An Interview with Jim Lee of Qulture Puerto Vallarta, an Artist Co-Op and Jazz Bistro

Then Meet Bill MacDonald From Farmacia Mercado in Downtown Puerto Vallarta, Across from the Municipal Market.

Then meet Will Ferguson from Nacho Daddy 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.

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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

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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.

This week we are going to the Meet and Greet we had at Kelly’s Pour Favor last week. We had a couple of brave souls step up to the plate, one was Jim Lee from Qulture, Bill MacDonald from Farmacia Mercado, and Will from Nacho Daddy but first, before we get to that, let’s see what’s happening this week in Puerto Vallarta Mexico. January 14^th, 2019.

Big Waves Flood Popular Puerto Vallarta Beaches

Friday the beaches were hammered with high waves, swamping sunbathers on Los Muertos Beach. In fact I was sitting having breakfast, well, brunch at the restaurant at the Los Arcos, El Pueblito I believe it’s called. We were invited by a friend of my brother’s, a coworker in the states who is from Puerto Vallarta, to breakfast there. It seems his family runs the restaurant and he’s looking at the waves coming in and he was shocked to see them so high. As it turns out, it was a bad day for sunbathers, but things settled down towards the middle of the afternoon and the red flag warnings were taken down.

Slight Increase In Taco Prices at La Banquetta

I walked past Tino Perez’s place, the smallest taco stands in Vallarta, El Banquito, and saw that Tino had raised the price by 5 pesos to 35 pesos for three tacos Dorados de Birria and consume de pollo. Still a great deal, it’s still less than $2 US for a good meal that will last you half of the day. At least it does for me.

The propane gas shortage seems to be over for now. Deliveries are being made again around town, and I haven’t seen any laces closed like restaurants and so on so getting back to normal. And there are gas shortages in many parts of the country but so far, according to all the cab drivers I spoke with last week, no gasoline shortage in town.

Be Prepared for Customs When Bringing Donations to Charities in Vallarta

I get a chance to meet some really nice people, listeners and guests, and I’ve been in contact with Marie from Nanaimo, and she brought down donations for Gabino, a sewing machine you guys. How many old used sewing machines do you have at home? I think we have 3. Hummm.

So she also brought down like 700 pairs of glasses for the Lions Club recycle program, and it wasn’t the sewing machine they had a problem with. It was the eyeglasses.

They wanted to know the value, and she’s like, umm, none, unless you are the Lions Club, and you collect them to recycle. Anyway, she stood her ground and they finally let her pass through.

Now I brought a full extra suitcase full of some really nice ladies dresses that were donated by one of my home sellers. His sister passed away and she had some really beautiful clothes, about half of them still had the tag. And I packed that to bring down to give to Jorge Zambrano and his Vallarta Sur Rotary Club to hand out to the poor, and I’ll get back to that suitcase in a minute. As it turns out, I didn’t have a problem at the customs counter with the suitcase, I didn’t expect to. But when I was talking with Jorge, he told me that one of the ladies who brought down a suitcase with old kitchen appliances had an issue, they ended up charging her like $40 at the Eduana. So watch out how you fill out the customs forms guys.

Bring Perfect Change for The Bus in Puerto Vallarta

I got on a bus in the downtown area and when I tried to hand the driver a 20-peso bill, he waived me off. It seems they have a coin slot that accepts pesos, or a pass, if you have one. So, I sat down behind the driver in the old folks seat and started to dig around for pesos.

The lady next to me on the bus also started digging around to see if she could help me out, but I found 10 pesos in my day pack and plinked it into the slot and the driver handed me my receipt.

So, the lady explains that some buses don’t have the coin slots, and they still do it manually. Even the new ones. She also said the pre-paid passes don’t always work either but be forewarned, bring enough coinage to get you to 10 pesos.

Check Your Coffee Cream Containers on Restaurant Tables in Vallarta

We were having breakfast at a very famous restaurant, known for breakfast, you figure it out, and my brother noticed lots of sugar ants on the table, and when he looked in the creamer in the little stainless steel pitcher, he notice, well, sugar ants that had met their demise in the cream, so the folks at the table who like their coffee blond, had their cups replaced, and a nice fresh mini pitcher of cream appeared, but beware my friends, check your cream.

Reviews of My Puerto Vallarta Airbnb’s

I promised to give you a review on the Airbnb properties we stayed at during the trip. To bring you up to snuff, for the first 6 days of the stay we had three couples, my wife and me, my twin brother Gary and his wife Jill, and my friend Jose and his wife Anne. So, we needed to find a place with 3 bedrooms and enough beds, king sized preferably, and because neither Jose nor Anne do stairs so well, it needed an elevator, on very few steps, and if you know Vallarta, it’s like, where aren’t there stairs?

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/17638515?s=51

And it had to be nice. It couldn’t be a cracker box like I like, but it needed a pool, and an ocean view, So I found one on Playa Conchas Chinas, right on the water at a place called Condominios Alejandra.

I’ll give you a full report next week with pictures but for now I’ll leave a link to the Airbnb listing in the show notes so you can check it out if you like at puertovallartatravelshow.com. It costed $550 per couple for the 6 nights and was a beautiful property.

Then the guests left and I moved to a new Airbnb downtown for a staggering $22 a night US. It’s a new listing and it’s bare-bones for sure with some nice touches and some funky.  I’ll give you a full report next week as well, I mean the stay isn’t over yet.

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/27994268?s=51

The place is at the end of Calle Abasolo, and if you look straight down the street from my place, you will see the club Mandala. The three loud nightclubs are just 4 and a half blocks away, but surprisingly enough, the sound isn’t bad, and I’m a light sleeper.

The New Path to The Cross “La Cruz” in Puerto Vallarta

 

As it turns out, the new path up to the cross, overlooking Vallarta, begins at the top of Calle Abasolo. It goes straight up, and the last portion includes over 200 steps up stairs, so if you have bad knees, I’d say well, just keep that in mind. The path is cement, it’s wide, and well, it’s really nice. There’s a whole bunch of healthy people walking up and down using it as their daily exercise routine. There’re observation decks, places to sit and relax and maybe enjoy a treat or have a picnic. And if you

forgot extra water, or are dying for a snack, there are enterprising Mexicans who have lugged that up for you, for a price, but not too bad. There was even a local resident along the path who opened up her little snack shop.

So, I’ll have some pictures of the trip up as well as a map if you would like to hike to the top to the cross.

Oh, before I get to the interviews, I wanted to tell you about the clothes I brought for the poor folks we feed with Jorge Zambrano at Andale’s.

I was heading out to drop off the suitcase at Andale’s, and I knew this was going to happen, the lady who’s place I’m staying at say me walk out the door and she was afraid was leaving. The big suitcase an all in my hand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now I’m looking at this lady, who by all accounts is very poor herself. She has a young child, it must be her grandson, who is severely disabled and in a wheelchair, a mentally challenged daughter and adult son as well. And I she says, are you leaving? And I said no, I’m taking these clothes to the poor. And I started to feel really badly. So, I said, would you like to have a look? And she said sure and invited me in to her home, under me. My place is nicer, smaller, but nicer, and I sat down in a plastic chair, and opened the suitcase. She said the clothes weren’t her size, but her daughter and some of her nieces could fit into them. So, I helped her pick what she liked. Then she asked me where I was taking the clothes and I explained they were going with us to feed the poor in Pittial, and to distribute to the ladies, and she said, these pieces are lovely, and to take the rest to Pittial.

So once again, a pretty humbling experience. The Airbnb has been a good thing for families struggling to make ends meet in Vallarta.

I was talking to a taxista who, when I told him that the place we were staying in Conchas Chinas was an Airbnb, and that I would be moving into town into a $22 a night place, he got really excited and started to tell me about his aunt’s house in the Versailles neighborhood, and how they were making a room available for rent. He explained to me that maybe $22 US a night was cheap for me, but for his aunt, it would help her make ends meet. He told me she had diabetes and was on a very tight income.

So, as I said, I’ll give you a full review of both places with pictures, next week.

Okay, I’m sure there’s more, but let’s get on with the interviews from the Meet and Greet last week.

The Puerto Vallarta Travel Show Open Mic Podcast Meet and Greet at Kelly’s Pour Favor

As you know, I have these meet and greets whenever I come to town.  I Piggyback on JR’s weekly meet and greets that he has at Kelly’s Pour Favor Saloon and Cookhouse that he has from 5:30 till 7:30 during standard time, then reverting to 6:30 to 8:30 during daylight savings.

Well we gather for the podcast interviews on the rooftop lounge and we had a couple great folks.

The first you will hear from is the co-owner of Qulture, with a Q, his name is Jim Lee, and he’s quite an interesting guy.

So, let’s go right now to Lazaro Cardenas, to the rooftop at Kelly’s and let’s meet Jim Lee, from Qulture, Puerto Vallarta…

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• Address: Venustiano Carranza 466, Zona Romántica, Emiliano Zapata, 48380 Puerto Vallarta, Jal.
• Phone: 01 322 688 6944
• Website:Qulturepv.com
• Facebook Qulture–https://www.facebook.com/qulturepv/

Qulture Puerto Vallarta

What a nice man, and what a great spot Qulture is. I have pictures, maps and links in the show notes at Puertovallartatravelshow.com.

Suggestions From Jim Lee

Breakfast

• Cocos Kitchen —loves the biscuits and gravy
• Incanto
• Mi Cafe  —smoked salmon bagels.

• River Cafe
• Swell Beach Club

• Bravos

• Mayto
• San Pancho
• Sayulita

• Know what you want, do research first.
• Come to town if you want to understand the town.

Farmacia Mercado, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

The next guest was not planning to talk with me, In fact, JR just sent him up and told him to talk to Barry and tell me his story.

So after a little coaxing, I got Bill to talk with me, and he is a real treat. So let’s go back to Kelly’s, and let’s meet Bill MacDonald from Farmacia Mercado, in downtown Puerto Vallarta.

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Suggestions from Bill MacDonald of Farmacia Mercado

• Nacho Daddy ….”best chicken soup”
• Restaurant Rio Grande

• Tehuamixtle …Because you can get into the water there. Not Open Sea.

• Perula —South of Puerto Vallarta
• Lake Chápala

• Pace yourself
• You can do anything you want

Bill is quite a character. I like him a lot.

I stopped into Farmacia Mercado and this place is jammed Packed with everything you will ever need. Toothbrushes, candy, all types of deodorants and shampoos. Water toys, suntan lotion or I guess we call that stuff sunblock, nowadays right?

He has everything and I will post the pictures of the inside of Bill’s pharmacy, as well as links to the places he told us about, and a map and contact information. You will really like this place.

Contact Information for Farmacia Mercado, Puerto Vallarta

• Address: Agustín Rodríguez 327, Centro, 48300 Puerto Vallarta, Jal.
• Phone: 01 322 222 6122

 

My last interview is with someone I ran into quite by accident. His name is Will Ferguson, and I met him at Joe Jack’s Fish Shack, and Will is the money behind Nacho Daddy, and he is a very pleasant guy, and knowledgeable too. So even though I’s done an interview with the folks at Nacho Daddy, Sean and Tammy. I had to bring you this gentleman so without any further ado, let’s go to Joe Jacks Fish Shack for breakfast, and let’s meet Will Ferguson… from Nacho Daddy, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

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Thank you Will, you were great. Wow, we’ve had some great guests with fantastic voices this week haven’t we?

Contact Information For Nacho Daddy

• Address: Basilio Badillo 287, Zona Romántica, Emiliano Zapata, 48380 Puerto Vallarta, Jal.
• Phone: 01 322 688 5566
• Website: https://www.nachodaddy.mx/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NachoDaddyPV/

Suggestions from Will Ferguson

• Mayto

• Mexico is safe don’t worry
• Don’t get drunk the first night

• Joe Jacks
• Bravos
• Blue Shrimp for breakfast shrimp omelet on the beach

I have links to the places we talked about, as always.

We are going to be having another meet and greet coming up either next week, or the following week. Maybe I’ll slip a special interview in between. Well, they are all special right? Well you know what I mean.

Okay, that should do it for this week’s episode of The Puerto Vallarta Travel Show 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 Will Ferguson from Nacho Daddy, Jim Lee from Qulture Puerto Vallarta, make some time your next trip and check out this creative space, and speaking about checking things out, next time you are at the Municipal Market, stick your head into Bill MacDonald’s Place, Farmacia Mercado, and see what they have there. Buy your medicines to take home. They will treat you right!

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!

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