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SHE SAID…
October 5, 2003
To continue my dissertation of the
surreal aspects of life in Puerto Vallarta, I have to
confess that if it all weren’t so sad, it would
be very funny. A friend of mine who used to see me read
the daily papers from cover to cover every day used
to ask me, “So? What’s in the funny papers
today?” Unfortunately, he wasn’t that far
off…
This week, we’ll start with
the infamous pedestrian bridge over the Rio Cuale. It
now appears that the building company originally hired
to do the work doesn’t intend to fight City Hall,
it intends to sue it! (Remember that the city already
said IT would sue…) The company’s lawyer
said that it would sue for defaulting on the contract
and for the money it feels is still due to it by virtue
thereof. He claims there was a “series of irregularities
on the part of the City from the beginning …including
those due to a lack of proper planning.”
Last Sunday, the front page headline
of the Tribuna de la Bahía read “Bridge
About to Collapse”. No, they weren’t referring
to the one over the Rio Cuale this time, they were talking
about the one in Paso Ancho, the one that destroyed
the beautiful view of that great little restaurant,
the Cuale Paraiso. Despite the $8 Million Pesos the
city invested in building it, it appears that after
some 7 months since it was officially opened by our
former mayor, the construction is falling apart. Parts
of it have literally sunk over 15 cms. The article goes
on to say that “there were anomalies in the building
process… there was no proper planning… the
engineers did not follow the directions of the topographers…”
etc. etc.
Then there’s the matter of
the buses. If you recall, 18 or 19 buses outfitted with
those controversial, dangerous turnstiles were taken
out of circulation by the municipal authorities in response
to the numerous complaints they had received from all
sides. Last week, the buses were released. The president
of the union to which those particular “blues”
belong said that they were granted a one-day provisional
permit, so all the buses at the pound could be released…
Think about it. It reminds me of income tax, that was
going to be levied “only until the war ended”.
Yeah, right.
I want to thank the Editor of The
Times for mentioning my comments regarding the Mayor
Elect’s “cultural trip” to Europe.
However, I was very disappointed when I read on to learn
that the one and only flight from England to Vallarta
will be cancelled. That’s a pity. It is exactly
what happened with the ones from Germany too. I believe
that this kind of thing, these agreements with foreign
tour operators, is like a friendship. They has to be
cultivated and cared for, constantly. They can and should
never be taken for granted. But obviously, that’s
not the way our tourism board sees it. Now our Mayor
is on his way to Chicago to let the folks in Highland
Park -our sister city- know all about the activities
scheduled in Vallarta for the last couple of months
of the year. Okay. But Chicago already knows about us.
Although Mexicana Airlines is touting the fact that
it will be “initiating” direct flights to
the windy city, and to Oakland, “to help Vallarta”,
you and I know that they used to have such flights in
the past. I know because I used to take them regularly.
It was the fastest way for me to get to Montreal at
the time. Do they really believe that our collective
memory is that short?
With regard to the public hearings
on the Urban Development Plan, the city’s architects
say that “citizens need more information”
so that they may understand the proposals and offer
their input to regulate the future growth of the city,
so that it may be “harmonious, balanced and sustainable.”
No kidding! I don’t know about you, but I have
yet to see the plan, never mind understand it.
And that’s not all. Another
headline last week read “Vallarta is the regional
distributor of sea turtles”. The article explains
that our town, the same that is so proud of its sea
turtle protection and conservation program, is also
known as one of the largest distributors of this endangered
species’ eggs… that these eggs are a traditional
source of food in many parts… A Coastal University
Center (CUC) researcher who was interviewed for the
article said that when dealing with a food resource,
one has to consider the matter from a social, economic
and biological point of view, i.e.: the turtle satisfies
a need either for food or money… Coincidentally,
Tomatlan is the biggest reserve in all of Mexico, but
the area is surrounded by rural communities that get
no benefits from the authorities, thus forcing them
to resort to poaching (excuse the pun) and selling the
eggs…
In a typically strange turn of events,
it may be that those beach vendors who are the bane
of all the sunbathers’ existence in this town
will be the ones to help the authorities enforce the
laws that govern public access to our beaches. Yes,
like in most countries, beaches in Mexico belong to
the federal government and they are supposed to be open
to one and all. In Vallarta, they are not because most
hotels have blocked whatever access there may have been
from the road to the ocean. And according to Federal
Maritime Zone regulations, there should be one access
every 300 meters (1,000 feet). Yeah. Right. Nevertheless,
the 70-odd legitimate beach vendors have presented the
local office of that federal department with a written
petition demanding that their legal access to the beaches
be enforced. Good luck, guys ...and ladies.
In an aside to our friend T.J. who
ventured into the waters a little more cautiously than
usual this time and wrote “September may turn
out to be the most arid in recent history.” Well,
he may or may not be right (the numbers aren’t
in yet) but fact is that on the whole, Vallarta received
77.7 millimeters more this year than last, this according
to the National Water Commission.
And for you, dear readers,
I also wish a week filled with wonder, and sunshine
and loving. Take care of each other. Hasta
luego.
pvmomto3@hotmail.com
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