An interview with Master Artist Javier Nino. Javier’s Paintings Are Whimsical and Colorful depicting Vallarta of Old
Also, an Interview with Eduardo at the Choco Museo Puerto Vallarta. We learn about the Restaurant, Gift Shop and Chocolate Making Classes.
Uber Eats Comes to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
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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 famous Los Muertos Beach, and The El Dorado Restaurant and Beach Club right next door so you can enjoy that fantastic view of the Los Muertos Pier all lit up at night in beautiful colors, or during the day in its grand splendor 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.
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This week I am going to I’m going to introduce you to one of my most favorite artists in Vallarta, Javier Nino, You are going to love him too, and we will be visiting the Chocolate Museum too but first let’s see what’s happening this week in Puerto Vallarta the 13th of December, 2018….
Processions For the Pilgrimage to Our Lady de Guadalupe
All of the processions have ended folks, the celebrations for Our Lady of Guadalupe have come and gone. It’s such a beautiful time to be in town and to witness all of these processions and see the whole town participating and getting all dressed up. Fireworks, parades, processions, so cool.
Benefit for R.I.S.E. Refugio Infantil Santa Esperanza
Now on Saturday, December 15 from 6:00 until 9:00 pm, Demetro Gallery will be hosting a benefit to help cover the cost of 
educating the children at the Refugio Infantil Santa Esperanza.
Better known as R.I.S.E., the Refugio Infantil Santa Esperanza is a non-profit shelter for babies and children under the age of 14. Some of these children are orphans, but most come from unbearable situations having been abused, neglected or simply abandoned.
According to psychologists and professional educators, kids have much better outcomes when they attend private schools. Most of the RISE kids are now attending private schools and the goal is to have all of them in a private school in 2018. To make this happen they need to raise $33,000 USD to cover the cost of tuition, uniforms, books, supplies and extracurricular activities.
Come enjoy an unforgettable evening that includes outstanding appetizers, beer and wine, and more – all for a good cause!
Tickets are available for $400 Pesos at Demetro Gallery on Lazaro Cardenas, located across from the park of the same name, on the south side of Puerto Vallarta.
I have a link to the article in the Banderas News and if you are in town, go to the event and meet some great people.
I’m taking you to RISE real soon so stay tuned for that.
http://www.banderasnews.com/1812/vl-puerto-vallarta-childrens-shelter-benefit.htm
Uber Eats Now Available in Puerto Vallarta
Uber Eats is now available in Puerto Vallarta! That’s right you can order breakfast, lunch or dinner from your Uber Eats app
from your phone and have food delivered right to your room or meet the driver outside at the car. Currently there are 24 different restaurants that I see participating, they are…
- Wings Army in Old Town, PV
- Florios Resto-Bar, Puerto Vallarta
- El Torito Sports Bar, Puerto Vallarta
- La Pizzetta, Olas Altas, Puerto Vallarta
- Zoo Bar, Puerto Vallarta
- Rey Del Aquachile, Puerto Vallarta
- Pasta Fresca Zona Romantica, Puerto Vallarta
- Mama Sirena, Puerto Vallarta
- Katana Sushi & Bar, Puerto Vallarta
- Tuna Azul, Puerto Vallarta
- Moment’s Cafe and Bar, Puerto Vallarta
- La Traviata, Puerto Vallarta
- Restaurant Oscars, Puerto Vallarta
- Rosa Vallarta, Puerto Vallarta
- Pan y Que, Puerto Vallarta
- Zapata Antojeria & Bar, Puerto Vallarta
- El Fortin, Puerto Vallarta
- Mama Mia Pizzaria Insurgentes, Puerto Vallarta
- Captain Cajun, Puerto Vallarta
- La Posta, Puerto Vallarta
- Burger King, Puerto Vallarta
- Choco Museo Vallarta
- Hacienda de Carlotta, Puerto Vallarta
- Cafe La Flor de Cordoba Puerto Vallarta
- Mi Querencia, Puerto Vallarta
- Reposteria Los Chatos sucursal Fco. Villa, Puerto Vallarta
So now you don’t have to leave your room to get a great meal in Puerto Vallarta. A nice romantic meal from the balcony or rooftop of your hotel, resort or Airbnb. Wow. So if you are feeling rough around the edges, you can have Uber Eats smooth you out. Download the Uber Eats App before you leave for paradise. No muss no fuss no pesos to deal with, the meal is already paid for right?
Get Your Uber Eats App Here Google Play
Get Your Uber Eats Apple App Here
Share the Spanish Language Podcast with Salvador Estrada
The Spanish Language Version of Salvador the Candyman is up and running. I have links to it in his episode as well as a new tab I made for Spanish Language Podcasts so you can find it there as well so please share it with a Mexican you know okay?
Salvador Estrada The Candyman in the Spanish Version
Alcohol Helps You Speak a Foreign Language
And speaking about Spanish language podcasts, did you know that alcohol actually helps you speak Spanish better?
I’ve always thought so myself but now comes proof. A study was done….I love studies don’t you??
Saw this article in Time Magazine online…
By AMANDA MACMILLAN October 20, 2017
Those who dabble in learning a new language sometimes find that alcohol — in moderation — helps them speak more fluently. In a way, that makes sense: It’s been shown that a beer or a glass of wine can lower inhibitions, which may make it easier for some people to overcome nervousness or hesitation.
But on the other hand, alcohol has also been shown to impair cognitive and motor functions, negatively affect memory and
attention, and lead to overconfidence and inflated self-evaluations. So do people really speak non-native languages better after drinking, or is that just their liquid courage talking?
To answer that question, British and Dutch researchers conducted an experiment, published this week in the Journal of Psychopharmacology. And it turns out, people in the study really did speak more fluently after a low dose of alcohol — even when they didn’t think so themselves.
The study included 50 native German speakers who were studying at Maastricht University, located in the Netherlands near the border with Germany. All of the people in the study said they drank alcohol at least sometimes, and, because their classes were taught in Dutch, had recently passed an exam demonstrating proficiency in the language.
Each person was asked to have a casual, two-minute conversation with an interviewer in Dutch. Before that chat, half were given water to drink, while the other half were given an alcoholic beverage. The amount of booze varied based on the person’s weight, but for a 150-pound man, it was equivalent to just under a pint of beer.
The conversations were recorded and then scored by two native Dutch speakers who weren’t aware which people had consumed alcohol. The participants were also asked to self-score their own performances, based on how fluently they felt they’d spoken.
Unexpectedly, alcohol had no effect on the speakers’ self-ratings; those who’d had a drink weren’t any more confident or pleased with their performances than those who’d had water.
But they did perform better, according to those who listened to the recordings. Overall, the native Dutch speakers rated people in the alcohol group as having better fluency — specifically better pronunciation — than those in the water group. Ratings for grammar, vocabulary and argumentation were similar between groups.
The authors point out that the dose of alcohol tested in the study was low, and that higher levels of consumption might not have these beneficial effects. After all, they write in their paper, drinking too much can have the exact opposite effect on fluency and can even lead to slurred speech.
And because the people in the study knew what they were drinking, it’s not possible to know whether their speech improved because of alcohol’s biological effects or its psychological ones. (Previous studies have shown that people who think they’re drinking alcohol can experience similar levels of impairment as those drinking the real thing.) “Future research on this topic should include an alcohol placebo condition,” the authors write, “to disentangle the relative impact of pharmacological vs. expectancy effects.”
The study’s findings should also be replicated in other groups of people, they add, to show that the results aren’t unique to native German speakers or to people learning Dutch. At least one other paper supports this theory, though; in a 1972 study, small doses of alcohol improved Americans’ pronunciation of words in Thai.
While the study did not measure people’s mental states or emotions, the authors say it’s possible that a low-to-moderate dose of alcohol “reduces language anxiety” and therefore increases proficiency. “This might enable foreign language speakers to speak more fluently in the foreign language after drinking a small amount of alcohol,” they conclude.
I have a link to the article in the shownotes so what the heck, drink-up amigos and speak like a native.
The Agave Room Opens at Joe Jack’s Fish Shack
Joe Jacks Fish Shack, a favorite of mine as well as many of my guests has a surprise for all of you who love to drink, and practice your drunken, uh buzzed Spanish…Here’s a press release from Joe Jack…
Those who’ve gotten to know the team here at Joe Jack’s over the years know that we’re big fans of Tequila, Raicilla, and Mezcal.
So much so, that we’ve spent the last two years visiting different regions of Mexico to taste an insane amount of the most interesting Tequila, Mezcal, and Raicilla the country has to offer.
The result of our travels has been a wealth of knowledge, new friendships, and new suppliers of agave spirits so good, we have to share them. And, thus, the Agave Room is born!
We’re now offering two classes: Tequila 101 & Agave 101. Both classes run Mon – Sat at 1:30pm, and each class includes a tasting of 8 different spirits as well as several accompanying tastes from the kitchen.
Tequila 101: Take a trip through the high & lowlands of Mexico’s famous Tequila region. In this class, you will learn all about the agave plant, its history, how it’s grown & processed, and ultimately its most famous product…. Tequila!
Taste the nuances that distinguish lowland & highland varietals as well as the differences between blanco, reposado, anejo and the granddaddy of them all, extra anejo.
Agave 101: Discover the world of the Agave plant. Learn about its ancestry and the various methods Mexicans have been using for thousands of years to turn this armored plant into one of the worlds most trend-setting liquors.
Explore how different types of agave are grown & processed while tasting Raicilla (native to the surrounding areas of Puerto Vallarta!),
Mezcals from around Mexico, and of course blanco, reposado, and añejo tequilas.
I have a link to the two classes so check them out in the shownotes, and practice your Spanish right?
I hope to have Joe Jack on the show early next year so I just can’t wait for that I’m telling you.
Contact Info for Joe Jack’s Fish Shack Puerto Vallarta
- Address: Basilio Badillo 212 Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco
- Phone: 322-222-2099
- Website: https://joejackspv.com/about
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JoeJacksFishShack/
Wow we are doing lots of drinking so let’s switch gears and do chocolate.
The Choco Museo Puerto Vallarta
According to the Wikipages… The history of chocolate begins in Mesoamerica. Fermented beverages made from chocolate
date back to 350 BC.[1] The Aztecs believed that cacao seeds were the gift of Quetzalcoatl, the god of wisdom, and the seeds once had so much value that they were used as a form of currency. Originally prepared only as a drink, chocolate was served as a bitter, from a liquid, mixed with spices or corn puree. It was believed to have aphrodisiac powers and to give the drinker strength. Today, such drinks are also known as “Chilate” and are made by locals in the South of Mexico. After its arrival to Europe in the sixteenth century, sugar was added to it and it became popular throughout society, first among the ruling classes and then among the common people.
Last year I was walking past the Chocolate Museum which is right on the Malecon in Puerto Vallarta, and struck up a conversation with a young man who worked there and I promised to return, only to run out of time. I hate it when that happens by the way, but it happens too often when I come to the end of my trips.
We have heard about the Museum from our friend Elvira Moncayo at the Board of Tourism actually some time ago, and I wanted to see what was going on there. I happened the same young man by chance my last stay in October, and I made sure I
kept my promise to check out the Museum, so let’s go right now and meet this young man, his name is Eduardo, let’s go right now to Calle Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez 128 and the Malecon, and let’s meet Eduardo Nava at the Choco Museo Puerto
Vallarta.
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Contact Information For Choco Museo Vallarta
- Address: Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez, 128, Centro Malecon, 48300 Puerto Vallarta, Jal., Mexico
- Phone: (52 1) 322 223 40 52
- Website: https://www.chocomuseo.com/puerto-vallarta
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChocoMuseoPuertoVallarta
What a surprise. A really cool place it turns out. They have 5 different workshops.
And Eduardo, what a great guy. I have his contact information in the show notes of this episode if you are interested in a special hike. One, two days or longer.
Eduardo Nava Facebook Page For Hiking and Adventure Camping
https://www.facebook.com/aventuraquetzal/
Okay, let’s go from the art of making chocolate, to the art of creating art, and let’s get to our next guest.
Javier Nino, Artista, Galeria Fabrica de Suenos
Javier Nino’s art makes me so happy. His art usually depicts a Puerto Vallarta of times past with bright colors and whimsical magical creatures mixed into the painting. The name of his studio is Galeria Fabrica de Suenos which translates to Maker of
Dreams, or what dreams are made of. Pretty cool right? I’m going to let Javier tell his story himself. And Javier, although he speaks English okay, requested we do the interview in Spanish, so I’m going to do the same as I did with the interview with Salvador, and dub my voice in English over our conversation in Spanish okay? So, let go right now to Lazaro Cardenas # 322 in the Emiliano Zapata Neighborhood, and let’s meet el maestro pintura, Javier Nino of Galeria Fabrica de Suenos. The dream maker.
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What a great story. I have pictures of the things we talked about as well as his studio and his artwork. Javier also has a large selection of prints at very reasonable prices so even if you can’t afford any of his acrylic masterpieces, you can easily afford one of his beautiful prints. Again, I have all of Javier’s information as well as a map to get you right to his front door so have a
look, and when you go to Vallarta the next time, stop in and say hello to this fantastic artist, and take home some of his work. Don’t be afraid, Javier doesn’t bite. And make sure you tell him that you heard him on the Puerto Vallarta Travel Show.
Okay, That should do it for this week.
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 to Eduardo from the Choco Museo, what a great guy, and thank you so much to Javier Nino, stop by his place and buy some beautiful pieces of Vallarta that will make you smile every time you look at it I’m telling you!
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!
Contact Information For Galeria Fabrica de Suenos, Vallarta
- Address: Calle Lázaro Cárdenas, #322 Emiliano Zapata, Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco
- Phone: +52 322 120 3270
- Website: Click for Javier Nino Gallery Website
- Facebook for Galeria Fabrica de Suenos : https://www.facebook.com/javierninofabrica/