Mario Will Take You and Your Friends From Boca de Tomatlan to The Southern Villages of Qumixto, Yelapa, Las Animas or deserted beaches
Sport Fishing, Snorkeling, hiking are all part of Mario’s Private Panga Service From Boca de Tomatlan, Puerto Vallarta and Cabo Corrientes
Meet Trenie Penrod Who Volunteers at Community Five Miles South of Vallarta Called El Nogalito, See How You Can Help
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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 your 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 Boca de Tomatlan to meet our guest Mario Cesar Morga, Super
Contact information for Mario Cesar Morga – Super Mario
- Phone Number: 322-168-9620
- Email: m_quezada_morgan@hotmail.com
- Mario’s Tours Facebook
Facebook Page for Mario Water Taxi- https://www.facebook.com/mariostoursthebest/
Mario is a Panga captain who gives private tours from his cool boat, his Panga where he’ll take you and your friends fishing, snorkeling, deserted beach combing, hiking the villages south of Vallarta, but before we get to Mario, let’s see what’s happening this week, the 25th of May, 2020.
Malecon Opens Monday May 25 For Restaurant Take-out and Dine in Service
Hope all of you are doing well doing the pandemic. I worry about all of you, and especially our Mexican friends who are still on a virtual lock-down….however, there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel. Today the Malecon opens after what seems like forever. They are only opening it up for the restaurants, for take out and dine in. Up till now, the Malecon has been taped off to everyone, but the restaurants have been suffering terribly so from McDonald’s across from the Rosita Hotel at the end of the Malecon to the lighthouse, they are opening it up for food service. I spoke with my buddy Salvador Estrada, the candy-man on the Malecon and he says he still has to stay home so even though they open the Malecon, they will still have some barriers up to dissuade people from strolling and sitting. Just eating. So he’s itching to get back to work as are so many of our Mexican friends.
Masks are still mandatory out in public, except when you are eating. Also those over 60 are asked to stay home still.
Canopy River Tours Start up June 1st
According to JR, Tours are starting up again at Canopy river June 1st, so as these places open up, remember JR when you start looking at tours and things to do when you return.
As far as when I plan to return, I’m now aiming for August, but that could change depending on the governments in the US and Mexico. I need to feel wanted before I come back. I do need to record some interviews.
You may have noticed the episodes are coming out with more days between each one in an effort to string them out per se, so we can make it till August if you know what I mean.
And along those lines, here’s a report from Mexico News Daily about when folks from the US can expect to return to paradise. Although many properties are scheduled to start reopening June and July 1st, the US is extending their travel restrictions to Mexico. Here’s the article….
US extends border travel restrictions to June 22, 2020
Partial closure will remain in effect until corona-virus no longer a danger to public health
Published on Wednesday, May 20, 2020
The United States has announced that border restrictions between the U.S., Canada and Mexico will continue for an additional 30 days until June 22, a decision made in consultation with Mexico and Canada and based on a public health order.
“The president has made it clear that we must continue to keep legitimate, commercial trade flowing while limiting those seeking to enter our country for non-essential purposes,” acting Homeland Security director Chad Wolf said Tuesday. “Non-essential travel will not be permitted until this administration is convinced that doing so is safe and secure.”
The overland border was first closed to essential travel on March 21, and when it reopens will depend on an assessment from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“(The order) shall remain in effect until I determine that the danger of further introduction of Covid-19 into the United States has ceased to be a serious danger to the public health,” CDC director Robert Redfield wrote in a statement on Tuesday.
The closure mainly affects vehicular travel and residents of the border region. Citizens and permanent residents of the United States do not face restrictions, nor do those with temporary work visas, emergency personnel, students, government officials and those involved in cross-border trade. Both Mexico and the United States are working on joint sanitary measures for the border region.
Mexican tourists with visas may travel to the United States by air.
The announcement comes as most states in the U.S. are beginning the reopening process.
Source: Reforma (sp), Milenio (sp)
Alcohol Ban Lifted in Nayarit, Sinaloa and Parts of Veracruz
You can get booze again in Nuevo Vallarta. Here’s an article from Mexico Daily News online.
Ban on alcohol sales lifted in Sinaloa, Nayarit, parts of Veracruz
Ban on alcohol sales lifted in Sinaloa, Nayarit, parts of Veracruz
Law had little effect in Nayarit due to black market allowed by ‘second-rate public servants’
Published on Tuesday, May 19, 2020
Authorities in Nayarit, Sinaloa and some southern Veracruz municipalities have ended the dry laws that halted alcohol sales and led to the proliferation of bootleg liquor that has caused over 100 hospitalizations and deaths across the country.
Nayarit Governor Antonio Echeverría García announced the end of restrictions on alcohol sales in his state on Monday.
“The consumption of alcohol remained practically unaltered, fostered by a broad black market allowed by bad, second-rate public servants all over the state [who are] corrupted by criminal groups,” he said in a speech posted to social media.
Beer producers stopped brewing after the declaration of beer production as a nonessential activity at the beginning of the quarantine period, an announcement that triggered panic buying in some states.
Some, such as Nayarit and Yucatán, said the move to restrict sales in addition to halting production was made in hopes of reducing domestic violence during the emergency period.
Echeverría said that the trafficking of bootleg alcoholic beverages in Nayarit reached “absurd levels” and he hopes that reactivating legal sales will put an end to “this contraband and source of organized crime.”
Sinaloa Governor Quirino Ordaz Coppel announced the lifting of dry laws on Tuesday, but added a caveat, saying that if citizens don’t continue to observe stay-at-home orders, his administration will take tougher measures to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.
“I believe in all of you to be responsible and to continue to take care of yourselves at home. … Behave yourselves, please,” he said in a Tweet.
Dry laws also came to an end in a number of southern Veracruz municipalities which had halted liquor sales in the first week of May, just before Mother’s Day.
Alcohol sales resumed on Monday in the municipalities of Ixhuatlán del Sureste, Nanchital, Minatitlán, Agua Dulce, Las Choapas, Oteapan, Tatahuicapan and Pajapan.
But a dry law will remain in effect on the weekends in the state capital Xalapa for the remainder of the quarantine period.
One unfortunate result of restrictions on alcohol sales has been the proliferation of tainted bootleg beverages, as mentioned by Echeverría, but by no means has the problem been limited to Nayarit.
As many as 150 people have died across the country during the quarantine period due to the ingestion of toxic chemicals found in unregulated black market booze.
The state with the most deaths is Puebla, which has seen 70 people die from adulterated alcohol and 11 more hospitalized and in serious condition. The state Attorney General’s Office said on Sunday that it is investigating the deaths in hopes of finding those responsible for producing and selling the contraband.
The state with the second highest number of deaths from adulterated alcohol is Jalisco, where 42 people have died, followed by Morelos, with 29 deaths. At least seven have died in Yucatán, and five in Veracruz.
I have a link to that article in the shownotes.
Vallarta Food Bank
The other night I called Jimmy Plouff at Vallarta Food Bank to get an update on the progress and the lowdown and goings on and such. I recorded the conversation but he and Frankie moved to Bucerias. No not the Food Bank, that’s still in the same place, but they wanted a quieter place to live so they travel into town s days a week to do the Food Bank, but the new place has a weaker signal and the call was crap, so I want to read to you from a note Jimmy wrote the other day over at Vallarta Food Bank.
Jim’s weekly thoughts:
It’s been an incredible week for us here at Vallarta Food Bank. We delivered a grand total of 2,750 despensas this week as well as made contributions of goods to 4 local soup kitchens! Folks it takes a HUGE team of wonderful people to make all that we do possible. Donors, volunteers, other organizations, and more. Please take a moment if you know one of these folks to tell them how grateful we are to everyone! We’re constantly growing. The need never slows down. Next week we will be feeding 3,100 families (approximately 12,400 people)… It’s mind blowing. I’m overwhelmed every time I remember it has only been ten weeks since we shut down our restaurant and started this with 6 despensas.
We are moving so fast sometimes it’s easy to lose perspective. I got to go out to Desembocada and El Canton with the awesome owner of Cacao Magico: Dean Regehr. He’s been in our corner for a long time and we couldn’t be more grateful. He took us out with him to distribute our despensas to some lesser known areas… the poverty that surrounds paradise is overwhelming. So many people come here year after year and never see this side of Mexico.
Also with us to lend a hand was Ernesto Paulsen from Ocean Live Love Grill. What a warm hearted human. We didn’t get to speak much but I could see the emotion rise in his eyes as we stopped by place after place where the theme was constant… People that have always known struggle, yet remain optimistic and happy with the small things. Their spirit is nourishment to the soul. Talking to people and meeting people in these areas really reminds us how blessed our lives really are, and how much we take for granted.
Things are supposedly going to begin re-opening. It’s a hotly controversial subject these days. As things change in Vallarta we will remain at Vallarta Food Bank doing what we do and preparing for whatever comes next. Regardless if things return to normal or not… We will be here as a promise of hope to the vulnerable population of Vallarta. We will continue working hard, and stocking our shelves. Where we do it may change but how we do it will not. We will continue to be transparent and aware that we cannot do what we do without the support of our many generous donors and volunteers working hard behind the scenes. We remain mission focused: No one goes hungry. Thank you to all the people and businesses that have made this possible. We will remain #VallartaStrong.
We are looking to start putting together some new and exciting things this week so stay tuned!
As always if you want to know more about what we do and how we do it please visit www.vallartafoodbank.com!
TO DONATE:
You asked for it and we got it. You can now become a monthly sponsor on our own website. Yay!
5 Ways to Donate with Vallarta Food Bank:
- Monthly membership on our website
https://vallartafoodbank.com/monthly-membership
- Make a donation online at our website. Credit card or PayPal accepted.
https://vallartafoodbank.com/donate-1
- For tax deductible you can donate with our partner, Casa JoJo Foundation.
https://www.casajojofoundation.org/vallarta-food-bank.html
- Make a donation on GoFundMe
https://www.gofundme.com/f/vallarta-food-bank
- Make a donation directly with PayPal account Vallartafoodbank@gmail.com and use “send to friend” option for no fee
And I have all those links in the shownotes. Please give or better yet, set up a monthly payment plan to keep them going well into the future.
This next news article is bad news for our guest coming up second in this episode.
Pangas Will be Fined for Transporting Passengers
From JSP News Puerto Vallarta online….May 23 2020
In Jalisco: Fines of up to 60 thousand pesos for ‘pangas’ if they take tourists
By Juan Saldaña
Some boat owners to offer water transport services from Boca de Tomatlán (Jalisco) to other nearby beaches, informed this editorial that they still do not make trips as marine taxis.
The decision is forced by the high fine, which could be creditors if more than one passenger board their boat, because due to the ‘quarantine’ by the Covid-19, only two people are authorized per boat.
The Secretary of the Navy maintains a strict vigilance and, if any boat violates the restriction of passengers and carries out tourist activities, the owners are creditors of a fine of up to 60 thousand pesos ; they could also remove the boat.
It was reported that in Boca de Tomatlán two people are allowed to go out despite , although boats with more passengers have been seen on board and displacing visitors in the area.
https://jspmedios.com/en-jalisco-multas-de-hasta-60-mil-pesos-para-pangas-si-pasean-a-turistas/
El Nogalito Education Center
Okay, our first interview is from a lady who was introduced to me by my buddy Barbara
Ann Renee, we have had Barbara Ann on in the past talking about her move to paradise. In fact, she is knee deep in helping feed the Mexicans in Cinco de Diciembre at their own
food bank. Another story for another day. Anyway, Barbara Ann said I needed to talk to her friend Trinie Penrod, who helps out at a small village on the road heading south of
Vallarta called El Nogalito. I’ve been to El Nogalito, I went there one evening with Nacho, Anastacio the artist on the Malecon, for a crazy drunken bbq. It’s a long story. Maybe I’ll
tell it to you one day but it was crazy. But Trenie is a cool lady who fell in love with Puerto Vallarta and moved there, and she volunteers her time helping the less fortunate. Let’s listen to her story.
Listen to The Podcast
Contact information for El Nogalito
Facebook Page For El Nogalito
El Nogalito
Trenie’s Favorite Restaurants
Mario Cesar Morga, Your Panga Captain in Boca de Tomatlan and Puerto Vallarta
Okay, our next interview is with a panga captain, and his name is Mario Cesar Morga, El Morgan.
Contact information for Mario Cesar Morga – Super Mario
- Phone Number: 322-168-9620
- Email: m_quezada_morgan@hotmail.com
- Mario’s Tours Facebook
Facebook Page for Mario Water Taxi- https://www.facebook.com/mariostoursthebest/
Mario was introduced to me by Bob Price at the Botanical Garden, and by Jimmy Plouff at Vallarta Food Bank.
Back in October, following the hurricane Narda flooding, when Jimmy and crew were shuttling supplies of food and building materials, Mario was there with his boat to help.
Mario has a cool panga with a picture of a Mario Brother as his logo. His panga has a shade top and well, let’s let Mario tell us about what he does. Let’s go to Boca de Tomatlan, south of Puerto Vallarta, and let’s meet Mario Cesar Morga, Super Mario!
Listen to The Podcast
Now Jimmy tells me that unfortunately, Mario has his panga out of the water because the state won’t allow him to take passengers out at the moment. So he really is in a bind, so if you gave plans to come to paradise in the future, I’m sure regulations will ease as time goes by, and he will be able to take tourists out again. It’s a great way for you and your family to get away from the crowds, having your own private panga without all the other passengers crowded together. It’s a great idea.
I have contact information for Mario in the shownotes and you can even reserve your ride from him in advance. Help him out and give him a deposit to hold your spot. You will not be disappointed. I promise.
Contact information for Mario Cesar Morga – Super Mario
Contact information for Mario Cesar Morga – Super Mario
- Phone Number: 322-168-9620
- Email: m_quezada_morgan@hotmail.com
- Mario’s Tours Facebook
Facebook Page for Mario Water Taxi- https://www.facebook.com/mariostoursthebest/
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.
Trenie Penrod at El Nogalito. I have the contact information fro her in the shownotes. Make some time to go to the center there and help out.
And thank you to Mario Cesar Morga, Super Mario. Thanks for telling us about what you do, and we look forward to seeing you in Boca de Tomatlan for a day with you. Make your reservations now, for your future trip to paradise. I have all his contact information in the shownotes. And don’t forget to make sure to donate to Vallarta Food Bank!
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!