Puerto Vallarta Mexico is Open For Tourism During the 2020 Pandemic and Americans are Welcome

The Podcast Visits Nat Moraga From Tile Park PV to Talk About the 2021 Tourist Season and Plans during the Pandemic to Tile the Park

Lix Ice Cream Opens a Third Branch, This Time on The Malecon

Meet Laura and Ron, The New Owners of Xocodiva Chocolate PV

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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 back to Puerto Vallarta during the pandemic. I’ll tell you how my second trip down during the pandemic went. I’ll give you a blow by blow account. Some things were the same as the time I came down in August, and some were different. It was a pretty crazy week not to mention a quick trip too. I visited with Natasha Moraga at Tile Park, Parque de Los Azulejos where they are tiling again. We talk with Nat and find out her plans for season 4 at the park. It’s going to be different this year and she will tell you what’s the plan.

Then we will go to the Malecon to check out the new location of Lix Ice Cream. We will visit with Todd and Kathleen and also meet the new owners of Xocodiva Chocolates, Laura and Ron from Canada………but before we get to all that fun in the sun, let’s see what’s happening this week in Puerto Vallarta the 24th of November, 2020….

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The partial shutdown has ended and as a result, a lower tally of infections in Puerto Vallarta. Actually during the entire week I was in town, the shutdown was on, with the exception of my last night. The clubs were busy that night..no joke.

The night I arrived I went to see JR, and we walked down to Que Pasa for a drink and a bite, to catch up and do a little planning for my interviews and I should have paid closer attention to the clock, because I realized walking back to my apartment, my Airbnb that I should have had more to eat at Que Pasa, because all the restaurants shut down at 8:30, and the authorities, the regulementos  were out there making sure the bars and restaurants and eateries were following the curfew. So, I had dinner at OXXO. Yummy!

So how was the trip this time and how was it different?

I Flew out of Los Angeles International non-stop to Vallarta on Delta. The plane was 2/3rds full with 103 passengers according to the flight attendant. Like the last trip, I was asked covid related questions when I was checking in online as well as when I arrived at the airport to check in and check my bags. The questions were If I have had covid In the last 14 days, if I was feeling any covid symptoms, and if I would agree to wear a mask for the entire flight.

There wasn’t a form this time for the airport upon arrival in Puerto Vallarta like last time, however, there was a form you filled out before you got on the plane back to Los Angeles this time, and they had you walk past a thermal imaging machine on your way to security as you walked to the departure gates.

Masks were required in the airport terminals both in LA and Puerto Vallarta as well as on the plane.

Taxis and Uber drivers were required to mask up, and it was also required of me as a passenger. I took lots of public buses this time down, I’ll tell you a little story about that in a bit, but on the buses, mask wearing was mandatory as well. Walking on the streets, mask wearing was required, and I’d say that there was easily 80% compliance. Less compliance in the outlying colonias and neighborhoods, but I was quite impressed with the compliance. Restaurants still restricted capacity and proper spacing between tables is still a requirement. Temperatures are taken at the entrances as well as the ever present soap dispenser with the antibacterial gel to slather all over your body. There are still the disinfecting foot trays you step in to clean the bottoms of your shoes. Many of the restaurants have digital menus where you scan a QR code with your smart phone and the menu pops up on the phone so you don’t have to catch the rona from a menu. Cleaver.

So, like I said a couple months back, I felt very safe traveling during the pandemic.

My buddies at the supermarket are still going strong and of course, I had my special covid kit with me, just in case. Also I had covid coverage through my travelers insurance, So I was ready for anything.

I reported last episode that I was taking a wheelchair down for Salvador Estrada, the candyman on The Malecon, The marathonista in a wheelchair. I got the chair from a client who was a hoarder, and she had this wheelchair in her garage that had never been used. So, I summoned an Uber to take me from my Airbnb in Cino de Diciembre to Salvador’s house in Paso Ancho. And I rolled the new chair into his house. Salvador had this very tired and worn chair that was falling apart, and the new chair fit him like a glove. He transferred himself from his bed to the new chair, and let me take a picture of him which I posted in the shownotes at www.puertovallartatravelshow.com.

Salvador has been bedbound actually for almost a month now. He had a really bad infected sore that he …sent me a video of him pulling off a bandage from this sore…You know, you don’t know the stuff I see from my Mexican friends. I’m pretty sure this is a Mexican thing. Tell me if I’m wrong, I mean it might be more than a Mexican thing but for some reason my Mexican friends feel perfectly comfortable taking pictures of wounds and oozing infections and swollen limbs and texting or what’s aping them to me for..I don’t know…they think I’m a medical doctor or something. Is this a thing for you too?

Anyway, a spot, a rough spot on the seat of his chair was causing this sore and he’s on the mend, thank goodness, and the new chair won’t cause it to get worse. So that turned out really good.  We both were happy campers, me and Salvador.

I stayed at the Airbnb that I have used several times over the last few trips. On the corner of Honduras and Bolivia in the Cinco de Diciembre neighborhood of Puerto Vallarta. I like it because the neighborhood is safe and fairly quiet, and is surrounded by good food. I got a message from my friend Marsha Blondin from Arte Viviente and the PV Mirror asking if I had heard the sad news of the passing of Skip Everett. Skip has been on the show. He was the person who introduced me to Rodolfo the blind tenor, and the kind soul who allowed me to use his dream condo at the Molino de Agua last August. Well, ship passed away in the middle of October. He had emailed me and told me he wanted me to stay in his condo but he had a reservation planned for the time slot I was going to be down, and told me he would let me know if things had changed, so I didn’t call him or hear from him, but I had no idea he had passed away.

I asked Marsha if Rodolfo knew, and she didn’t know. I called Rodolfo and he didn’t answer his phone. I contacte Jean Guy Coumo, his voice coach to see if he had heard from or had spoken with Rodolfo and he said no, he wasn’t answering his phone. I wanted to go to his house to do a check on him, but nobody had his address.

The last time I was down in August, my plan was to go see Rodolfo and his wife Julia and record some music, but Skip called me and warned me that Rodolfo was afraid I would bring the rona into his house, so I called Rodolfo to confirm, and assured him I would skip the visit this time down so he didn’t have to worry, but as a result, I never got his address. So, for right now, at this moment, nobody knows what’s become of Rodolfo and Julia. I have a feeling he went to Guadalajara to be with his family but if anyone out there knows, I sure would like to get in touch with him. I manage his Facebook page for crying out loud.

At any rate, I’m pretty sure Skip was his protector. He may have helped him with rent. He definitely helped him land the restaurant gigs at Coco Tropical and Bario Bistro and arrange for his transportation. He bought him sound equipment and the new piano. So, for now, it’s a mystery that I hope to solve soon.

At any rate…Skip…thanks for all you did for Rodolfo. Thanks for your kindness, and what you did for me. I’m going to miss you buddy. Will do my best to follow up and track down Rodolfo. Stay Tuned.

This trip I was really concentrating on getting as many interviews as I could in what was basically 5 full days. Usually I take a day and a half to get interviews lined up and then begin my route recording, but this time down, I hit the ground running recording 6 interviews the first two days. I was cruising, and as I said last episode, I was planning to spend some time in Bucerias because they weren’t closed down night times in Nayarit. Well….remember I was going to tell you a bus story…well here it comes.

This time down I decided to take more public buses. Last time I found myself on a crowded packed bus from Puerto Vallarta to Boca de Tomatlan, both ways, and I avoided the plague so this time I found myself frequenting public buses. In the Cinco de Diciembre neighborhood where I was staying, if I walked down Calle Honduras towards the water, I would get to the Shell gas station/ it used to be a Pemex station, across the street from Pepe’s Tacos. And if you wait in front of that gas station across from Pepe’s, well, you won’t have to wait more than a minute or more because that’s where all the busses coming into town pass. So that’s where I caught my bus into and out of town. It was easy, cheap 10 pesos, about 50 cents US and hey, everyone was wearing masks. So it was Wednesday afternoon, I had just delivered Salvador his wheelchair and walked down to El Rio BBQ from his house and caught the bus home. Changed my shirt, relaxed a half hour and then headed out for my next interview. I was off to Luisa’s in el centro. Luisa is a seamstress and clothing designer who also hand paints some of her clothes, you will love Luisa when she comes on in a few weeks.

Anyway, I planned to cash some of my dollars I brought along with me, I had $100, so off I went to cash some bills and interview Luisa. I hopped on a bus at the Shell station and my plan was to exchange the dollars at the currency exchange at the lighthouse on the Malecon. So I hopped off the bus, started walking towards the exchange booth and realized, my daypack wasn’t over my shoulder. I froze and then thought to myself, did I actually leave the daypack with all my recording equipment on that bus, or did I leave it at the condo and this is all a bad dream. No, I brought it with me. I was sure. But I had to check just in case. So I grabbed a bus back and as I sat there heading home, I began to take a mental inventory of the items in the bag. 3 microphones and cables and mic stands, my Zoom H-6 recorder that I have recorded every interview with for the last 4 years, headphones, a couple of facemasks, a pair of sunglasses and reading glasses, a credit card and $100 cash.

All those could be replaced, and in fact, I had a back-up recording device I had just purchased for myself as a Christmas gift to me back at the condo. I even had microphone cables and a backup set of headphones. I had several microphones at different places with different people that I could easily gather up so I could keep recording my interviews luckily enough. But the one thing I really needed in that bag was the SD Card in the recorder. That had the 6 interviews I had recorded over the first three days plus, interviews from August that have not aired yet and even a few interviews from way back in January 2020 that hadn’t been aired yet. And…I had no backup for those files. In the hundreds of dollars worth of equipment, it was the 20 dollar SD memory card that I really needed.

When I got back to the apartment I found no daypack, as expected, so I got to work.

I cancelled the credit card with my bank and hoped I could use one of my other cards I bought along with me. That’s because I hadn’t called my business bank about using my credit card in Mexico. I put that one in my pocket along with the 20 dollar bill and the 200 pesos I had on me.

Then I messaged about a half dozen people I know who might be able to give me some advise on getting back a lost item from a bus, all of them said it would be very difficult because it’s not like losing an item in a Taxi or an Uber where the driver is in charge and would see it, but there are bus passengers, any one of them could just scoop up a backpack unnoticed by the driver, so the possibility of having the daypack returned would be slim.

Then I contacted JR and my buddy Clark, both of them had microphones that I had left with them to deliver to interviewees in town that I may be interviewing over a Skype call. Between the two of them I was able to get 3 microphones and I was back in the podcasting business.

Next, I needed to contact those I had interviewed earlier in the week and beg them to sit with me for a redo…and all of them agreed. So I started over again on Thursday, knowing I was heading back home on Saturday afternoon, so I had two and a half days to collect interviews to get the podcast through the next couple of months when I can return again.

So, Thursday morning, I started anew. And I want to thank all of those guests who agreed to do it again. Thank you….

I had 3 on Thursday, 4 on Friday and 2 on Saturday to end up a whirlwind trip. I had planned on visiting Bucerias but, that will have to wait for my return trip in January which I just booked on Delta for January 9^th through the 19^th. I can’t wait to return guys.

So the other day, I got this mysterious email from a guy named Santos, and santos wrote that his Mother-in-law had my backpack, and that she wanted to return it to me for a small reward. He found the business cards for the show that I hand to prospective interviewees, and it has the email for the show, pvtravelshow@gmail.com. So I called the number he gave me and I spoke with Santos who said that yes, his mother-in-law had the bag, wasn’t there to talk with me. That she lives in Nayarit and that she would call me on this number tomorrow.

So the next day I got a call from Marta, the lady who found my daypack and she starts in how the pandemic had been very hard on her, and she knows that the equipment in the bag is very expensive and how I need it for my work and so on. So she’s looking for a big payday and not just a reward, but more like a ransom.

I thought I would try to soften her up a little by explaining that the podcast was just a hobby, and I don’t make any money doing these promotions for the people of Puerto Vallarta, but it didn’t seem to move her much. I offered her 3,000 pesos which is about $150 US. She countered back saying her boyfriend had looked up the equipment online and saw it was expensive. She countered back 5,000 pesos. I explained the equipment was 4 years old, and if she wanted to sell it she could, all I wanted was the memory card but she wouldn’t budge. Not to mention the 100 dollar bonus already in the bag that I’m sure is long gone. So I told her I would make arrangements for the return of the recorder, that I would send the 5,000 pesos to my friend Anastacio, the artist, painter on the Malecon, and that she could go to his studio at Morelos 210, across from Banco Santender, located just before the southbound bridge over the Rio Cuale, and she along with Anastacio can cement the deal.

So today, I’m going to send Anastacio the pesos, and we will see if I get back my backpack.

Wish me luck.  Man…this podcasting gig can get costly…sheesh. I’ll let you know how it goes next week.

And yes, I still take the bus, I just attached the new daypack to myself more securely so I don’t forget it again. Less weed Barry.

Oh, by the way do make sure you visit Anastacio at Morelos 210 across from the bank and before that southbound bridge over the Rio Cuale. He has beautiful and affordable paintings in his studio. Check him out. I have pictures in the shownotes.

When I landed and was taking the cab into town from the airport I noticed a cruise ship in port and it was the Vidante cruise ship. No passengers, but there it sat. I think we discussed the proposed route of the

ship. Mazatlan to the Island that used to be a prison, then to Puerto Vallarta. Well it was there on a practice run I suppose and I don’t know if you had heard of this, but the cruising industry is offering free cruises….From the New York Post…

Royal Caribbean attracts 100,000 volunteers for cruise ship test runs

By Kenneth Garger

November 19, 2020 | 2:52am

The president of cruise giant Royal Caribbean announced Sunday that 100,000 people have already volunteered to sail free-of-charge on their government-mandated test voyages.“And just like that…100,000 people have volunteered. We can’t wait to start this next phase with you all!” Michael Bayley wrote on Facebook. Just three days earlier, the company set up a “Volunteers of the Seas” Facebook page to attract those eager enough for a free ride aboard a cruise ship during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The test sailings are among the cruise ship industry protocols instituted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cruise lines must launch the simulated voyages to test their coronavirus safety measures before being given the opportunity to resume operating from US ports, Cruise Industry News reported. Royal Caribbean’s volunteers will reportedly begin cruising in 2021. The maiden voyage is most likely to CocoCay, the company’s private island in the Bahamas 55 miles north of Nassau.

And I have a link to that article in the shownotes.

https://nypost.com/2020/11/19/royal-caribbean-attracts-100000-volunteers-for-cruise-ship-test-runs/

Fireworks Banned in Puerto Vallarta For The Holidays

Looks like the local governments are trying to stop potential partiers from having a good time for the upcoming Christmas and New Years holidays….here comes the Grinch…From Vallarta En Lina….

ES OFICIAL: queda PROHIBIDA la pirotecnia en Puerto Vallarta

IT’S OFFICIAL: pyrotechnics is PROHIBITED in Puerto Vallarta

ON NOVEMBER 19, 2020

Vallarta Port

The Municipal Directorate of Civil Protection of Puerto Vallarta decreed fireworks in Puerto Vallarta as prohibited. With this, its sale or retail distribution will be punished by law.

The foregoing implies that the Municipal Police will carry out operations to seize said product.

Therefore, during the holiday season, the sale of fireworks will be taxed as a crime. Individuals may not buy or sell fireworks or explosive devices derived from gunpowder. Nor can they be thrown and detonated on the public highway, as it will be sanctioned by the authority. The only places and circumstances in which pyrotechnics can be purchased and used will be at large and organized events, if they are held. In “we will see”, New Year’s celebrations

However, it is to be decided in the coming weeks whether there will be official New Year’s shows and festivities in Puerto Vallarta or not. This due to the validity of the pandemic. Even the governor of Jalisco, Enrique Alfaro, has asked to avoid Christmas celebrations and family gatherings. So, it could be the case that the fireworks shows that are traditional every end of the year in this municipality are canceled.

And I have a link to that Vallartaenlina in the shownotes.

https://vallartaenlinea.com/2020/11/prohibida-pirotecnia-puerto-vallarta-navidad-operativos/?fbclid=IwAR3L8XzfsRpG6ykHB3Ljx15cUC1hv9TjwxRh52rm2Vtn6SNWYTSMK3ORdx0

Okay, I have more but this is going a little long so let’s hold off on those till next week and let’s get on with the interviews shall we?

Tile Park PV Season 4

Contact Information For Tile Park PV

• Website: https://www.tileparkpv.com/
• Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/parqueazulejospv/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tileparkpv/
• Donate: https://www.tileparkpv.com/donate

Back in 2017, Natasha Moraga set off on a huge project to cover the Parque Lazaro Cardenas on the

Southside of Puerto Vallarta in mosaic tiles. And over the years we’ve visited with her as each season started. But this season is going to be different due to the pandemic. I’ll let Nat explain, and let her lay out the plans for the park, Parque de Loz Azulejos, Tile Park PV, for this very different high season in Puerto Vallarta, and how you can help keep this project going.

Let’s go right now to a beautifully tiled bench in the middle of Lazaro Cardenas Park, and hear from Nat Moraga, Tile Park…PV.

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Okay…. thank you Natasha. I have links and pictures of the park as it looks today. I have pics of her crew busily at work. And if you have taken a workshop with Natasha and you are planning on coming down, stop by and let them know you are available to help out. It should be fun.

Lix Ice Cream is on The Malecon in Puerto Vallarta

Okay next we go to the Malecon in Puerto Vallarta. Todd and Kathleen from Lix Ice Cream just opened another branch of their famous Ice Cream treats, and this time it’s right on the Malecon with a great

view. I contacted Kathleen and asked if she would talk with us and she agreed, but did me a great favor by bringing along another couple, Ron and Laura, who are the new owners of Xocodiva, their chocolate

business. So we get a chance to hear their story. It’s a two fer…so let’s go right now to The parking Structure on the Malecon, Juarez Parking Plaza, and on to the tables set up on the Malecon and visit with Todd, Kathleen of Lix Ice Cream and Ron and Laura from Xocodiva, Puerto Vallarta Mexico.

Contact Information For Lix Ice Cream Puerto Vallarta

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• Website: http://www.lix-pv.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lixhomemadeicecream/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lixhomemadeicecream/

Locations:

Contact Information For Xocodiva Puerto Vallarta

• Website: http://www.xocodiva-pv.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/xocodiva/?rf=133756866760802
• Address:  Aquiles Serdán 368, Zona Romántica, Emiliano Zapata, 48380 Puerto Vallarta, Jal., Mexico

Okay guys…thank you so much.

I have pictures, I have links and maps to all the Lix locations and the Xocodiva locations. You can find them in the shownotes at www.puertovallartatravelshow.com.

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.

Thank you so much to Todd and Kathleen from Lix Ice cream, and Ron and Laura from Xocodiva. Stop by and get fat! Seriously…you’ll walk it off I promise. Check out the pics and the links. Take a candy making class while you’re at it.

And thank you Natasha Moraga. Drop pesos in their donation box when you walk by. If you have taken one of their workshops and are in town, volunteer and help out. If you haven’t gotten your time yet buy one for a loved one for the holidays. There’s time. You can do it online and what a great gift to give to yourself or someone you love. I have links in the shownotes that are going to be a day late so if you are looking now, you won’t find it. Been so busy selling houses so I promise to have them there.

Thank you Anastacio for being there to do the deal and get my equipment back from mysterious Marta. I’ll let you all know how that goes next week. Okay….

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!