We Talk with Three US Expats Who Sold it all and Moved to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

A Horseback Ride From Talpa de Allende to El Tuito, Jalisco, Mexico

Horseback Tours in 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.

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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 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’re going to have a little fun. It’s a meet and greet JR and I had at Kelly’s Pour Favor and Cookhouse back in October, and I’m finally getting around to bringing it to you.

Also I have a story from JR, and a horseback ride he took, but before we get to the meet and greet and JR, let’s see what’s happening this week in Puerto Vallarta, June 14^th, 2020.

Rainy Season Begins in Puerto Vallarta

The middle of June usually means rain in Puerto Vallarta and almost like clockwork,

Vallarta is having thunderstorms and rain. I don’t know how many inches, but when Angela the weather station lady begins reporting the latest measurements, I’ll hold off on the estimates.

Beaches and Malecon to Open June 16^th

^{Just spoke with Salvador Estrada, the candyman on the Malecon. Our friend who is wheelchair bound and sells candy}

^{in front of the dance clubs. Also a marathoner, and if you don’t know Salvador and his story, I have a link to our conversation in the shownotes. Salvador says he’s going back to work Tuesday and the governor gave the go-ahead to open the beaches and the Malecon Tuesday, June 16th. Face masks are still encouraged outdoors.}

^{By the way, here in Southern California the beaches are open in San Diego, Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura Counties. They all opened up a couple of weeks ago. In Ventura County, where I live, most of the restaurants are open, face covers are not required outdoors, and many places they are optional where just over the hill in Los Angeles County, face-masks are required outdoors as well as inside businesses. It’s kinda like night and day just across the county line. It’s very interesting. Just as an aside, when selling real estate, rules are different from county to county, but we require buyers and sellers sign forms and disclosures of understanding about the rona, and are required to wear masks and gloves and even booties in some instances, when showing houses to buyers. And the number of buyers inside the house at the same time is limited to 2, at least for now.}

^{It’ll change in about an hour but oh well, par for the course these days.}

^{Vallarta Food Bank Hits the big-time, Made it into Mexico News Daily}

^{…Here’s the article…}

^{Restaurant starts food pantry for needy citizens. Now it’s a permanent food bank}

^{‘No one goes hungry:’ Vallarta Food Bank is supplying 3,000 families a week}

^{It was mid-March and restaurateurs Francie Nguyen, Jimmy Plouff and Frankie Victoria Bañuelos Estrada watched as theirs and other local businesses closed as the coronavirus began to spread in Mexico.}

^{Tourism in Puerto Vallarta – one of Mexico’s premier tourist destinations – had abruptly stopped and thousands of local people were out of work, with no end in sight.}

^{“We thought we should do something to help,” recalled Nguyen. Plouff and Bañuelos had already closed their restaurant, Tunnel Row Barbecue, and turned it into a food pantry for the neighborhood, but wanted to do more.}

^{Pooling their expertise, resources and food know-how, they started the Vallarta Food Bank with a simple, direct goal: that no one would go hungry. A humble beginning of giving away six despensas, or food packages, has blossomed into a weekly distribution of 3,000 packages of basic necessities, delivered to remote villages, handed out at the food bank site or distributed through other local agencies and soup kitchens. The non-profit, volunteer-based organization’s mission is “to make sure everyone has food on their table.”}

^{“The poverty that surrounds paradise is overwhelming,” said Plouff. “So many people come here year after year and never see this side of Mexico.”}

^{Bañuelos has been the major force in finding distributors and negotiating the best prices. The food bank now buys up to 15 tonnes of food each week, purchasing in bulk and then portioning rice, beans, lentils, pasta, oatmeal, tortilla flour, milk, tuna, oil, sugar, fresh vegetables and paper and hygiene products into individual despensas that end up costing about 120 pesos (US $5.40) per 10-kilo bag.}

^{“This month, we’re spending $73,000 to make 12,500 despensas, which is the equivalent of 350,000 meals for the families in need,” said Nguyen. “That’s a huge amount of money, and we’re grateful for every cent.”}

^{A recent phone call from the mayor’s wife on behalf of the DIF family services agency illustrated how great the need is and how fast it’s growing. She said 150,000 people have asked them for help, and that their system is overwhelmed.}

^{“We’ll do what we can but we can’t feed 150,000 people,” said Nguyen, obviously distressed. “We’re growing to meet the need, trying to feed 3,000 families a week. As long as we can we’ll keep up the fight against hunger” with people’s help.}

^{Vallarta Food Bank functions with a detailed registration process and database to ensure those in need are taken care of on a weekly basis. Each family then receives a card for five weeks of despensas, at which time they’re evaluated again. Packing, organizing and deliveries are made by a network of 60+ volunteers who work together as an efficient team. Plouff stressed that their organization is transparent, and detailed financial information is updated regularly on their website.}

^{“We honor all financial support by keeping our operations 100% volunteer-based with only 5% going to rental, utilities and non-food supplies,” said Plouff. “This allows us to distribute the equivalent of five meals for every U.S. dollar we receive.”}

^{The challenge now is the rainy season, already predicted to be worse than ever before. Those who live in or who have been to Vallarta in the summer know the rains are torrential, for days at a stretch. That’s why the food bank created a “rainy season pledge,” a special three-month commitment to help during this especially difficult time. More information about how this works can be found on the website.}

^{While they’ve done and are doing so much, the Vallarta Food Bank is also looking ahead to the future. They’ve just signed a long-term lease on a property and are busy remodeling even while they continue to function. Plouff and Bañuelos donated all the kitchen equipment, furniture and air conditioners from their restaurant to the project.}

^{“We decided that what Vallarta needs more than a great BBQ restaurant is what Vallarta Food Bank is quickly becoming,” said Plouff, adding that Tunnel Road Barbecue will not reopen. “We will pour all of our hearts and time into making Vallarta Food Bank a permanent fixture of hope and light for the community that has given us so much.”}

^{Now that they have a permanent location, the food bank wants to improve their food programs to include these initiatives:}

• ^{Soup kitchens. Instead of a despensa, families can get hot food six days a week.}
• ^{Food market. Recipients can use points to purchase their choice of food and necessities specific to what their family needs.}
• ^{Food system collaborative. To support local agriculture by partnering with local food growers to provide and trade fresh food at the market.}
• ^{Elderly box program. Monthly delivery of a box of food and necessities to the elderly community.}
• ^{Food scholarships. Clients receive “food scholarships” when they commit to programs to improve their job skills.}

^{“Our vision doesn’t end with providing emergency food assistance,” said Plouff. “We want to help improve the livelihoods of families in Vallarta. Our goal is to create a community center where anyone can sign up for skill-training programs to improve their job prospects, like English, electrical, carpentry, sewing, plumbing, and entrepreneurship.”}

^{“We feel like we need to help this community to be more self-sustainable, and not to depend on just tourism,” added Nguyen.}

^{Since they started the food bank, they’ve been asked the same question over and over: “How can I help?”}

^{“If you’re able, we’d love it if you could make a donation,” said Plouff. “The direct impact of your contributions is simple; the more funds we receive, the more despensas we can pack and distribute. The need never slows down.”}

^{“We will be here as a promise of hope to the vulnerable population of Vallarta,” he continued. “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.”}

• ^{For more information or to make a donation by credit card or PayPal, visit}

 

^{www.vallartafoodbank.com.}

^{Mexico News Daily}

Restaurant starts food pantry for needy citizens. Now it’s a permanent food bank

I got an email from my buddy listener Cheryl from Indiana, and she has some sad news for those who knew Estaban….Here’s the email…

Cheryl Stewart

Tue, Jun 9, 5:27 PM (17 hours ago)

to me…

Estaban, the beach vendor who sold expensive and beautiful jewelry, passed away recently. He was a wonderful gentleman who designed unusual and unique pieces. He was only 60 yrs old. Estaban was well known and respected. His presence will be greatly missed in the Puerto Vallarta landscape. He was instrumental in removing the child vendors from the beach. He felt children should be in school and not begging.

Hope things improve soon in paradise. We left 2 months early. I miss your pods! Hope to see you next season.

Cheryl

Well such sad news Cheryl. I didn’t know about Estaban and his passing or his campaign to let kids be kids. I looked for a story about his crusade to end the exploitation of children working way too young.  I have a picture of Esteban in the shownotes if you want to have a look to see if you recognize him. Descanse an paz amigo, rest in peace.

As far as missing my podcasts, I’m just stretching out the episodes, but I may be able to start getting out an episode a week like I used to. I’m just running into a little resistance getting podcasts done wile working my butt off and waiting for the next crazy requirement over this Rona. I’ll try my best anyway.

Super Mario Panga and Booking Ahead

I got another email, hey, thanks for these emails, keep them coming.

Listener Monica writes…

Hi Barry,

Thank you for your show! I was just listening to the episode where you interviewed Super Mario about his panga and thought that your call out to book early to help out was a great idea. We’d love to do that, but I can’t find any contact info for Mario online or in your show notes. Maybe I’m missing them! Thanks, in advance!

Cheers,
Monica

Well, I have links now all over that blogpost in the shownotes for Super Mario, and I did get that link over to Monica for Mario’s Facebook page, and while I was at it, I sent Mario some money to reserve a day-trip with Super Mario in August.

Reserve a Panga with Super Mario on Mario’s Facebook Page

That’s right, I made plane reservations for August 8^th through the 18^th. I’m going in for the rain, the heat and humidity this time. When I asked Savador what was the most miserable month for heat and humidity in Vallarta, he said August. I figured a guy who sits in a wheelchair on the Malecon and sells candy for a living, would know when the hottest month was. We’ll see, but it doesn’t matter anyway, I need to get back to paradise and record some interviews.

Speaking of getting back to paradise, listener Hillary, The same Hillary who wants to interview me for my own podcast is currently in Puerto Vallarta. She’s such a trailblazer. She’s having a great time and doing some volunteering too. And I’m sending her a microphone to get a first hand report on the opening of Puerto Vallarta. That will be coming up in two weeks.

Okay, let’s get to the interviews.

Meet and Greet Open Microphone Podcast Puerto Vallarta

The first one is our buddy JR. John Russell, of Vallartainfo.com fame and my co-host.

A few months back I interviewed JR while visiting him at his apartment. I wanted to know about his recommendations for guided horseback tours, and he had a funny story to tell,

so let’s listen in, let’s go to Colonia El Coloso, and listen to his story, and after he tells his story, he will tell you about his horse guide, Rafa. Take it away JR….

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Okay…thank you JR. I have a map showing the route JR took. By the way, the mileage

may vary, but the distance from Talpa de Allende to El Tuito, is around 70 miles. And by the way,  JR actually wrote a blogpost about his ordeal, and I have a link to it in the shownotes as well.

Horseback Tours in Puerto Vallarta

https://vallartainfo.com/tours/river-canopy-mule-ride-tour/

Contact JR For Rafa the Caballero email to  info@vallartainfo.com

https://www.bootsnall.com/articles/horseback-through-the-sierra-madres-puerto-vallarta-to-talpa-de-allende-to-el-tuito-mexico.html

Now next we have three lovely people who answered the call, and came to one of my meet and greets at Kelly’s Pour Favor Saloon and cookhouse back in October. Now I had mentioned on the TripAdvisor forum we were having a meet and greet, and invited them to come by if they were in town to share what they were doing in paradise, and I got three. Wendy and Nino, who you will be hearing from are a married couple, and Virginia is a sweet lady, a widow, who came to live in paradise.

All three have great food advice as well as great advise about moving to paradise.

So let’s go right now to the rooftop of Kelly’s Pour Favor Saloon and Cookhouse, and let’s crash JR’s Meet and Greet, and let’s talk with Wendy, Nino and Virginia about selling it all and moving to our favorite place.Vallarta, Mexico.

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All right, thank you Nino. Thank you Virginia and Wendy. Thanks for sharing your experiences with all of us.

I have links to the things and places we talked about in the shownotes at www.puertovallartatravelshow.com.

Wendy Woodworth

• Langostinos
• Fredys
• Mi Cafe

• Monzon
• Los Muertos Brewery
• Abuelos on The Beach  across from Lazaro Cardenas Park- enchiladas

• Cuates y Cuetes Likes the black beans..chicken soup,
• Barcelona Tapas
• Bario Bistro

Virginia Sheldon

• La Palapa
• Kaiser Maximilian  likes Bacon English muffins and a bloody Caesar

Lunch …

• Daiquiri Dicks
• Vita

Dinner..

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 JR for your horseback ride story. I have a link to his blog once again in the shownotes. Read it if you plan to ever take that trip. And thank you to our three new friends Virginia, Wendy and Nino. Thanks for taking the time out of your day to share your experiences with all of us. And don’t forget to make sure to donate to Vallarta Food Bank! I have links to it in the shownotes.

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!