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May 11, 2003
Dear Editor,
Re: Steve’s Bar & Grill
I have been coming to PV since 1987.
The last time we were there was from Oct 26, day after
Kenna till March 1, 2003.
There was an article in yesterday’s
Vancouver Province newspaper about a full house at Steve’s
Bar & Grill. It said it was full of Canadians watching
the hockey game between Minnesota and Canucks. All 55
seats were full and there was a lot of whooping and
hurrahs and very noisy. The bar expected this many people
for the rest of the games. I recall seeing the bar but
I can't remember the address. Could you please give
me the street and address?
Thank you,
M. Fulcher
Dear
Madam:
My husband and I have just returned
from a wonderful 2 week vacation to Puerto Vallarta.
We were both surprised and impressed on how quickly
PV tended to the damage caused by hurricane Kenna. We
did purchase a poster showing 6 different pictures of
the hurricane at 9:25 in the morning of the 25th of
October 2002.
We were wondering if there are any
pictures of PV available during and after the hurricane.
Any assistance you could provide would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
Monika & Gary
Dear
Editor,
Can anyone tell me what authority
TelMex has in deciding that everyone will have voice
mail messaging?
Now, when people are calling me long
distance, if the phone is busy or no one is home, they
are being charged for the call by automatically being
transferred to voice mail that I did not agree to have.
Is there a place to call to cancel this unauthorized
service?
Nancy B.
Dear Nancy,
One of our readers gave us the
following suggestion: Call the 800 listed on your bill
and punch in the number for their "promociones".
It will proceed to give you an 800 number to call, call
it and then talk to the person who answers and tell
them you no longer want the Message service. It takes
3 days to remove it from your lines. He went on to tell
us that the whole process took him 15 minutes including
the waiting time on hold and that one could also dial
055 after hearing the (in)famous message and it will
give you the 800 number without going through the phone
bill 800 number.
Hope this helps.
The Ed.
Dear
Editor,
We live in La Cruz Huanacaxtle, Nay.,
"the other side of the bay". We live here
all year and just completed our 3rd year here.
These past 3 weeks have been the
worst ever for those of us who live on the beach. We
realize that this is Mexico and things are different
here, but what does the law say about driving 4-wheel
drive ATV's on the beaches? People with money come here
from the interior with their toys of destruction and
wreak havoc on the gravel roads and our already littered
beaches here. They seem totally unaware as to why we
are concerned about their constant travels back and
forth up the beach. We are talking 10-year-olds and
up driving these things over the rocks and around the
children playing here. I would think that it is unlawful
to drive on any beaches and I suppose it is enforced
like the "open container" law is in PV…
"Right"? Sure it is!
Is it a cultural thing I am missing
or is it the parents who buy their kids these expensive
toys that just don't care what their kids do (with them)
or what dangers are involved? I have seen as many as
4 kids on one ATV, 2 of them toddlers, the driver was
no more than 11-12 years old, traveling down our gravel
road at approx 20 KPH, way too fast for an ATV with
4 kids!
Last year, 2 kids landed upside down
in a dry river bed and ended up in AmeriMed (hospital).
If it is against Nayarit law or federal
law, how do we get enforcement?
Help! in La Cruz
R. & B.
Dear
Editors,
Every time I am in town I read the
Vallarta Tribune and find it to be most informative
and entertaining.
I am curious, on your page for Non-Profit
Charitable Organizations, I have never seen any mention
of FEED THE CHILDREN/Children of the Dump organization.
Perhaps you do not know about them and the wonderful
work they have done with the children of the dump.
Last week (April 29/30) Channel 5
from Seattle Evening Magazine was in town to do an update
on Mission to Mexico and to film a segment on what the
employees of Alaska and Horizon Airlines have done by
raising over $16,000. this year for these worthy children.
In the last two years much has been
done to help these children and I would like to see
an article written about what they have done and are
still doing and their future plans. This is an organization
that is very vital and I have found by talking to some
of the local people that they do not know about this
particular organization and their wonderful work.
Information can be obtained from
Pastor Saul Gonzalez Vargas from Perdonamistad Church
at 22 22572/22 34311 and or Mike Parker cell phone 253
219 3908 by dialing 011 like you are calling the U.S.
Thank you for your timely response
and courtesy.
S. in Seattle
Dear
Editor,
Re: Police Procedure
HOW STUPID IS THIS?
The day after Easter, a friend of
mine was attacked on her two-block walk home from work,
in the Old Town. She heard someone running behind her
but before she could turn around the assailant had his
knee in her back and her face ground into the cobblestones.
He groped, grabbed, ripped her shirt and pounded her
face on the street. She finally got it together enough
to scream bloody murder at the top of her lungs and
he took off like a shot.
Unfortunately, that is not where
her traumatic encounter ended.
The police were summoned, gathered
her information and were off to find the perpetrator.
The next part of her story is where
I begin to lose my mind.
The would-be heroes (police), over
a three-hour period lasting until 4 AM, begin parading
possible suspects through the victim’s home. Twelve
bad guys in all.
Naturally, not one is the culprit.
However, our "heroes" have managed to lead
twelve drunk and disorderly men straight to the home
of a single woman who leaves work late at night for
what use to be a casual walk home. Now she's paying
$20 pesos for a two-block ride and bodyguard (taxi driver)
service.
The good news: she wasn’t raped,
her bruises are gone, I am REALLY motivated to go back
to my San Soo classes and she wants to start.
My letter isn't about "safety"
here in Vallarta. I have lived here for 5 years and
feel safe walking home, or anywhere else, at any time
of the day or night. I'm sure, as she is, that it was
an isolated incident and it was Easter - if you know
what I mean.
Most of the time I let these situations roll on past
me but the more I thought about my friend's story and
what the "heroes" did to her - worse than
the guy who actually assaulted her - I had to write.
L. L.
Dear Editor:
One of these times, I hope to have
good news for you - or at least not a gripe to make.
This letter deals with 3 things:
1. big tourist buses parking on city streets, 2. trying
to call the police to report them and 3. once again
having no luck at 060 with anyone that speaks or understands
any English.
1. It is my understanding that the
big tourist buses are not allowed to park on city streets.
Yet, last Friday, late afternoon and early evening,
I had 3 of them parked in front of my door on Calle
Badillo. Two on my side of the street and one directly
across the street from me.
2. I got the three numbers for the
police from the phone book (which are the same numbers
you publish in the back of your paper). All I was trying
to do was report these buses so they could be parked
in their designated areas. Each number that I called
I got the same recording about "no existe".
I wasn't able to follow all that was said, but could
it have meant the numbers were busy?? or that they "didn't
exist"??
3. I gave up on that and decided
to 060 might be able to help me OR give me a number
to call that would work. I got a young woman who could
not speak or understand English.
Aside from points 1. and 2. - what
if I only spoke French and needed help? Or what if I
only spoke Dutch or German and needed help?... How in
the world would 060 help me?
This is a "tourist town"!
There should be one person on each shift that is able
to at least understand English since it's the second
biggest population living here. Does that sound unreasonable
to you?
OH! and while I'm on my soapbox
- what's with the buses driving in the middle of the
street - that won't stop for passengers much less pull
over to where they are supposed to stop?? This happened
to me twice one morning last week. Am I supposed to
wait out in the middle of the street? AND another thing
- if I ever have another "wild-ass" bus driver
that floors the bus and knocks me 10 feet down the aisle
so hard that I ram my hip into the bar on the seat -
I will find some way to make my anger known to the powers
that be. (This happened upon entering the bus and getting
my little ticket!) I could not see any driver identification
anywhere. They used to be displayed all the time, now
there are none that I can see - isn't that illegal??
Boy, get me on my soapbox and I'll
never get down!! Anyway, thank you for your time. One
day maybe all your good ideas and your readers’
good ideas won't fall on deaf ears or ears that don't
care to hear English!!
Sincerely,
Griping Again
Hóla,
Anna!
Being a HUGE fan of PV, I read PV
Mirror each week faithfully to stay abreast of any recent
developments (www.pvmirror.com) I love the online newspaper
and I love your column. I just finished reading this
week’s column and upon learning that you too are
from Canada, I couldn't resist emailing!
My family and I have been travelling
to PV for more than 10 years now, in fact my parents
rented a condo this year for the months of February
and March. I was fortunate enough to bring my 4-year
old daughter down for 2 blessed weeks and thoroughly
enjoyed staying in a condo rather than a hotel.
I have for many years wanted to move
to PV but realize that I would have a difficult time
obtaining employment and after this visit, was disappointed
in the difference in price we paid for things (groceries)
compared to what the locals paid (even for the same
items).
Thanks.
B. D.
Dear
Editor,
Were we ripped off?
I just received an e-mail back from
Juan de la Playa McCrady and he suggested I get this
e-mail off to you for publication. He thought that by
publishing this summary of our recent experience in
your beautiful town, that we might be able to keep another
tourist from getting ripped off, or maybe even get our
money back.
During the week of March 22nd through
March 30th, we were in Puerto Vallarta enjoying a holiday
at our Canto Del Sol timeshare. We scheduled a "City
and Tropical Tour" through the hotel travel agency
for Monday March 24th. When the bus arrived that Monday
to pick us up, we were introduced to Ramon, our tour
guide. On the side of the bus was written "Brother's
Tours Servicios Turisticos". Jon & I felt Ramon
was nice, and knowledgeable. The tour made a few enjoyable
stops and came to the Puerto Vallarta shopping district
and stopped in front of a small store called "Joy
Vallarta", located on Libertad 303. This store
contained t-shirts, clothing, silver jewelry and other
collectables. I chose several silver items with the
help of a salesman who told me the price in US dollars
as I selected each item. The total purchase amount,
he said, in US
dollars would be approximately $80.00. As my salesman
and his manager rang the bankcard receipt, Ramon, our
tour guide came in the store telling us we were late,
that the bus was leaving. I signed the bank receipt
and left with my silver purchases.
Upon returning to the Seattle area,
and receiving my bankcard statement I found that I had
been charged $797.37 US dollars, instead of the approximately
$80.00 US that had been quoted. I did sign the bankcard
receipt and should have been more careful. However,
my concern is that this might be an intentional scam,
and that the tour company, tour guide etc. might be
a party to it.
The leaders of Puerto Vallarta promote
their beautiful town as a safe and idyllic place for
tourists to visit, and I understand how important it
is to maintain a city's good image. I would hope that
this is just an unusual occurrence and that myself,
my partner, and our friends will be able to return to
Puerto Vallarta without fear of future scams.
The number on the side of the bus
appears to be 8-1077.
Thank you for your attention to this
matter,
Sherry & Jon
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