Sep 26, 2017
An interview with listeners Reggie and Donna Belew From Tennessee who tell us about their vacation in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Also Puerto Vallarta Businesses Step Up to Support Mexico Earthquake Relief. Also more about Tile Park Puerto Vallarta.
Hello fellow travelers, welcome this episode of the Puerto Vallarta Travel show. I am your host Barry Kessler and I am just so happy to be introducing you to my favorite vacation destination, and maybe even yours, Puerto Vallarta Mexico.
Listen To The Podcast
That music you were just listing to is performed by Alberto
Perez, the owner of the La Palapa Group of
Restaurants. Those are La Palapa, The El [caption
id="attachment_196" align="alignright" width="300"]
La Palapa, Puerto Vallarta,
Mexico[/caption] Dorado
Restaurant, and at night for dinner The El Dorado
transforms into the ever so romantic Vista Grill with those
dramatic views of the Los Muertos Pier all lit up at night in
beautiful colors. Of course, at La Palapa you can enjoy that same
view of the Los Muertos Pier all day long for breakfast, lunch or
dinner, seated with your toes in the sand right at the water’s
edge. It’s so romantic, it’s so Puerto Vallarta my friends! Today
we will be talking with two great guests, listeners Reggie and
Donna Belew from Tennessee, but before we get to them let's see
what’s happening in Puerto Vallarta this week, the 26th
of September, 2017. Last Tuesday morning, as I was recording the
last episode of the podcast, Mexico was hit with its second major
earthquake in twelve days. An earthquake with a magnitude estimated
to be 7.1 hit approximately 55 km (34 mi) south of the city of
Puebla. It caused major damage in the Mexican states of Puebla,
Morelos and the Greater Mexico City area, including the collapse of
more than forty buildings; and although Mexico's SASMEX
earthquake warning system provided 20 seconds' advance warning in
Mexico City, 310 people have been reported killed, 273 of which in
Mexico City and surrounding areas, and more than 4,600 were
injured. Rescue missions are still underway as I speak. As I said,
there had been an even larger earthquake 650 km
(400 mi) away off the coast of the state of Chiapas twelve days
earlier. [caption id="attachment_1634" align="alignright"
width="253"]
Music For Mexico Earthquake
Relief[/caption] And although Puerto Vallarta didn’t feel either
shake, these earthquakes are devastating for Mexico. Earthquakes
happen so fast, and are notorious not only for the death and
injuries and fear they strike in people, but also for making people
homeless and jobless, destroying homes and businesses. Well, I’ve
got to tell you, there are a lot of people in Mexico right now who
need our help. There are also quite a number of businesses and
individuals in Puerto Vallarta who have teamed up to raise funds
for earthquake relief. Manzon Brewery had a fundraiser, Incanto had
one, They are having a show and silent auction at Act 2 on October
1st, so if you are in town, go check it out. Lots of great items
being auctioned off as well as some great entertainment. I’ll even
have an item in the silent auction, an opportunity to have your
very own podcast episode dedicated to an individual or even a
business in Puerto Vallarta, so if you are interested in having
your very own episode, be the highest bidder. If you’re in town,
You have to go to that as I said, if you are in town [caption
id="attachment_1635" align="alignleft" width="300"]
PV Mexico Quake
Relief[/caption] And it’s so great to see the people of Vallarta
stepping up for a great cause. And if you do choose to give to the
Mexican Earthquake Relief effort, be careful who you donate to and
who you donate through. Do your homework, and know that it’s not
always the big name charities that do the best work for the lowest
overhead, so talk to friends, check out these charities on the
internet. [caption id="attachment_1534"
align="alignright" width="300"]
Natasha Moraga[/caption] Now
we all know that timing is everything, and if you listened to
last week’s podcast, I announced a very special project that I’ve
got to tell you, got me and many of you really excited. It was the
Tile Park project, the Parque de los Azulejos, in Lazaro Cardenes
Park. The project is being done by the same person who did the tile
wall on the Southside and in the Marina and elsewhere, Natasha
Moraga. Well, last week, I announced to you that you could donate
to her project, and I gave you instructions on how you could
purchase commemorative tiles to be installed in Lazaro Cardenes
Park, the money from those purchases, would go to help fund the
project? Remember? How can you forget? I even built a donate
page on the Puerto Vallarta Travel Show website. Okay so this
earthquake hits, just as the project was going to begin their
fundraising efforts, so timing is everything, as I said. [caption
id="attachment_1610" align="alignright" width="300"]
Donate to Tile Park
PV[/caption] Natasha and her people were planning on quite a few
fundraising events for their project, but they are also keenly
aware of the great need for money to help rebuild and uplift so
many effected by these terrible earthquakes. And as I just said,
there are numerous events being planned for earthquake relief right
here in Vallarta. So, Natasha asked me to let you know that many of
the planned fundraising public events will probably wait till
probably after the first of the year, just so efforts to help with
earthquake relief can proceed in earnest. And I understand her
sentiments, but I just don’t want her project to get lost in the
shuffle so to speak. Trying not to sound too insensitive here, I
think we can think of giving to both the Tile Park project and to
earthquake relief, so I’m going to keep pushing and promoting this
project, El Parque de Los Azulejos. Listen folks, they are not
self-funded and need the money from tile sales, personalized tile
sales, to move this project forward. They need to sell
commemorative tiles to help fund this project so go to the show
notes to last weeks podcast as well as this one, and check out this
beautiful park, Lazaro Cardenes Park, all done in beautiful mosaic
tiles. [caption id="attachment_1535" align="aligncenter"
width="1000"]
Art Rendering Parque de
Azulejos[/caption] Nat Moraga still has promised to sit with me for
an interview soon, so will get that to you soon, and I’ll let you
know when. As for these nasty earthquakes, these terremotos as they
are called in Spanish, these Tremblors, I can definitely relate to
these poor folks, I was [caption id="attachment_1538"
align="alignright" width="300"]
Art Rendering Parque de
Azulejos[/caption] born and raised in Los Angeles, and I have lived
through several major earthquakes, the latest big one, the
Northridge Quake’s epicenter was not more than a ¼ mile from my
home in the San Fernando Valley, and that was a 6.8. I’m telling
you what, the aftershocks are what keep you up. They can be pretty
frightening. Interestingly enough, Tuesday’s quake occurred on the
32nd anniversary of the 1985 Mexico City earthquake, which killed
about 10,000 people, which was by the way, commemorated with a
national earthquake drill at 11 a.m. local time, two hours before
this earthquake struck. Kinda weird don’t you think? [caption
id="attachment_1633" align="aligncenter" width="404"]
Meet and Greet at Pour
Favor[/caption] I’m planning a meet and greet in Puerto Vallarta
for Tuesday, October the 17th at JR’s meeting place,
Kelly’s Pour Favor Saloon and Cookhouse. He doesn’t
know this yet, but I’m going to bring my microphones with me again,
and have you tell me about what you are doing in paradise. And if
you are a business and you want to make a pitch to my audience, you
are more than welcome. I just have to lock down my airfare and I
will be there. Guess I better tell my wife. Hummm. Yeah that would
be best. See you there. Okay, let’s get to the show and our
guests, Reggie and Donna. [caption id="attachment_1638"
align="alignleft" width="300"]
Reggie & Donna Belew[/caption]
I’ve got to say that my most popular podcast episodes are the ones
with you listeners telling your stories and giving suggestions, so
I’m pretty sure you are going to like my two guests. I love their
accents, but hey, I’m from California and we have no accents, least
that’s what I’ve been told. Reggie gave me a good review on iTunes
and after I mentioned him on one of my podcasts and read his
review, he followed up with an email. And it went like this…
"My first visit to Puerto Vallarta was in May 1989. I was 20
years old. And I had only had two semesters of Spanish language
classes in my then young lifetime. A college buddy and myself
drove over 2,000 miles (one way) from Florence Alabama to Puerto
Vallarta. It took four days. And we only stayed a week. But oh my
that changed my life. In 1990 I studied at the
University of
Guadalajara. I was able to visit Puerto Vallarta three
times that year. And I traveled around Jalisco including trips to
Barra de Navidad, Ameca and Tequila that summer." He also
writes that he met JR on his last trip down… So I had to have
Reggie on the show. His experiences, going to school in Guadalajara
mirrored my own college Spanish experiences as well. When I was
going to San Diego State University in 1978, I was given the
opportunity to take a 6 week course in Mexico City and get a
semester’s college credit for Spanish, so naturally I took
advantage of it. It was a wonderful experience. I was totally
immersed in the language. We lived with Mexican families, we went
to class every day at 9. The Americans learning Spanish upstairs,
and the Mexicans learning English downstairs. Then at noon, we
dispersed and wen our own ways. I, usually with a hot Latina, and
her friend…and her brother..ugh.. from class downstairs, and do
stuff get totally immersed in the culture and in the language.
[caption id="attachment_1626" align="alignleft"
width="534"]
Casa Isabel, Puerto
Vallarta[/caption] By the time the 6 weeks were up, I was dreaming
in Spanish, with English Subtitles.. No Lie! So Reggie did the same
thing, only his university had a deal with a place in Guadalajara.
Got to say, those were the greatest times.
Listen To The Podcast
Anyway, let’s get to Reggie and Donna and hear their stories… Gill Givens Books Vallarta's Funniest Man
JR's Happy Hour Board
[caption id="attachment_1655" align="alignleft"
width="300"]
JR s Happy Hour
Board[/caption]
Restaurants They Liked
Things to See and Do
- Xamie Ximenez the mouth painter at the arches across from the city plaza
- Puerto Vallarta City Tourism Office offers a walking tour free
- Tours to the Bell Tower at Our Lady of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Puerto Vallarta By the Rosary Bead Man
- Gary Thompson Sculpture Tour
- Print out J R's Maps
- Roam the Cuale Island Gringo Gulch
Don't Forget
- Take good walking shoes
- Sunscreen
- Don't be afraid to try to communicate.
Cool Places to Shop
- Lucy's Cucú Cabaña
- Sergio Bustamante Gallery
- Shop at the local markets
So they had some great suggestions here. That idea of laminating
a map and directions to your hotel or condo is absolutely
brilliant. Also the free city tour is a great idea. Splurge and
treat yourself to a serenade. Who knows, maybe you’ll get lucky.
There were a couple more great ideas but I’ll leave those for you
to find when you go to the shownotes for this episode of the Puerto
Vallarta Travel Show. Don’t forget to check out my webcam page,
check out what the weather is like and what people are wearing in
Puerto Vallarta in Real time. You [caption id="attachment_57"
align="alignright" width="300"]
Puerto Vallarta Web
Cams[/caption] can even catch a sunset if you time things out
right. Just go to my website and click on the webcam page and see
what I’m talking about. Also don’t forget my Malibu to PV Real
Estate page where I have homes for sale in Puerto Vallarta, as well
as homes north of the border in Malibu California, my neck of the
woods. Check out the page. You will be glad you did. Well,
that should do it for this episode of the Puerto Vallarta Travel
Show. Next week stay tuned for more on the ground reports from
Puerto Vallarta Mexico, with travel tips, great restaurant and
excursion ideas and more. Until then, remember, this is an
interactive show where I depend on your questions and suggestions
about all things Puerto Vallarta. If you think of something I
should be talking about, please reach out to me by clicking on the
Contact us tab and sending us your message.
Casa de Los Arcos is the Villa that Reggie and Donna Stayed
http://casadelosarcos.com/
[caption id="attachment_1628" align="alignright"
width="300"]
Casa De Los Arcos, Puerto
Vallarta[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1630"
align="alignright" width="300"]
Casa de los Arcos in Puerto
Vallarta, Mexico[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1629"
align="alignright" width="300"]
Pool at Casa de los Arcos in
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1627"
align="alignright" width="300"]
Casa de los Arcos in Puerto
Vallarta, Mexico[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1632"
align="alignright" width="300"]
Casa de los Arcos in Puerto
Vallarta, Mexico[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1631"
align="alignright" width="300"]
Casa de los Arcos in Puerto
Vallarta, Mexico[/caption] And remember, if you are considering
booking any type of tour while you are in Puerto Vallarta, you must
go to Vallartainfo.com, JR’s website and reserve your tour through
him, right from his website. Remember the value for value
proposition. His experience and on the ground knowledge of
everything Puerto Vallarta in exchange for your making a purchase
of a tour that you would do anyway, you’re just doing it through
him as a way of saying thank you. It costs no more than if you were
to use someone else so do it. Really. And when you do take one of
these tours, email me about your experiences. Maybe you can come
on-board and share with others what you liked or didn’t like about
the tour. Again, contact me by clicking on the Contact us tab and
sending off a message. And once again, if you like this podcast,
please take the time and subscribe and give me a good review on
iTunes if you would. That way we can get the word out to more and
more people about the magic of this place. Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
Remember I made it easy for you to do just that with each episode I
create. But if you haven't been to my website, you really need to
have a look there. I have the links to the places we talk
about, interesting pictures and the more all right there in my
blog-posts and show-notes for each episode of the show so check
them out for sure if you haven't already all-right? All right. So,
thanks to Reggie and Donna Belew, listeners extraordinaire, I
have pictures of both of them and some of the places we
talked about in the show notes of this episode, at
www.puertovallartatravelshow.com. And thanks to all of you
for listening all the way through this episode of the Puerto
Vallarta Travel Show. This is Barry Kessler signing off with a wish
for you all to slow down, be kind and live the Vallarta lifestyle.
Nos Vemos amigos!