New Tourism Video of Puerto Vallarta

I wanted to share a new tourism video of Puerto Vallarta with you today.  It is short but captures the feel. When you finish watching this it will also list a number of other good videos of PV.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEGUVfcvs3M&feature=youtube_gdata_player

No Need to Drink and Drive: Taxis are Everywhere in Puerto Vallarta!

Puerto Vallarta is a great cab town.  There are over one thousand yellow taxis; most are pretty bright and shiny. The cab drivers, known as taxistas, are usually friendly and most speak some English, at least enough to communicate with the Gringos. :) They normally wear a uniform white shirt that says "taxista".   It is easy to hail a cab night or day, especially if you are in a popular area. Cabs are regulated and safe in PV.

Here our friends Sandy & Jeff are leaving in a taxi.

I took this picture because Jeff owns

the Yellow Cabs in Columbus Ohio!

I am sure he had a good conversation with the driver. :)

There are a few tips that you should know though. First of all, when you arrive at the airport you do not take a regular yellow taxi. Instead there are white cars and vans, depending on the size of your group.  There are set fares depending on the zone where you are going. Right now I think the rate for a car to el centro (the city center or downtown) is $23 usd and about $40 usd for a van.  ALWAYS agree on the fare before you get in a taxi. Cabs are not metered so it is important to know what you are paying in advance. Rates are supposed to be fixed by zone but it is always best to negotiate before getting in the taxi. This goes for the white taxis at the airport and the yellow ones everywhere else. And by the way, when you return to the airport, you will pay the yellow cab about half of what is cost in the white cab when you arrived. Airport fees I suspect. Crazy but good.

The next thing you need to know is that the fare INCLUDES your tip. No additional tip is required unless the driver performs an extra service such as bag handling. This is similar to the US where you might tip a dollar or in this case 10 pesos a bag. Other times if he is extra friendly or gives you some good information you might add an extra 10 pesos.

Another thing to know is that cabs are very inexpensive. Unless you are staying outside of Vallarta in Nuevo Vallarta or Bucerias or somewhere on the North Shore, everything from the Marina to town will cost you less than $10, and in most cases a lot less. There is rarely a need for a car. It is difficult to find a place to park on the street and the garages are rather expensive. You might also take the bus. That is another blog, but know they are cheap and plentiful and safe as well.

This driver received an extra tip because he posed with our little "friend" Baldy. 

Notice he is wearing the official Taxista shirt.

The Bells of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Our Lady of Guadalupe is a beautiful church and a central landmark in Puerto Vallarta. Located right behind the main plaza, it is a great meeting place. It is beautiful night and day and from any location. They worked on cleaning the corona for the last two years and now that is finally done the angels that hold the corona are a sight to behold!

And the bells are amazing. They ring every fifteen minutes to mark the quarter hours and more often when it is time for mass.  There are a number of different bells, with differing tones. For the last three years we have lived right above them so I speak with some authority on the subject. :)  Periodically though, there is a completely different set of bells in the tower that ring every fifteen minutes for one full minute at a time, four times during the hour. These bells are much louder and you can physically see them going around and around. I have asked but no one seems to know why. They might ring 3 times in a day and they might ring once. They might do it three days in a row and they might not do it again for 3 weeks. They might do this at noon or it might be 7 pm. I cannot find a pattern. It does not seem to relate to a Holy Day...if anyone knows, please tell me!!

Mariachi

Mariachi music was born in the state of Jalisco where Puerto Vallarta is located. It is very common and quite a treat to see 10 or more mariachis perform in their colorful costumes and distinctive hats. The picture above was taken at a fabulous boutique hotel with an equally fine restaurant, Hacienda San Angel.
Below is a video clip from Tlaquepaque, of the well known all female mariachi group, Mujer Latina.