Tearing Up Puerto Vallarta

Okay, this first picture has nothing to do with tearing up Puerto Vallarta. The first picture is for my friend Rico, who will be arriving here tomorrow. He has been worried that he won't be able to be properly entertained now that Junior's has closed down. I wanted to assure him that there were still reputable places, or at least places, where he can find what he wants.

Mi Fantasia


There is a big convention of travel agents and their ilk coming to Puerto Vallarta at the end of March. This is the first time that the convention will be held here so the city is doing everything possible to put on its best face - widening sidewalks, burying utility lines, and who knows what else. Oh yeah, putting in those wiggly designs in the sidewalks.

Of course in doing so they are totally disrupting this year's tourist season. The streets are full of dust, you can't eat at, or even get to, many of the outdoor restaurants. Friends and I had to leave a bar the other day because the sound of the jackhammers on the street below was just unbearable. Everyone from the tourists to the merchants are complaining. The convention starts March 24th so maybe they will be finished with all of this work a few days before I leave. They just have a bit over two weeks to do it, though.

No further comment is necessary, I will let the pictures speak for themselves. And keep in mind, this is just a fraction of what is going on.



















I am sure that next year the city will be beautiful. Unless they plan on putting everything back the way it was once the convention is over.

Coco's Kitchen and Kim Kuzma

A bunch of us went to Coco's Kitchen for dinner last night. My friends Paul and Sharon had been to see a Kim Kuzma show at The Palm and really liked one of the backup singers. He was going to be singing at Coco's Kitchen and so we went.

The Whole Crew


To my right are Bill and Marcie and Allison and Steve are next to them with Paul and Sharon next to The Mysterious Chinese Woman.

We had a great time and the food was excellent. Both the Mysterious Chinese Woman and I had the seared tuna. Salisbury steak was the specialty of the night and several people had that and were happy with their choice. To me salisbury steak is something that you found in TV dinners back in the old days. Or on the school lunch menu as a second choice. Bill, who usually eats nothing but hamburgers and M&Ms (he brings down about 40 pounds of them, M&Ms, not hamburgers) surprised me by ordering the fish fillet. He really surprised me when he said he liked it.

I always tease Bill about his choice of drinks. Usually colorful and preferably with an umbrella. I guess his ordering a Cosmopolitan was a step up, for him.

Bill And His Cosmo, Me And My Margarita


You can tell we were all having a good time because I did my famous Buffalo Bill imitation.

I Look Just Like Him, Don't I?


We got a special treat later in the evening because Kim herself dropped by and did a few songs. Our table seemed to be the only one with people who knew who Laura Branigan was so when she sang Gloria we got to chime in with the refrain. Afterwards she came over to our table and chatted with us for awhile. We have all seen her perform in various venues before so that was kind of fun. In fact one St. Patrick's day a few years back Marcie (Bill's wife) gave her a shamrock tattoo.

Posing For Pictures


I still have more pictures to post and I will try to get to them in the not too distant future. With all the sun, sand, and tequila it is hard to get really motivated, though. Now where is my lime and jigger of salt.

Speaking of rum, not that we were, they have Appleton rum down here for under $12 for 900 millileters. That is a really good price, and Appleton rum is one of my favorites.

More Pipi's

First, we have been losing our internet connection periodically and yesterday our elevator went out. And yesterday was the end of a fraction (four week period) so lots of moving in and out. Our porters were working their butts off lugging bags up and down the steps. On the bright side, they probably did okay with tips.

Tomorrow is February 29th and because our fractions are set to run so they always start and end on the same date, every four years the people who have fraction three, which runs from February 27th to March 27th, get an extra day. Tomorrow we are throwing a "Free Day" party.

I am sure many of you have heard about the 22 cruise ship passengers who were robbed while on a side trip here in Puerto Vallarta. Nobody was hurt but the disparity in news coverage is simply amazing. Reports ran from a group of heavily armed hooded men stopping the bus and robbing the passengers to an unarmed drunken man who attempted to hold up some passengers but failed. The most plausible story is that the 22 passengers were off the bus and hiking along a jungle trail when one or more armed men held them up. Puerto Vallarta remains safe unless you are wandering around drunk at 4:00 A.M. in the morning and trying to buy drugs. Not that I would know this first-hand, of course.

Okay, back to Pipi's. As always the drinks are big, if not particularly powerful, and the food is plentiful and more than decent.

But I Will Eat It All


I got the tamale and enchilado combination.

I Didn't Eat The Whole Thing


And Bill's standing in for Peter didn't end with him being serenaded. There was the obligatory cake on the face and the downing of shots of tequila to deal with.

Does The Humiliation Never End?


Drowning His Sorrows


Soon the merriment was over. Well, kind of over. When Allison heard that a few of us were going to stop at a couple of bars on the way home she was raring to go.

More Tequila, More Tequila


The couple of bars turned into six, including Murphy's Irish Pub, La Bodequita Del Medio, a little bar in the flea market where Allison and I shared a mouth numbing shot of tequila while Bill and Marcie shopped for a blanket, an island bar (really, it is on an island), Steve's Sports Bar and El Torito's where I stupidly placed a bet on the Knicks to beat the Heat (hey, I was getting 9 points, and I had drunk six shots of tequila plus a bannana daiquiri and a beer at Pipi's).

The Crew At La Bodequita Del Medio


The Tequila Taking Hold


And here is a group photo of us at the bar on the island, the name of which escapes me.

The Island Bar


This is kind of a sad picture, though. As you can see, I am wearing my custom made "Drinks Well With Others" cap. Unfortunately the cap did not make it home with me. I must have left it at either Steve's Sports Bar or El Torito's and when I went back the next day to see if anyone had found them I had no luck. And it isn't like I can just go out and buy another one.

Oh well, life goes on and this too shall pass. Meanwhile it is another beautiful day here and I have tomorrow's "Free Day" party to look forward to. And tonight, of course, the always amusing coverage of yet another couple rounds of primary voting and the posturing and spinning of the winners and losers. The fun just never ends.

And if anyone sees that cap of mine, grab it and let me know.

And Now For The Rest Of The Story

Okay, so you know about Bill being the reluctant stand-in for Peter's birthday party. Hey, it is an ugly job, but someone has to do it. The usual crowd assembled as, as you might expect, usual. Good, I got to use both "as" and "usual" twice in the same sentence.

The Mysterious Chinese Woman, as usual, had a drink bigger than her head.

Allison Had To Help Her Hold It


Okay, I was told I had to post a better picture of the two of them, one that showed off their uber-cuteness.

So Cute At That Age


You may remember Dave and Carol, they are the couple we met on a river-cruise a couple of years ago and then they came and stayed with us last year. They were back again this year for two weeks but rented their own place in the same building.

The Mysterious Chinese Woman And Dave


Barman And Carol


Another good friend of ours, Morris, showed up as well.

Our Good Friend Morris


And, of course, Tom and Bella were there. They never miss a party if they can help it.

Tom and Bella


It looks like Tom is engrossed in a ballgame or something, but I swear, the place didn't have any televisions. Maybe he was just contemplating the error of his ways, whatever they may be.

More to follow, but losing my internet connection.

Happy Birthday Peter

Just a quickie for now with more to follow. A bunch of us went to Pipi's the other day, always a fun time. Usually we celebrate our friend Peter's birthday, but he wasn't able to make it to Puerto Vallarta this year. So we did what we had to do and had another friend, Bill, stand in for him.

Happy Birthday Peter, Thanks Bill


More on Pipi's later.

A Sweet Band, And A Bit More

As I mentioned in my last post, after our excursion to the Ocean Grill the Mysterious Chinese Woman and I went to El Dorado to hear my friend Randall play in his sweet band, the Duvalins. It has a mixed crew, Randall being from Canada and the lead singer and guitar player being from Mexico. The bass player looks Canadian as well and I really can't tell about the others. Anyway, they named their band after a Mexican candy that is also a bit of a mix.

Duvalin - I Don't Change It For Anything


The "I Don't Change It For Anything" is Duvalin's slogan. I guess it means the candy is the same as it always was. Who knows. There is a joke about a Mexican boy who is told to go to the store and buy Duvalin but gets something else instead. But it is a really bad joke and I am not going to repeat it. Suffice it to say that the punchline is "I don't change it for anything." You can get a bunch of Mexicans to snort beer out of their noses if you the this one at a bar.

Anyway, the band Duvalin is a pretty rocking group and a lot of fun to listen to. And, as I may have mentioned, how many rock bands feature an electric mandolin?

The Duvalins


And they get the crowd up and dancing as well.

Fun For All Ages


And of course the Mysterious Chinese Woman enjoyed the both the band and her usual drink that is bigger than her head.

Either A Big Drink Or A Small Head


Ah, we all know it is just a matter of perspective. The Mysterious Chinese Woman most emphatically does not have a small head.

We also had the fried calamari, which was quite tasty. I may give their ribs a chance because I have heard they are good as well.

A friend we met at Ocean Grill, Maree, joined us and it was her birthday. The band was kind enough to send her over a really nice birthday treat.

And Not Duvalins


The weather here remains kind of blah. Mostly cloudy, occasional sun, and more rain than is usual. In fact yesterday it rained really hard for about an hour. Cleared up in time for us to head out for dinner, though. But then it started in again and we were sitting on the upper deck of Joe Jack's Fish Shack. Luckily they had a retractable awning that they could extend. Great whole red anapper again, although I opted for the garlic shrimp. We went with a couple of friends of ours and tonight we are going to make dinner out of our doggy bags. Well, out of the contents of our doggy bags.

A Bit Of The Blah


We did get a nice rainbow one evening.

But No Pot Of Gold


And, even though there was no pot of gold, we did get a nice golden sunset.

I Would Have Liked The Pot


I have been enjoying reading about Lin's exploits with the Knicks. I managed to see the game with the Lakers where he outplayed Kobe and dumped in 38 points. All of the hoopla about him is kind of fun too. I should be able to catch Sunday's game against the Mavericks on because it is being broadcast on ABC which they get down here.

Puerto Vallarta Paradise

Bit of a gloomy day today, overcast and occsional, well, not sure what. Can't call it rain, really, not even a drizzle. Just occasional drops that fall from the sky. But by and large it has been sunny and warm, just like it is supposed to be.

When we first got here last Monday, the bay was just filled with pelicans. Hundreds, if not thousands. I have never seen so many before and a couple of people who have lived here for over thirty years said the same thing. For some reason the bay was just teeming with bait fish and the pelicans were having a feast.

Just A Few From My Window


It is interesting to see the bait fish swarm or school or whatever they do. They form what looks like a big black squirming ball that is quite bizzare. The first time I saw one I had no idea what it was. Some kind of a spooky sea monster coming up from the deep. The Bay of Banderas was supposedly formed by an extinct volcano so who knows what may be lurking down there.

We have improved television service this year so I was able to watch the Super Bowl in the relative comfort of my "unit." Not as crazy as a bar, but most places required a reservation and I was a bit late in trying to make one. The places that didn't require one you had to get to about three in the afternoon and I didn't feel like sitting in a bar all that long. I must be getting old. At the risk of offending any Patriots fans, I was glad to see the Giants beat them once again. If not the Jets (maybe once more in my lifetime) than it might as well be the Giants. The odds of the first score of the game being a safety was 50 to 1 and at least one guy put a thousand bucks on it. He made the news because he was going to contribute his winnings to some charity.

If you want to buy your NFL poncho, I know just the place.

Almost Free Today


We saw those ponchos (real, not Sears) on the way to Joe Jack's Fish Shack, one of my go-to places here. The Mysterious Chinese Woman and I had been there earlier and shared a whole grilled red snapper. Simply delicious. I was going to get the octopus too, but the waitress warned us that the fish would be plenty for both of us, and it was. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera. While we were eating it the guy at the next table ordered the octopus and it looked great. This time we both ordered it.

Nothing Like A Tender Tentacle


An octopus is so smart that if you cook them slowly enough they can actually grab spices and season themselves.

She Didn't Believe Me Either


We went to a street market and this tee shirt caught my eye.

"One Advantage Of Being Overweight"


Yesterday it was just beautiful, sunny and warm, so a few of us headed out to a new, out-of-the-way restaurant. And when I say out of the way, I mean out of the way.

First, A Bus To Boca


Things are always changing here and now they have newer orange and white buses that depart to Mismaloya and Boca every fifteen minutes. And you catch them in a sifferent spot where they line up ready to go. Makes traveling a bit more convenient. And still only 7 pesos or about sixty cents.

Then, after you get to Boca you catch a panga or little boat to get to the restaurant.

The Local Taxi Service


You could walk to the restaurant from Boca, but it is a bit of a hike. No roads though.

Ocean Grill


Someone had a bit of a vision to build a restaurant out here. Not like you are going to be getting any walk-by traffic. It has been getting a lot of buzz, though, because the food is supposed to be excellent and reasonably priced. Plus, they send a panga over to get you and bring you back from Boca for free.

Not Our Panga


It was quite rough when we arrived so I was hanging on for dear life and couldn't really take any pictures of our landing. But you get the idea.

The Restaurant On The Deck


It really was a nice place and there is a lovely little beach right next to it where you could easily spend an afternoon just lolling about and maybe taking a little swim. We did neither, though, but we did have lunch and a few drinks.

More Tentacles


The octopus was great and really tender. I also had some cerviche and some kind of smoked fish tostados. Everything was very good and the margaritas weren't bad either.

We sat around a chatted a bit and then it was time to head on back.

Waiting For Her Panga
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Then the long walk up the hill to catch the bus back to town.

Working Off Her Lunch


And soon enough the bus came to carry us away.

The Bus, The Bus


After getting home we had time for a shower and a change of clothes and then we headed off to El Dorado for a few cocktails and an evening listening to our friend Randall, the electric mandolin player and his band. But that will be my next post, so stay tuned.

I would try to catch up on my Costa Rica adventure, and even the rest of my Russia trip, but those pictures are all at home on my PC, so that will have to wait as well. I will try to post a bit more often about what is happening down here, though, so stay tuned.

Woot - Back Again

Just a quickie, but more later. Slow connection here in Puerto Vallara and I couldn't figure out how to log in because I get the Spanish language version. I will load in some pictures and hook up my keyboard this afternoon. Slow going poking at this iPad screen.

Having a great time down here even though it is a bit overcast, damp, and windy this morning.

For now, adios.

Be Still My Beating Heart

Yes, it is me again. No follow-up to Russia, yet, but it will arrive, one day. Heading to Mexico tomorrow and didn't want you all to think I was never going to post again. I may even post from Mexico.

Just a quick post about part of my recent trip to Costa Rica with a couple of friends of mine, Jon and Ruthie.

We ended up our trip in the great little seaside town of Tamarindo. Kind of a laid-back 1970's California town.

We flew in from who knows where after checking into the state of the art airport.

Checking In


Hey, any airport with a bar is fine with me, and this one had a decent enough one.

Drinks At The Airport Bar


Just time for a quick beer to steady our nerves before boarding our luxary full-service with meals flight.

Well, The Plane Did Fly


And, just to give you a flavor of Tamarindo, this was a typical little bar with $2 beers, all day long. Now how can you beat that?

Who Needs Anything More


Jon, Ruthie, And The Mysterious Chinese Woman


You Know Who By Now


Those of you who are long-time followers of my blog will remember that I have visited Costa Rica before and that this is also my second visit to Tamarindo. A great little town. Kind of reminds me of what Puerto Vallarta was like many years ago.

Well, that is it for now. Got a 4:00 AM pickup for the flight to Puerto Vallarta, and I haven't packed yet. Going to go with just carry-on luggage this time around.

Stay tuned, I really will try to post from Mexico.