Corrida de Toros. As for
the tourist brochures which advertise a "bloodless" spectacle - I say
to Mr. Matte that "as a former travel agency owner" he should by now
be well aware of the pitfalls of believing everything you read. "Crusade"
if you must. Perhaps your North American clients would feel more comfortable at
Disneyland. Timothy Paco Palmer, Professor of History,
Purdue University, W. Lafayette, IN
Cher
Rédacteur, Merci infiniment aux agents de sécurité
à la Plaza Marina (centro commercial) pour me retourner la clé que
j'avais oubliée dans la serrure du coffer arrière de mon auto! Raymond,
Québec, Canada.
Dear Editor, We
just returned home a few days ago after our 12-day honeymoon in PV. We went on
the Rancho Capomo horseback riding tour and the Canopy Tour, took scuba lessons,
and went on a couple of day cruises, in addition to meandering around downtown
several days. The Canopy Tour was definitely the highlight. What a blast!! We
had a wonderful time, although I am embarrassed to admit we got suckered into
a time-share presentation! The only reason we got suckered was we didn't even
know it was a time-share presentation initially. Within minutes of stepping off
our airplane we were greeted by a guy from "you can probably guess where."
He offered us a free taxi ride to our hotel and a complimentary breakfast the
next day if we would take a tour of the resort (he worked for). We honestly thought
it was just another hotel and thought it might be an opportunity to see what another
hotel looks like because we might want to switch hotels during our stay. There
were some bizarre aspects to the invitation (we had to flash our credit cards
to prove we had established credit and he asked us to make a $20 deposit for the
breakfast which would be refunded when we actually showed up.) We refused to make
any deposit and the guy said he trusted us to come. If we knew how easy it was
to find a taxi and pay 30 pesos to go the hotel, we would have just said we weren't
interested. Agreeing to a tour seemed a good trade for the valuable taxi ride
in an unfamiliar foreign land! The fellow threw in a free Santamaria cruise for
us. The next day at the resort, we quickly discovered what it was all about. Of
course we didn't buy (we don't have $20,000. to drop, and even if we did, you
can bet we would research such an investment rather than make a $78,000. purchase
impulsively), but it kind of ruined that first day. The presentation itself was
very insulting and high pressure. In the days that followed,
we were blown away at how annoying and rude those timeshare sales people are downtown.
It seemed to border on harassment and if we ignored them, they seemed to become
almost hostile. There were a couple of them that were a little scary. One guy
yelled, "Hey, I'm talking to you!" as we tried to avoid a conversation
with him. We had to strategically plan our route as we walked downtown to avoid
these people as much as possible. There may have been shops we would have gone
into if we had been walking on that side of the street, but we were exhausted
from constant confrontation. Some of the shops we went
into almost seemed like "fronts" for tour sales. There was one such
gift shop that had relatively little merchandise. As we were walking through the
small store, the owner engaged us in a conversation about our stay. Before we
knew it, he had a sales binder open and was offering free-cruises and other tours
if we would go to a presentation. We practically ran out of there. Is
there any kind of community concern about effect these guys are having on tourism?
It is so sleazy and significantly dampers the beauty of Puerto Vallarta. Tourists
are going to spend money naturally, but it is nothing less than harassment the
way these people verbally accost tourists. It puts us on the defensive and makes
it difficult to be friendly to locals because that friendliness is always exploited.
That is so tragic! If fear that tourists' reluctance to have conversations with
locals will be interpreted as rudeness and that may create a rift between cultures.
The world right now is far too volatile to have any additional cultural tensions
- especially unnecessary ones. S.A., California Archives
by date | 
Current
Weather Report
