Peurto Vallarta sand scultptures on the Malecon

Puerto Vallarta is a now a large commercial tourism center, but once it was a sleepy little fishing village before John Huston shot the film the night of the Iguana in Mismaloya. The film featured two hot stars Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton who were having an extra marital affair at the time. My sense of PV as people fondly call it today is that it is a resort which has huge potential and offers the visitor a tremendous variety of visually tantalizing treats right within a short walk from your resort. The problem with PV like many tourist towns the tourist has become someone who is seen more as a cash register than a person. Yet the amount of people who truly care and give you the best that Mexico offers is truly amazing. Besides once hosting Richard Nixon the City hosts thousands of tourists each year and does a great job of it. Our trip to PV took us to a nice all inclusive called in English the Pelcan Beach Club centrally located on the beach it offered lots of walking again I mention the beach vendors polite but constant. I found the food good with a nice Mexican flair. The beach is clean and the water is warm with long walks easily done. I enjoy the Mariachi bands and folks riding horses and the Malecon especially a kind of open air arcade of shops along the sea side. The many shops I enjoyed on the side streets were quaint with friendly but not pushy vendors. The cathedral in the center of town is a real treat for those with a spiritual bent. The best part of the public atmosphere is the beach in front of the Malecon. Here one sees sand carvers and other performers of all sorts making the trip a little more than the usual. Things to check out in the future are the surfing beaches outside of PV surfers love it they say.

Ocho Rios Jamaica Mahn

The thing about going to Jamaica is one has to be ready for the sales pitches coming in a familiar tongue- English. Upon landing the first thing you hear in your transport van is banter of island DJs selling and talking a mile a minute in English. In many ways this banter is really reassuring for all to hear we still in the Commonwealth and being a Canadian that is okay. The next thing you notice as you drive along is the state of housing in Jamaica. Everyone is building on their house and all seem to be in a state of almost being done to just being started. However not to hold totally true one sees many houses that are complete and looking good. The trip to the resort is punctuated by the honking of horns as vehicles recognize one another and signal to their family or friends. This gives one the island feeling that this is an okay place. At the resort staff again communicate in English and work efficiently to help out where they can. The fair at our all inclusive featured many Jamaican dishes and these we sampled along with locals who were staying at the hotel also. The feeling is that Jamaica even though poor has a citizenary with wealth and means. The best dish I love was the afternoon seaside restaurant where they served Jerk Chicken. This stuff is addictive. Our days were spent mostly at the resort where local entertainers came by with such as interesting things as turtle racing a rare and money making event for the entrepreneur who dreamt this up. He basically cleaned up paying only for the individual completely unpredictable winner. Other days we spent running the gauntlet to the town of Ocho which is actually quite pleasant except for the first 50 feet outside the resort where one is offered everything under the sun even is your wife is walking with you. Dunn Falls is one of the major attractions as well as a man made nature walk each presenting wonderful pictures. The idea one should keep a lot of small bills is a great idea as the requests for tips is polite but ongoing. The weather is constant and the food is fine. The island offers many diversions and one cannot hope to see all in one trip. The trip to the airport had us leaving at 2ish am and it was really apparent Jamaicans love to stay out late and hand out. A large Rostafarian festival was on as we passed by thousands had come for the music and the message, it said one key performer travels with his own chef and hands out free lifestyle advice.