There are all kinds of Artists, and All Types of Art Available to those walking along the Malecon in Puerto Vallarta. Today, A conversation with Artist Anastacio Tolentino Vargas, and a guy who makes hats from palm leaves, Jose, Mr. Palms. He weaves hats from palm fronds especially for you.
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.
That music you were just listening to is performed by Alberto Perez, the owner of the La Palapa Group of Restaurants. Those
are La Palapa, Puerto Vallarta’s Oldest Restaurant on the Beach, and The El Dorado Restaurant and Beach Club right next door so you can enjoy always enjoy that fantastic view of the Los Muertos Pier day and night, for breakfast, lunch or dinner, seated with our toes in the sand right at the water’s edge. It’s so romantic, it’s so, Puerto Vallarta my friends.
This week I have two special guests. One is a guy you may have seen on The Malecon, Jose, he is known as Mr. Palms, he makes hats out of palm fronds, and the other is artist Anastacio Tolentino Vargas, my buddy Nacho who you will also find on the Malecon but first, let’s see what’s happening this week , the 23rd of August, 2018.
Listen to The Podcast
Last week I mentioned the Vista Grill was leaving the beach and it’s association with the El Dorado Beach Club, and I promised you I would see what was happening with the Vista Grill, so I asked our friend Sofia Boettner from Grupo La Palapa, and she asked me to pass on this information to all of you.
Subscribe On iTunes & Leave a Good Review
Subscribe On Android Devices
Send Barry an Email
Hi Barry!
We are indeed dropping the name of Vista Grill; just to make it less confusing for new comers, even though the kitchen staff, Chef,
service staff and management will remain the same! We will save the name of Vista Grill for when we decide to open another restaurant with a great view, but nothing has been decided yet. Vista Grill’s location up the hill is still in dispute and unfortunately will remain like that as Mexican law is very slow and tedious. So, we are just putting that aside for now and continuing with our wonderful restaurants La Palapa and El Dorado which are doing great!
Looking forward to seeing everyone at La Palapa and Eldorado Restaurant and Beach Club,
Sofia Boettner
So, there you have it folks. That’s the whole story for now, and I will keep you advised if we see the Vista Grill come up on the horizon in the coming months, maybe even years. Who knows? It’s Mexico! Manana!
Rain Brings Crocodiles to The Rio Cuale
There have been several crocodile sightings outside of their natural stomping grounds, or slithering grounds in Vallarta. Remember we talked about the preserve at Boca de Tomates, and along the Ameca river, the Vallarta Marina, you can see them there often too. But as JR said in an earlier podcast, they use the ocean to move around, to migrate so to speak and there have been spottings of crocodiles on the beach, up the Rio Cuale, yes, up the Cuale, and of course, in the Marina Vallarta, so just be wary that during the rainy season, strange things seem to happen with the crocodile population here They get curious. Maybe they are just looking for a good time. But be aware.
Warique is Celebrating Their One Year Anniversary
Their announcement reads… We can’t believe it! Friday, September 7th we’ll be one year old!!!
Warique Restaurant is proud to announce our 1st anniversary!You are cordially invited to attend three fun nights in honor of our one year landmark.There will be a live music performance, complimentary glass of our famous Pisco Sour or Margarita, delicious food (25% off on all plates during the anniversary weekend) and a good company!Our joy will be more complete if you will celebrate with us, please join us!
Got an email from listener and my friend Dwight, and he writes…
Hi Barry!
I just heard the podcast with Barbara Ann. She sounds like a really fun person! Maybe I will meet her one day.
Lois and I will be at Kelly’s Pour Favor on October 2nd for the meetup. Looking forward to seeing you JR and the gang! We will be in PV that first week of October. I hope I get to hear one of those thunderstorms!
Talk to you later,
-Dwight
That is so cool Dwight! Looking forward to seeing you and Lois again, and hey, if you want to meet Barbara Ann Rene, I’m going to get together with her 5th of December group on the 5th at 5 pm, but I don’t know where yet, but save that time slot if you want to meet that 5th of December group. I’ll follow up with the location as soon as I hear from Barbara Ann about it.
And just remember you guys, we will be having a meet and greet October 2nd and the following Tuesday on the 9th. Now on the 9th, I know we will be seeing our buddy Marty Juel. Marty writes….
You may remember my talking about the Lions eyeglass mission that our group will be having October 10-13, 2018. Please consider
putting a note in your show the week before and invite anyone to come see our operation. We hold our event in the Lions Club building, located on Madero, right across the street from Bravos Restaurant.
We usually are not to the public, but if anyone would like to see our operation, they can stop and ask for me. The people there will know that someone may be stopping and will get me. We love to show off what we’re doing. Many of your listeners may already be supporting Lions by donating their used glasses. From our Indiana location, we send approx. 15,000 used glasses for this four-day event. We hope to see about 800 people each day from the 10th to the 13th of October.
If we get a chance, I’ll try to bring some of the 22 Lions to Kelley’s Pour Favor on the 9th.
Best wishes..
Marty
So, let’s go back and recall the meet and greet I had last year with my buddies Marty and Ian, up on the rooftop patio at Kelly’s
Pour Favor Saloon and Cookhouse, and Marty talked about the glasses program they are bringing to Puerto Vallarta. What a great opportunity so see firsthand the good the Lions are doing for the local community, and you get to see what’s behind the walls of the Lions Club of Puerto Vallarta. Just give Marty the special secret handshake and you get in.
So remember to make some time for a meet and greet with microphones if you plan to be in town the 2nd or 9th of October.
Okay, let’s get on with the show.
Jose, Mr. Palms on The Malecon in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
As you walk down the Malecon, or as you lounge on a lounge chair on the sand or are sitting at a table on the sand in front of or even inside a beachfront restaurant, you are sure to be approached by numerous salespeople selling all kinds of souvenirs and services.
Hats, bracelets, blankets, wraps, beachwear, fruit and oyster salesmen, fish on a stick guys, then there’s the massages, the temporary tattoos, the ladies who want to braid your hair. Oh my god. How long has it been since the movie 10 with Bo Derek? Let’s see, 10 was filmed in 1979, almost 40 years ago, and white women still think it’s s good idea to have their hair braided into cornrows. My wife did it and what a mess when she finally decided to unbraid? Yet I digress.
There are all kinds of these vendors and one of them, I always wanted to talk with, he’s a tall and skinny Mexican guy and he wears, and makes hats woven from palm frond leaves. And he weaves a lifelike Iguana on the top of these hats. Anyway, and his name is Jose. Jose is Mr. Palms. You can see him walking along the Malecon with his supply of palm leaves, and hats to show off. So I stopped to talk with him one evening on the Malecon and he was sitting with a friend near an OXXO, so I asked if he would let us know a little bit about himself, and he said ok. Now Jose doesn’t speak English, it’s only Spanish for him, so this is my first attempt here to dub over the Spanish with English, and I didn’t hire a guy with a Mexican accent to do the translation, it’s just me, but I hope you can get the jest of the conversation and I hope the audio isn’t confusing, here we go now to the Malecon in Puerto Vallarta on a lovely evening, and let’s meet Jose, Mr. Palms.
Listen to The Podcast
He was great. I didn’t realize the hats he makes were so reasonable. And I really liked Jose. A very nice man, with a skill that keeps him from having to be a waiter in a restaurant. An outdoor job where he is his own boss. My kind of guy. Make sure you look for him the next time you are in Vallarta. Buy a hat and let him know you heard him on The Puerto Vallarta Travel Show.
Anastacio Tolentino Vargas, Artist on The Malecon in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
The River Cuale Art-walk Show on The Malecon
My next guest I met last year when I was walking to my Airbnb. I happened to be walking past his home, a small street level room, an apartment, in Downtown, and he struck up a conversation with me. Well we got to talking about what he did, and what I do, and we exchanged information and parted ways. Then I found him again, this time, he was on the Malecon, displaying his beautiful artwork. So, the next time I came to town, I made sure I stopped by his place. Now Anastacio is a funny guy. He has a dry sense of humor, and he likes to have a good time, but he is dedicated to his art. I have pictures of some of his work in the show-notes so you need to see it when you get a chance, but let’s go right now, to a small apartment room in downtown Puerto Vallarta, and let’s meet the talented Anastacio Tolentino Vargas, My Buddy Nacho!
Listen to The Podcast
Suggestions From Anastacio Tolentino Vargas
Places You Will Find His Art
- Revolution Bar Puerto Vallarta
- Pinatas Bar, on Abasolo Street
Breakfast Places
- Top Floor of Municipal Market several restaurants
- Fredy’s Tucan Puerto Vallarta
Lunch
Dinner
- Pizotta, Puerto Vallarta
- Players Sports Bar, Puerto Vallarta
Contact Information for Anastacio Tolentino Vargas
- Email—travel2pv@hotmail.com
- Facebook—@Travel2pv
Entertainment Places
A funny guy yes? He showed me some pretty cool places like the hot springs, yes, there are hot springs close by, and he
introduced me to some very interesting people who we will be meeting in coming episodes, but boy, Anastacio is a good guy,
and you need to look him up, next time you are in paradise. I have a map of the place, his spot on the Malecon, but the easiest way to find him is in the north end ocean side of the Rio Cuale Bridge on the Malecon. There is a place where artists set up, and you will find him there. As I said earlier, I have pictures of Nacho, his work and his contact info in the show notes to this episode.
Okay, 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.
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. Don’t forget his maps, his DIY tours and his revitalized Happy Hour Board. I have links to all of those in the show notes.
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.
And thank you so much Jose, Mr. Palms, check out his picture and look for him on the Malecon and have him make you a custom hat in 30-45 minutes. One that will fit you and will be a treasure for years to come. Make it your special Vallarta Hat.
And thank you to Anastacio Tolentino Vargas, check out his artwork and his contact information and make sure you see him next time you are in town. He is talented and a really nice guy.
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!
