saturday 24 friday 30 august - 2013 issue 253 - pvmcitypaper

ISSUE 253 

SATURDAY 24 AUGUST - 2013 FRIDAY 30 

SATURDAY 24 

ISSUE 253 | AUGUST 2013 FRIDAY 30

If you’ve been meaning to find a little information on the region, 

but never quite got around to it, we hope that the following will help. 

Look at the map in this issue, you will note that PV (as the locals call 

it) is on the west coast of Mexico, in the middle of the Bay of Banderas, 

the largest bay in this country, that includes southern part of the state 

of Nayarit to the north and the northern part of Jalisco to the south. 

Thanks to its privileged location -sheltered by the Sierra Madre 

mountains- the Bay is well protected against the hurricanes spawned 

in the Pacific. Hurricane Kenna came close on October 25, 2002, 

but actually touched down in San Blas, Nayarit, some 200 miles 

north of PV. The town sits on the same parallel as the Hawaiian 

Islands, thus the similarities in the climate of the two destinations. 

AREA: 1,300 sq. kilometers 

POPULATION: Approx. 325,000 

inhabitants 

CLIMATE: Tropical, humid, with 

an average of 300 sunny days per year. 

The temperature averages 28 o C (82 o F) 

and the rainy season extends from late 

June to early October. 

FAUNA: Nearby Sierra Vallejo 

hosts a great variety of animal species 

such as iguana, guacamaya, deer, 

raccoon, etc. 

SANCTUARIES: Bahía de 

Banderas encloses two Marine 

National Parks - Los Arcos and the 

Marieta Islands - where diving is 

Index 

2 

Need to Know 

allowed under certain circumstances 

but fishing of any kind is prohibited. 

Every year, the Bay receives the visit 

of the humpback whales, dolphins and 

manta rays in the winter. During the 

summer, sea turtles, a protected species, 

arrive to its shores to lay their eggs. 

ECONOMY: Local economy is 

based mainly on tourism, construction 

and to a lesser degree, on agriculture, 

mainly tropical fruit such as mango, 

papaya, watermelon, pineapple, 

guanabana, cantaloupe and bananas. 

CURRENCY: The Mexican Peso is 

the legal currency in Mexico although 

Canadian and American dollars are 

widely accepted. 

BUSES: A system of urban buses 

with different routes. Current fare is 

$6.50 Pesos per ticket and passengers 

must purchase a new ticket every time 

they board another bus. There are no 

“transfers”. 

TAXIS: There are set rates within 

defined zones of the town. Do not enter 

a taxi without agreeing on the price with 

the driver FIRST. If you are staying in a 

hotel, you may want to check the rates 

usually posted in the lobby. Also, if you 

know which restaurant you want to go, 

do not let the driver change your mind. 

Many restaurateurs pay commissions to 

taxi drivers and you may end up paying 

more than you should, in a second-rate 

establishment! There are 2 kinds of taxi 

cabs: those at the airport and the maritime 

port are usually vans that can only be 

boarded there. They have pre-fixed rates 

per passenger. City cabs are yellow cars 

that charge by the ride, not by passenger. 

When you ask to go downtown, many 

drivers let you off at the beginning of the 

area, near Hidalgo Park. However, your 

fare covers the ENTIRE central area, so 

why walk 10 to 15 blocks to the main 

plaza, the Church or the flea market 

Pick up a free map, and insist on your full 

value from the driver! Note the number 

of your taxi in case of any problem, or 

if you forget something in the cab. Then 

your hotel or travel rep can help you 

check it out or lodge a complaint. 

TIME ZONE: The entire State of 

Jalisco is on Central Time, as is the 

southern part of the State of Nayarit 

- from San Blas in the north through 

to the Ameca River, i.e.: San Blas, 

San Pancho, Sayulita, Punta Mita, La 

Cruz de Huanacaxtle, Bucerías, Nuevo 

Vallarta, etc.) 

TELEPHONE CALLS: Always 

check on the cost of long distance 

calls from your hotel room. Some 

establishments charge as much as U.S. 

$7.00 per minute! 

CELL PHONES: Most cellular 

phones from the U.S. and Canada may 

be programmed for local use, through 

Telcel and IUSAcell, the local carriers. 

To dial cell to cell, use the prefix 322, 

then the seven digit number of the 

person you’re calling. Omit the prefix if 

dialling a land line. 

LOCAL CUSTOMS: Tipping 

is usually 10%-15% of the bill at 

restaurants and bars. Tip bellboys, taxis, 

waiters, maids, etc. depending on the 

service. Some businesses and offices 

close from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., reopening 

until 7 p.m. or later. In restaurants, it is 

considered poor manners to present the 

check before it is requested, so when 

you’re ready to leave, ask «La cuenta, 

por favor» and your bill will be delivered 

to you. 

MONEY EXCHANGE: Although 

you may have to wait in line for a few 

minutes, remember that the banks will 

give you a higher rate of exchange than 

the exchange booths (caja de cambio). 

Better yet, if you have a «bank card», 

withdraw funds from your account back 

home. Try to avoid exchanging money at 

your hotel. Traditionally, those offer the 

worst rates. 

WHAT TO DO: Even if your allinclusive 

hotel is everything you ever 

dreamed of, you should experience at 

least a little of all that Vallarta has to 

offer - it is truly a condensed version of 

all that is Mexican and existed before 

«Planned Tourist Resorts», such as 

Cancun, Los Cabos and Ixtapa, were 

developed. Millions have been spent to 

ensure that the original “small town” 

flavor is maintained downtown, in the 

Old Town and on the South Side. 

DRINKING WATER: The false 

belief that a Mexican vacation must 

inevitably lead to an encounter with 

Moctezuma’s revenge is just that: 

false. For the 21 st year in a row, Puerto 

Vallarta’s water has been awarded 

a certification of purity for human 

consumption. It is one of only two 

cities in Mexico that can boast of such 

accomplishment. True, the quality of 

the water tested at the purification plant 

varies greatly from what comes out of 

the tap at the other end. So do be careful. 

On the other hand, most large hotels 

have their own purification equipment 

and most restaurants use purified water. 

If you want to be doubly sure, you can 

pick up purified bottled water just about 

anywhere. 

EXPORTING PETS: Canadian and 

American tourists often fall in love with 

one of the many stray dogs and cats in 

Vallarta. Many would like to bring it 

back with them, but believe that the laws 

do not allow them to do so. Wrong. If 

you would like to bring a cat or a dog 

back home, call the local animal shelter 

for more info: 293-3690. 

LOCAL SIGHTSEEING: A good 

beginning would be to take one of the City 

Tours offered by the local tour agencies. 

Before boarding, make sure you have a 

map and take note of the places you want 

to return to. Then venture off the beaten 

path. Explore a little. Go farther than the 

tour bus takes you. And don’t worry - 

this is a safe place. 



Within PV 3 

About the pets... 

by 

JANICE GONZALEZ 

Adorable dog in the spotlight: Sasha - a 

beautiful little girl, not quite a year old, Sasha 

is a Maltese/Terrier mix. Please contact 

the SPCA at spcapv@gmail.com if you are 

interested in adopting Sasha or any of our 

animals. To see other animals available for 

adoption, visit our website www.spcapv.com 

or www.spcapv.blogspot.com. 

On Facebook - Be sure to “like” our 

official page and let your friends know to 

share information from the official page to 

their own account. You can find us at www. 

facebook.com/spcapv, where all animal 

action and interaction is happening. To our 

friends in Canada, please “like” our sister 

organization PVCACanada (www.facebook. 

com/PVCACanada) also on Facebook. 

PVCA stands for Puerto Vallarta to Canada 

Animal Rescue. The organization works 

saving homeless dogs and cats from the 

streets of Mexico and placing them in safe & 

loving Canadian forever homes. 

We are always in desperate need of collars 

and leashes of all sizes, including previously 

loved items. Please think about donating to 

help our cause. Donations can be made on 

adoption days at Los Mangos Public Library, 

at Cassandra Shaw Jewelry, Hacienda San 

Angel, or at our sanctuary location when you 

stop by for a visit. 

Sanctuary News - You can spend a rewarding 

afternoon cuddling the animals at PV’s SPCA 

Sanctuary. Our dogs and cats are awaiting 

“forever homes” and your help is needed to 

jump start their socialization. The goal is to get 

these animals adjusted and ready to interact 

in the real world. The majority of the SPCA 

animals either come from extremely abusive 

situations or they have been abandoned. Your 

love and attention can make up for that sad 

history. During your visit, you can interact 

with the animals and even take a dog (or 2 or 3) 

for a walk. You can also play with the animals, 

assist the vet or help with dinner time. 

Are you ready to get involved Pack your bag 

for an amazing afternoon at the SPCA! Please 

bring water, a sack lunch and any treats you 

might enjoy during your visit. Sharing food 

with the animals is prohibited. We encourage 

you to bring your camera. Take as many photos 

as you like, and share them with us and your 

social media community. Your photos and 

videos can help these dogs and cats find their 

forever homes with people who will treat them 

with the love and care they deserve. 

Every Tuesday at noon, we meet in the 

Costco parking lot beside the large tree. You 

can either caravan in your own vehicle or ride 

with us out to the Sanctuary. Space is limited so 

reservations are necessary. We typically return 

around 5:30 p.m. Please contact Nicole Martin 

at nicole@cupocity.com to make a reservation. 

Can you drive We are looking for someone 

with their own vehicle who can help transport 

visitors to the sanctuary from Costco. 



4 

Within PV 

We are getting more and more response to our invitation for visitors 

and would like to offer a more flexible schedule. If you are interested, 

please contact Nicole Martin. Please keep in mind that we are always in 

the need of towels and blankets for the Sanctuary. If you would like to 

make a donation, such as toys or other items, please just drop them off 

at Los Mangos Library on Saturdays. 

Special Thanks - to Buri Grey and one anonymous donor for their 

donations, and to FOUR PAWS in Fairfax, CA, for their wonderful 

donations! To use your credit card to make tax deductible donations 

through PayPal, please go to our website www.spcapv.com/donate 

You can also contribute to the SPCA by going to CASSANDRA 

SHAW JEWELRY where you can pick up your own SPCA T shirt. The 

store is open 7 days a week and gives 100% of the profits of the SPCA 

accessories to the SPCA. 

Adoption location - Los Mangos Public Library at 1001 Ave. 

Francisco Villa, just past the Pemex station and around the corner from 

Costco. Saturdays from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. We are always looking for 

volunteers on adoption days at both locations. Please contact us if you 

would be interested in helping. Email us at spcapv@gmail.com. 

PEACE Animals - Congratulations on their successful clinic last week 

in Las Juntas with 98 sterilizations. Next scheduled clinic is August 28- 

31 at 35 Calle Cupuri in Col. Aramara. 

Check their website and Facebook page for dates and locations of 

FREE sterilization clinics. These clinics take place Wed. to Fri., opening 

at 9 am each day. Everyone should arrive early. Animals are treated for 

parasites, ticks, fleas and mange, if present. Cats and dogs must be 8 

weeks or older. No food or water after midnight the night before surgery. 

Volunteers are needed to poster neighborhoods, provide lunches and to 

work at the clinics. Please contact them at infopeaceanimals@gmail.com. 

This can only come together with the support of volunteers and 

donations from people like you. If you wish to make a contribution, 

please go to www.peaceanimals.org It’s tax deductible. Every little bit 

counts, please help us help them. 

SPCA de PV is supported by individual donations and fund raising 

events. It is not supported by the government, corporations, foundations 

or businesses. Financial donations are always needed. Monies received 

will be applied where the need is greatest. 

To donate: www.spcapv.com/donate 

Publisher / Editor: 

Allyna Vineberg 

avineberg@yahoo.com 

Contributors: 

Anna Reisman 

Harriet Murray 

Stan Gabruk 

Giselle Belanger 

Ronnie Bravo 

Tommy Clarkson 

Luis Melgoza 

Dr. Fabio Cupul 

Dr. Jorge Chavez 

Janice Gonzalez 

Office: 223-1128 

Graphic Designer: 

Leo Robby R. R. 

Webmaster: 

PVMCITYPAPER Online Team 

Cover photo: 

“Tuba” 

by Bud Ellison 

PV Mirror es una publicación semanal. 

Certificados de licitud de título y 

contenido en tramite. Prohibida la 

reproducción total o parcial de su 

contenido, imágenes y/o fotografías sin 

previa autorización por escrito del editor. 



Beyond PV 

5 

Push for legal production of hemp in Mexico 

Marijuana and the closely 

related hemp can provide 

medicinal, food and textile 

industrial materials that could 

attract substantial investment and 

development in Mexico if cannabis 

were legalised and its cultivation 

and sale regulated, experts say. 

“Cannabis presents possibilities 

for large-scale agricultural 

production, as it grows everywhere, 

and its current and potential uses 

represent an undeniable opportunity 

that is very attractive for economic 

development,” filmmaker and 

photographer Julio Zenil, one 

of the most active advocates for 

the legalisation in Mexico of 

marijuana, popularly known here 

as “mota”, told IPS. 

Zenil, who in the late 2000s 

imported apparel made out of 

hemp fabric, is a co-author with 

Jorge Hernández and Leopoldo 

Rivera of the book “La mota. 

Compendio actualizado de la 

mariguana en México” (Mota: 

Current Compendium of Marijuana 

in Mexico), which the authors say 

attempts “to demystify a plant 

whose main problem is the hysteria 

and media manipulation it provokes 

in our society.” 

Cannabis sativa is a versatile 

plant with different uses, depending 

on the strain and the environmental 

conditions. Tall varieties 

(commonly called industrial hemp) 

are cultivated mainly for the fibre 

in the stems, which have very little 

resin (the psychoactive portion). 

Lower-growing, spreading 

varieties are grown for the 

psychoactive chemical compounds 

found in resin glands on buds and 

flowers, from which marijuana and 

hashish are extracted and consumed 

for recreational, medicinal and 

spiritual purposes. The sturdy hemp 

plant grows almost everywhere in 

the world, maturing within a year 

and attaining heights of up to five 

metres, without the application of 

chemical fertilisers or pesticides. 

It also has the ability to sequester 

large amounts of carbon. 

Hemp fibres are longer, stronger, 

more absorbent and more 

insulating than cotton fibres. The 

plant can be used for food, animal 

feed, cosmetics, oils, textiles, 

paper, rope-making and biofuels. 

The seeds, a source of hempseed 

oil, are very nutritious, containing 

high levels of essential fatty acids, 

vitamins and dietary fibre. 

Mexico’s anti-drug strategy 

is riddled with contradictions. 

The General Health Law permits 

possession of five grams of 

marijuana for personal use, but 

production, distribution and sale 

are banned. 

The country’s laws also ban 

production and transformation 

of industrial hemp, in spite of 

agreements with other countries, 

like the North American Free Trade 

Agreement (NAFTA) with Canada 

and the United States, in force 

since 1994, and an agreement with 

the European Union, which allow 

trade in several of its by-products. 

The Single Convention on 

Narcotic Drugs of 1961, the United 

Nations Convention Against 

Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs 

and Psychotropic Substances 

of 1988 and the Convention on 

Psychotropic Substances of 1971 

do not restrict industrial hemp 

production, but they do ban the 

cultivation, production and trade in 

cannabis as a drug. 

Some countries ban hemp because 

they confuse it with marijuana, 

which is produced from the flowers 

of the female cannabis plant. 

Hemp production “has economic 

aspects that should be addressed. 

We will have to see how to regulate 

it,” economist Pedro Aspe, a former 

finance minister under conservative 

president Carlos Salinas (1988- 

1994), told IPS. 



6 Beyond PV 

Actions for marriage equality 

During his campaign for the post of Governor of Jalisco, 

today’s Governor Aristóteles Sandoval was the only one to 

support the promotion of gay marriages. 

Now the President of Cohesión de Diversidades para la 

Sustentabilidad (Codise), Jaime Cobián, reminded the Governor 

of his promises, demanding that he act on them to fulfill them. 

He added that although the local Congress has submitted 

proposals against discrimination, as well as for respect and 

recognition, it is sad that there is still no progress on this topic 

in Jalisco. 

Although Cobián asked the matter to be raised for discussion 

in the Congress to show some kind of progress, he reiterated his 

opposition to the Ley de Sociedades de Convivencia as that Law 

does not grand the same rights nor the legal recognition that 

heterosexual couples enjoy. 

In closing, he said that to date, there are seven couples that 

have asked to be legally recognized –four lesbian and three gaybut 

Jalisco’s Civil Registry has turned them away claiming that 

there is no law to regulate such registration. 

This is the sixth consecutive year that civil organizations 

supporting sexual minorities have asked the Congress of the 

State of Jalisco to reform the Civil Code to recognize marriages 

between same sex couples. 

(Source: Guadalupe Ayala – www.enterate.mx) 

Use of the hemp plant goes back 

8,000 years in China, where it was 

employed to make paper. There 

is also evidence of its existence 

in other parts of the world. The 

Spanish colonisers introduced hemp 

into Mexico in the 16th century 

and 200 years later encouraged 

its cultivation as a source of raw 

materials. 

The Mexican government first 

restricted production and sale of 

marijuana in 1920, ahead of the 

U.S. Marijuana Tax Act of 1937, 

which made possession or transfer 

of cannabis illegal throughout the 

United States under federal law, 

except for medical and industrial 

uses. 

Illegal cultivation of marijuana 

is concentrated in the western and 

southern states of Mexico and is 

aimed at the lucrative U.S. market. 

The Latin America Hemp Trading, 

a company based in Montevideo, 

Uruguay that is working to establish 

large-scale hemp cultivation in the 

region, and the campaign for the 

International Year of Natural Fibres 

2009, estimated the global hemp 

fibre market at over 90,000 tonnes 

a year, with China producing 

50 percent, the European Union 

25 percent, and Canada, Chile, 

South Korea, Australia and other 

countries the rest. 

Optimum yield of hemp fibre 

is over two tonnes per hectare, 

while the average yield is 650 kg. 

Average seed yields are one tonne 

per hectare, according to figures 

published for the International 

Year, which was promoted by the 

Food and Agriculture Organisation 

of the United Nations (FAO). 

Mexico allows imports of seeds, 

raw hemp, textiles, twine and 

cordage for rope-making. 

At least eight initiatives for the 

decriminalisation of marijuana 

have been presented to the Mexican 

Congress and state legislatures 

since 2007. Three of them proposed 

industrial uses of cannabis. 

These proposals argue that 

allowing and regulating legal 

cultivation of hemp would create 

a development opportunity for 

thousands of rural producers and 

stimulate new industries, such 

as paper-making, textiles, and 

the food, medical, cosmetics and 

construction industries. 

If marijuana cultivation were 

allowed in Mexico, one of the 

first to be interested in investing 

in its production is agricultural 

businessman Guillermo 

Torreslanda. 

“We must legalise it,” Torreslanda 

told IPS. “We could copy what has 

been done elsewhere and adapt it 

to conditions here. We could think 

about production schemes that 

include agricultural support and 

financing.” 

He suggested a scheme with 

separate arrangements for 

production and distribution, in 

order to avoid monopolies and 

encourage competition. 

Zenil said: “The case of Mexico 

is paradoxical. Trade in hemp 

products is perfectly legal, but 

since it is legally impossible to 

cultivate or profit from the cannabis 

plant, it is also impossible to create 

a normal hemp industry.” 

Former finance minister Aspe 

said: “In other places, there are 

authentic import substitution 

programmes, and they are 

succeeding.” 

(Source: Emilio Godoy - www.ipsnews.net) 



Beyond PV 

7 

Boomer survey reveals likes, 

dislikes of older vacationers 

Take notes, resort operators: Here’s what Baby Boomers (ages 

48-69) typically look for in setting up their vacations, based on a 

survey of subscribers to WatchBoom.com. 

First, keeping a lid on expenses is important, but over 60% of 

the respondents said they’d be willing to shell out a few more 

bucks if the resort destination is something to write home about. 

What’s more, they’d be willing to bunk down in a resort during its 

off season if they could save a bundle. 

Boomers have a preference for all-inclusive hotels, the survey 

found. Said one subscriber, “Knowing that your tab for food and 

drink is covered takes a lot of unknowns out of budgeting for a 

vacation, especially for (boomers) who foot the bill for family 

reunions and the like.” Well over half of the respondents said 

they’d opt for “garden view” rooms at beach resorts if they were 

priced substantially lower than “ocean view” rooms. 

“Besides,” said one boomer, “you can’t always get a front-on 

view of the ocean from (ocean view) rooms.” 

But another reader said: “When I see a whole string of reports 

saying a hotel is really wonderful, and nothing ever goes wrong 

there, I get a feeling that the reviews have been ‘planted’ by the 

hotel.” 

Top complaints 

What are boomers’ biggest gripes about their vacations Some 

80% percent of the respondents cited objections to “extra charges” 

levied by supposedly all-inclusive hotels. For example, a number 

of respondents cited fees for optional meals in premium dining 

rooms and added tabs for scotch and other high-end liquors. One 

resort reportedly even charged extra for beach chairs. 

A large number of boomers complained that they couldn’t 

get anything to eat after arriving at resorts in Mexico and the 

Caribbean served by late night flights – even though dinner that 

evening was included in the bill. WatchBoom publisher Nancy 

Clark noted that several boomers had the same suggestion: “They 

should at least offer a snack bar for late arrivals.” 

Published monthly since May 2009, Denver-based WatchBoom 

features articles by 14 veteran travel journalists including the 

former travel editors of a number of major newspapers and 

national magazines. 

(Source: Bob Schulman – www.watchboom.com) 

Mexico No. 1 

Asked to name their top five foreign vacation destinations, 

boomers put Mexico in first place, followed by a tie between 

Hawaii and the Caribbean. Spain came in third, followed by Costa 

Rica and then Canada. 

Of what value to boomers are guest reviews and ratings shown on 

the hotel booking websites Here, the responses of WatchBoom’s 

readers were all over the map, ranging from “extremely valuable” 

to “totally worthless.” One boomer reported: “I rely on reviews 

by people who’ve actually stayed at hotels to steer me away from 

noisy, dirty and otherwise awful places...things I’d never have 

known from pictures of hotels on the websites.” 



8 Vallarta Voices 

by 

It was my original intention this 

week to devote the entire column to 

the breathtaking thunderstorms we’ve 

been getting every evening recently. 

However, a few nights ago, though 

there was no rain, there was a storm 

raging somewhere way out there, to 

the northwest. All we could see was 

the lightning illuminating the huge 

clouds in that particular area, while 

overhead the sky was nearly clear. 

And all was quiet - here. Amazing! 

There’s another reason I love this 

time of year: I’ve gotten in the habit 

of putting a clean pail outside my 

door when it looks as if we’re going 

to get “a good one”. The next day, I 

ANNA REISMAN 

strain the water into empty bottles that 

I refrigerate. You think bottled water 

is good You haven’t tasted “good” 

water until you’ve drunk rainwater. It 

is truly special, clean, pure, and very 

soft! 

I do not look forward to the end of 

the “rainy” season. 

And then there are those streets in 

Vallarta that have been the topic of 

discussion for the various successive 

administrations over so many years, 

continue to flood every time we get 

a big downpour. We see cars floating, 

yes, floating on Francisco Villa and 

by next morning, the sun comes out 

and the steep streets are dry, but not 

always Francisco Villa 

Boulevard! I have heard 

it said that correcting the 

problem would involve so 

much tearing up of streets 

around that area that no 

administration wants to 

even contemplate the cost, 

both financial and social. 

Nevertheless, someone 

will have to do something 

sometime. Maybe mañana... 

And maybe mañana, 

the buses and taxis will 

remember that people – 

locals and tourists- are the 

ones they soak as they race through 

those flooded streets with complete 

impunity. 

World events are something that 

I try not to touch upon too often in 

this space, but with all the natural 

disasters happening all around, I 

cannot help but think of that movie, 

“The Day After Tomorrow”. And I 

think of the fight being waged right 

here in Vallarta by the Ecological 

Group, and other environmentallyconscious 

organizations ...and the 

fact that no one in authority appears 

to be listening. And I look up at the 

glorious mountains that surround us 

and I think of …”Soylent Green”. 

On a lighter note, I remember 

when one of this town’s Spanishlanguage 

dailies’ reporters wrote 

an article (many years ago) where 

he advised a local politician that 

(translated literally into English): 

“drivers are constantly insulting the 

mothers of City Hall’s civil servants. 

There are potholes spreading 

throughout the city, but some 

of them look like real lunar 

craters and when the vehicles 

fall into those potholes, the 

first thing their drivers do is 

to recall the mothers of the 

public servants who do not 

repair the huge holes.” 

My friends and I went 

out to Boca de Tomatlán last 

weekend to catch the panga 

for Ocean Grill (always a 

delight!). We noticed that 

they were resurfacing the 

road, with asphalt, again. 

I guess the feds ran out of money. 

Why else would they renege on their 

promise to redo Highway 200 all the 

way to El Tuito in concrete 

As some of you may know, I’m 

the one who translates the various 

texts published in the Mirror which 

were originally written in Spanish. I 

truly enjoy doing it as I always learn 

something from the exercise. A few 

weeks ago, our friend Dr. Cupul 

wrote an article on tiny little beings I 

translated as “Little moths with houses 

on their backs” (www.pvmcitypaper. 

com/download/251.pdf) Well, it turns 

out that they have always lived in our 

house. I never knew that those little 

oval things on my bathroom walls 

were alive! I used to flick them off 

and sweep them away. No more. May 

they live long and prosper. 

I wish you all a wonderful week, 

filled with sunshiny days, and 

thunder-filled nights. Hasta luego. 

sheis@ymail.com 



Good Bites 

9 

Tu-u-u-ba-a-a-a-a! 

Tuba: a large, valved, brass 

wind instrument with a bass pitch 

Correct, but that is not at all what 

we’re talking about. The tuba 

we have in mind is a drink along 

Mexico’s Pacific coast. This drink 

is made from coconut palm sap 

and is sweet and pleasant by itself 

but can be fermented to a type of 

wine. Tuba is unique to the coast of 

Jalisco and Colima. 

Workers climb the female palm 

tree - not destined to be harvested 

for coconuts - and bruise the 

coconut flower stalk until the liquid 

begins to flow. The stalk is tied 

with bamboo strips and a bamboo 

container, or bottle, is used to 

collect the sap. Up to 3 flowers from 

one tree may be made to produce 

sap. Each flower produces tuba for 

two months, then dries out and is 

cut from the tree. Tuba quenches 

the thirst and is said to be good for 

indigestion. 

The workers, called tuberos, start 

working at dawn, climbing the 

narrow trunks to collect the sap. If 

you have never seen workers climb 

these trees to collect coconuts or 

prune the palms (palapas) you have 

missed a real show! This work, 

and tuba, is part of what makes our 

Mexican Pacific coast unique in its 

rich culture, habits, history and art. 

Jalisco and Colima (the origin 

point of tuba in Mexico) are known 

for their food and drink and, 

keeping with tradition, the tuberos 

climb to the highest point to tap 

into the sap of the palm flower. 

Tuba originated in the Philippines 

and came to Mexico, along with the 

coconut trees that line the highway 

to Colima, in the 16 th century. 

The Philippines had been 

conquered by the Spanish and 

workers from there arrived with 

the seeds and the knowledge to 

cultivate sugar cane and rice in the 

rich volcanic soil. They worked 

with and exchanged customs with 

the local Mexicans. This sweet 

drink is also known as tuba in the 

Philippines. 

You will find this drink in the 

streets and markets of both states. 

In Puerto Vallarta, it is sold by 

men usually wearing white linen 

clothing, calling out “tuuuuuba!” 

all along the Malecon. They offer 

the drink served from a huge 

wooden or clay jug at a stand or 

from gourds carried on a pole 

across their shoulders. For just a 

few pesos they will prepare you a 

fresh cup of tuba served with nuts 

and sometimes little bits of fruit 

too. 

Tuba is collected in the morning 

and maintains its color and 

distinctive taste for two hours after 

being collected. Just five hours 

later, it begins to ferment. The sap 

can begin to ferment while still 

in the container on the tree, but 

the alcohol content increases with 

fermentation. If it sits for 8 days, 

it turns to vinegar for cooking and 

pickling. The same vinegar used 

in a famous bread soup served at 

weddings and baptisms. 

The tree itself has an interesting 

history. 

Today, Colima and Jalisco are 

dominated by the coconut palm 

(Cocus nucifera) that is not native. 

It came from the Solomon Islands 

in the early 16 th century. Growing 

in popularity, it began to replace 

cacao as a more profitable crop 

with less work. With the coconut 

seeds came some Philippine slaves. 

Known as Chinese Indians, they 

were brought ashore in Salagua to 

evade Acapulco customs. Because 

of their entry method there is little 

historical documentation on them. 

The owners hid them to avoid the 

tax on slaves at the time. 

These new immigrants became 

free, landowners and inter-mixed 

with the local population. They 

had the secrets and extensive 

knowledge of palm cultivation, 

potential and the juices and nectars 

that could be obtained. 

Fermented tuba became a quality, 

low-priced wine that gathered a 

following. It competed with the 

Castilla wine of the royal monopoly. 

Growers were persecuted under 

the guise of “social wellbeing and 

hygiene”. The Royal Audience of 

Mexico ordered the destruction of 

all coconut fields in 1612 but this 

order was never obeyed due to 

local resistance. The tuba beverage 

continued and by the end of the 18 th 

century, the Culture of the Coconut 

had become ingrained in the fabric 

of the coastal states’ identity. 

Have you had your tuba treat 

today 

(Source: Terry Sovil - 

www.aquaticsportsadventures.com) 



10 

Legal Matters 

Ask Luis 

LUIS MELGOZA 

Dear Luis: A window, apparently from the Federal Police (it is in Spanish), 

is blocking my computer screen and I can’t make it go away. For what I 

understand, it is telling me that I’m in serious trouble and need to pay a fine. 

I haven’t done anything wrong. Please help! 

Dear Marcy: First, don’t worry. It is not the Federal Police, it is just the 

ransomware —a special type of malware— generically known as “Police 

virus” or “FBI virus” currently making the rounds in Mexico, after hitting 

computers in several different countries posing as each of those countries 

federal law enforcement. 

The notice states that your computer has been blocked because it has been 

detected that you have committed various and sundry crimes, including 

copyright violations, distribution of pornography, distribution of child 

pornography, advocating terrorism, virus propagation and illegal gambling. 

That all operations conducted in your computer are being recorded with 

your web cam and microphone, and you must pay a fine of $1,000 MXN to 

$3,000 MXN, via Ukash or Pay Safe card (in other countries also via Green 

Dot), within 48 hours to unblock your computer. It finishes warning you 

that failure to pay the fine will result in automatic criminal prosecution with 

potential imprisonment ranging from 2 to 25 years. 

Your computer is locked, however, and your web cam and microphone 

can be manipulated by the ransomware to show you what is happening in 

the room. 

After shutting down the infected computer —if you can’t shut it down 

normally, unplug it from the power source—, you can either download 

“Kaspersky Rescue Disk” on a clean computer, burn it to a USB flash-drive, 

restart the infected computer from the flash-drive and follow Kaspersky’s 

prompts to sterilize the computer; or, dial 088 from anywhere in Mexico 

and a Federal Police technician will walk you through the steps to clean 

by 

your computer —you should be fluent in Spanish or have a Spanish-speaking 

person with you if you call 088. 

Of course, you can always call PVGeeks at (322) 223-2488 and we will 

take care of your computer security. 

This malware is distributed via links in spam e-mail, hacked web sites, 

pirated videos, music and software, and when an infected computer is in the 

same network as a clean one. It is always a good idea to install both Avast 

Anti-virus and Malware Bytes, the free versions of both suffice, to prevent 

infections - of course, this is not necessary if you have Kaspersky already. 

It is also very important never to use public WiFi hotspots unless you direct 

all your device traffic through an encrypted VPN (Virtual Private Network). 

At this time, the police virus does not affect Macs. 

Again, this is just a scam and it has absolutely nothing to do with any 

law enforcement agency in the world. Do not pay under any circumstances. 

If you already paid, ask for a refund explaining that you were victim of 

a cybercrime —you might need to file a complaint with the Procuraduría 

General de la República to pursue the refund. 

Dear Luis: I heard that the state of Jalisco reduced the alcohol limits for 

DUI purposes. What are the new limits A third offense carries a two-year 

driver’s license suspension. 

Dear Mike: Yes, there are new limits of alcohol in blood and alcohol in 

breath in Jalisco. 

a) 50 to 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood (0.25 to 

0.4 milligrams of alcohol per liter of exhaled breath): Fine in the amount 

of 150 to 200 minimum wage days. 

b) 81 to 130 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood (0.41 to 

0.65 milligrams of alcohol per liter of exhaled breath): Same fine, plus 12 

to 24 hours in jail —incommutable—, and the vehicle will be impounded. 

c) Over 130 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood (over 

0.65 milligrams per liter of exhaled breath). Same as (b), plus 60 to 120 

days community service and driver’s license suspension for 3 months to 

2 years. 

Refusal to take a field sobriety test, including a breathalyzer, is illegal. 

Refuse and go to jail. 

Repeat offenders will have their vehicle impounded in all cases, spend up 

to 36 hours in jail and must attend classes regarding the dangers of drunk 

driving. 

A third offense carries the same penalties, and permanent driver’s license 

revocation. 

It is important to notice that the average person will have 0.25 milligrams 

of alcohol per liter of exhaled air by drinking less than 3 beers. 

Send me your questions to askluis@pvgeeks.com, Although I try, I am not 

able to answer each message privately due to the volume of mail I receive. I 

will identify you by your first name only in my response here, unless you tell 

me that you wish to remain anonymous. Should you need personal attention, 

please call me at (322) 164-4049 to schedule a private consultation. For 

breaking news, follow me on Twitter @pvgeeks 

Luis Melgoza is a former PRI (Mexico’s ruling party) Head Counsel 

and Legal Adviser to the Mexican Congress. Although retired from 

the legal profession, he is a highly respected consultant for both the 

foreign and Mexican communities in Puerto Vallarta, and he provides 

professionally certified commercial and residential computer and networks 

solutions locally through his company, PVGeeks. 

You can reach Luis at lumel@pvgeeks.com 



Real Estate 11 

by: HARRIET MURRAY 

Reading between the lines 

real estate language 

Real estate agents learn to be 

diplomatic early on if they want to 

keep their clients. 

When asking for feedback from a 

showing and the agent reports that 

her buyers thought the home had a 

bad floor plan (“chopped up”) and 

hated the décor, the seller receives the 

message that the buyers thought the 

floor plan and style of house did not fit 

their needs. 

I thought it might be fun to “translate” 

a letter from a listing agent to his client 

from an area up north: 

Dear Seller, 

Here are some statistics on Happy 

Green Acres 

When we took your listing, there 

were 2 other active listings in Happy 

Green Acres. Today, there are 23. 23 

active listings is still a low number for 

the number of homes there are in your 

area (less than 1%) – still considered a 

shortage. 

(YOU HAVE 21 MORE 

COMPETITORS, AND I AM 

GLAD YOU DON’T HAVE 

MORE RIGHT NOW.) 

Since taking your listing 39 days 

ago, there have been 11 homes go into 

escrow in Happy Green Acres. Of 

those, only 2 have been in the same 

market as your home (under $650,000.) 

(ANOTHER AREA IS HOT, BUT 

IT IS NOT YOUR AREA. I WISH I 

HAD MORE LISTINGS IN THIS 

AREA WITH 11 HOMES UNDER 

CONTRACT.) 

Of the current active listings, there 

are only 2 other homes in your market 

that you are competing with – 1471 

Palm Grove (1889 sq.ft. listed at 

$575,000. just 5 days after yours) 

and 933 Prism (2655 sq. ft. listed at 

$639,000. back on April 12 th ). After 

those two homes, the remaining 21 

homes for sale are 2900 sq. ft. or larger 

and listed closer to $700,000 or more, 

which is a different market and not 

your competition. 

(I AM NOT SURE HOW TO SAY 

I DO NOT KNOW WHY YOUR 

HOME HAS NOT SOLD YET.) 

We have had 21 showings that I am 

seeing on the Agent digital lockbox. 

However, I believe there have been 

more. There are 2 reasons that many 

may not be showing up: 1. somebody 

let the agent in so they didn’t use the 

lockbox, 2. the agent used the lockbox, 

but has not updated their card since 

using it. Once they update I will get 

visibility. 

(WE DID NOT HAVE AS MANY 

SHOWINGS AS WE WANTED TO 

HAVE OR AS WE PROMISED YOU 

WE WOULD HAVE. AGENTS 

WHO HAVE NOT PAID THEIR 

LOCKBOX FEE OR DUES ARE 

NOT REGISTERED WHEN THEY 

GO INTO THE HOUSE. THEY 

ONLY APPEAR AFTER THEY 

HAVE PAID. (CAN BURGLARS 

WALK IN WITH AN EXPIRED 

LOCK BOX KEY) 

Of those 21 showings, we did receive 

one offer at $590,000. but as it turned 

out, those buyers made offers on 

several properties simultaneously and 

ended up going with another property. 

(WE WERE VICTIMS OF A 

MULTIPLE OFFER - BUYER, AND 

I WAS NOT AWARE OF THIS.) 

What we are seeing is a shortage 

of active listings but we also have a 

shortage of Buyers. 

(WE ARE IN A VERY SLOW 

MARKET.) 

We need to ensure that your home is 

not just competitive, but compelling. 

(YOU NEED PAY A 

PROFESSIONAL TO STAGE YOUR 

HOME TO MAKE IT APPEALING. 

GET RID OF THAT OLD COUCH 

IN THE LIVING ROOM.) 

The market has slowed considerably 

ever since Benanke spoke a few days 

before we listed your home causing 

rates to jump from 3.25% to 4.75%. 

(WHAT BENANKE SAID 

CAUSED INTEREST RATES TO 

SPIKE, AND I DO NOT KNOW 

WHY.) Rates have since trickled 

down some but are still around 4.25%, 

as new buyers are coming into the 

market (those that did not look at 

homes they qualified for when the 

rates were 3.25%) 

(I DON’T KNOW WHY NEW 

BUYERS COME INTO THE 

MARKET WHEN RATES GO 

ABOVE WHAT THEY ARE 

QUALIFIED TO BUY. THEY MAY 

NOT BE SERIOUS BUYERS.) 

We are seeing more activity market 

wide. 

(YOUR AREA IS SLOW. 

I AM TRYING TO AVOID 

THE SUBJECT BY REFERRING 

TO THE ENTIRE MARKET.) 

We are still trying as hard as we can. 

(I WOULD PREFER YOU NOT 

CALL ME EVERY DAY TO SEE IF 

WE HAVE MORE APPOINTMENTS 

TO SHOW YOUR HOME. PLEASE 

DO NOT CALL ME EVERY DAY 

TO ASK IF WE HAVE AN OFFER.) 

This article is based upon legal 

opinions, current practices and my 

personal experiences. I recommend 

that each potential buyer or seller 

of real estate conduct his own due 

diligence and review. 

Harriet Murray can be contacted at 

harriet@casasandvillas.com 



12 

Hi-Tech 

The end of Windows XP… Finally 

After numerous extensions for customers outraged by the idea 

of its impending demise, Microsoft will finally end support for 

Windows XP in April next year. Next year, Microsoft will finally 

pull the plug on Windows XP. The company will stop providing 

updates after more than 12 years in service. That’s the computing 

world’s version of living to your 120 th birthday!! 

With the code name ”Whistler” and brought to life 

as Windows XP, this legend of an operating system hit 

retail shelves on October 25 th , 2001, just in time for the 

Christmas season. It was the prodigal son of Windows 

Millennium and Windows 2000. From that point 

forward, it reached its peak of 76.1 percent market 

share in January 2007 and then slowly descended to 34 

percent as of December 2012. 

Popularity has been the big hold up. Windows XP is Microsoft’s 

most popular operating system to date. It finally began slipping 

from the number one rank worldwide when Windows 7 arrived, 

but it’s still in use on around a third of computer systems. There 

are a few key holdouts: corporate computers and China. 

But all that is about to come to a screeching halt as Microsoft will 

officially retire extended support. That means for the consumer, 

the word XP will not even be in Microsoft’s vocabulary. It means 

as of April 8, 2014, there will be no new security updates or 

hotfixes. It means if you try to call Microsoft to get help (I made 

a funny), they won’t even have XP in their system to be able to 

help you. 

Lots of businesses won’t upgrade computing systems unless 

they absolutely have to. It’s that old “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” 

mentality. Replacing Windows XP with something newer can cost 

a business more than just money. There’s also the potential for lost 

productivity (which, of course, ultimately translates to money) 

and end-user frustration (which translates to lost productivity). 

At home, many users don’t give a second thought to what 

operating system they’re using. If it still connects to the Internet 

and plays solitaire, it’s just fine. Why spend money on a Windows 

upgrade — or spend several hundred dollars on a new computer 

when your old one isn’t getting much of a workout anyway 

Admittedly, your XP computer won’t stop dead in April - but 

it will become less reliable over time. The end of support is 

effectively the retirement of Windows XP in Microsoft’s eyes. 

The problem that some XP users have is that they’re so in love 

with the way that Windows XP does things that they’re reluctant 

to change, especially to Windows 8. But Windows 7 is a good 

alternative that offers a similar look and feel to XP. 

Future software is unlikely to run on XP (Internet Explorer 

10 is already not compatible with XP), and older software will 

eventually stop working too. Most importantly, though, it means 

Microsoft will no longer fix any future security vulnerabilities 

that might be found by hackers, exposing you to the risk of data 

loss or theft. 

Having anti-malware software will help, but that alone isn’t 

enough to make your computer safe to use on the Internet. 

It’s a little like driving around in a car that’s 20-30 years old. 

If well maintained, it will still get you from A to B. But there’s 

no comparison when it comes to safety. Today’s cars are vastly 

better at protecting you in a crash. Car companies will issue safety 

recalls for newer cars if they discover problems. And the newest 

cars are still under warranty. 

HP is expecting Windows XP finally being killed off to have 

more of a positive impact on its PC sales than Windows 8 ever 

could, with the OS retirement expected to open up a 

huge market of upgraders who have so far held off 

from buying fresh hardware. The change in platforms, 

as Windows XP extended support finally ends in April 

2014, will see many users – particularly in businesses 

– finally replace their PCs. HP and other companies 

are hoping to capitalize on this event. 

So what are your options if you’re still running XP If you 

really don’t want to invest in a new computer, then you should 

at least invest in getting your system upgraded to Windows 7 - if 

possible. A pinch of prevention is worth a pound of cure. 

That’s all my time for now. See you again next week... until 

then, 

Remember: only safe Internet! 

Ron can be found at CANMEX Computers. Sales, Repairs, 

Networking, Wi-Fi, Hardware upgrades, Graphic Design, 

Data Recovery, house-calls. www.RonnieBravo.com 

Cellular 044-322-157-0688 or just email to CanMex@Gmail.com 



Gil Gevins’ Page 13 

I would like to take this opportunity 

to publicly apologize to the entire 

Yelapa expatriate community. My 

motive for taking this unprecedented 

step Remorse, pure and simple. 

Remorse over a story which appears 

in my wildly entertaining book, 

Refried Brains, and which presents the 

aforementioned expatriate community 

in something less than a glittering 

light. How much less than glittering 

One troubled individual, after he had 

read the story, said to me, “So, do any 

normal people live in Yelapa, or are 

they all raving lunatics” 

“Raving lunatic is a relative term,” I 

replied noncommittally. 

What made me change my 

entire Yelapan perspective was 

a splendiferous Valentine’s Day 

weekend my wife and I had the 

privilege of spending there, last 

February. 

We had no way of knowing it, 

but Valentine’s Day is the absolute, 

undisputed pinnacle-by-default of the 

entire Yelapan social calendar. It marks 

the culmination of the annual croquet 

tournament, which is followed by the 

spectacular costume party and ball. It 

was at this pair of superlative events 

that Lucy and I were able to make the 

acquaintance of so many wonderful, 

talented, seemingly normal expatriates 

who make Yelapa their winter home. 

Arriving by water-taxi, we set 

off at once to locate the site of the 

Internationally Sanctioned Croquet 

Tournament, and promptly got lost. 

After asking seven or eight people 

for directions, we finally managed 

to find the actual location just as the 

tournament was ending. I know very 

little about croquet, but it seemed 

to me that the irregular and badly 

sloping field, sparsely sprinkled with 

grass and liberally littered with rocks, 

The two cases of Eve 

by GIL GEVINS 

www.gilgevins.com 

bushes and other non-scheduled 

impediments, would present quite a 

challenge to the contestants. 

In this assumption I was not wrong: 

the winning score was almost 24,895 

and 1/2 strokes. 

After lugging ourselves back down 

to town, we had some excellent fish 

on the beach at Domingo’s, went 

home and prepared ourselves for the 

evening’s festivities. Since we had not 

brought any costumes along, I decided 

to dress as a writer, while Lucy 

disguised herself as the owner of the 

world’s greatest folk-art emporium, 

Lucy’s Cucu Cabaña. 

The 99 th Annual Costume Contest 

and Ball was held on the beach, 

beneath an enormous palapa at the 

Hotel Californica. Arriving just after 

seven, we were surprised to see well 

over 200 people in attendance, most 

of them masquerading as peculiar 

looking expatriates. 

The other folks, the ones who had 

dressed in real costumes in order to 

compete for the various cash prizes, 

were bursting with excitement and 

enthusiasm. With a liter of Raicilla to 

keep us company, we settled in at our 

table to watch the show. 

Sadly, lack of space prevents me 

from describing all of the marvelous 

and highly creative costumes, so I will 

just mention a few of my favorites. 

One of the first contestants were not 

one, but two “Eves”. The first Eve 

entered stage-left carrying part of a 

tree with apples glued to it. The second 

Eve arrived five contestants later with 

a snake around her neck. The snake 

appeared to be alive (unlike the tree), 

but unnaturally inert. Straining our 

eyes we attempted to determine the 

metabolic status of the snake. Was it 

sleeping Or was it dead Or had it 

simply been in Yelapa too long 


Then there were the group 

contestants. One consisted of an Arab 

Sheik accompanied by his harem - 

three men dressed unconvincingly as 

women. Another group had their faces 

elaborately painted, and resembled 

an octet of vampires who’d just been 

thrown out of a peyote ceremony. 

Well, on and on it went, and it was a 

truly spectacular show. “This is going 

to be tough on the judges,” Lucy 

remarked. “Yes,” I agreed, “especially 

the ones who are still conscious.” 

Just as the judges were about to 

announce the winners of the 65 

different categories (with less than 

30 contestants, this guaranteed that 

everyone would win something), we 

were joined at our table by Philippo 

Lo Grande, my favorite painter. 

Besides being spectacularly 

talented, Philippo is one of only three 

expats who usually live in Yelapa 

year ‘round, a feat requiring a certain 

degree of intestinal fortitude. Oddly 

enough, the other two year ‘round 

residents have not been sighted 

for several years; locals claim it is 

because they have made themselves 

nearly transparent by consuming vast 

quantities of Raicilla. 

“How’d you do in the croquet 

tournament” Lucy asked. 

“Only fourth place,” Philippo 

replied. “I would’ve placed higher, but 

my ball got swallowed twice.” 

“Swallowed Twice” 

“Yeah. Once by a goat, and once by 

my next door neighbor - he thought it 

was a Gouda Cheese.” 

Prize-wise, everything was rolling 

along smoothly until they announced 

ISSUE 253 | AUGUST 2013 FRIDAY 30 

the winner of the “Most Creative 

Costume By An Individual Person 

Whose First Name Begins With An 

M” category. 

The winner was… Eve! The Eve 

who had lopped off half a tree raced 

up to the microphone to receive the 

envelope containing her cash prize. 

As she held it ecstatically in her 

hands, the other Eve ran up and tried 

to wrest it from her grasp. “I’m Eve,” 

she declared, the prize is mine!” 

“No, I’m Eve,” the tree cutter 

insisted. “I’ve got the tree and the 

apple!” 

“But I’ve got the snake!” the other 

Eve declared. Unbelievably, an actual 

tug-of-war ensued, with both Eves 

clinging to the envelope for dear life. 

As the two women continued to 

struggle, an expat dressed as a box 

of laundry detergent approached 

our table and immediately began 

to harangue me: “You should be 

ashamed,” the orange box said, 

“for that article you wrote about the 

Debilitism Cult. Yelapa is filled with 

normal people, but you made it sound 

like there’s nothing here but a bunch 

of foreign nut-jobs.” 

“Well,” I shrugged, eying the two 

Eves (one dressed as a dead apple tree 

and one wearing a catatonic snake), 

“normal is as normal does.” 

Gil Gevins is the author of the hilarious 

books, Puerto Vallarta On 49 Brain Cells 

A Day, Refried Brains and Slime And 

Punishment. They are all available as 

E-books on Amazon Kindle, and well 

worth it, if you like to laugh.

Nature’s World 

Planting Roots in Mexico 

by 

TOMMY CLARKSON 

14 

Starfruit 

Averrhoa carambola 

Also called: Carambola 

In the jargon of my youth, the juicy, tropical Starfruit are cool! 

They have a very unique (well, duh, star-shaped) appearance, 

are crisp in texture and have a sweet, slightly tangy flavor which 

stems from the fact that seldom do they have more than four 

percent sugar content. But, that having been so said, they also 

have a tart, sour undertone. 

Some folks have compared their taste to a blend of papaya, 

orange, and grapefruit, while others say, “No, it’s comparable 

to a mix of pineapple and lemon”. Yet others assert that it tastes 

like a combination of apple and grape! Well, if you’ve not yet 

tried one, I guess you’ll just have to make that determination by 

yourself! 

Now cultivated throughout the Southern U.S. Caribbean and 

Latin America, the Starfruit is native to the Philippines, Indonesia, 

Malaysia, Southern China, India and Sri Lanka. 

If you’ve the space in your yard or garden, this is a fun, small 

to medium-sized fruit tree to have. They will grow – depending 

on the variety – to between 12 to 33 (6 to 19 meters) feet tall 

and spreading up to 20-25 feet (6 to 7.6 meters) in diameter. An 

evergreen, its leaves are compound 6 to 12 inches long (15 to 30 

cm) that are arranged alternately on branches. Each leaf has five 

to twelve green leaflets 0.5 to 3.5 inches long (1.5 to 9 cm) and 

0.4 to 1.8 inches wide (1 to 4.5 cm). 

The tree’s flowers are generally borne on panicles on twigs, or 

smallish branches. They are small (3/8 inch or 1 cm in diameter) 

and pink to lavender in color with five petals and sepals. 

While not too particular about their soil type (though they will 

grow faster and produce more fruit if rooted in more organic 

material) they do enjoy a balanced liquid fertilizer four to five 

times a year or a slow release granular fertilizer several times 

during the growing season. 

They like/need regular watering and want to be planted 

in a location where they can bask in full sun all day and will 

grow best in a location that is sheltered from the wind. And, 

obviously, they need good drainage and – like most of us - detest 

having sustained, wet feet. 

Mulching helps retain soil moisture, reduces weed problems 

and improves the soil near the surface. Place mulch is a two to 

six inch (5-15 cm) layer keeping it eight to twelve inches (20-30 

cm) from the trunk. 

Their fruits are about 2 to 6 inches (5.1 to 15 cm) in length and 

ovate to ellipsoid in shape. They usually have five prominent 

longitudinal ridges, but might have as little as four or as many 

as eight. Its skin is thin, smooth, and waxy. The flesh is a 

translucent yellow in color. Each fruit can have 10 to 12 flat 

light brown seeds about 0.25 to 0.5 in (0.64 to 1.3 cm) in width 

that are enclosed in gelatinous aril (a fleshy seed cover). 

The Starfruit may also be used in cooking. In Southeast Asia, 

they are often stewed in cloves and sugar and sometimes with 

apples while in China, they are cooked with fish. In Australia, 

they may be cooked as a vegetable, pickled, or made into jams, 

whereas in Jamaica they are sometimes dried. Unripe and sour 

fruits can be mixed with other chopped spices to make relishes, 

eaten after being dipped in or sprinkled with rock salt (the latter 

means how we eat our slightly tart ones) or cooked together with 

shrimp. The juice from this fruit can be incorporated into iced 

drinks, blended into a sherbet, used as a seasoning or simply 

bottled for drinking. 



Nature’s World 15 

Research has found this fruit to be rich in antioxidants, 

potassium, and vitamin C while low in sugar and sodium. And, 

(Self, take note!) with only 30 calories per fruit plus lots of fiber, 

star fruit is a great choice for anyone needing to lose weight. 

Also, in that they are full of antioxidants and flavonoids they’re 

generally reported to be very healthful. 

Now, that having been said, there are two main types of 

Averrhoa carambola, the small sour/tart type and the larger sweet 

ones. The former have a higher oxalic acid content – about which 

there is conflicted discussion regarding its possible impediment 

of the absorption of calcium in the human body and harmfulness 

to individuals suffering with kidney problems. (I leave this to 

you to research and determine on your own. But for me, I like 

and often enjoy Starfruit!) 

Nearly ripe and ready are these on the tree of our next door 

neighbor and good pal, John Corey - of Juanito’s Restaurant 

(here in Manzanillo) renown. 

In Manzanillo, visit Ola Brisa Gardens, Tommy and Patty’s 

verdant, multi-terraced tropical paradise nestled on a hill 

overlooking the magnificent vista of Santiago Bay. Leisurely 

meander its curved, paved path, experiencing, first hand, a 

delicious array of palms, plants and flowers from all over the 

world. Or, e-mail questions to him at olabrisa@gmail.com 

A few of the flowers 

linger on. 

Even the 

trunk of the 

Starfruit 

Tree is a bit 

different! 



16 

Nature’s World 

by 

The raccoon (Procyon lotor) 

is a mammal that is immediately 

recognized by its black mask. This 

species, the most common of the 

three that live throughout Mexico 

(the other two being those of the Tres 

Marías Islands, Procyon insularis, 

and the pygmies of Cozumel, Procyon 

pygmaeus), exists throughout the 

whole country (and extending up to 

Canada to the north and Panama to the 

south; it has also been introduced in 

Europe and Asia), as long as there is 

a constant supply of water. In the Bay 

of Banderas, it prefers the estuaries 

where it feeds on crabs, although it 

also likes exploring the urban zones. 

It can reach up to 30 cm. shoulder 

height, with a robust body covered 

with thick gray hair. It possesses a 

spongy tail decorated with black and 

gray rings. 

The front paws -or “hands”- are 

highly skilled in manipulating 

objects, which makes it easy for 

them to unravel knots, open doors 

and windows, or open and throw 

away garbage bins. Although their 

appearance makes us think that it 

The Raccoon 

DR. FABIO CUPUL 

is a docile and playful animal, it is 

recommended to keep a safe distance 

as it can be aggressive and bite. In 

fact, raccoons are potential carriers of 

the rabies virus. They are –generallynocturnal 

animals. 

Curiously, the raccoon’s skilled 

hands were observed early on 

by Native Americans of the Cree 

and Chippewa tribes, who called 

them “those who gather things”. 

For the Lenape of Delaware, they 

were “those who use their hands as 

tools”. For his part, Spanish Friar 

Bernardino de Sahagún (1499-1590), 

in his monumental work, the “General 

History of New Spain”, tells us that the 

Aztecs called the raccoon mapachtli 

or “the one who takes things with his 

hands”, since it has the hands and feet 

of a person. 

The raccoon is also known as the 

“toy bear washer”, for its curious 

behavior of “washing” the food it 

consumes in water. Nevertheless, it 

is not always a matter of a scrupulous 

cleanliness activity - although 

sometimes they have been observed 

cleaning the sand and dirt off prawns 

or other captured preys. What 

happens is that, in some way, the 

raccoon is “feeling” the food it will 

consume while water significantly 

increases the sensitivity of its hands, 

that have highly-developed nerve 

endings connected to specific areas of 

the brain. 

Scientists have called the raccoons’ 

habit of “washing” their food a 

“fixed motor pattern”. It is a genetic 

behavior. As the raccoons use the “wet 

and wash” motion when in search of 

aquatic preys, “washing” their food 

under other circumstances is simply 

an imitation of this behavior. Most of 

the time, they eat far from bodies of 

water, where “washing” the food is 

not even an option. 

Until not long ago, it was believed 

that raccoons washed their food 

because, lacking salivary glands, they 

needed to dampen it to be able to eat it. 

However, it has been discovered that 

its salivary glands are well developed 

well and work as well as those of 

other animals. The saliva helps them 

to swallow and predigest the food for 

the digestive enzymes it possesses. 

On the other hand, females are 

frequently found forming family 

groups with the babies. Males 

are solitary, except during the 

reproductive periods. They are highly 

skilled in walking on land, in the 

water and in climbing trees. Their diet 

is very varied, since it consists of both 

vegetable and animal matter. 

It is a species that can live up to 

16 years. The skin is of good quality 

for furriers, which is why it was 

introduced for breeding in countries 

such as France, Germany and Holland. 

In some parts of Mexico, they are 

hunted for food. In popular Mexican 

culture, the expression “a sacudirse el 

mapache” (shaking off the raccoon) 

is used to express the fact of sharing 

something. It is also said that these 

animals teach us spiritually with 

their behavior and physiognomy, as 

the mask it wears is a clear sign that 

we can hide behind a mask and be 

whatever we want to be, transforming 

ourselves into better persons. Also, in 

the Mexican state of Hidalgo, there is 

a traditional dance called the “Dance 

of the Damaging Raccoon”, where 

the hunt and death of the animal are 

represented, for destroying the fields 

of corn, which are of big value for 

the inhabitants of this region of the 

country. Finally, the Procyon lotor 

name that scientists have given to the 

raccoon has nothing to do with its 

evolution or lifestyle, since Procyon 

means “before the dog” and raccoons 

are not related to dogs. As for “lotor”, 

meaning “washer”, we have already 

seen that this is an innate behavior 

and has nothing to do with its personal 

hygiene habits. 

Dr. Fabio Germán Cupul-Magaña 

was born in Mexicali, Baja California 

in 1965. He has been professor and 

researcher at the Coastal University 

Center (CUC) of the University of 

Guadalajara since 1992. Dr. Cupul has 

published six scientific research books 

in Mexico and Cuba, on crocodiles, 

venomous plants and animals, and 

natural history in general. Today he 

is doing research on the diversity of 

centipedes in Mexico. Email: 

fabio_cupul@yahoo.com.mx 



Health Matters 17 

Expect to keep your memory 

Age-related memory loss. Think it’s inevitable Here’s why you might 

want to think again. 

Buying into the stereotype that memory function automatically 

dwindles with age could become a self-fulfilling prophecy, research 

shows. 

Defy the stereotypes 

At least that’s what happened in one study. When older adults (ages 

60 to 70 years) were given cues that people their age tend to suffer from 

memory loss, they actually performed more poorly on memory tests than 

a control group not exposed to such cues. Likewise, older adults who 

felt looked down upon - or stigmatized - due to age also fared poorly on 

memory tests. Bottom line: Anxious thoughts about negative stereotypes 

may disrupt your working memory. So think positive! 

Multifaceted memory protection 

Okay, positive thinking is no guarantee against memory problems 

-- but a positive attitude is always a healthier choice. For a full-court 

defense against age-related memory loss, here are some other ways to 

sharpen your noggin: 

Stay in touch. Staying connected to family and friends can nourish the 

connections in your brain. 

Eat right. 

Generally, what’s harmful to your heart also is also harmful to your 

brain. Make no mistake about it: While fried potato skins are busting 

your buttons, there’s also a portion that gets shuttled up through your 

arteries to your gray matter. 

Saturated fats, for example, clog arteries that lead to your brain, putting 

you at risk of stroke, while omega-3 fatty acids -- the good fats found 

in fish - are helpful for your brain because they help keep your arteries 

clear. They also alter your neurotransmitters and reduce depression. 

Nuts - contain monounsaturated fats to keep your arteries clear, as 

well as levels of precursors of serotonin to boost mood. 1 ounce of nuts 

a day is just right. (More is fine, but be careful of calorie overload.) An 

ounce is about 12 walnuts or 24 almonds. 

Fish - especially wild salmon, whitefish, tilapia, catfish, flounder, 

mahi mahi. Fish contain artery-clearing omega-3 fatty acids. Aim for 

13.5 ounces of fish a week, or 3 servings, each about the size of your fist. 

Soybeans - contain heart- and artery-healthy protein, fiber, and fats. 1 

cup of soybeans a day. 

Tomato juice and spaghetti sauce - Tomatoes contain folate, 

lycopene, and other nutrients to keep arteries young. 8 ounces a 

day of juice or 2 tablespoons of spaghetti sauce a day. 

Olive oil, nut oils, fish oils, flaxseed, avocadoes. All of these foods 

contain heart-healthy monounsaturated fats. 25% of daily calories 

should be healthy fats. 

Real chocolate (at least 70% cocoa) - Real chocolate increases 

dopamine release and provides flavonoids, which keep arteries young. 

1 ounce a day (to replace milk chocolate). 

Sleep tight. Power naps can help recharge your brain. 

Step it up. Walking today means a better memory tomorrow. 

HBV frequently undiagnosed, undertreated 

in Mexico, South American countries 

Patients with hepatitis 

B in two South American 

countries and Mexico often go 

undiagnosed, are frequently 

undertreated, and usually rely 

on government assistance to 

afford medication, according 

to a recent report by Decision 

Resources. 

Approximately 60% of 

146 surveyed specialists, 

including gastroenterologists, 

hepatologists and specialists 

in infectious disease and 

internal medicine, indicated an 

increasing number of patients 

with newly diagnosed HBV 

during the previous 2 years. 

Many doctors also indicated, 

however, that most HBV cases 

within Brazil, Argentina and 

Mexico go undiagnosed, and 

many diagnosed patients do 

not receive adequate treatment. 

In Argentina and Brazil, 

government programs have 

allowed greater access to HBV 

medication, with full coverage 

available for the majority 

of nucleotide analogues. In 

Mexico, no such programs 

exist, and patients without 

government-sponsored health 

programs pay out-of-pocket 

for HBV treatment. 

The report indicates that 61% 

to 79% of patients with HBV 

across the three countries rely 

on government sponsorship for 

treatment costs, and that fewer 

than 25% of those treated with 

Viread (Gilead) or Baraclude 

(Bristol-Myers Squibb) pay for 

treatment via private insurance. 

“All of the countries 

discussed in our report perform 

health technology assessment 

(HTA) evaluations to guide 

decisions on inclusion in 

government and social security 

drug formularies, either 

through national or institutional 

HTA bodies,” Andreia Ribeiro, 

PhD, product manager for 

Decision Resources, said in a 

press release. “New drugs need 

to establish not only a strong 

safety and efficacy profile, but 

they must also demonstrate 

value in terms of improved 

cost-benefit over current 

therapies to be included in 

formularies.” 

(Source: www.healio.com) 



18 

Health Matters 

Most of us probably think we 

know how we feel, when in fact, 

we are probably only in touch with 

two or three emotions with which 

we feel most familiar. Some of us 

have no problem getting in touch 

with our anger and expressing it 

in no uncertain terms. Others have 

no problem feeling sad and crying, 

whether it is a sad movie or sharing 

with a friend who is sad. On the 

other hand, many people rarely cry 

“In order to heal it, you must feel it” 

- John Bradshaw 

by GISELLE BELANGER 

RN, LCSW 

and were raised being told not to 

cry. Many people think it is a sign 

of weakness to admit they are afraid 

and so they pretend that they are 

fine, some feel guilty for everything 

while others blame everyone else, 

some walk around feeling ashamed 

of who or what they are or how 

they think others perceive them. 

Feelings are very real and very 

powerful. They determine a great 

deal about how we think and act. 

How do they help, 

how do they hurt 

Emotions are essential. They 

serve many useful purposes, but 

they can also be obstacles and/ 

or destructive. Consider how 

important it is to feel fear. It acts as 

an alarm, a warning of something 

harmful or dangerous. We need 

to feel afraid enough to jump out 

of the way if a bus is about to hit 

us. On the other hand, fear can be 

paralyzing if it is felt too extremely. 

We won’t be able to jump out of the 

way before the bus hits us. Anger 

is necessary to provoke action, 

but in excess it evolves into rage. 

Guilt and shame are necessary to 

change behavior and self-evaluate, 

but in excess can be very damaging 

to self-esteem and can promote 

inappropriate over-compensation 

for behavior, especially in a 

relationship(s). Therefore, it is 

what we do with our emotions and 

the appropriate and inappropriate 

expression of them that make the 

difference. 

So how do I know 

how I feel 

If I ask “how you feel” most people 

respond with what they “think.” 

Most people do not know how they 

really feel. Instead of saying they 

are angry, they might say, “I just 

can’t stand it when she does that, 

I hate it!” or instead of saying they 

are afraid, they might say, “I just 

don’t like being alone.” Emotions 

can sometimes be felt physically: 

anger can cause headaches, fear 

can cause tachycardia (fast heart 

rate), sadness can cause chest 

pain and tightness, and anxiety 

can cause a nervous stomach. It is 

very helpful to recognize the size 

of your emotion by determining its 

intensity on a scale of 1-10. It helps 

to make what you are feeling more 

realistic and it helps to compare it 

to other emotions you are feeling 

simultaneously and/or to previous 

experiences with the same emotion. 

For example, you may immediately 

recognize that you are very angry 

that your teenage son was out 

drinking and driving, but you also 

feel really afraid of what could 

happen, and then you begin to 

cry because you also feel sad that 

he has this problem and acts so 

irresponsibly. 

Why do we resist 

and fight them 

It is a natural human desire to want 

to feel pleasure, which is why we 

resist and fight feeling any emotions 

that don’t “feel good.” One of the 

body’s great compensating abilities 

is to utilize “defense mechanisms” 

to defend against the anxiety that is 

produced in response to situations 

or events. We are then protected 

from feeling certain emotions that 

would be too overwhelming too 

handle at the time (or ever, in some 

cases of abuse or trauma). We are 

also then shielded from certain 

thoughts and impulsive behaviors 

which may result had we felt those 

feelings/emotions. Some common 

defense mechanisms include 

denial, blaming, minimization, 

justification, rationalization, 

regression, projection, passiveaggression, 

and manipulation. 

Emotions make us human 

Although we need our defenses, 

most emotions need to be felt and 

addressed eventually. They are 

what make the human experience 

so special and so real; they make us 

complete. In order to be complete 

we need to feel completely, not 

chose which 2 or 3 emotions we like 

or make us feel good. What would 

happen if your favorite cake recipe 

calls for 7 ingredients and you only 

put in 3 or 4 Right! It will not taste 

the same and probably will not 

even resemble a cake. Emotions 

exist for a reason and they don’t go 

away just because we choose not to 

acknowledge or feel them. Ignoring 

them doesn’t make them go away. 

They live inside us, in every cell 

of our body, filling us with either 

anger, hate, and resentment, or with 

love, happiness, and compassion, 

causing us to be sick or healthy. 

You choose! Emotions are usually 

at the base of all of our problems. 

Treating the symptoms is usually a 

temporary quick-fix which results 

in their return and usually with a 

greater impact. 

It takes courage to decide to face/ 

confront/ feelings that you have 

spent so many years repressing, 

denying, or minimizing, despite 

your body and mind’s attempt to 

get your attention. It will probably 

never feel like a good time to begin 

this process, but we invite you 

to reach deep inside yourself and 

chose to heal. 

Giselle Belanger, RN, LCSW 

(psychotherapist) is available for 

appointments in person, by phone, 

or by skype webcam. Contact info: 

ggbelangerpv@gmail.com Mex 

cell: 044 (322) 138-9552 or US 

cell: (312) 914-5203. 



Health Matters 

19 

CARDIONEWS 

Alcohol and the heart 

by 

DR. JORGE CHAVEZ 

What is it 

Alcohol in some form or another has been imbibed for 

thousands of years; its health benefits or deficits have been 

debated for hundreds. While its harmful effects on the liver are 

well documented and widely known, alcohol’s impact on the 

heart is less well understood, and indeed there is evidence that 

moderate alcohol consumption is beneficial. 

Alcohol and the heart 

Alcohol in some form or another has been imbibed for thousands of 

years; its health benefits or deficits have been debated for hundreds. While 

its harmful effects on the liver are well documented and widely known, 

alcohol’s impact on the heart is less well understood, and indeed there is 

evidence that moderate alcohol consumption is beneficial. 

Certainly, the amount of alcohol one consumes matters most: In an 

analysis of 34 different scientific studies involving more than 1 million 

men and women, researchers found that there is a “J curve” relationship 

between the amount of alcohol consumed and total mortality. In simpler 

terms, some consumption of alcohol confers more of a survival benefit 

than no consumption of alcohol, but as people drink more alcohol, they 

lose that benefit and face increased risk of dying. (The curve created when 

these points are plotted on a graph resemble a tilted “J,” hence the name.) 

There is little doubt that heavy drinking (more than 3 drinks per day) 

increases the risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) and irregular heart 

rhythms (arrhythmias) while more moderate consumption decreased the 

risk of SCD in men compared to those who never or rarely drank. Moderate 

alcohol consumption also seems to have a beneficial effect on incidence of 

coronary artery disease and heart attack (myocardial infarction), although 

there were differences in the definition of “moderate” in varying studies. 

The upshot is that reasonable consumption — one drink per day for a 

woman and two drinks per day for a man — does seem to benefit the heart. 

There are other cardiovascular diseases that have been studied in regard 

to the negative or positive impact alcohol. Alcoholic cardiomyopathy — 

in which excessive alcohol consumption weakens the heart muscle and 

prevents it from pumping efficiently — has been shown to improve to 

some degree with the complete cessation of alcohol drinking. Conversely, 

moderate drinking may protect the heart against congestive heart failure 

and may reduce the number of heart attacks. 

Importantly, because high blood pressure (hypertension) is so 

widespread and because it leads to a number of major heart problems, men 

and women who drink three or more drinks daily are much more likely to 

have elevated blood pressures compared to nondrinkers. 

Blood pressure rises in binge drinkers even more; these effects are seen 

no matter what the age or gender of the patient. Conversely, light-tomoderate 

alcohol consumption appears to reduce various risks in patients 

with high blood pressure, including a decreased risk of heart attack and 

death. Data are less conclusive in terms of an association between alcohol 

consumption and stroke; however, in general, moderate consumption 

appears to reduce the risk, but heavier consumption increases the risk of 

suffering various types of strokes. 

Researchers debate whether or not the type of alcohol consumed makes 

a difference. The idea that red wine seems to be the most cardioprotective 

of the various spirits comes from what has been called 

the “French paradox”: The rate of coronary artery disease 

mortality in France has been lower than observed in other 

industrialized countries with similar coronary risk factor 

profiles, and this has been attributed to the consumption of 

red wine. Of all the variables studied, wine was one of the 

only foodstuffs that correlated significantly with mortality. 

This is not universally accepted by the medical community, 

nor is the mechanism by which red wine could produce 

such benefits clearly defined. However, red wine seems to 

positively affect the vascular “endothelium”, which is the 

vital barrier between the blood flowing through arteries and 

the contents of the artery walls. The endothelium is made up 

of the cells that line blood vessels, and a healthy endothelium 

is key to superior cardiovascular health. When the endothelium is 

damaged or disrupted, a cascade of events occurs, culminating in spasm 

(narrowing) of the artery and the formation of a blood clot at the site of 

disruption. If the clot is large enough, it can completely block flow inside 

the artery – resulting in a heart attack or stroke. Substances in red wine 

have been found to help guard against blood clotting, and to relax blood 

vessels, helping increase blood flow. 

In general, numerous mechanisms have been proposed to explain the 

benefit of light-to-moderate alcohol on the heart, including an increase of 

protective high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, reduction in blood 

clotting propensity, improvement in endothelial function, reduction of 

inflammation, and promotion of antioxidant effects. Why higher intake of 

alcohol is not associated with higher benefit is not known. 

To drink or not to drink: What is the answer If you don’t already 

drink, few people would recommend you START drinking simply for the 

possibility of some health benefits. If you ALREADY drink, keep in mind 

that these positive, protective effects disappear with increased alcohol 

consumption. Just like most things in life, moderation is the key. 

(Source: Rezkalla SH. To drink or not to drink That is the question. 

Circulation 2007; 116:1306-17.) 

Dr. Jorge Chavez F.A.C.C. is a Board Certified Interventional 

Cardiologist and Fellow of the American College of Cardiology in 

Puerto Vallarta. His clinic, CardioMed, started in 1995, 

is located at 148 Lucerna in Colonia Versalles, 

Office tel.: 293-1991, Emergency cell: (322) 135-5500. 

If you have a question you would like Dr. Chavez to respond to, please 

email him at: cardiomedpv@hotmail.com 

or drchavez@cardiomedvallarta.com 

You can also check out the clinic’s web site at 

www.cardiomedvallarta.com www.facebook.com/cardiomed.vallarta 



20 

Fish Tales 

Ghost town, deserted 

fishing grounds, 

incredible catch! 

Written by STAN GABRUK 

Owner of Master Baiter´s Sportfishing & Tackle 

Well, it’s finally here, the time of year when if you can’t catch a 

fish, then you don’t have a line in the water. Nothing fancy, just get 

there, you’ll catch fish, end of story. Now the rest of this week’s report 

is redundant. Sailfish, Marlin, Tuna, Dorado, Pargo or Dog Tooth 

Snapper, I mean what else could you possibly want And if that’s 

not enough, the fishing grounds are a deserted ghost town where you 

can have a finned fantasy for the taking. It’s the time when even bad 

captains catch fish. Jip Trips for $180 dollars roaming from Los 

Arcos to Marina Vallarta are catching fish. Sailfish off La Cruz, 

Yellowfin Tuna or Footballs abundant at Yelapa. I mean there’s the 

report. But of course there’s always more to say… 

So you want to know how the fishing is, well, in a word: InCreDiBle! 

Yellowfin Tuna still running in the 250 lb range at the usual locations 

of Corbeteña and El Banco. 

Big Black Marlin at El Banco, Blue Marlin mostly at Corbeteña. 

How big you ask, well if you´re not boating Black Marlin at 500 lbs, 

probably more, then you´re not catching the average sized Marlin, 

blue or black. Sailfish in the larger ranges are becoming more and 

more abundant as October brings the massive increase, hell invasion 

of this species. Tournament sized winners are out there now as we 

turn into Sailfish Central from now until the end of December! 

Looking for Dorado Well, no worries, amigo, 40 to 65-lb Dorado 

are hovering around the high spots at El Banco. Corbeteña this 

week had smaller Dorado (45 lbs.) and hungry. But you can catch 

Dorado at the Marieta Islands in that range, so not a real reason to 

head to Corbeteña. Now the Cubera Snapper -as mentioned- are big 

and taking surface baits. 55 to 80 lbs., these fish hit and fight like a 

Sailfish at first, but then you’re surprised how fun these are to catch 

as well. Bait is abundant, Sardines or sardinas as they call them here. 

Bullet Bonito, Google Eyes, drawing fish of course. So conditions 

are still almost a carbon copy from last week’s report. Nothing lasts 

forever, so hit it when you can, amigos. Those who know Puerto 

Vallarta (PV) and her various faces, know that this is the time for 

fishing crusaders, money no object, no prisoners taken, world class 

sportfishing. Reputations are made and lost in this short window of 

time from now until the end of the year. World record fish are here, 

they always are, but you have to be there to have the experience or I 

guess you can keep reading those magazines… 

Something to be remember: water temperatures are still running 

in the 90 o F range, too hot for Yellowfin Tuna to hang around much. 

So if you’re serious about catching a ¨cow¨ or three, you better make 

sure your guide and company have decent sounders where you can 

see the temperature breaks at depth. If you don’t have a sounder, you 

paid for one trust me, then just take a shot and set the Down Rigger 

to between 100 to 130 feet down. No action Go deeper, 150 to 170 

feet down. If you do this, you’ll be fighting one of the strongest and 

most desired gamefish to be had. Again, this ain’t Mamby Pamby 

fishing. You could wind up in the record books. 

Short days -8 hours or less- are still working like a machine. The 

Marieta Islands are churning out Sailfish, Dorado to 35 lbs., Bonito, 

Snappers, Skip Jacks, even off season fish like Jack Crevalle are 

chasing Sardines practically up on the beach. (Hint, hint to the surf 

fishing guys!) You’ll have the time of your life. 



Fish Tales 21 

Don’t forget the area between El Moro and 

Corbeteña, the golden triangle as I refer to it - lots 

and lots of Blue Marlin and Sailfish in this area. 

Farther out, or rather closer to Corbeteña, you’ll 

find Black Marlin become more abundant, it’s a 

hang out! 

The bay is a 4-hour fisherman’s dream. Even the 

Jip Trips who cruise back and forth between Marina 

Vallarta and the islands at Los Arcos are catching 

their share of fish. This is summer in PV, which 

means there are fish everywhere and the species 

range is wide. Snook, the most ignored fish by 

game fishing enthusiasts, are just thick around the 

river mouths where the fresh water meets the salt 

water of the bay. 

Also within the bay, off La Cruz Marina, Sailfish 

have set up house. Off Yelapa, at the other end of 

the bay are 50-pound Yellowfin Tuna Footballs. If 

that’s not enough, Jack Crevalle are taking over the 

neighborhood, amigo. A winter species for sure, it’s 

not normal to see Jack Crevalle before early January. 

Weird, kinda, but we know fishing is unpredictable 

and challenging, and that is the whole point, isn’t 

it Find the trash line, find fish, enough said. The 

heavy rains inland from Vallarta and the mountains 

have poured murky, adobe clay silt into the bay as 

usual. So you want to find clean and clear water. If 

you’re in the bay, many times the murky dark water 

is only a few feet thick. Running a planer will take 

care of problems like this… nothing to lose, you 

have the notion. 

Just a reminder, when the moon is full, you have 

the early and late evening bite to contend with. The 

fishing charter company that fixes its hours on specific 

times and not conditions is not a company you want 

to work with. Also remember, as mentioned earlier, 

the water temperatures. Don’t just get a fixed mindset 

captain and crew. The fish are where and when 

they want to be, not when the captain or the boat 

owner wants you to go fishing. Be informed, then be 

stern, this is your fishing trip and even if you just pay 

for fuel, the goal is to catch fish, not get Pancho home 

for dinner on time. 

Right now you can have the fishing grounds from 

heaven to yourself as well. Hemingway would 

appreciate the beauty of the situation, maybe you 

should as well, amigo. 

Until next time, don’t forget to kiss your fish and 

remember at Master Baiter’s Sportfishing & Tackle 

“We Won’t Jerk You Around!” 

Master Baiter’s has changed locations in Marina 

Vallarta and are now near Victors Café Tecuba. 

Look for me at the least traveled end of Marina Vallarta 

and I will be there in my new place. Email your 

Questions to me at: CatchFish@MasterBaiters.com. 

mx Web page: www.MasterBaiters.com.mx , Local 

Phone at: (044) 322 779 75 71 or if roaming: 011 52 

1 322 779 75 71 (this is my cell phone directly until 

the shop phone is working. Facebook: http://www. 

facebook.com/pages/Master-Baiters-Sportfishing- 

Tackle/88817121325 The trade name Master Baiter’s 

® Sportfishing and Tackle is protected under trade 

mark law and is the sole property of Stan Gabruk. 



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