Beware Of Skinny Men! LOL

Bucerias (Boo-sir-REE-as)

I went to Bucerias today with some out of town friends. Vera and her husband Bill have been here since last Monday. Vera has been here once before, over a year ago, and Bill has never been here. They are great fun! They are up to doing anything I suggest and even took the bus to Pitillal (a true Mexican neighbourhood) by themselves the other day just to "look around". They somehow ended up in Ixtapa (north of the airport) but had a wonderful time retelling their story that evening over dinner. Bill has been peppering me with questions since he arrived. Most of them I can answer but some of them I can't. He is very inquisitive, open-minded and interested. In my opinion, this makes a very good tourist.

I thought it would be nice to take them to a pretty beach for the day, since they are leaving tomorrow. My other friends, Mike and Zdenka (long term seasonal tourists here), decided to join us. OH! Before I go any further, I want to put in a plug for Los Tres Delphines (The Three Dolphins) just off Olas Altas near the Los Arcos Suites Hotel. We ate dinner there last night and all had one of the specials. Four of us had shrimp and Bill had beef fajitas (he is allergic to shellfish). Each dinner came on a platter with rice and steamed veggies. We all had 10-12 large shrimp done different ways (garlic butter, breaded, el diablo). One drink was included in the price of dinner which was only 90 PESOS! The food and service were excellent. Cute location too with a lot of plants and terrific bathrooms. :)

Anyway, we caught the city bus in front of Cine Bahia just before 10AM. We transferred to the ATM bus across the street from Coppel department store, at the HSBC bank. The cost was 4.5 pesos for the city bus and 10 pesos for the ATM bus. Total cost for the return trip was 29 pesos or just over $3CDN. We travelled for one hour to downtown Bucerias. Once off the bus, we walked west, towards the Bay, down the "main drag" in Bucerias which is actually a two lane street with a boulevard down the middle. We walked to the waterfront, searching for a restaurant with beach access, good food and reasonable prices. I chose El Chivero for a couple of reasons. It wasn't crowded, they had a palapa at the back by the beach for shade with loungers and they had drink specials: 5 beers for 45 pesos in a bucket and 2 for 1 tropical drinks for 45 pesos (***Goddesses, PLEASE TAKE NOTE!!!***).

The menu was quite extensive with various dishes of seafood, chicken, beef and fish. Prices were very reasonable (30 pesos for tortilla soup, $60 pesos for chicken quesadillas and $70 pesos for beef fajitas). For the record, the tortilla soup was one of the best I've ever had! Tons of avocado (which I love), cheese, sour cream and tortillas in a light tomato base. It was a little bit salty but I'm wondering now if that was the cheese. The chicken quesadillas were tasty, greasy and served with beans and guac. Pop and coffee were $10 pesos each and Diet Coke was $15 pesos a bottle. The bill for all of us was $400 pesos for the day. We never did order any beer ... the beach was lovely and goes for miles in both directions ... the waves were a little high but not as bad as Los Muertos. All in all, a wonderful day with wonderful friends.

Tequila and Magdelena

My friends Debbie and Jim were here recently for a vacation and we decided to rent a car for a couple of days so we could drive to Tlaquepaque. The ride itself is not for the faint of heart -- kilometres of steep, winding hills which mean agony to this motion-sick-prone Goddess. This time of year, Guadalajara and Tlaquepaque are gorgeous during the day (sunny and 25C with no humidity) but the nights can be quite cold. I took jeans, boots, a long sleeved shirt and a jacket and I was still cold! The other disadvantage to going this time of year was that all the restaurants close early (or at least they did on Monday night). I've had better trips there.



On the upside were our two stops on the way back. First we stopped in Tequila and found the centre of town without a problem (just followed a van filled with tourists!). We parked and wandered over to the Jose Cuervo tequila factory/distillery. They have guided tours on the hour for an hour. We arrived just after 11AM and didn't want to hang around for the tour at noon so we settled for cruising through the gift shop, the tequila store and generally snooping into every room without a locked door. This place is immense and a lot of money went into designing the buildings and grounds. Large flat screen TVs were hung on the walls throughout the building, promoting tequila in English and Spanish. For a glimpse into the world of Cuervo Tequila, go to their slick website here. I also found an interesting article at this link with photos.

We had a bit of trouble getting out of town and headed in the wrong direction up a very bumpy cobblestone street! Once turned around, we found the hospital again (I always use them as landmarks) and stopped to ask someone how to get back on the highway to Magdelena. A few minutes later we were on our way. FYI, there is a toll road between Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta but there is also the original highway which is two lanes and not as direct. This was the road that took us to the mining town famous for Mexican fire opals. Jim was able to find a parking spot in the middle of town so we parked and headed out. I thought there might be stores one block beyond the centre of town (less frequented = better deals) but no such luck. Once past the school, I spotted a shop off the main road and we went in.

Seated behind a desk, polishing obsidian paperweights, was an older woman with a broken arm. When I asked what happened, she said she fell in the store. I asked her for opal rings, set in silver, which caused her to go into the back room and reach under the bed for a leather case. After placing it on the counter with her good arm, she opened it up so Deb and I could start trying on rings. I found a couple of potentials but then happened to look in the glass case to my left and spotted a ring with channel set opals in a thick silver band. I tried it on and it fit so I bought it for $350 pesos.

I am very happy with my purchase and will treasure it forever as a momento of my trip. Jim also has a momento -- a parking ticket. Apparently we parked in the exclusive parking spot for the Minister of Finance of Magdelena. No wonder it was so easy ... LOL

Weirdness ...

People are always telling me that I look like Lynda Carter. Personally I have never seen any resemblance, other than the dark hair and the blue eyes. I mean, I've never owned a golden lariat or blue silk hot pants. But tonight, as I'm watching Law & Order SVU, she shows up as the victim's mother and HOLY MOTHER OF GOD! I do look like her!!! Scared the crap out of me ... LOL

The Need To Blog ...

It seems I am turning into a blog slut ... first the new look and now four posts already this year! I've decided that it is easier to post a "bloglet" than try to post something profound. So, if you're expecting a Nobel Prize winning blog, this isn't the place. Haha! I have a couple of things on my mind so here goes.

When I first started coming to Vallarta as a tourist, I was always amazed/impressed/flattered when people remembered me from the previous trip and wanted to stop me on the street and chat. I found this to be a charming practice. When I made the decision to move here, it gave me some comfort knowing that I was already acquainted with people here and they would undoubtedly become my friends.

After I started working, I had to punch a time clock and this meant showing up at work on time or be penalized with a monetary fine (I kid you not!). So all that socializing on the way to the store had the potential to cost me money. Since I was only making 23.3 pesos an hour, I started leaving home earlier in high season, knowing that my path to work would be littered with friends wanting to chat me up along the way.

Then the gossip started. "I saw you on the street talking to a guy the other day. Is that your boyfriend?" PLEASE! The rumours continued and it really started to irk me. There is nothing more disconcerting than someone you barely know regurgitating your schedule to you, three days later. I can barely remember what I had for breakfast and you want me to remember who I said "hi" to last week? Ain't gonna happen.

The above rant (rantlet?) is background for the following story. Last night I was out with my Ladies Group ("girls" only dinner, once a week, different restaurant, lots of giggles). There were 14 of us at Coco Tropical, seated at a long table. I was at one end with my friends, Irene and Marion, who had just arrived from Ontario. We got to talking about my trip back to Canada with my friend Myles.

"So I hear Myles has a girlfriend", said Irene.

"What? That's news to me!" I said.

Marion chimed up and said, "Yes, he definitely has a girlfriend."

"Where did you hear this?" I asked.

Irene said, "We met Jack at CCs on the weekend and he told us."

"I don't think Jack has his facts straight Irene. I would know if Myles had a girlfriend ..." I said.

"Jack told us all about her. She used to be a doctor's wife." Marion added.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, the penny dropped. I had seen Myles with a beautiful blond on Sunday night. I turned and yelled down the table, "Beverly, are you Myles' new girlfriend?"

Beverly, shocked at the question, said "No! Of course not! We're just friends!!!"

The rumour mill in southside Vallarta works at an alarmingly fast clip. If I could only figure out a way to harness that power, I might be able to take over the country (or at least get them to stop playing that stupid Alice song at Andales!). LOL BTW Jack, if you're reading this, expect an email from Irene sometime after her return to Canada. If you're going to spread gossip, be prepared for the backlash! Haha!!!

New Year, New Look

You might be thinking that you've stumbled across a new blog but it's still me ... *smirk* I've made a few changes to the look of my blog for a couple of reasons. One, I get bored easily and in order to keep me interested in my own blog, I had to spruce it up a bit! Two, I've been looking at other people's blogs and, by comparison, mine sucks. So I've changed the template, added some links and few more bells and whistles. I hope you like it. I think it's magical ...

Can You Say Tlaquepaque?

(THIS IS A CONTINUATION OF "THE WEDDING" BLOG FROM DECEMBER 8TH.)

On Sunday morning, Marty was up bright and early, checking on places for breakfast. Unfortunately, the mall was still closed and didn't look like it was going to open any time soon. Anxious to be on our way, we decided to load up the car and drive to Tlaquepaque. Unable to find a proper map, we were relying on a tourist map, written in Spanish, from the hotel lobby next door. Not exactly high tech but we were confident we could figure it out. Four mature adults, eight sharp eyes and no extreme hangovers. We were all pretty hungry though so food was in the forefront of everyone's mind as we set out.

I knew, from looking at the "map", that Tlaquepaque was south and east of our location so we headed in that direction, towards downtown Guadalajara. Marty reminded us that the date was November 20 or El Dia de la Revolucion (Day of the Revolution) and if Guad was anything like PV, the streets would be crowded with people in the parade. We were partly right. The streets were busy with some kind of bike-a-thon and there were detour signs everywhere. We were constantly thwarted by the police, sending us north when we wanted to go south. Finally, we turned right, somehow bypassing the mess downtown and headed towards the suburbs.

Tlaquepaque is essentially an arts community, located on the southern fringes of Guadalajara, next to TonaLA (accent on the last syllable). Tonala is where they make a lot of the touristy-type crafts (i.e. junk) you see for sale in Vallarta. I found it to be a bit more rustic and industrial than Tlaquepaque and therefore, not as pretty. So when I asked my travelling companions where they wanted to go, they all voted for Tlaquepaque! We went past a huge seafood market and then found a bus with the word "Tlaquepaque" written in the front display window. So we followed that for awhile, past some HUGE palm trees (at least 10 stories high!) and then finally located Ninoes Heroes which took us right to Calle Juarez which disects central Tlaquepaque.

Wonders of wonders, we found a parking spot right away and a restaurant open, serving breakfast across the street. Service was slow and the food was mediocre but once sufficiently satiated, we grabbed a few necessities out of the car and headed towards the main square. A couple of yards from the car and the restaurant, I spotted a sign hanging over a green metal door that said "La Media Luna B&B". Since I had done a bit of research before the trip, it sounded sort of familiar. It didn't look like much from the outside, but I encouraged my friends to walk in with me and look for someone in charge. I met the owner, Josephina, who informed me that she had two rooms available for a cost of $320 pesos (one bed) and $550 pesos (two beds). We were interested, so she called one of the young men working there to take us up and show us the rooms, which were in the process of being cleaned.

The larger room overlooked the main square ("El Parian") and had two beds in two rooms with a TV, closet and bathroom. We decided to take the rooms so I paid for them in cash and we left to enjoy our day, promising to return after lunch when the rooms would be ready. We had read signs on the way into town that there was an expositon of Latin American artists at the Refugio so we headed there with Josephina's precise directions. After paying the $10 peso coverage charge, we entered into a huge congested hallway, lined with artesans and their crafts. There were colourful wool sweaters from Equador, silver jewellery from Columbia, woven fabrics, clay pottery, wrought iron lamps, blown glass decanters, handcarved wooden figurines, straw handbags, cotton hats, stone sculptures, etc.etc.etc. As the morning progressed, the crowds grew larger and passage became almost impossible through the narrow hallways.

We bought our few treasures (Peruvian pottery for Heidi, Ecuadorian sweater for Missy, woven change purse for me, iron key holder shaped like bull horns for Martin) and escaped out into the afternoon sunlight. Martin offered to take our packages back to the B&B while we continued shopping. We thankfully dumped everything into his willing hands and headed out to Calle Independencia, better known to me as the pedestrian mall. This street is a "walking street" with traffic only at intersections running north and south. The street itself stretches for five or six blocks and is filled with art galleries, decorator shops, and stores selling jewellery, leather, clothing, tequila, glassware, stoneware, iron works, etc.etc.etc. I found a chiminea (small chimney for burning candles) for only $90 pesos!!! Missy bought a beautiful cotton embroidered top for $160 pesos.



Marty eventually found us without too much difficulty (I think he just followed our squeals of delight) and we all agreed that shopping is very hot and thirsty work. So we ducked into a really cool bar/restaurant/shop on the corner and ordered something cold. The girls had margaritas, I had a tequila ceasea and Marty had a beer. The place was very nice (wish I could remember the name) and they had a HUGE bar with many, many tequila selections. In addition, there was a BIG chair in which we all posed. After drinks, we headed back to the hotel and I was tired so I laid down for a while. The other three went out to tour around the Parian and listen to the mariachi. After about an hour, they returned and we changed to do out for dinner. It had cooled down substantially and after a stunning sunset, we wandered back outside and over to the pedestrian mall for dinner.



My last time in T.P., I ate at El Patio but I didn't particularly enjoy it. The food was mediocre Mexican (the kind they feed to tourists who don't know any better), the place was crowded and noisy, they had birds in cages in the direct hot sunlight with no water. I spent more time "watering" the budgies than I did eating! So I nixed El Patio and we kept walking. We found a jewel of a restaurant called Casa Fuerte (www.casafuerte.com). It is a Mexican restaurant but the menu contains authentic Mexican cuisine from all over the country, including many dishes from colonial times. Add an excellent wine list and we were all extremely pleased with our choices for dinner. Although the restaurant was closing shortly after our arrival, the service was attentive and expeditious without making us feel rushed.

After dinner, we strolled back to the B&B slowly, savouring the sights and sounds of this beautiful place. We had some wine with us (coincidentally the same wine they served us in the restaurant!) so we popped that open and sat outside on the terrace at the hotel, talking about the weekend. The other guests started rolling in and most of them were exhibitors from the craft show. The night wound down and we retired relatively early. I slept like a dead person and woke the next morning refreshed and hungry. Breakfast was served outside, on the same terrace we enjoyed the night before and consisted of coffee, fresh juice, fresh fruit and french toast. We ate, tipped, loaded up the car and left for our drive back to Vallarta.

Clean Bill Of Health

My computer is fine. You might recall that I had some problems with it in early December (exactly a month ago today!). The hard drive was making a knocking sound and I couldn't turn it off. Anyway, after getting in touch with my warranty providers in Canada, I arranged for a friend to pick up a replacement hard drive in Toronto and bring it down to me. However, when my "geek" friends here checked my hard drive, it seems fine. They defragged it and no bad sectors. No viruses either. So I'm good to go online and not quite so panicky ...

Personally, I'm feeling better too although I still have some residual cold symptoms. In particular, my left ear plugs up thoroughly whenever I blow my nose and takes hours to unplug. Other than that, I'm feeling fine, have all my old energy back and even made it to the gym twice last week. No New Year's resolutions for this Goddess. I start thinking about making changes in and around my birthday, not on a day that everyone else says I should.

Speaking of days when everyone acts like an idiot, I would like to start a movement to boycott Xmas. Don't buy me anything because I don't need anything and don't expect me to buy you something you don't need either. Instead, give the money to charity or better yet, give the gift of your time to charity. And why do we wait for one day out of the year to be generous? I don't need the media to tell me when I should spend the day with my family or friends. December 25th is crock! I'm so over it ... whatever it once meant has been lost. I'M NOT DOING IT ANY MORE.