If you’re stuck for something to
do and feel like a day out of Puerto Vallarta why not take a trip over to the village
of Yelapa, nestled in between the Sierra Madre Mountains and the Pacific Ocean.
Without any road connections, Yelapa can only be accessed by boat. 

Vallarta
Adventures offers a day tour to the area but you can also easily go it alone
taking a water taxi (panga). You can pick up a panga from Los Muertos pier or
from Boca de Tomatlan south of town (easily accessible by bus) and it will drop
you right on the beach. Once in the fishing town you can wander round the
center, stay on the beach, eat fresh food or go inland to visit the waterfall,
either on foot or on horseback.

The tourist boats head back to
Vallarta normally at 4 pm or 5pm, but if you want to stay longer to experience
the real Yelapa, the hotel right on the beach is just the place. Lie back in
your hammock and watch the sunset, visit one of the candlelit restaurants along
the beach or take a romantic starlit walk…

Yelapa is a friendly, welcoming,
mixed community with several expats calling it their home all year round. It is
a very special place and well worth a visit while you’re in Vallarta. 

 Check out here the day tours Vallarta Adventures offers.

So many of my travel memories revolve around great meals and
Puerto
Vallarta is no different.  But I really wanted to get off the guidebook
“grid” and discover the real taste of the city. 
So I was excited when I discovered Vallarta
Food Tours which promised that I could “eat like a local” during a 3 hour tour of off-the-beaten tourist path
eateries.

Vallarta Food Tours
was founded by Lindsay Prime Mayer,
an American expat living in Puerto Vallarta,
who was inspired by a similar tour
she took on vacation in Chicago.  She brought the concept to Vallarta with the idea of opening up
the local culinary experience to visitors.

We started our tour
with a mole trio (which thankfully is a sauce, not a small woodland
creature) and it was so delicious that my strategy of pacing myself went right
out the window.  Over the next 3 hours we
strolled through the city, led by our funny and friendly guide “Lobo” learning
about Vallarta history and stopping
to eat along the way.

We tried birria tacos,
coconut water opened by machete in
front of our eyes, tortillas hot off
the press, a trio of rich soups,
fresh ceviche, sweets from a
traditional Mexican candy store and much more. 
Not only was everything really tasty but Lobo explained to us about the
traditions and making of everything we sampled.

By the end of the tour, I was totally full….not only of
great food but of a great understanding of the local culture, heritage and
cuisine of Puerto Vallarta.  Vallarta
Food Tours is definitely a great way to meet and eat a city.

You can find here more information about this Puerto Vallarta tour.

Puerto Vallarta is definitely full of
surprises, from its colorful places to its delicious gastronomy, there is
always something new. For those who enjoy trying local drinks and food, you
should try Tuba: an exotic beverage
popular in Mexican coastal destinations.

The process of its production is quite interesting. Workers climb palm
trees (which are not meant to be harvested for coconuts) in the mornings or
evenings and bruise the coconut flower stalk so it oozes its liquid. Afterwards
the stalk is tied up with bamboo strips to pour the sap into a bamboo
container. It begins its fermentation inside the bamboo container, but crushed
tanbark from a mangrove tree is included in the mix to accelerate the process;
it also gives the sap a reddish color.

Whenever I walk down the Malecon,
I often see people carrying red painted gourds and yelling “Tuba!”, so if you
are interested in trying it you can find it there, but also along Puerto
Vallarta’s beaches.

Tuba is friendly to all ages since it isa
non–alcoholic drink, and it is great to
ease thirst, great as a refreshment when taking a walk, or even at parties.

Photo source: http://visitpuertovallarta.com/

For 48 weeks a year the PEACE programs operate very successful free spay neuter clinics in the Bay of Banderas.

 The focus is to
obviously sterilize as many stray or owned animals as possible, given that this
seems to be the only option to reduce the number of stray dogs and cats roaming
free on the streets.

One of the PEACE Program’s missions, named “Ayuda a los Animales”, strives to
prevent the unnecessary suffering caused by abandonment, neglect, torture or
disease that faces unwanted animals.

Additionally to running the clinics, an important education
drive is an integral part of the mission. Traveling to neighborhood schools the
director and the vets give interactive talks to children on the importance of
sterilization and the welfare of animals. Creating a culture of respect for
pets, wild animals, nature and the environment in which we live are all
important features of the program and deserve a special mention.

 I look forward to
being able to report on more of the excellent work done by PEACE next season.

PEACE Mexico (Protection & Education:
Animals, Culture, and Environment) is a nonprofit organization working in the
Bay of Banderas, Mexico and beyond to increase educational and economic
opportunities through community development programs in the areas of education,
environment, animal health, and economic development.

Photo source: PV Angels

To my delight I have found out that Puerto Vallarta and the Riviera
Nayarit areas will be expo-ing at
the Canadian company MexiGo! Travel
and Trade expo, to be held in September at the Vancouver Convention Center.

PV Pulse
reported that the Joel Hansen, Director of Business
Development at Mexi-Go! says “We are thrilled to confirm Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit as
exhibitors. We constantly promote both destinations through our magazine. Early
this year we attended the TianguisTuristico in Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit media, and had the
opportunity to witness the success of these two destinations working together.”

This Expo is a fusion of
travel, commerce, foods, arts & craft, music and business. The main goal
behind the event is to increase Canadians’ awareness of Mexico as a destination for both travel and investment.

The website Mexi-Go! is a Canadian and Mexican partnership that offers
comprehensive online marketing solutions to businesses looking to increase
their Canadian market share through publications, direct marketing and events.
As a relatively new addition to the online world, Mexi-Go! is fast becoming a
trusted source for Canadians and Mexicans alike.

To find out more: http://mexi-goexpo.com/

Now this is exciting news! Especially for me, a real bona
fide amateur golfer… now even I might be tempted out on to the green, at
least now I could work on attaining some skills before being let loose on the
course.

Jack Nicklaus has become a household name as one of the best
players the game has ever known and from being directly associated with some of
the world’s premier golf courses, golf course design and training academies. 

The well respected institution has decided to open its doors here right in our
backyard at the Nayar Golf Course in Nuevo Vallarta. 

The central location in
the bay will help to attract students from both the north and south shores and
many national and international visitors. The academy has a working philosophy
to improve each player’s game using cutting edge technology but never
forgetting about the basics, working on improving swings, stokes, putting and
creating an individual demeanor and style.

With 23 Jack Nicklaus Golf Academies in the world including
the USA, Spain & China, the Nayar Golf Course really puts Riviera Nayarit
and our region on the map for the golfing world to see.

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Photo source: http://www.justluxe.com

The delightful event A Taste of La Cruz was hosted at the
main plaza in the town of La Cruz de
Huanacaxtle (Benito Juarez plaza) a couple of weeks ago.

 It was a gathering of
local restaurants and many local artisans that are fond favorites of shoppers
at the local craft fairs and farmer’s markets in the bay.

As the Sunday morning market at la Marina La Cruz has come
to an end for the season (although it is set to begin again in November) it was
a great chance to get to see all the well loved participants and stock up on
their goodies before they disappear for the summer. Well known participants
such as Chantel Mann and her Vintage Spoon Jewelry were there among
the restaurants offering excellent food and wine tasting.

The special highlight of the event was the Wine & Food Section offering wine/ food pairing offered by
select restaurants, which was a great success. 

The main plaza, which has been recently renovated, was a
perfect setting to showcase the delights the up and coming area of la Cruz has
to offer its locals and visitors.

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date on what´s going on around Puerto
Vallarta.

Photo source: cangomexico.com