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November 4, 2002.
Dear Editor,
My husband and I are bringing 2 female friends to Puerto
Vallarta in January: our 3rd visit and their first. They have been very nervous
about the trip after hearing the hurricane news here at home. They have been hearing
bad reports and have been nervously suggesting we change to another holiday. I
have been looking for website news and most importantly, pictures of Puerto Vallarta
after the hurricane to try and gain some personal insight of the damage. I
was very impressed with your website including the special features such as Quimixto,
where Clif and I have visited on a previous trip. With respect to the hurricane,
after viewing the pictures of Jesus de Avila, I feel very reassured, most especially
about the special places in Puerto Vallarta that, thankfully, seem to be intact.
We were also happy that so few people were hurt. We have used
Open Air Expeditions several times and I was worried for the Isabel and staff,
but I now can stop worrying. We will contact them to arrange trips in January. Many
thanks for a job well done. We will forward your website to our friends. Regards, Pat
Nichols & Clif Lumbers
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Dear
Editor, Thank you for providing up to date info on Kenna
and what it did to our beloved Puerto Vallarta. We come every year in February
and are so delighted that the majority of the town and its people are OK. We can't
think of anywhere else we would ever want to go to spend our vacation!
Cheryl Stewart
Re: Crossing the street Dear
Editor, I decided to write a letter to you that I thought
would be a positive letter - instead of my normal letters complaining about somebody
else's complaint letter. As I drive down the main street
in front of the Hotel Zone, Francisco Medina Ascencio, I can't help but notice
the tourists madly scrambling to cross the street at the main intersections where
the stop lights are. Since most of us Americans were taught that the safest place
to cross the street was to cross at the corner I can see why most tourists go
there and attempt to make this perilous journey. What most of them do not understand
(until it is too late) is that in Puerto Vallarta, at the major intersections,
there is never a time when cars are not coming at you from one direction or another.
Moreover, our left turn lanes are situated on the right hand side of the road
and this really confuses them. The look of pure terror
on some of the faces I see during these treks remind me of our upcoming Halloween
celebration. It can be a scary deal for even the bravest at heart.
Never fear
though.... There is a solution! All along this major avenue
there are little sidewalks that are placed in the middle of the block that cross
over the median and go all the way to the other side. If people would use these
crosswalks instead of trying to cross at the corners they would only need to deal
with traffic coming from one direction at a time. You might have to wait a bit
longer for the traffic to subside (especially more recently with all of our increased
traffic) but you will be able to cross without looking like my 7-year-old daughter
on her hopscotch game and hopefully get there without any major injuries (either
physical or mental). I know that in the States this is
called jay-walking but here it is where you are supposed to cross. This of course
only applies to the hotel zone and in town you should always cross at the corners
(and don't forget to look both ways... Twice!) Thank you
for letting me be of service. Craig Abrahamson
Dear
Editor, A cursory inspection of the newly poured supports
for the indescribably fabulous Paso Ancho vehicular bridge suggests that the structure's
design will necessitate the death or mutilation of the enormous and thriving centuries-old
higuera tree at the river's edge in Colonia Buenos Aires. Given
the lunaresque landscaping of the new bridge's approach, it appears that there
was certainly an alternative to the demise of this majestic natural wonder. Whose
addled priorities, one wonders, caused this to happen, and is this a harbinger
of what's to come for Vallarta's most verdant colonia? Mike
McDermott
Dear Anna: After
reading your report at PVMirror.com, I feel compelled to write. My
husband and I have vacationed in Puerto Vallarta for the past four years at this
same time. We were scheduled for our fifth two-week trip flying in on Saturday,
one day after Kenna. We kept a watch on the internet,
CNN, and the Weather Channel to get updates. As of Friday night, everyone was
reporting "minimal" damage. Then Saturday morning we got up to go to
the airport and watched CNN. That's when they showed the "real" damage. We
quickly called Club Regina and were told of the devastation to our favorite town.
Prior to Kenna's hit, we called some friends in PV on Thursday night. Everyone
we spoke to said "it won't hit us. We are protected by the bay." It
seems that residents are living with a false sense of security. Maybe the hurricane
didn't actually hit, but PV still sustained measurable damage. Well
to say the least, we scrambled Saturday while at the airport and were able to
redirect our vacation to Cabo. So not everything is lost. We will plan our next
vacation in PV because we love it. Cabo doesn't even come
close to PV. It's too Americanized, desert-like and unfriendly... Unlike PV. We
send our prayers to those people in PV that may have lost any or everything. We
read your newspaper (on line) every week and look forward to its continuation.
Ed & Melanie Morrison
Vernal, Utah
Hello, We
are a couple of USAers who love PV and wonder if you have seen what happened to
the Sheraton and the timeshare buildings next to it, Buganvilias. There were /are
3 smaller buildings in front, on or near the water. One is 8 stories tall, and
fronts the bay. Did it collapse?
The hotel simply isn't saying. Anna's
article (She Said…) was super. Thank you. Betsy Cohn Dear
Betsy, The Sheraton is closed. Their bottom floors
were badly damaged, and the rumor mill says they might even demolish the entire
hotel… Please bear in mind that these are only RUMORS.
NO official statements
have been issued. So far, their guests and time-share owners have been redirected
to hotels in Nuevo Vallarta. When we get some OFFICIAL
news, we will share them with our readers immediately.
The Ed.
Dear
Editor, Any info on the hotel Villa del Palmar would be
greatly appreciated,
Thank you,
Pete Dear Pete,
The
Villa del Palmar is alive and well. Come on down and see for yourself!
The
Ed
Dear Anna, Last
year I drove my car down to PVT, because my wife and I plan to stay the winter
from now on. When I crossed the border I had to buy insurance to drive In Mexico.
I paid over $600. U.S. for 12 months of insurance. I am now seeking to find a
credible company in PV to deal with, can you help me by suggesting one that I
can contact from Toronto Canada on Line? Thanking you
in advance,
Peter and Marlene.
PS: Looking forward to reading your magazine
in PVT. Dear Peter, One
company that insures cars from Canada and the U.S. is Lewis & Lewis and you
may contact them at:cbrettnow@cs.com and their web site is: www.mexicanautoinsurance.com
Their
toll-free number is:1-800-966-6830. Their rates are about 1/3 of the ones you
mention and their service is excellent. (Unfortunately, I can vouch for them through
personal experience...)
I know that there are other companies, but I do not
have their info at hand right now. Drive safely!
Anna
Dear
Editor, I read the good news in the Tribuna de la Bahía
last week that the smelly fish stands on Constitución Street, near Rizo's
supermarket, were to be moved to another location, due to action by the Health
authorities. Let's hope it really happens, since there
is no excuse for bad odors and lack of sanitation anywhere, and especially in
an area frequented by tourists. For some reason, some of the bus tours take people
down Aquiles Serdan, past these stands and other ugly booths that take up needed
parking space. Puerto Vallarta should be very concerned about the image presented
to the world when existing regulations are ignored. These vendors could sell their
fish and shrimp in enclosed locations, and still be near their clients. Perhaps
they could all cooperate and rent a large local as a group. Let's be sure the
authorities don't back down on this decision. Lorena
Hill
Dear Ms. Reisman: My
husband and I will be returning to PV in December, so I have been reading with
great interest your newspaper articles about Hurricane Kenna (at pvmirror.com)
and looking at the photos taken by Jesus de Avila. Nice job in both categories,
by the way. In your travels around PV, have you noticed
whether there is a lot of damage to the Molino De Agua? Since it is located in
a low-lying area, right on the ocean front, I would assume that there may be some
problems. Thank you in advance for any information. And
once again, I enjoy reading your paper - plus, I like the looks of it. My compliments
to the web designer. Jacqueline Egan
Pennsylvania,
U.S.A.
Dear Editor, First
off, let me say that I was so glad to hear that Puerto Vallarta fared pretty well
during the assault of Hurricane Kenna. I realize that there was damage to property,
but from what I've heard there was no loss of human life and few serious injuries. We
love Puerto Vallarta and its people and are happy to hear that you are all O.K. I
would like to thank PVmirror and others for providing those of us outside of Vallarta
with invaluable information about the state of your fine city and efforts to recover
from this disaster. Many people, ourselves included,
have vacation plans in Puerto Vallarta in the near future, and the information
we received from locals has been very helpful to us. It might be typical U.S.
media coverage, but the reports and images that we were seeing indicated a city
that was utterly destroyed. Were it not for accurate reports direct from P.V.
that indicated the relative isolation ofmajor damage and showed how hard all of
you have been working to restore the beauty of Vallarta, many of us would still
be wondering what we are getting into. On that note, I
would like to point out to you and the rest of Puerto Vallarta that a handful
of your local residents have been actively updating the outside world of the situation
via several internet bulletin boards. I won't mention
these folks by name (I've never asked their opinion on whether or not they would
like recognition for their efforts) but I want you all to know how very hard some
of your residents have been working to provide people with accurate, first hand
reports, pictures, and information about the situation during and after Hurricane
Kenna. All of this on their own personal time with no monetary compensation or
other rewards!! Were it not for the outstanding efforts of these folks, I believe
many people would have cancelled their vacation plans to P.V. and gone elsewhere.
How could they not, when news and information we get from mainstream media is
sobleak? I know that we would have come regardless, but I have no doubt that these
individuals and their work gave others enough reliable information to comfortably
continue with their vacation plans. For this, they (and you know who you are)
should be applauded. The fact that they love Puerto Vallarta enough to go out
of their way for so many people really illustrates what a wonderful gem of a city
you have. Again, thanks to you all for providing us with
resources and information regarding this incident. Also, my hat goes off to all
of the residents of P.V. for working so hard, so quickly to recover after this
storm. The before and after pictures that I have seen of damage are AMAZING to
say the least. You should all be commended for rising to the occasion and moving
forward rather than dwelling on misfortune. You have set an example for all of
us. We will be making our annual journey to Puerto Vallarta
in two weeks and I cannot wait to meander the cobblestone streets, take in the
best sunsets on the planet, and enjoy the wonderful hospitality of your city and
its people. If you run into a couple of gringos wandering around with big smiles
on our faces... that'll be us. See you soon! Martin Stordeur
Louisville,
KY
Dear Anna, First,
I would like to tell you that I lived in PV for almost three years, and now that
I am back home in Iowa trying to finish school, I rely on your piece every week.
In fact, when I lived in PV, I could not wait to get my hands on a PV Tribune
each week and read what you had to say! In all honesty,
hopefully this is not too much to ask but I have been trying to get an update
on the Malecon area for some time now, and I can not seem to get a response! I
was so saddened and troubled by the hurricane and I know that it could have been
worse, but the pictures that I saw were heartbreaking. What
I am wanting to know is, how badly was the Malecon hurt? Are things beginning
to re-open or is there a time when there is belief that things will be up and
running again? I know from friends that the last couple of months were awfully
slow and it is too bad that this happened at the beginning of the high season.
I am sorry to bother you with this, however, I felt that you are probably someone
who could give me a valid answer! I do thoroughly enjoy your work every week and
when I am in the States, there is something about gaining access to PV news (through
pvmirror.com) that sustains me... for, I am continually wanting to return! Thank
you Anna for your time and hopefully you can give me an update! Thanks
again,
Kathleen Gallagher
Dear Editor, Please,
please, please, post pictures this week... news here is not covering effects of
Kenna very well. T.A.
Dear
Editor, We are arriving in less than two weeks and I wanted
to get some information about how the city is handling the clean-up from Kenna.
Are the streets cleaned up enough for buses and cars to use them? Is all electricity
restored? Are most of the restaurants opened again? How can I email contact my
hotel, Premiere Hotel & Spa to inquire about their damage?? Thank
you,
Dav
Dear Editor, Wow...
the quiet is wonderful!
Took a hurricane to get rid of all those darn buses...
now, can we keep it that way? I've given my Tribune boy
the attached letter to deliver to any reporter of the Spanish Tribune - who should
make this his or her project, get newspaper articles out about the problem and
how nice that we have finally found the solution... amazing! I
actually walked downtown Sunday morning (partially, as the policía did
not look kindly on looky-loos…) but what a pleasure to be able to actually
traverse the downtown area!!!!! Now that there are no
buses downtown, let's keep it that way!
All the best,
L. S.
Dear
Editor, Can you tell me how I can terminate my telephone
and internet service with Telmex in Bucerias? I have tried
in vain to make contact with them but have not been successful.
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