Saturday, May 17, 2008

May 16, 2008



It would be difficult to say what the highlight of last week was for me. It was not –as you would expect- one restaurant or another, though there were a number of those, what with a double celebration of Mother’s Day. But I can say that one of the highlights was definitely the phone call from my friend, Paco Renteria, yes, the famous virtuoso «nouveau flamenco» guitarist. He and I developed a mother-son type of friendship many years ago, when I first started attending his concerts, before he became «rich and famous». His birthday happens to be the same as one of my sons, so it wasn’t hard for us to understand each other – and become truly good friends. To quote him, he once told me I was his «Vallarta mama», which was just fine with me.


Well, as you may have noted in the May Festival calendar, or if you read the little article we inserted in Joe’s page, you know that he will be appearing this Sunday at Los Arcos. I for one can’t wait. We’ve truly missed him around here. Paco used to come to PV at least twice a year, if not more. But that was then, and this is now. Now, he’s the proud daddy of two children - as are many of his band - and he’s famous. He’s also sporting a new look which I personally find very complimentary to his style and his persona. If you want to get an idea of his type of music, I suggest you log on to his blog at http://pacorenteriagitano.blogspot.com There are a number of different videos there in which you’ll hear some of the different types of numbers he performs and then, if you find you like it, you can go see him live on Saturday, and experience the thrill of a Paco Renteria concert – live!


Obviously, this was much better news than what has been filling the printed press and the airwaves over the past week… floods and earthquakes, an incredibly stupid junta government whose leaders care more for their personal welfare than for millions of their countrymen, millions of Chinese working tirelessly to rescue as many of theirs as is humanly possible, and now the Hizballah declaring that it will never recognize Israel’s existence, during President Bush’s visit to that beleaguered area. And to add to it all, the polar bears have now –finally and inevitably- declared in danger of extinction. What else is new?


What I do know is that, compared to all that, including the increase in the price of gas and airline fares, we do live in paradise. There’s no doubt about it. So what if the local headlines are deriding the Mayor for defending an allegedly «bad» police chief? So what if the Urban Planning Department is composed of half good and half bad staff, the former trying to somehow assuage the errors committed by the former administration, while the latter continues in its corrupt path? So what if so many restaurants have closed their doors in recent days? It’s still paradise, though the law of the jungle, the survival of the fittest, reigns here as it does everywhere.


«Restaurant Week(s)» will be well underway by the time you read this. As if I didn’t get my fill at Archie’s Wok and Xochitl for my two Mother’s Day celebrations, I now have a full calendar of establishments to visit with my friend Gary, the author of the now famous «Beck’s Best - Restaurant Guide to Puerto Vallarta», and sometime reviewer for this publication. And that’s without taking into account the events scheduled at Los Arcos for the annual Festival de Mayo, or the Altruism Festival. So many things to do, to see, to enjoy, and oh so little time! This should only be my greatest problem…


Good news: a common friend of Brenda Martin and me (one of the many who donated thousands of dollars to corrupt lawyers two years ago, lawyers who just took the money and disappeared instead of using it to try to free her, as promised) spoke to her this week, by phone. He told me she sounds like a totally different woman. I can believe that. Every time she called me collect from that godforsaken jail, she always ended up crying. She’s free now. Thank heavens.
At the risk of sounding truly motley, I think we should all thank heavens for the beauty that surrounds us, for our good health, our family and our friends.


Take care of yourselves, dear readers, and of each other. Hasta luego. pvmom04@yahoo.com

posted by Anna Reisman @ 10:15 PM 0 Comments

May 9, 2008


If you missed the incredible performance by French mime fantastic, Jerome Murat, you can get an idea of what you missed by seeing it on YouTube.com. And by the way, if you want to know exactly what’s going on within the framework of the Festival de Mayo, check out the schedule on the calendar page. We couldn’t inform you last week ‘cause the Tribune only received it after it had gone to press.

Getting back to on international matters, I was reading about the devastation in Myanmar, with over 22,000 dead and some 40,000 missing due to the hurricane that hit that isolationist country, and the other tens of thousands needing water and shelter. Their «junta» government hesitated for days before finally allowing any foreign aid (i.e. foreigners) to enter the country. It reminds me of when Thailand would not allow the Israelis to get off the planes with which they had brought all sorts of medicine and stuff to help those people following the tsunami that devastated their country. What is wrong with those people? Why let politics get in the way of humanitarian help in times of desperate need? I just don’t understand.

Still on foreign countries, if you want to «understand» China a little better, I highly recommend that you pick up a copy of the May issue of National Geographic. In honor of the upcoming Olympics, they’ve devoted the entire issue to this «giant» whose economy and subsequent power will probably soon take over the entire world.

The last time I was in that great country was exactly 19 years ago, just prior to the Tiananmen massacre. I felt it was the best time in their history, so much hope, so much positivity, and then it was all smitten, stopped dead in its tracks. And yet, even then, I got a glimpse of the power that lay dormant beneath all its beautiful mountains, deserts, and rice fields. It has come to pass. Check out that magazine. The statistics you’ll find in it will surely blow you away.

My colleague Keith May (who tells us all about the humpback whales during the winter) recently told us about a «new little jewel of a restaurant» that he and his friends had discovered, so I figured it was time to try it out. It’s a tiny place (seats a maximum of 10) called La Lorraine, located downtown at 140 Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez, between the Malecon & Morelos (tel.: 222-9574). Keith said, «…the service and quality of the food are huge! I can definitely say that this was as good as any meal that I’ve had in ANY restaurant in Vallarta and better than most of the expensive places that we’ve dined in.»

Like Keith, I highly recommend that you visit La Lorraine, but I would also definitely recommend that you reserve ahead of time! The prices are very reasonable with most appetizers in the $7 range and entrées between $10 - $19. I ordered the steak au poivre and my girlfriend had the lamb special. Both were excellent. They’re also open for lunch, but hurry up as Laurent will be closing for the summer season at the end of the month.
Still on the topic of restaurants, I was kindly invited by an old, old friend of mine whom I hadn’t seen in months, to dine at Trio. What a delight that place is – always. You can never go wrong there.

And what’s the story with the Hooters place next to Los Arcos Amphitheater? If they’re closed for good (which I think is the case), then why doesn’t someone at City Hall have them paint over their huge ugly sign that appears in all the photos that tourists take of the Arches? Maybe we should ask Stan’s «graffiti eradication» team to go to it… As far as I’m concerned, I have always felt that that sign was not only an eyesore, but shameful for a tourist town such as ours. With the new signage regulations in effect for the last four years or so, it would never have been permitted.

Enough crabbing. I’m going to get ready for a lovely Mother’s Day weekend with my family. I just wish they were all here, but, as Mick Jagger would say, we «can’t always get what we waa-aant…»

On Thursday, May 1st, my friend Brenda Martin finally did get what she has wanted for so long, two years and three months to be exact: Thanks to the efforts of her childhood friend Debra Tieleman, who spearheaded the campaign to get her case more public attention, and to the Mexican ambassador to Canada, Emilio Goicoechea Luna, who risked his position to take up her cause, she was whisked out of that squalid, godforsaken prison in Guadalajara, and transferred to the Grand Valley Institution for Women in Kitchener, Ontario, in what has been described as «the fastest prisoner transfer in Canadian history». Finally. I guess the highest echelons of both governments had enough of all the media hype –and ensuing shame- that her situation had caused them lately. We should all have friends like Debra.

Until next time, I wish you a lovely week. Take care of yourselves and of each other. Hasta luego. pvmom04@yahoo.com

posted by Anna Reisman @ 10:08 PM 0 Comments

Thursday, May 1, 2008

May 2, 2008



I would like to start off this week by congratulating James Hunter, the editor of Bay Vallarta, for his editorial in the April 18-May 2 issue of that great guide. If you haven’t read it, try to find a copy somewhere. It is well worth it.

In his writing, Mr. Hunter expressed his honest opinion about the behavior of our city’s taxis and buses (of their drivers, to be exact) and their influence on the driving habits of the rest of the population. Mr. Hunter, I take my hat off to you. Unfortunately, I doubt that any of the powers-that-be read the Bay Vallarta, and even if they did -considering that it IS bilingual- I don’t know if they could do anything about it.

From what I’ve been reading in the papers since arriving in Puerto Vallarta, the unions are so strong that none of the subsequent municipal administrations have been able to change their modus operandi over the last decade or so…

I haven’t written much about our (in)famous telephone company lately, Telefonos de Mexico, a.k.a. TelMex. Well, last week, I had a very interesting experience with them… a first to be honest.

It turned out that on Saturday morning a telephone post located at the corner of Aguacate and Basilio Badillo, right near where the Tribune’s old offices were, fell down. I couldn’t tell you why. Maybe it was just old age. In any case, I guess it figured that if it was going to go, it would pull down its companions with it - which it did. Two more posts came tumbling down into the streets, pulling the cables attached to them down with them. I am inserting photos of the «deceased» so that you too may see how they lay there, unattended, for three whole days.
Sure, everyone in the area reported the incident, but that wasn’t enough to get any repairmen to the site on a weekend. So we all waited.

But the funny (?) thing happened when I tried to report the incident. I used my cell phone. It’s a Telcel, meaning it belongs to yet another mega company owned by Mr. Carlos Slim, the richest man in Mexico. Actually, he was the richest man in the entire world for a few months last year. In any case, I found out that none of the «emergency» numbers can be dialed from a cell phone. So I called the cell phone operator, and explained my dilemma. She listened, not particularly pleasantly, and then said, «Yes, you’re right. You cannot report it from a cell phone.» And she hung up.

So, for the first time in my life here in Puerto Vallarta, I went to an internet café, Dee’s Coffee Company to be exact. Don’t get me wrong, I love Dee, and her fabulous sandwiches, pastries and pies, and especially her espresso, but it just ain’t the same as working from home.

Tuesday morning, I got up early (which I never do), and got dressed, ready to go back to Dee’s, as my neighbor had told me that he’d spoken to a repairman who told him the posts would not be repaired before Thursday or Friday. But then my phone rang and I jumped off my chair. I hadn’t heard that sound in three days! As it turned out, it was my daughter calling me from Montreal. She wanted to know if I was angry with her as I wasn’t returning her calls… I explained the situation to her.

About an hour later, I received another phone call, this time from -you’ll never guess- a TelMex technician! He wanted to make sure that everything was ok, that both my phone lines and my internet service had all been properly reinstated, etc. etc. I thanked him profusely. It had only been three days!

Changing tracks, I finally made it out to Hacienda Xochitl. Yes, the name is a little hard for us foreigners to pronounce, but trust me when I tell you that you will absolutely fall in love with the place! There were five of us there last weekend (including our sometime restaurant reviewer, Gary Beck) and everyone spent the evening raving about the place, the food …and the service! At the end of it all came the biggest surprise of all: the bill. They could charge double and no one would care. That’s how reasonable the prices are, and how lovely, delicious the food.

Another restaurant news: Bruce’s Back Alley will now be called the Back Alley Steak House. I was speaking to Jason when he generously gave us some gift certificates to give out to the winners at our weekly Bingo game, and he told me that since they started serving lunches and making home deliveries, they’ve been going nuts. I am so glad to hear that. It really doesn’t matter what he calls the place, the food is super there too!

Well, that’s all I have to share with you this week, dear readers.

Remember, this weekend has been set apart for us to honor our moms - even more than usual. They deserve it! Next month, we can honor our dads... There is a quote from Washington Irving that I would like to share with our readers on the occasion of the very special day that is Mother’s Day: «A mother is the truest friend we have. When trials, heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine, desert us when troubles thicken around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavors by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts.»
Only some of us have children, but all of us have mothers. If yours is still alive, remember her on Mother’s Day. If not, remember her kindly. To all the mothers reading this, I wish a most Happy and Joyous Mother’s Day filled with hugs and sloppy kisses. Keep up the great work, ladies, and remember that ours is the only occupation that doesn’t come with a «How To» manual. We all do the best we can, don’t we? With time, our children do see the light and stop blaming us for their woes. Hasta luego. pvmom04@yahoo.com

posted by Anna Reisman @ 1:00 PM 0 Comments

April 25, 2008






More important news around town during the last weeks of April, the most interesting of which was the shutting down of the construction site at the Grand Venetian. It appears that the workmen hadn’t been paid in quite a while, some for three weeks, others for six or seven. They’re the ones who shut it down, it wasn’t even the authorities. And the folks of the Vallarta Verde group, the same that organized that great day to save the town’s remaining green spaces –especially the island on the Rio Cuale- demonstrated against the construction of the Rivera Cuale’s three big towers.


Personally, I haven’t had the opportunity to visit the place though I was invited a few times, but I did get a chance to see with my own eyes what is going on up where the Amapas I and II projects are being developed. What I saw was horrible.


What used to be lush jungle growth, populated by myriad birds (including Military Macaws!) was now a quasi vertical hillside covered with cement. And what’s worse is that the whole thing appears to be in suspense. We didn’t see anyone working, and my friend told me that is because the money has run out… Their 2-page spread in the fabulous Spring issue of Vallarta Lifestyles shows a building surrounded by jungle that makes it look like the Mayan pyramids at Tikal. Nothing could be farther from the truth. That’s the third mega development I know of where work has been suspended. Sure doesn’t augur well for the future.


On the positive side of the topic of construction, Mexico’s National Polytechnic Institute (IPN) has started a project whereby it is studying the country’s beaches to determine the best ways to preserve and even improve them, with jetties, reefs, and other such measures. I sure hope they’re more successful than the folks who tried to do the same up along the coastlines of Cape Cod, Cape May, South Palm Beach, etc… Those «experts» were completely unsuccessful against Mother Nature. She doesn’t take well to our shenanigans.
Ok, enough about construction.


I want to use this space to personally apologize to our photographer, Javier Perez, for all the covers of last week’s Tribune that showed a purple primavera tree in the foreground. I saw the original photo. It was nothing short of breathtaking, as so much of his work is. I couldn’t tell you what happened, especially considering that some covers came out quite well, while others, well… All I can say is that one of these days, the folks at Telefonos de Mexico who have been messing around with the program that enables our designer to upload every issue to the World Wide Web, will get their act together. And when they do, and when all the missing issues are uploaded to our site, you will be able to see how beautiful that particular photo is.




Talking about photos, I’m including a couple I took at the Passover Seder held at Sol’s Café Bohemio. As expected, the place was full (sold out in two days!), there were folks from everywhere, including a good part of this town’s Jewish community, and this time, Sol really outdid himself. The food was great, very different from what Ashkenazi Jews are accustomed to – really delicious.


When I heard about the verdict delivered by the judge in my friend Brenda Martin’s case, aside from my own personal reaction which I will not share here, another thought came to mind… If the folks running the Puente Grande women’s jail in Guadalajara were related to those running the little jail here in PV, she could have switched clothing with another inmate and gotten a «release from the powers-that-be, and escaped months ago… As things stand now, we’re all waiting to see how much clout our Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, has with Mexico’s President, and whether they will truly expedite her extradition back to Canada, as promised.
There’s some truly good news among the other recent headlines in the local papers: It appears that the town’s Public Services Department has installed some 30,000 square feet of sod on top of the old dump. They claim that this will help stabilize the site so that there will be no run-off of noxious substances once the rainy season begins, and that this grass will also help absorb the noxious gases given off by the refuse beneath. An additional 100,000 square feet were scheduled to be covered with sod this past week and the plan is to plant trees over the entire area, thus improving the appearance of the site while giving back green spaces to the community. Sounds good to me.


And the front page of the Vallarta Opina daily stated that the Hilton hotel chain was going to spend some $250 Million Dollars on expanding its investments in 14 Mexican tourist destinations, including Puerto Vallarta! I’m curious to see where this new hotel will rise.

I wish you all a super fun week, don’t forget your sunscreen ‘cause it’s gotten HOT out there, folks. Take care of yourselves and of each other. Hasta luego. pvmom04@yahoo.com

posted by Anna Reisman @ 12:50 PM 0 Comments

April 18, 2008


All the big wigs from Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit (the name given a year ago to all the towns along the north shore of the bay, and beyond) were in Acapulco last week. They were attending the annual Tianguis, the biggest Tourism Trade Fair in Mexico, and each tried its best to outdo the other.

Our neighbors to the north are boasting about their recently-instituted policy of promoting low density developments, preserving their environment, and the zillions they received in investments this past year. On the other hand, our side… well, what can I say?

Talking about cities that compete for the almighty tourist dollar… Cancun, one of Puerto Vallarta’s competitors, has a new motto: «Paradise has a name. It’s Cancun.» Now don’t get me wrong. Where would we be if we all had the same tastes? It’s good that there are different strokes for different folks. But I’ve been to Cancun a few times over the last seventeen years, on both pleasure and business trips. It’s not my thing. True, Caribbean water is unparalleled, crystal clear and turquoise in color, but I love our mountains, and there aren’t any around the Yucatan Peninsula. Besides, I don’t feel safe in a place that is in the direct path of so many hurricanes. Besides, just like us, they have to battle the sometimes deadly Aedes mosquito that transmits that dreaded disease – dengue.

And then there’s Rio de Janeiro, different country, different continent. Rio has lost over 10 percent of its tourism due to dengue! The authorities there are scrambling to eradicate the Aedes that transmits the disease by biting an infected person and then biting someone else. These unwanted insects live among humans and breed in discarded tires, flower pots, old oil drums, and water storage containers close to human dwellings. Unlike the mosquitoes that cause malaria, dengue mosquitoes bite during the day.

Our Mayor recently submitted a proposal for Puerto Vallarta to be included in Mexico’s federal program for the prevention and eradication of dengue. He said that through this measure, this town’s battle against dengue will be strengthened with resources that will enable it to raise the educational level of the community with regard to preventive steps and control that may be used to eradicate the disease. That’s all well and good, but in the meantime that swimming pool behind our place is still filled with disgusting, green and slimy stagnant water ...and no one is doing anything about it – despite all the complaints that have been lodged against its owners.

There was other heartwarming news too. My colleague, Osvaldo Granados, wrote a fascinating article on the 126 schools in the Vallarta region whose students will be receiving eyeglasses courtesy of the Department of Public Education of the federal government. The program’s motto is «ver bien para aprender mejor» (see well to learn better). It aims to test all the kids and give glasses to those found to suffer from myopia, astigmatism, and similar ophthalmologic deficiencies. Unbeknownst to me, the program has been running formally some 9 years now. Bravo! Now that’s a good thing.

More good stuff: A few years ago, I wrote about the sculptures of Jim Vitale that were exhibited at the restaurant that is today Barrio Sur (great place with great food & service, by the way). This artist picked up all sorts of débris on the beach, and turned it into the most delightful, whimsical pieces you could imagine. Well, I just learned that Jim will be having another exhibit of recycled Mexican materials, entitled «Art Chairs».

The artist says they’re «whacky, clever, even comfortable, and yet always distinctive!» If you’re curious to see those beauties, they’ll only be shown one night: this Friday, April 25th, starting at 7 p.m., at Don Oxford’s Casa Divisadero at the Villa Tizoc condos. That’s the one with the cable car we see from the road leading to Mismaloya, but you can call for directions, 223-2980. I can’t wait to see them.

I accompanied my daughter to the Botanical Gardens last week because she wanted to attend the Photography workshop there. It always amazes me how the place just keeps on growing and improving, becoming more and more beautiful every time I visit. This was her first time there, so we ended up spending double the amount of time planned at the outset. She just kept walking around the grounds, exclaiming little sounds of delight every time she came upon another exotic plant… Don’t forget folks, it’s Earth Day this week, so if you haven’t visited the Gardens yet, here’s a perfect opportunity to do so! (See Joy’s article in this issue for exact info as to the time for the celebration.)

After the workshop, we went to Vitea for dinner - for the second time in two weeks. Boy, those boys sure know how to prepare some real gastronomical delights, Mediterranean delicacies, both there and at Trio, their original restaurant.

It’s also International Book Day on the 23rd. Here’s your trivia for the week, dear readers: Did you know that both Shakespeare and Cervantes, the great Spanish writer, passed away on this day? How strange.

And how strange is the sudden change in temperature in our paradise (as opposed to Cancun’s)? I actually turned on our ceiling fan for the first time this year. And the one at Santa Barbara’s on Bingo Night too! All the cobwebs were blown away.

Talking about Santa Barbara, I want to take this opportunity to extend my very best wishes for a prompt recovery to Bill, the light man for the Kenny and Dolly show that had to be cancelled due to his illness. The man is in quarantine because he has the measles! I also feel bad for all the people who won’t get a chance to see that delightful show.

And I feel even worse for my friend Brenda Martin. Her case has been the number one story on both of Canada’s national TV networks last week. The judge was supposed to render his decision on Monday. He didn’t. He told Brenda that he would do so last Friday, but he told the media that he could take a whole month if he wanted… What? He hasn’t had enough time to review this farce of a case yet? Incredible!I’ll tell you all about the Seder dinner at Café Bohemio next week. But for now, let me close by wishing everyone a most Happy Passover, filled with myriad good feelings, lots of loving and lots of sharing! Hag Sameach and hasta luego! pvmom04@yahoo.com

posted by Anna Reisman @ 12:46 PM 0 Comments