October 7, 2007
Well, here I am, trying desperately to finish up this column prior to getting down to the task of packing my bag for my annual trip up to the Great White North. Right now, as I write this, the temperature in Montreal is the same as here in Puerto Vallarta. Nevertheless, I’m sure that by the time I get there, it will have plummeted down to single digits. It always does. Murphy must truly love me…
And it’s always the same: although I look forward to seeing my children, my granddaughter, my mother-in-law and my friends, I start counting the hours till my return as soon as I get on the plane at PV’s international airport. It’s getting harder every time, and even more so now that I’ve got an entire menagerie in the house …which I will miss terribly.
I was having dinner with some friends the other day, and we were talking about this very subject - going up north to visit our families. They agreed with me. One of them even said, laughingly, «Why should I go up there, where it’s cold and rainy, when they can all come down here where it’s sunny and warm and beautiful all the time?»
In any case, it is a business duty of mine that I have to fulfill, so by the time you read this, I should be up there, shivering despite the warm jacket I borrowed from a kind-hearted Vallarta friend of mine. I never seem to be able to warm up anymore when I’m up there. Perhaps it’s true that our blood thins in the tropical climate we enjoy down here, or perhaps it’s because the temperature is always in single digits Celsius when I’m up there…
I heard that Telecable has now eliminated the WGN channel. Now if we do the calculations according to one of our reader’s recent letter to this publication, Telecable presently has approximately 20,000 foreign subscribers, some of which may have been thoroughly upset by this latest move. At $220. Pesos per month, they could represent a hefty source of income for the competition, Cosmored. I’d love to see how many of them switch over, and how much Telecable’s thoughtless decisions may cost them.
And on that same idea of thoughtless decisions… The photo was taken at the corner of Lazaro Cardenas and I. L. Vallarta, where a huge, beautiful primavera tree used to regale us with its breathtaking yellow blooms in the springtime. It was smitten by a lightning bolt during the last big storm we had. Incredibly, the city folks came to take it away the very next day, removed the stump that remained, and built a lovely new corner for the sidewalk, complete with a wheelchair ramp! The only problem here, as I hope you can see in a black & white photo, is that the yellow telephone box and the thick cable holding up the nearby post are both located smack dab in front of the ramp, thus inhibiting anyone in a wheelchair from going any further…
Our friend Grant, co-owner of Mama Dolores’ Diner, posted something very à propos on one of the local boards recently. He wrote: «Because your home is in Mexico, it has risen in value. Well, good for you! But don’t you think you should pay the tax that is due? Maybe if more people paid their taxes, the city would have more money to fix highways, help out the needy, give to charities, etc. etc. etc.» I agree with you wholeheartedly, Grant.
There has been much press given to the matter of taxes lately, both in the local and the national papers. It looks like Hacienda - the Mexican equivalent of the American IRS and Canada’s Revenue Department - is once again looking at finding ways to tax the myriad condominium and guest house owners who collect rent on their properties and do not report their income to any government.
This is nothing new, but as the number of condos in this town grows exponentially, the local Hotel Association is complaining to the authorities about the illegal competition these establishments represent to the legally constituted industry which is obligated to pay not only the 15% Added Value Tax, but also the 2% which purportedly goes to the betterment of the city.
We’ll have to wait and see if they’re going to be any more forceful this time around. The last time I recall, a few years back, Hacienda warned everyone of fines and such, but nothing much came of it…
So Cassandra Shaw’s new store is now open at 276 Basilio Badillo, Viva’s former location. If you haven’t done so yet, do drop in and say hello next time you’re in the neighborhood. Her selection of jewelry will surely make it worth your while! And you can take a look at the little art gallery she's got upstairs too...
And on the topic of places opening and re-opening, they’re nearly all back now: Daiquiri Dick’s, Hacienda Alemana Frankfurt, PicNic, Café du Soleil and their super brownies and wraps, Bruce’s Back Alley, Archie’s Wok, etc. etc. You just can’t go wrong! Personally, I’m also looking forward to Sol and Chris’ return to their Café Bohemio. The place just isn’t the same when they’re out of town, with Sol performing on some famous stage or another… And of course, don’t forget that our fabulous Botanical Gardens are open again too!
That’s all the space I have, folks. I wish a most Happy Thanksgiving to all our Canadian readers, Happy Columbus Day to the American ones, and Happy Birthday to all the Libras. The rest of you, have a super week! Hasta luego from Montreal in La Belle Province.
pvmom04@yahoo.com
And it’s always the same: although I look forward to seeing my children, my granddaughter, my mother-in-law and my friends, I start counting the hours till my return as soon as I get on the plane at PV’s international airport. It’s getting harder every time, and even more so now that I’ve got an entire menagerie in the house …which I will miss terribly.
I was having dinner with some friends the other day, and we were talking about this very subject - going up north to visit our families. They agreed with me. One of them even said, laughingly, «Why should I go up there, where it’s cold and rainy, when they can all come down here where it’s sunny and warm and beautiful all the time?»
In any case, it is a business duty of mine that I have to fulfill, so by the time you read this, I should be up there, shivering despite the warm jacket I borrowed from a kind-hearted Vallarta friend of mine. I never seem to be able to warm up anymore when I’m up there. Perhaps it’s true that our blood thins in the tropical climate we enjoy down here, or perhaps it’s because the temperature is always in single digits Celsius when I’m up there…
I heard that Telecable has now eliminated the WGN channel. Now if we do the calculations according to one of our reader’s recent letter to this publication, Telecable presently has approximately 20,000 foreign subscribers, some of which may have been thoroughly upset by this latest move. At $220. Pesos per month, they could represent a hefty source of income for the competition, Cosmored. I’d love to see how many of them switch over, and how much Telecable’s thoughtless decisions may cost them.
And on that same idea of thoughtless decisions… The photo was taken at the corner of Lazaro Cardenas and I. L. Vallarta, where a huge, beautiful primavera tree used to regale us with its breathtaking yellow blooms in the springtime. It was smitten by a lightning bolt during the last big storm we had. Incredibly, the city folks came to take it away the very next day, removed the stump that remained, and built a lovely new corner for the sidewalk, complete with a wheelchair ramp! The only problem here, as I hope you can see in a black & white photo, is that the yellow telephone box and the thick cable holding up the nearby post are both located smack dab in front of the ramp, thus inhibiting anyone in a wheelchair from going any further…
Our friend Grant, co-owner of Mama Dolores’ Diner, posted something very à propos on one of the local boards recently. He wrote: «Because your home is in Mexico, it has risen in value. Well, good for you! But don’t you think you should pay the tax that is due? Maybe if more people paid their taxes, the city would have more money to fix highways, help out the needy, give to charities, etc. etc. etc.» I agree with you wholeheartedly, Grant.
There has been much press given to the matter of taxes lately, both in the local and the national papers. It looks like Hacienda - the Mexican equivalent of the American IRS and Canada’s Revenue Department - is once again looking at finding ways to tax the myriad condominium and guest house owners who collect rent on their properties and do not report their income to any government.
This is nothing new, but as the number of condos in this town grows exponentially, the local Hotel Association is complaining to the authorities about the illegal competition these establishments represent to the legally constituted industry which is obligated to pay not only the 15% Added Value Tax, but also the 2% which purportedly goes to the betterment of the city.
We’ll have to wait and see if they’re going to be any more forceful this time around. The last time I recall, a few years back, Hacienda warned everyone of fines and such, but nothing much came of it…
So Cassandra Shaw’s new store is now open at 276 Basilio Badillo, Viva’s former location. If you haven’t done so yet, do drop in and say hello next time you’re in the neighborhood. Her selection of jewelry will surely make it worth your while! And you can take a look at the little art gallery she's got upstairs too...
And on the topic of places opening and re-opening, they’re nearly all back now: Daiquiri Dick’s, Hacienda Alemana Frankfurt, PicNic, Café du Soleil and their super brownies and wraps, Bruce’s Back Alley, Archie’s Wok, etc. etc. You just can’t go wrong! Personally, I’m also looking forward to Sol and Chris’ return to their Café Bohemio. The place just isn’t the same when they’re out of town, with Sol performing on some famous stage or another… And of course, don’t forget that our fabulous Botanical Gardens are open again too!
That’s all the space I have, folks. I wish a most Happy Thanksgiving to all our Canadian readers, Happy Columbus Day to the American ones, and Happy Birthday to all the Libras. The rest of you, have a super week! Hasta luego from Montreal in La Belle Province.
pvmom04@yahoo.com
posted by Anna Reisman @ 10:02 PM
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