She Said...

August 12, 2007

The most impressive natural spectacle one is privy to in this town - apart from the breathtaking sunsets - is the major tropical thunderstorms we get from time to time during the summer, also known as the rainy season.

We had one such event on Tuesday of last week. The skies darkened to the point that we had to turn on the lights in the house. Then, around 4:45 p.m., they opened up - literally. It was the real life demonstration of the word "downpour". Within a few minutes, our hillside became a torrent, a waterfall. And then the thunder began! The kind that reverberates around the mountainsides, gathering the power needed to cause windows to tremble, and the marrow of our bones to resonate. It was awesome. And after it was over, and the air was cool, clean and fresh, the delightful, harmonious cricket concertos began. At least some of their habitat hasn't been paved over yet…

Enya, my girl, called her partner to see if he could come pick her up. He couldn't. The road in the area of the Krystal Hotel was under a meter of water and no one was allowed to cross except for some emergency vehicles. The same happened in front of the Sheraton.

There are some areas of town that are definitely in dire need of some sort of review or repair of the obsolete drainage system because they flood every time it rains. In her article featured on the front page of the Tribuna de la Bahía the following day, my colleague Lourdes Martinez wrote about the storm that "battered Puerto Vallarta without mercy for over an hour". Another area always affected by such storms is the street in front of my friend Wayne's office (he's the editor of Vallarta Today, a fellow Canadian), and Francisco Villa Avenue. The succeeding municipal administrations have all acknowledged the problem, but none has been willing to undertake such a major task.

Getting back to the things I have always appreciated immensely in this town, something that has often been written about, is the friendliness of its people. A few years ago, Puerto Vallarta was named "The Friendliest City in the World" by the famous Condé Nast magazine. But I'm referring to another facet of that friendliness: their politeness. True, sometimes it is only superficial, but most of the time it is genuine. Here, when you meet an acquaintance on the street, after the usual "Hola!" the automatic question is "Como estás?" (How are you?) I know, you'll tell me that's the way it is everywhere, and that may very well be true, but here they wait to hear your answer. They care. And even more so if you reciprocate.

And then there are other times when this politeness evokes a slightly different response, and then makes me laugh. Let me explain. The other day, I was returning home along that dirt road that skirts the Rio Cuale, going west until it meets up with Jacarandas. There were cars parked on one side, and a big delivery truck coming towards me. I stopped and waited so he could get by. As he did, the young driver gave me a big smile and said "Gracias, señora!" Señora? He made me feel like a grandmother, and then I remembered that I am. Sheesh! And here I was, feeling like I was 30-ish…

I also discovered something else as I was returning home. I'm ashamed to say that I never noticed this tiny little shop located on the right hand side of Venustiano Carranza, across the street from El Brujo, just as one exits the little tunnel of the Libramiento, heading for the south side. It carries all sorts of cheeses and vinegars, extra virgin olive oil and olives too, spices and herbs, many Italian items …all sorts of goodies. I walked out of there with bags full of them.

Still on food, I came across an article that dealt with the FDA's proposed regulation that would require or allow, I'm not sure, the chocolate producers to use vegetable oil instead of cocoa butter in their preparation of that delicacy we know as …chocolate! Now, as the chocolate goddesses at Xocodiva have taught us, chocolate is made with cocoa butter. It's as simple as that. Anything else would be, well, something else. I'll stick with Xocodiva. To the best of my knowledge, the FDA's power does not extend to Puerto Vallarta, and personally, I'm very glad for that. We've made a habit of sorts to have a wonderful brunch at Mama Dolores', followed by one of those decadent truffles hand made by Charlotte, and then a leisurely few hours on Los Muertos beach. No wonder so many call this a paradise.

And then there's our (in)famous Hooters… (read Twila's column in this week's issue). It's too bad that the administration in office when they opened the place gave them a permit to put up that horrid sign where it appears in every photo tourists take of the main square area. So last Tuesday, they were closed because of a CTM workers' union strike. Purportedly, they're not fulfilling their commitments to their employees, and there are other problems with those of their new location in Plaza Peninsula.

When I went to open my email on Yahoo the other day, there was a huge ad entitled "How fast can I complete my degree online?" Free-College-Info.com's answer read "Master's in 10-18 months". A list followed, describing all the types of degrees one could get …including "Manangement". One would think that they would spell-check their ad's copy before paying such big bucks to the Yahoo folks …especially if they're offering a Master's degree, or am I wrong?

Ah, yes, the internet… My modem had some sort of fatal heart attack on Monday evening, not a good moment to do that. We have to put out the paper by Wednesday, and none of the first three days of the week is a particularly good day for us to lose the means by which we send all the articles back and forth. I called one technician; he was busy and wouldn't be free until sometime late in the day. I called another, who reminded me that I could call TelMex' Prodigy Infinitum department and report my problem. I followed his advice.

Now you may not believe this, but following my conversation with a most pleasant young lady in Mexico City, the technician was ringing my doorbell less than an hour later! He gave me a new modem, changed all the telephone line filters and surprise! All of a sudden my internet connection speed had doubled!

While he was working so diligently, I thought of his boss who earns some $29 Million US Dollars per day while his zillion employees barely earn a living… I thanked the technician effusively and had to argue with him to accept the tip I was offering. He finally did, and he even gave me a local number to call in case I should need any repair in the future. I must say, the repair department of Telefonos de Mexico has always impressed me with its efficiency. We won't talk about the rates they charge.

Do you realize it's been 30 years since Elvis Presley passed away (despite the fact that some maintain he's still alive and well somewhere…)? Wow, talk about time flying! I was lucky enough to see The King perform at the Nassau County Coliseum eons ago, and yet I can remember every moment as if it were yesterday. They do say that it's the short-term memory that goes first, don't they? Unfortunately, it's also been ten years since Princess Diana's passing…

We have to live every moment of every day to the fullest, dear readers, yes, as if it were our last. We really don’t know what can happen to us in the very next one.

posted by Anna Reisman @ 5:11 PM