We visit my friends Debbie and Ray From Alberta Canada who are New Homeowners in The Blue Collar Neighborhood of El Pitillal

Meet Victor Jimenez Pelayo, owner of a Great Taqueria named Takos el Camaron Pelayo, in Colonia Del Toro, Just Next Door to El Pitillal

The Story of Magic Mushrooms in Mexico City

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Day Trip to Colonia El Pitillal

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 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 go to the Colonia Pitillal and visit with my friends Debbie and Ray from Canadia, They bought a casa in the blue collar neighborhood and they gave me a tour of it, and of Pitillal, and while we

were at it they introduced me to their very good friend Victor Pelayo who owns a sweet little taqueria called Tacos el Camarones Pelayo in Colonia Del Toro, right next door to Pitillal.  But before that, let’s see what’s happening in Puerto Vallarta this week, the 14^th day of August, 2019.

Vallarta Weather Report and Rainfall Stats From Angela

We are still ahead of last year for rainfall in Puerto Vallarta. By about 4 inches.

This Year 2019

• Month 6.99 inches
• Year 26.70 inches

Last Year 2018

• Month 2.47 inches
• Year 22.11 inches

A double Decker tour bus is coming to Puerto Vallarta, actually 4 are. Let’s read from the Vallarta Daily News…

TURIBUS WILL START OPERATIONS IN PUERTO VALLARTA ON AUGUST 16

From Vallarta Daily News:

With an investment of approximately 20 million pesos, on Friday, August 16, the first four units of the so-called turibus will begin operations in Puerto Vallarta, as announced by the president of Canaco Servytur in Puerto Vallarta, Carlos Gerard Guzmán.

“As a representative of the Chamber of Commerce, I can say that we are very happy to see that investors have confidence in Puerto Vallarta, especially in the tourism sector, particularly in the transport sector such as the Turibus.”

Guzmán mentioned that according to the information he has, they will start operations with four units and then another two will be added, which will operate the service with a total of six buses.

He pointed out, it generates confidence in the business sector and certainty among other investors and possible people who could seek to invest in this city, and although it is a new service for Puerto Vallarta, it is a well-known tourist attraction in multiple destinations in Mexico and internationally.

In this regard, he indicated that this service will be provided in the tourist strip, in the spirit of taking tourists from hotels, especially those included, and take them to different points of interest and attractions in the city and in particular to the historical center that is where it is necessary to generate more influx of visitors.

He reiterated, “we congratulate the investors, congratulate the authorities for giving the guideline so that new investments of this nature are generated in Puerto Vallarta and at the same time they generate trust, employment, well-being in the visitors and it is another option.”

Gerard Guzmán said that with this action the product is being renewed, which in the end is what Puerto Vallarta requires, to be at the forefront of the other tourist destinations, not to be left behind but instead, to be repeating what works and well in other tourist areas that are always at the forefront and that Vallarta is no exception.

So he celebrated this decision and will be waiting for the initial start of operations of this service to be given next Friday, August 16, “it is a new business modality that will give influx to the city center, which we see it as beneficial for the commerce sector, service providers and restaurants of both the historic center and the Romantic Zone ”.

I have a link and pictures of the bus in the show notes…

Turibus will start operations in Puerto Vallarta on August 16

From Reporte Diario Vallarta got new tourist police and the green patrol.

Puerto Vallarta is avant-garde in animal protection.

A third green patrol will help in surveillance and protection.

For some years, animals have been protected with a new law and regulation for animal care, protection and care and today a new patrol is added.

For almost eight years now, in an animal control center Antea known as a collection center, animals are not slaughtered and, on the contrary, adoptions and sterilizations have been intensified and a culture of respect has been promoted, which improves society in this tourist destination.

I have a link to the article in the shownotes.

http://reportediario.com.mx/noticias/vallarta/puerto-vallarta-es-vanguardia-en-proteccion-animal.?fbclid=IwAR0BTwJ8u9U_YWsVMs9NSZtYgn3m__fKSelYtAcoGrBNvytsMzNSZptyKds

 

Listener Jake alerted me to this article from Civilized Life online about Mangos and Pot, and since mangos are everywhere in Puerto Vallarta. They have been known to knock folks on the noggin, basically falling from the sky, well huge trees all over town.

Can Eating a Mango Before Smoking Weed Spike Your High?

Joseph Misulonas

Aug 29, 2017

People love trying new things to enhance and prolong the effects of using marijuana products. But it turns out there’s a simple and quick way to improve your high at any time: Eating mangoes.

It may be ridiculous, but many people have speculated for a while that eating mangoes before using cannabis can improve their high. The reason is due to terpenes, which are hydrocarbons found in many types of plants. Mangoes have myrcene in them, which gives the fruit its unique smell. Myrcene is also found in many types of cannabis.

Studies dating back to the 1970s have found that myrcene improves the ability of cell membranes in the body to absorb certain chemicals. So when ingesting mangoes before smoking or ingesting marijuana, the body’s cell’s are better prepared to absorb THC, which is the chemical responsible for the “high.”

This method doesn’t just help people get high easier. It’s also known to enhance the medicinal effects of marijuana as well, which can be particularly helpful for people who use the drug for pain relief. Myrcene-rich plants have been used in countries such as Brazil as anti-inflammatories, sleep aids and even for treating diabetes.

Now, most of this “evidence” is purely anecdotal. There doesn’t seem to be any legitimate scientific research studying how mango consumption affects marijuana intake.

But, mangoes are a healthy fruit, so it’s not like you’re exposing yourself to something dangerous before smoking. So there’s probably not any harm to trying it out.

Okay, so is it fake news? I checked with Snopes and they haven’t weighed in on the subject…yet….stay tuned. And Thank you Jake,  I have a link to the article in the show-notes and now you have another reason to eat mango. They’re healthy. Right!

https://www.civilized.life/articles/mango-marijuana-combination/

My Train ride to Mexico City and the Mushrooms

I received an email from listener Derrick and Derrick writes,

Hey Barry, Love the show.

Some time ago you were mentioning harvesting magic mushrooms in El Tuito, and at the time you said that you had your own story of magic mushrooms in Mexico. You said one day you would tell us about it. I don’t know if you remember talking about it, or even if you want to tell us the story, but for some reason it stuck in my mind.

Anyway, thanks for the podcast and keep up the great work.

Derrick.

Well Derrick, I wonder why magic mushrooms would stick in your mind. But sure, You sound like a pretty fun guy. It’s been decades, I’m pretty sure enough water had gone under the bridge. All ….have expired.

Okay, this is a long story. I’m going to tell you about the adventure of my Spanish language immersion in Mexico and the mushroom incident. It was a long time ago; I was going to San Diego State at the time. English major with a Spanish language minor. Taking Spanish, French, German, all at the same time. Yes I was crazy.

So we had an opportunity to earn a full semester of college Spanish language credit by taking an immersion course in Mexico City. It was a 6-week course, it was 1979, and it was really cheap. The tuition was $150 for the class, and we were placed in Mexican homes for a price of $5.50 a day US, that covered our board and one meal, breakfast.

The professor, our Spanish professor who told us about the opportunity asked for a show of hands and there were about 12 of us in total who signed on.

She collected the tuition’s, and then she told us about the different modes of transportation that was available to us to make the trip to Mexico City. One was to fly, and the other one, which she suggested we take because we would get the real Mexican experience, Traveling by train through Mexico. Well, the train was a whole lot cheaper than flying, and the thought of railing it through Mexico for 3 days and two nights was a bit exciting if not romantic, and most of us opted to take the train.

The professor had a contact in Mexicali where the train station was. She collected the money and the contact was going to purchase all of us first class passage which was four of us per cabin each with their own bathroom or washroom. These were 1930’s Pullman sleeper cars.

All of us made our own arrangements to get to the train station from San Diego. I drove with my friend Mark, we were scheduled to be roommates when we got to our Mexican Family. I can’t remember is there was anyone else with us, but we left San Diego before sunrise and headed down the 10 towards El Centro where we would cross into Mexico to Mexicali.

The train station was bustling, but we got there exceptionally early for a couple of college kids. We looked all around for the man with the tickets our professor had buy for us, and much to our dismay, no mister wonderful. As time went by, and more of us showed up at the station, it became apparent that the ticket guy would not be making his appearance, and we were running out of time to buy our own first-class passage, again of course. But not all of us were there. There was a group of at least 5, who hadn’t arrived and although many of us had more than enough cash to cover the trip, we were starting off and none of us had credit cards, it was the day of the traveler’s check.

None of us had a cell phone to call anyone, they hadn’t been invented yet. So those of us who were there decided to go ahead and buy our own tickets, and get settled, and we would wait for the others to arrive, and pay for their own tickets, either first class or second it third as they were available. And so the 4 of us waited, and waited, and just as the train whistle blew, and the train started moving out of the station, here come the group of six, sprinting down the platform with all their luggage, they hopped on the train, of course thinking that they had already paid for their ride. They piled into the two sleeping cars we had paid for, all their luggage, the food and water we all brought for the three-day trip, it was a huge mess. It was at that time we broke the bad news to the late comers. When the conductor makes his rounds, he’s going to find out you guys ain’t got no tickets.

And so, it went, the conductor came and ushered the ticketless passengers, our classmates to the second and third class cars. We of course, were stuck with all their luggage so the car we were traveling in was cramped and a mess. I ventured out to visit with the latecomers traveling in second and third class with la gente. Windows down, a bit dusty, chickens too. Yup. Chickens. I suggested we pow-wow, pool our cash and pay off the porters and conductors to get the unlucky six their own sleeping cars, and by nightfall, everyone was settled in first class.

The train traveled through the northern Sonoran desert, Hermosillo, Los Moches, Guamyas. It was a strange experience. Around dinner time the train stopped, in what was like the middle of nowhere and everyone gets off, and all these food vendors like appear out of nowhere. It was so weird. Then, we would get back on the train, and continue on our way.

It was nearly impossible to sleep. There was something binging on the wall as the train moved along the track. Just bang bang bang the entire time. And just as I would be falling asleep, someone would come looking for me to help translate to get this or that person out of trouble. For some reason, I was the only person in this Spanish class who could carry on a conversation in Spanish. Go figure.

It’d be like hey Barry, Julie was doing coke with this Mexican guy and his friend in his room, and now he wants sex and won’t let her go. We need you to translate.

Or hey Barry, Nick is stuck on the other side of the train without his ticket, He needs your help with the conductor.

Well, three days and nights were more than enough to know that I was not taking that rattle trap home, I was going to fly home when this adventure was over.

Mark and I stayed with a lovely lady, who was in her 70’s. Her home was quite large with 8 bedrooms or so. She was the widow of a military hero. Her son lived in the house along with the houseboy, the very gay houseboy, and to make ends meet she took on boarders. There was a Japanese business man renting a room downstairs and a gentleman from Spain as well, and Mark and I shared a room upstairs.

Every morning we would get up, Jesus would make our breakfasts, but he was an awful cook. We ended up making our own breakfasts. Then we would walk to school. The school was called CEMAC or Central American Cultural Center. The American students studied Spanish Upstairs, and downstairs, there were Mexican students learning English.

After class, at noon, we were dismissed and encouraged to go out with the Mexican students and integrate. We would go drinking, eating bowling. We had “take a gringo to dinner” where we would cook for one of our classmates families, sort of a culinary exchange. We had great fun.

We spent lots of time together as a group doing sightseeing, taking the metro everywhere, but we were easy to pick out. Lots of tall gringos, blond hair and blue eyes.

We loved to travel by metro, and during rush hour, they segregated the cars, men and women only, but being such an obvious target, we sometimes had our safety issues. People trying to cut into backpacks, minor sexual assaults to the women folk on packed trains. Crotch and butt grabbing, hummm that sort of sounds familiar. So in the end, we found it safer to travel in smaller groups to attract less attention. My biggest problem was most of my classmates weren’t all that interested in learning Spanish. They were there for the cheap travel. So I found myself, heading out on my own and seeking out places to practice my Spanish skills. Most of the places were bars and taverns.

There was one bar in particular I loved. I wonder if it’s still there. It was a wonderful place. Thinking back about it now, it’s almost like a dream. It was an ancient building in the Zocalo the old city center. It was men only. It wasn’t a gay bar though. There just weren’t any women in there. I don’t think they were allowed.  Guys would be drinking, smoking, playing chess and backgammon. Talking politics and just bulshitting, all in Spanish of course. I was the only gringo in the place and it was a perfect place to hone my Spanish skills. Plenty of helpful guys there. They served free tapas to the patrons. It was in places like that place in the old part of town where I learned and became immersed in the language. I was having a great time. Legally drinking at 20. What fun.

The woman of the house, the Dona, had the most beautiful granddaughter who would come to the house almost every day to tease Mark and me. Well, mostly Mark who was infatuated with her. Only problem was, Mark couldn’t speak Spanish worth shit. He needed me to do all his translating for him. Which I did of course. We went out on a couple of dates with her, her friend and her cousin as the chaperone. That was a trip and no hanky-panky to boot for poor Mark.

 

Every time she would stop by grandmas to tease Mark, she would say to us, you need to come to my work and let me show you around. She worked as a receptionist at Centro Bancomer downtown. Every time she would say hey come visit, we would say yeah right. Maybe one of these days.

Now in those days we were warned by our handlers, not to accept marijuana from anyone. We were told that we would be offered the weed, but if we said yes, we might be tricked, and turned in to authorities. Looking back, that was more than likely a lie, and I turned down truckloads of weed over the 6-week course it’s ridiculous. But there was plenty of beer and tequila. Who needed the weed right? I was not of drinking age yet, so I was more than happy to substitute alcohol for the dirty weed.

Somehow however, we ended up with a baggie of magic mushrooms, from Oaxaca from one of our Mexican classmates, and we were coming to the end of our 6 week stay and we needed to use them before we left home for the states.

So, one afternoon, we decided to take the plunge and downed the shrooms and decided to go visit the granddaughter of the Dona. We took the metro to central Bancomer, and wandered through the doors of this huge building, high as kites. Both of us were dressed in jeans and t-shirts, and somehow, we wandered right up to the granddaughters desk. It was impossible but we ran right into her.

She was so surprised to see us, and she ushered us into a conference room with telephones, a board room table and couches. She asked us why we were laughing and smiling so much, god we were high, and she said just wait here. Then she disappeared. Then, one after another, she sent in the most beautiful Mexican women we had ever seen. Secretaries dressed to the tens in high heels. One, more beautiful than the last one. And they were interviewing us for potential marriage material. I’m pretty sure it was the first recorded occurrence of speed dating taking place right in that cushy conference room.

Of course, we couldn’t believe all this was happening. First, we were kicking ourselves for waiting till the last week of our stay in Mexico City, to finally visit the Doñas granddaughter at the bank. These girls were incredible. And second, neither of us could stop laughing and smiling. We were so high.

After about an hour of this, we finally excused ourselves, and found ourselves back on the streets downtown. Then we took the metro to Chapultepec Castle, and decided to tour it while yes totally high on these very potent mushrooms. Chapultepec Castle is where, On September 13, 1847, the Niños Héroes, the young cadets at the military academy there (“Hero Children”) died defending the castle while it was taken by United States forces during the Battle of Chapultepec of the Mexican–American War. They are honored with a large mural on the ceiling above the main entrance to the castle. Which is what creeped us out.

By the way, the United States Marine Corps honors the Battle of Chapultepec and the subsequent occupation of Mexico City through the first line of the “Marines’ Hymn,” From the Halls of Montezuma. Marine Corps tradition maintains that the red stripe worn on the trousers of officers and noncommissioned officers, and commonly known as the blood stripe commemorates the high number of Marine NCOs and officers killed storming the castle of Chapultepec in 1847.

We were so paranoid, due to the effects of the drug, so paranoid, to be walking round there, clearly Americans and we were afraid all the Mexicans hated us for what happened there and our happiness morphed into sadness.

Eventually the powerful effects of the magic mushrooms wore off, and we made our way home. Totally blown away by the entire experience.

And that my friends, is the story of my magic mushroom experience in Mexico.

My next one and last, was on the Island of Koh Samui in the Gulf of Thailand on honeymoon with my lovely wife. But that’s another story now isn’t it?

So yes, my 6 weeks in Mexico City was a very important, formative part of my life. So many great memories and stories so thanks Derrick. Good times.

I told you it would be long.

Let’s get to the interviews.

Debbie and Ray, Canadians in El Pitillal, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

In the beginning, when the podcast first started 2 and a half years ago or so, we had an early e mailer who said that they don’t take the federal cabs you pay for in the lobby of the airport. She told us about their process. They land, walk across to the OXXO and buy beer, drink it and proceed to cross over the pedestrian bridge, and grab a cab to their destination. You hopefully remember her as cheap Debbie. Do you remember Cheap Debbie?

Well, Debbie and her husband Ray and I have become friends over the years that the podcast has been going.  It was funny because when I was in Vallarta, and I knew they were in town, I would send her a

message wondering if they could get together for a drink, and inevitably the response was, we’re having dinner with our Mexican Family, or lunch or breakfast. Then one day, I got a message that they were getting ready to actually buy a home, a casa in the Pitillal, a blue-collar neighborhood, a very Mexican blue collar neighborhood.

So I suggested they contact my Mexican Lawyer Felix Zarate and hire him to ensure they get the house, and get it legally. And before you know it, I heard the house was theirs. And what a great opportunity for me to take the show to El Pitllal.

So how do you get to El Pitllal and what can you do there?

Well, to get there you Uber to it for about 90 pesos from El Centro Vallarta, you grab a bus that says Pitllal on the wind screen, Tunnel too. and it’s really  cheap and about 30 minutes by bus.

The Bus will drop you off at the big church. That’s the center of town. From there you can explore the little shops, the taquerias, and just walk around and see what a local Mexican neighborhood feels like.

I stepped out of the Uber, very close to the center of town where Ray was waiting for me, and we walked past a killer taco stand at the end of their street, and immediately began getting jealous. Wow, a taco stand at the end of the street, you could crawl to it from your door.

Their place is very nice, not too obtrusive from the outside, and just very nicely done, modern Mexican motif. Lots of tile and plaster, a couple of split air conditioners, three levels with a cool view from the

rooftop of the neighborhood, and the surrounding landscape. It was a perfect place for them. And you will hear from them about their neighbors, and the story about buying the house and more, so let’s go

right now to the atrium area of Casa Maria, as they lovingly call it, and learn a little about their piece of paradise in El Pitillal,  and let’s finally meet my friends Debbie and Ray from Alberta Canada, and now Colonia El Pitillal, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

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I love those two.

From there we went for a walk and toured the streets around the church. She took me to shoe shops, flower shops, and then they said it’s time to meet our Mexican Family, and we walked about a kilometer

or so, into an different Colonia, Colonia Del Toro, and we walked up to a home, not unlike many places in Vallarta, where the restaurant is attached to the house. In this case, the taqueria is in front, with the front

porch covered, with tables and chairs. The grill was right out in the open, and there was a huge jack-fruit tree right next door. A couple doors down was a liquor store, and the place was mostly residential in nature. Peaceful and quiet.

Ray and Debbie introduced me to their friend Victor. Victor from Dreams Resort where they met him as they said, years before, and they became family.

You hear stories like this all the time down here. Families adopt one another and become life friends. Well, this is the case here of course. The food here is mostly seafood, ceviche, aguachile, and more Victor will explain. But the food is absolutely delicious.

So let’s go right now to Guatemala  in the Colonia Del Toro, just over the line from Colonia El Pitillal, and let’s meet Victor Jimenez Pelayo, the owner of Takos El Camarones Pelayo, Takos Pelayo.

I have pictures and links to this cute taqueria, and go to his Facebook Page and like it please, so you can see his wonderful food.

Go to @takospelayo on Facebook That’s at Takos with a k pelayo. Like his Facebook page and save it for your next trip to paradise. You must go there when you visit El Pitlillal. Really you must. I have a map so you can drive walk uber or taxi over to Takos Pelayo. Tell them you heard about their place on The Puerto Vallarta Travel Show.

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Walking Map to Takos el Camaron Pelayo

Contact Information for Takos El Camaron Pelayo

• Address: Republica de Guatemala 188 Col. Del Toro
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/takospelayo/

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.

Thanks to Debbie and Ray from El Pitillal, I mean Alberta. I mean my new Mexicanadian friends in the hood. Thanks for your story and for your friendship. Thanks for sharing your passion for Mexico and the

locals with the rest of us. You have inspired us to look beyond the more touristy neighborhood with an ocean view, for a more local way of life. It’s wonderful. And thanks to you Victor. Thanks for talking with

me, and sharing your lovely restaurant with all of us. Don’t forget to like his Facebook page, I have a link in the show-notes and it’s at @takospelayo on Facebook.

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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