She Said...

To catch up on the items I wanted to share with you and couldn’t, here goes:Firstly, there was the meeting of HELP!, the organization that helped me acquire my dual citizenship last year (before the government changed the regulations governing such procedure).

The upstairs restaurant at Santa Barbara’s was full of folks who wanted to become Mexican citizens with dual citizenships, and to know more about such changes. From what I gathered, the main change enacted at the beginning of this year is that now you «have to have at least five consecutive years with an FM2, and you MUST speak and understand some Spanish - doesn’t have to be perfect, but enough to read or hold a light conversation,» according to Bonnie Sumlin, General Director of HELP! and the Colima -and Puerto Vallarta- guru in this matter.

If you missed the meeting and would like information, you can contact Bonnie at bonniehelpsinmexico@gmail.com or call Gary Howard or Ken Touchet at 221-5970 in Puerto Vallarta. They are the organization and Bonnie’s representative in this town. All that was on Sunday the 10th.

Over the last couple of weeks, to give our local readers an idea of the goings on in this town, here are some of the headlines that appeared in the Tribuna de la Bahía, our daily sister publication in Spanish:

- Residents complain about the construction of a building atop the small tunnel - temporarily shut down by the authorities.

- Residents complain about the Nima development in Marina Vallarta that want to build twice as high as their original permit allowed - Department of Urban Planning declares it illegal.

- The Marieta Islands are declared a «biosphere reserve».- Establishments along the Malecon pay up to $30,000. US Dollars per month in rent.

- The Puerto Park company sues the City for $2 Million Pesos for breaking the parking meter arrangement made with the previous administration.- The implementation of radar surveillance, breathalyzer tests, anti-graffiti operations and rise in bus fares you already know about.

- The Mayor is hoping for funds from the State to finish the highway linking Vallarta to Guadalajara (a 30-year dream of every subsequent city administration) and an additional 30-km bypass road to alleviate the traffic on the existing Libramiento.

- Mexico now ranked fourth in the world for pirating (CDs, movies, software, etc.) behind China, Russia and Italy.

- Drinking alcohol on the streets of Puerto Vallarta will be prohibited -and enforced- during the upcoming two-week Easter holidays. Business hours for shops selling alcohol will not be extended during that period.

- Motorcycle drivers fined for driving without helmets and/or licenses.

- New regulations approved to govern establishment signs and billboards. College of Architects and various Chambers demand regulation of image, not only of signs.

- Univa University demands solution to the city dump matter - still unresolved after years of discussion.

- 90% of street vendors with stalls sign relocation agreement with City Hall. Around 16 of them will be set up on Isla Cuale.

- Taxi drivers seek rate hike too. Airport taxis want a 6% increase.

- Department heads in charge of the "face lift" operation for the downtown area complain that the funds promised last year by the State of Jalisco and the Federal government to support their work …still hasn’t arrived.

- Construction sites in Amapas and Gaviotas temporarily shut down pending analysis of their permits, granted by the previous administration.

- Dangerous and illegal speed bumps to be investigated.

There you have it, greatly summarized of course. Personally, what concerns me the most is the possibility that the relocation of the vendors onto Isla Cuale is going to destroy the last surviving «park» in town. The question of speed bumps, on the other hand, has given me much laughter over the years. A colleague of mine wrote an article on it many years ago. It was always my intention to translate it and have it published in the Tribune because it was so well written, and so humorous, but it somehow got lost among the mountains of clippings all over the house. One day, I’m sure to find it and then I will do just that. I promise.

In the article published last Monday, the 18th, the local sub-Director of Transit was quoted as saying "The streets are saturated with speed bumps. Rather than representing safety, they symbolize anarchy on the roads. Most are not well installed or painted properly, nor are they duly announced, and they’re not approved by the authorities." Hallooo! Señor Sergio Davila goes on to state that drivers and pedestrians in this town are 50 years behind when it comes to cultura vial, the culture of driving. Hmmm…

Maybe if all those folks who drive too fast, with kids on their laps, talking on their cell phones, sometimes with three or four generations on the back of their gas-guzzling pick-up trucks, were stopped and seriously fined, they would learn faster, become a little more "cultured", driving speaking.

I am not going to drive out to the Botanical Gardens for the Noche de las Luminarias. I will take the bus like I did last year. It was so much fun! And there’s no doubt in my mind: that is the most beautiful stretch of road anywhere around the Bay of Banderas.

I did take one of my oh-so-rare leisurely, delightful drives out to Nuevo Vallarta to meet with the nice folks from the Yacht Club, the ones who organized the events that will be held on our bay this week. What an entertaining life they lead, coming into contact with fellow sailors from all over the world! Even though I’m not a sailor in any sense of the term, I think I just may call Vallarta Adventures to book a spot on one of the boats they’ll be using to take us landlubbers out there to watch the excitement.

(Notice: if you’re going to Home Depot, their access road is still closed, and no, they don’t tell you how to get to their parking lot. I guess they’re depending on our cultura vial…)

Talking about things beautiful, did you remember to look at the total eclipse of the full moon last Wednesday evening? Wow! It was really red, like in a science fiction movie, sandwiched between Saturn below and Regulus above. We’re not going to see another one like it for another two years. I just hope the total eclipse of the sun this August won’t be hidden to us by clouds.

And do make a point to go out to Plaza Hidalgo this week, before those lovely people from Oaxaca pack up and leave. I bought some beautiful items, and ate some yummy foods there. You can also see them prepare their famous chocolate mole from scratch! The tamales they make with it are amazing. As a matter of fact, I’ve gone back twice so far, and I intend to do it again. I also intend to go see those "Sassy Sixties", which I’ve been told is one fantastic show!

In the meantime, I hope to see you at Monday’s Bingo game. We’ve been having a good time there lately. Last week, I had to bring my "rescued" puppy with me so she wouldn’t eat any more of my books …or sofa. She behaved, most of the time.

I wish you all a wonderful week, filled with warm, sunny days and crisp, clear, starlit nights. And remember, if you want to remain up to date with the goings on in Vallarta, just log on to the Tribune's web site at www.vallartatribune.comTake care of yourselves and of each other. Hasta luego. pvmom04@yahoo.com

Addendum (not published in the Tribune): We are all very proud of our children and their accomplishments as adults. The latest source of pride came from our Editor's eldest, Leah, who organized a unique, international project for Valentine's Day. The goal was simple: spread love and kindness. How wonderful this world would be without hatred and wars! For you blog readers out there, you may want to check it out at http://valentinesmetta.blogspot.com God bless the children!