For the six month drive, patrons of the shops at Los Mercados raised an astounding $54,300 pesos.

One of the best cultural resources in Puerto Vallarta, the Biblioteca Los Mangos (Los Mangos Library,) is located on Francisco Villa Avenue not far from Costco. The library is open to the public and has a large selection of books in Spanish and in English.

The library also offers an extensive list of courses including ballet, piano, and painting at very reasonable prices. The best way to find out what is being offered is to visit the library.

www.visitpuertovallarta.com

By: Thomas Eck.
It was foolish to ignore the subtle but assertive grinding noise under the hood of my 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee, now pushing 185,000 miles. Especially when I knew I was facing a possible two hour wait at the San Ysidro border crossing into the United States. But it was sheer folly to face that crossing with only two dollars in my wallet. Perhaps, the carefree style of living in the near perfect climate and idyllic coastal setting that is Baja California had lulled me into a sense of manana so characteristic of many ex-pats who have left behind the hectic world north of the border. Nevertheless, I drove to Tijuana from my home in Bajamar fat, dumb and reasonably happy. Normally, my wife, Betty, accompanies me. She speaks fluent Spanish, has that friendly face that puts everyone at ease, making them want to reciprocate her affability. But this was a business trip and she stayed behind, leaving me to my own devices with my limited "survival Spanish". Besides, I was going to Salt Lake City. How much Spanish did I need to know?
The border crossing was unusually heavy for a Thursday at 1:00 p.m. It was a pleasant day, however, so I turned off the air conditioner, rolled down my windows and sat back in my car to listen to 104.9, the classic music station based in Tijuana. The crawling cars together with sounds of vendors plying their wares --from burritos to statues of the Madonna--fused with the music to create a dreamscape of humanity on a journey to nowhere. I never cease to be amazed at the hordes of entrepreneurs, young and old, trying to survive on what they can sell to hungry , thirsty and frustrated motorists who inch through the parking lot that falsely advertises itself as a the gateway into the United States. I suppose that the overzealous U.S. border guards, whose misguided sense of self importance as saviors of the U.S. populace, believe that they are helping. But I wonder if the toll in gasoline consumption, wear and tear on the waiting cars, and the frustration of both drivers and passengers is really outweighed by the rare capture of a supposed transgressor of the myriad of federal laws.
After about 45 minutes of crawling, a young girl approached the passenger side of my car holding a long black object.
"No, senorita. No quiero nada," I said in my polite but firm voice I use on most vendors.
But she continued to approach and replied in perfect English, "Sir, this fell off your car".
I looked closer and saw that it was a serpentine belt –the one that drives my air conditioner, water pump, power steering and alternator. I glanced at my gauges and saw that the car temperature was rapidly rising and my power steering was inoperative.
Quickly, and from nowhere, two vendors came running over.
"You must turn off your car," urged the smaller one, no taller than 4''10".
"But I am in the center lane of a five lane parking lot. What can I do?"
"We can help you out", said the larger one, about 5 feet even, as he immediately stepped behind my car to divert the cars coming toward me.
Great, I thought. Cars will be honking, people cursing and I will be stuck here all night. Where am I going to find a tow truck and how will one even get here in this mess ? What a nightmare!
Suddenly, my self-pity was interrupted by yet a third Mexican, also small, looking not unlike one of the Indian tribal people I had seen in documentaries of the Amazon natives, but, of course, with more clothing.
"If you get in your car, we can push you to the side under the bridge", he said in English good enough for me to understand. I saw a spot about 150 yards away and nodded. Then first two began pushing the car uphill and backwards while the third deftly directed traffic around me. Not one driver honked or cursed.
Amazing, I thought, as the two gnomes continued to push, and I struggled steer without the aid of power steering. Within three or four minutes, we were under a bridge on a street that had apparently been closed off, since no cars came through. It was eerily isolated, but nonetheless a place I could rest without blocking traffic. The men were panting heavily.
"How will I get a tow truck here?" I asked.
The smallest of the little men, none more than 25 years old, spoke up.
" I can fix this for you," he said with an air of confidence that was questionable.
"How? This belt cannot be fixed. It has snapped."
"I can get you a new one. But I need five hundred pesos."
Since I had just replaced the belt in Houston less than a year ago, I knew the amount seemed suspiciously low. Where and how could he get me the belt I needed?
"I don't have five hundred pesos. Look in my wallet, I have only two dollars. You fix it and then we will go to an ATM and I will pay you."

"No, I need the pesos to buy the bandolera. We can go to an ATM in the casino over there."
I looked to where he was pointing. It was about a half mile away and I would have to leave my car with my luggage and lap top. It would be at the mercy of the honesty of the two others lurking around. Even though I would lock it, a good thief would have it stripped and broken into in no time. The area was isolated enough so that no one would really pay attention, let alone care. Yet, what choice did I have?
"Como se llama?" I asked him, studying him intently. He did not wither under my stare.
"Miguel," he replied.

"Vamonos, Miguel," I said, and we began a brisk walk towards the casino. We passed a hundred vendors, some with carts, some in makeshift tent booths, some just walking. The smells of the cooking food was incredible. A potpourri of meats and spices wafted through the air with just enough intensity to overwhelm the exhaust fumes of that day's portion of the 47 million souls who cross into San Ysidro each year. I promised myself that on another day I would stop and partake of the wonderful fare concocted under almost primitive conditions.

When we arrived at the casino, I approached the ATM. It was out of money, Miguel asked several others where another ATM was, but the answer was the same. "El Banco."
"We must take a taxi," Miguel said, "There is no bank we can walk to."
"I have no money, will the taxi driver wait?"

"I will take care of it," he said as he whistled for a nearby waiting cab.
The oldest, most beat up cab in the line lurched forward. The driver appeared to be in worse condition than the cab –a day older than God, but in much worse shape. I hoped we would not have to drive him to the hospital. Miguel handed him five dollars and told him to go the nearest bank. The midday traffic downtown traffic was not unlike what I had experienced in New York, and twenty minutes later we arrived at Banamex about only a mile from where we had started. All this time, I continued to wonder what was going on with my car. I was beyond worrying. More curiosity--as if I were just being swept up in the day's events-- a mere bystander in this pandemonium of humanity that was the Tijuana border.
Once inside, I approached an ATM and inserted my card. "Card cannot be read," the screen boldly displayed in both English and Spanish. I tried again. Same result. A third time. Same result. I could see the waiting taxi driver and Miguel looking at me with suspicion. I didn't even want to think what would happen if I couldn't get the money. The fourth time was the charm. Maybe that's the magic number in Mexico. Out came the precious dinero—one thousand pesos –-enough to see if I was going to be a victim or an astounded gringo. In less than two hours, I would find out....
**************************
The decrepit driver deftly maneuvered his dilapidated taxi trough the Tijuana streets, only occasionally hitting the potholes that pocked our route. The multitude of dents on the car, held together by rust and faded paint, warned both drivers and pedestrians alike that this taxi was not a stranger to asserting itself in the never ending battle to make it from point A to point B as quickly as possible. This time it took only ten minutes to arrive back at the taxi station near the border.
As we exited the car, the driver blurted out "No tip?"
I started to reach into my wallet to give him one of my two last U.S. dollars, but Miguel said something in Spanish to him. Quickly, he withdrew his outstretched hand and drove off.
"I told him he had the tip from me. Five dollars for that ride was mucho dinero."
I smiled and thanked him. I hoped I wasn't being set up.
As we walked back through the maze of vendors, the curiosity about my car morphed into anxiety. I had been gone over a half an hour. If it weren't stolen or broken into, maybe it had been towed. I tried to ignore the uneasiness, telling myself that there was nothing more I could have done under the circumstances. My pep talk didn't help. We picked our way through five lines of motorists crawling towards the U.S. border stations, Miguel more skillfully than I. At first, I was amazed that these motorists gave so much deference to the pedestrian , but then I realized that they weren't really going anywhere fast, so a slight pause as they crept along was not a big deal. The border crossing forces patience upon everyone without exemption.
As I slipped though the last line of cars and climbed onto a grassy barrier, there it was--my Jeep still parked in the shade of the overcrossing--with the other two Mexican vendors standing near it. Nothing had been touched.
"We watch your car," said the shorter of the two who told me his name was Pepe.
"Thank you, Pepe," I said, knowing that I would have to pay him something later. But well worth it.
I opened the hood of the Jeep. It had cooled down and was ready to be worked on.
"I need 500 pesos to buy the bandelero," Miguel reminded me.
"How are you going to get it-- and where?" I asked.
"I take my bicycle into town."
Skeptical, but having no other alternative at this point, I handed him the money.
"I will be back in treinta minutos, "he said, as he drove off suspiciously quickly with the broken belt in his hand.
"Is he going to come back?" I asked Pepe, resigned to having lost the money.
"Si, he is mi familia. He will be back and he will fix the car." I wasn't reassured.
A few minutes later, fourth man came up to the car and began to look under the hood. I didn't say anything to him, since my stalled car had drawn the attention of many vendors who came and looked at the engine and walked away, as if to say, "You are in a heap of trouble." But this stranger stayed a little longer and then put his fingers on a pulley.
"Senor, come here." He motioned to me.
I walked around the car.
"Mira," he said, as me tried to twist the pulley. I could see that it had frozen from wear. That was the grinding sound I had heard, but ignored. The frozen pulley was the reason the new belt had snapped.
"This must be fixed," he said.
I knew he was right. If the new belt were installed, the frozen pulley would overheat and break in mere
minutes. It would do no good the install the belt without a new pulley. I cursed mentally in five languages.
"I can fix it," he said.
"How?"
"I will need to buy a new one. It will cost 300 pesos."
Great, I thought, another 300 pesos probably gone forever. I looked at him, a bit older than the others, probably thirty, skin darkened by hours in the sun plying whatever he had to sell to the captive audience of border crossers. Much taller and bulkier. Is this guy also a mechanic or just a conman? Still, he had found the frozen pulley, when my high paid mechanic from Houston had missed it.
" Como se llama, senor?" I asked .
"Eduardo," he replied.
"Eduardo, where can you find a pulley for this car?"
"I know where to get it. I will bring the recibo."
"Well, I know it has to be fixed," I muttered.
He opened a tool case of used, but well preserved, Craftsmen socket wrenches and, after considerable effort managed to remove the pulley. I was amazed that he was able to complete his task without having to remove the radiator.
I handed him the money. He confirmed the make and model of the car and rode off on his bicycle with the pulley in his hand.
"I will be back in diez minutos", he yelled as he rode off.
I was beginning to wonder whether the word "bobo" was emblazoned on my forehead. I looked in my side view mirror. No, nothing on my forehead that I could see. Maybe the others had better vision. I glanced at Pepe who was still there, dutifully waiting .
" Is Eduardo going to come back? I asked.
"Si, senor", he assured me, "He is mi familia."
I hope they're not all in this together. It was a sobering, yet not unreasonable assessment of what I might have gotten myself into.
Forty minutes passed and no sign of either Miguel or Eduardo. I looked at Pepe . He seemed unconcerned. Eduardo had left his tools, which I knew were more valuable than the 300 pesos I had
given him. That gave me some degree of comfort. Yet, I would be no match for the several men standing around if they decided to retrieve Eduardo's tools—especially when my car was not running.
Each minute I waited grew longer. Suddenly, from nowhere ,it seemed, Miguel rode up on his bike with a serpentine belt in his hand. One down and one to go. I hoped that my look of relief was, if noticed, not insulting. He showed me the new belt and handed the receipt to me.
Miguel opened Eduardo's tool case and began to loosen a belt guide. Pepe and I told him about the pulley and he stopped working. We patiently waited for Eduardo. Several others gathered the car and all began a spirited but friendly conversation, completely devoid of tension and sprinkled with laughter. No one, except me, seemed concerned about anything. If this car weren't fixed today I would miss my early morning flight and face another series of issues including the draconian airfare charges imposed upon those passengers who have the audacity to miss flights.
Then, I saw Eduardo snaking through the traffic on his bike. In his left hand was a small box, presumably housing the precious pulley. He brought box to me, presented a receipt, told me that he had to go to three places. Then, without further comment to anyone, he began to install the new pulley. Within minutes he had finished and beckoned Miguel to complete the installation of the belt. Not wishing to appear as an overbearing customer breathing down the neck of those helping, I talked to Pepe, all the while glancing at Miguel working. He looked like a pro and quickly completed his task. He then asked me to start the car to check what he had done.
My Jeep started up without any evidence of the problems of two hours past. He asked me to turn it off, tweaked a few pulleys and said, "Listo, senor. We are finished." I checked the belt for myself and could see that it had been masterfully installed. Just the right tension. But just in case, I restarted the engine and let it run. No more grinding sound. The temperature gauge was back to normal, but I knew I would need to replace the coolant my radiator lost when it had boiled over from overheating. As if he had read my mind, Pepe announced that he would get me some water. In less than two minutes he returned with gallon jug filled with cloudy water. It was more than needed.
I continued to let the car run as our little group discussed compensation with those who had helped –Pepe, Miguel , Eduardo and Raul-- who never said much-- but had helped push the car out of the busy traffic. I never did again see the girl who had brought me the belt. Ironically, or perhaps by design, the balance of my 1000 pesos, which included the change that both Eduardo and Miguel had returned to me was enough to satisfy the men. I thanked them, drove away and maneuvered my Jeep into the border crossing lanes, thankful that I had broken down in Mexico and not a few miles north on I-5 where both the cost of the repair and waiting time would have been at least three times as much.

Sure the mexchanics made a few bucks—a very few. But they were there when I needed help and didn't take advantage of me. Perhaps I was lucky. But based upon my experience, they were no different from the vast majority of the Mexicans I have met here in Baja —hardworking, honest and just trying to get by the best they can.
Copyright, 2011,Thomas Eck. All rights reserved

Spain's economy has to be transformed and go back to the idea of creating jobs and [fostering] stability," Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy Brey told participants at the World Economic Forum on Latin America in his special address today in Puerto Vallarta. "My government is convinced that it needs to undertake the reforms" to allay fears that are overshadowing the Spanish economy, he said. He insisted that fiscal discipline is needed and that Spain is now committed to limit the budget deficit to 3% of GDP next year to free resources for the private sector, while reforming the labour and financial markets to achieve greater flexibility. He added that his government will announce new measures dealing with education and public services later this week.

"The world economy has not completely recovered from the financial crisis," he said, noting that "financial markets are not completely back to normal." Meanwhile, Spain seems to be in the eye of the storm, following a new increase in tension in the Eurozone. Rajoy mentioned that Italy and Spain still look quite fragile, but that both countries "have decided to undertake profound reforms."

Puerto Vallarta is celebrating the 94th anniversary of its founding as a township and 44th anniversary of its elevation to city status. the Aquiles Serden Open Air Theater, better known as the arches of the Malecon, is the official site for the celebration on May 31st.

Puerto Vallarta
The natives called the region's valley "Xihutla" which means "place where the grass grows" and Puerto Vallarta was formerly called Las Peñas, Penitas, and in more recent years, El Carrizal, because of the huge boulders that stand near the edge of the sea.

On May 31, 1918, the Commissioner of Las Peñas is elevated the category of the area to that of municipality, and Las Peñas became the municipality of Puerto Vallarta, the name given in honor of Ignacio L. Vallarta, former governor of the state of Jalisco. This change was made at the request of Rep. Mark Guzman and the decree was issued on June 5, 1918.

On May 31, 1968, the town of Puerto Vallarta was elevated to city status.

Now on the 94th anniversary of Vallarta's founding as a township and 44th anniversary of its elevation to city status, the locals and tourist will gather to celebrate Puerto Vallarta.

The long awaited and critically acclaimed Restaurant Week has made Puerto Vallarta' establishments some of Mexico's most vibrant culinary spots and this year's additions to the restaurant list promise to make the popular Mexican destination the place to be for foodies from around the world.

The event that has established Puerto Vallarta as a leading culinary center not only in Mexico but globally came into inception in 2005. The organizer, Vallarta Lifestyles Publishing Group, holds the event every year from May 15th -31st and showcases Puerto Vallarta's most prestigious restaurants. During Restaurant Week, participating restaurants offer innovative three-course menus, with three options available for each course. Prices range from $15 to $25 and do not include alcohol or tips. Restaurant Week is an annual event sponsored by Puerto Vallarta's tourism board, Vallarta Opina and Riviera Nayarit.

Each zones' popular spots are represented with La Estancia, La Leche and Thierry's Prime Steak House from the Marina and hotel zone. TheCentro Historicoadds Barcelona Tapa and the award winning restaurants El Arrayan and Café des Artistes to the line-up. Head to the Romantic Zoneand try Archie´s Wok, Daiquiri Dick´s, Kaiser Maximilian and La Palapa. The award winning Blanca Bleu with its impressive wine cellar and the breathtaking Le Kliff, onVallarta's south shore, round-off the 2012 culinary event.

The following is the complete list of Puerto Vallarta's restaurants participating in the highly anticipated Puerto Vallarta Restaurant Week 2012. The city invites visitors to enjoy some of the very best cuisine from around the world in one of the most beautiful beach resorts on the planet!

Puerto Vallarta Restaurant Week participants:
Archie's Wok, Barcelona Tapas, Bistro Teresa, Blanca Blue at Garza Blanca Resort, Bombay Brasserie, Café des Artistes, Boca DOS Stk, Casa Isabel, Madison South, Coco Tropical, Coco's Kitchen, De Santos, El Palmar, Daiquiri Dick's, El Arrayán, El Violli, Frascati, Hacienda San Angel Gourmet, Kaiser Maximilian, Ginger Garden Lounge, India Gate, La Albufera, La Leche, La Bodeguita del Medio, La Cigale French Bistro, Las Casitas at Casamagna Marriott, Lobo Luis BBQ Shack, Mango's Beach Club, No Way José!, Peppers Rancho Banderas, Nicksan, Peking, Prime 159, Porto Bello, The River Café, Taste Restaurant at Casa Cupula, Punto V, Si Señor, The Blue Shrimp, The View Restaurant at Landmark Hotel, Tortuga Beach, Trio, Thierry's Prime Steakhouse, Trattoria Michel, Vitea.

For high resolution images of Puerto Vlarta, please click here.

Additional Information about menus and restaurant is available at: www.visitpuertovallarta.com;www.virtualvallarta.com/restaurantweek

In a moving ceremony on Saturday, the representatives of the Port Authority and various other officials gathered to attend the maiden voyage of the Norwegian Jewel with Captain Idar Hoydal, ship's crew and local shipping agent Carlos Gerard, who announced the good news that Norwegian Cruises are returning to Puerto Vallarta in the 2012.
Norwegian Cruises in Puerto Vallarta
Norwegian Cruise Line returns with 4 repositioning cruises in Puerto Vallarta until 2013 and a total of 11 major arrivals from the cruise line, with 7 visits from the Norwegian Star and 4 more arrivals between the Norwegian Sun and Norwegian Jewel.

During the ceremony, Captain Idar Hoydal was very friendly and attentive to the guests who were one by one exchanging pleasantries with the captain, who said he was happy to return to Puerto Vallarta and be received as warmly. After the ceremony, the Captain and his crew offered a tour of the facilities of the cruise ship, and offered a meal to guests in one of the ship's restaurants.

Puerto Vallarta continues promotional efforts in the cruise segment, where recently the Puerto Vallarta Tourism Board participated in the 8th Annual CLIA Cruise 3Sixty Conference (www.cruise3sixty.com) held in Ft Lauderdale, Florida, from April 25 to 30, 2012.

At the ceremony were representatives of the Port Authority, CANACO, Port Agents, Brokers, State Tourism Secretary, Secretary of Health and the Tourism Board of Puerto Vallarta.

For more information on Norwegian Cruises, visit http://www.es.ncl.eu/ http://www2.ncl.com/ and Cruise3Sixty, visit www.cruise3sixty.com

The movie "I Brake for Gringos" was presented in a press

conference in Mexico yesterday. The filming is scheduled

to begin on May 14th in this exuberant Mexican

destination.
I Brake for Gringos Puerto Vallarta
In attendance were The Puerto Vallarta's Tourism Board

Director, Guillermo Ohem; Puerto Vallarta's Tourism

Director, Jose Luis Diaz Borioli; Producer, Leonardo

Zimbrón; Director, Fernando Lebrija and cast members:

Devon Werkheiser, Sean Marquette, Camille Belle and

Mexico's own Silverio Palacios.

Puerto Vallarta's history as a filming location dates

back to 1963, when "The night of the Iguana" was filmed

in Mismaloya, located in Vallarta's southern coast. This

film was directed by John Huston and starred Richard

Burton, Ava Gardner and Deborah Kerr. Tennessee

Williams, author of The night of the Iguana, regularly

visited the movie set while production.

Moreover, Puerto Vallarta left anonymity when Richard

Burton's and Elizabeth Taylor's romance became public in

1963. Enchanted by the city's charm and aura, the couple

decided to buy a property, Casa Kimberly.

Some of the Movies that have been filmed in Puerto

Vallarta are:

• The Night of the Iguana
• The Savage is Loose
• Le Magnifique, starring Jean Paul Belmondo and

Kaceline Bisset
• Swashbuckler
• The Domino Principle, starring Gene Hackman, Candice

Bergen and Mickey Rooney
• Herbie Goes Bananas
• Caveman, starring Ringo Starr and Denis Quaid
• Down Twisted
• Firewalker, starring Chuck Norris
• Predator, starring Arnold Shwartzeneger and Jesse

Ventura
• Revenge, starring Kevin Costner
• Gunmen
• Blind side
• Kiss me Goodbye
• Deadly swarm
• Puerto Vallarta Squeeze
• Kill Bill 2
• A Chihuahua in Beverly Hills, starring by Jaime Lee

Curtis, Edward James Olmos, and Jose Ma. Yazpik
• Dinoshark, starring Eric Balfour and Aaron Díaz
• Sharktopus, starring Eric Roberts
• Dónde Está Lupita, starring Dulce María y Carmen

Salinas.
• Limitless, starring Bradley Cooper
• Baño de damas, starring Eduardo Santamarina, Viviana

Gibelli y Andrea Montenegro
• Mar de Fondo, starring Christian Meier, Sergio

Basáñez, Julio Bracho, Aura Christina Geithner, Lía

Ferré, and María José Magán.

TV Series:
• Acapulco Heat
• Conan

"I Brake for Gringos" storyline is based on Logan, a

high school student that is riddled with insecurities.

His parents view him as an immature child and don't

really trust them. Logan does not exist to Lina, who

already has a boyfriend. This film is about Logan's

attempts to win Lina's heart.

Logan's best friend, Blake, finds out that Lina is going

to Puerto Vallarta for Spring Break and convinces Logan

to follow the girl of his dreams to Mexico. There the

duo will meet Gaby, a sexy Mexican girl and Chuy, an

intrepid taxi driver. Together they live a great

adventure that will change their lives forever.

The film's producer, director and actors agreed that

Puerto Vallarta is a beautiful place to produce the

film, and projects itself as a top Mexican destination.

I Brake for Gringos Puerto Vallarta
Genre: Comedy
Director: Fernando Lebrija
Scriptwriter: Miguel Tejada Flores
Producers: Fernando Lebrija, Leonardo Zimbrón, Willie

Kutner
Language: English
Length: 110 minutes
Approximate Release Date: Fall 2013
Approximate Cost: 4.4 million dollars.

Director – Fernando Lebrija - Received his Bachelors

degree in Communications from Guadalajara's Universidad

Autonoma, and earned a Masters Degree in Production from

the American Film Institute based in Los Angeles,

California. In addition, Mr. Lebrija holds a degree in

Scriptwriting from UCLA and a directing degree from USC.

Mr. Lebrija has worked in the film and television

industry for more than 15 years and producing more than

30 TV series and short films. His film debut came with

Amar a morir, which has been viewed in many festivals

throughout the world.

At the Mexico's 2010 Diosas de Plata awards, Mr. Lebrija

won the Best Young Director category and was nominated

in other seven categories including best Director.

Fernando splits his time between Los Angeles and

Guadalajara while developing projects with his

production company, Cine irreversible.

www.irreversiblecinema.com.

Scriptwriter – Miguel Tejada Flores - Most famous work

is in the film Revenge of the Nerds that became an

instant hit at movie theaters across the globe. Miguel

has written in different genres, his works include:

Almost dead starring Shannon Doherty and The Unsaid

starring Andy Garcia.

His other work includes: writing and production of the

Sci-Fi acclaimed series Welcome to Paradox, and was one

of the writers for Disney's classic The Lion King.

Producer – Leonardo Zimbrón - Was a Production Director

for Warner Bros. Pictures in Mexico until 2010.

Currently, is partner of Mexico's Filmadora Nacional and

is head of the Peliculas Imaginarias división and TRZ

communication. Additionally, he collaborates as a

consultant/producer for Warner Bros Pictures, Paramount

Pictures, and Universal Pictures in Mexico.

He has produced the following Spanish tittles: Efectos

Secundarios (Issa Lopez, 2005), Bajo la Sal (Under the

Salt, Mario Muñoz, 2008), No eres tu soy yo (It's not

you, it's me, Alejandro Springall 2010), and Viento en

Contra (Against the wind, Walter Dohener 2011), among

others.

Currently, he is in the post production process of the

family comedy Nosotros los Nobles (Gary Alazraki, 2013)

and the family drama El Entranador (Walter Doehner,

2013), and will next start the production of I Brake for

Gringos in Puerto Vallarta. In addition, Leonardo

counts with experience as a distributor, with a special

focus in digital platforms. Leo has given several

conferences throughout Latin America, and has

participated as a judge in renowned film festivals in

the region. Furthermore, he is the Vice President of the

Mexican Association of Independent Producers (AMPI).

During of "Letras en la Mar", poet Jorge Souza presented his latest publication: "Jalisco Desde el Cielo ", which combines poetry and the photography of Gilberto Larios to artfully describe the local geography of Puerto Vallarta.
Photo Source: http://www.cuc.udg.mx
The presentation was held in the auditorium of CU Costa, where poet Jorge Orendain also read a biography of Souza, who is a researcher and the Director of Literature at the Department of Culture, Jalisco.

"The views offered by the book are really different," said the author, describing book's foreword which describes briefly the history of Jalisco, "is a description with visuals but then it includes the historical and geographical dynamic ".

"Jalisco Desde el Cielo" was published by the Ministry of Culture of Jalisco in 2011, and the presentation included projected large photographs representing some of the character of Jalisco: images of crops of corn, a highway and a spring are part of the book's 150 photographs.

Souza and Larios also worked together in 2006 on a similar publication of photographs and poetry.

www.visitpuertovallarta.com

Puerto Vallarta has received seven awards in the past 11 years, which have been assigned by tourists, online travel agencies, magazines and Internet sources.
Puerto Vallarta is internationally recognized
The list of successes began with the appointment of Puerto Vallarta as the "World's Friendliest City" in 2001, after being chosen by readers of the prestigious international magazine Conde Nast.

In 2010, Puerto Vallarta was named "Best Place to Retire in the World" by the AARP (American Association of Retired Persons).

That same year, the city was named "Best Holiday Destination in Mexico" by USNews.com.

This year, Vallarta was one of the winning destinations in the Reader's Choice section of the popular site About.com, where it was awarded "Most Romantic Place in Mexico 2012."

This year Puerto Vallarta won the category "Favorite Beach Destination in Mexico 2012" again by readers of the popular site About.com, which was founded in 1996 and is one of the sites most important and busiest sites among Americans.

This week two other awards have been given to Puerto Vallarta, "Best Destination for Conventions" in a magazine that markets conventions, and a ranking on the list of "Top 10 Destinations in Mexico," on TripAdvisor.com.

www.visitvallarta.com

"Discover Mexico" is an event at Yosemite International Airport by the Consulate of Mexico in Fresno, California, who in 2012 celebrated the first year of daily flights to Mexico by Aeromexico and Volaris airlines, and where the Mexican Consulate, represented by Reyna Torres Mendivil, said: "We will try to do more to increase business in Mexico and, of course, here in the Central Valley to continue benefiting the communities on both sides of the border."

Mexico is known for its rich culture and cuisine, its stunning beaches, warm weather, real estate, nightlife, numerous shopping destinations and museums.

2011 saw 22.67 million international travelers to Mexico, which set a record and 19 million Americans visited their southern neighbor with 99% of those recommending to others to make a similar visit. According to the Consulate of Mexico in Fresno, 98 of every 100 visitors return to Mexico.

"The service provided by these two airlines of Mexico has been very positive for the whole community in the Central Valley," said Reyna Torres Mendivil, Consul of Mexico in Fresno. "Thousands of passengers traveling to and from Mexico, including tourists, business travelers, families and friends have enjoyed continuous connectivity through Fresno.

The event was attended by over 25 representatives of travel agencies and tourism industry members, representatives of the City of Fresno, the Mayor of Mendota, Volaris and Aeromexico, and had excellent media coverage by Univision 21, Azteca America, ABC 30, Fresno Bee and Business Street Online.

credits to www.visitpuertovallarta.com

By:Robert Reid. Lonely Planet author.

Every week or so I get asked, 'Is it safe to go to Mexico?' I had always said, if you're thoughtful about where you go, yes. But after my most recent trip there, I'm changing my answer... to a question:

Do you think it's safe to go to Texas?

To be clear, violence in Mexico is no joke. There have been over 47,000 drug-related murders alone in the past five years. Its murder rate – 18 per 100,000 according to this United Nations Office on Drugs & Crime report – is more than three times the US rate of 4.8 per 100,000. Though Mexican tourism is starting to bounce back, Americans appear more reluctant to return than Canadians and Brits (5.7 million Americans visited in 2011, down 3% from 2010 – and, according to Expedia, more than four of five bookings were adults going without children). Many who don't go cite violence as the reason.

What you don't get from most reports in the US is statistical evidence that Americans are less likely to face violence on average in Mexico than at home, particularly when you zero in on Mexico's most popular travel destinations. For example, the gateway to Disney World, Orlando, saw 7.5 murders per 100,000 residents in 2010 per the FBI; this is higher than Cancun or Puerto Vallarta, with rates of 1.83 and 5.9 respectively, per a Stanford University report (see data visualization here, summarized on this chart, page 21). Yet in March, the Texas Department of Public Safety advised against 'spring break' travel anywhere in Mexico, a country the size of the UK, France, Germany, Spain and Italy combined. Never mind that popular destinations like the Bahamas, Belize and Jamaica have far higher homicide rates (36, 42 and 52 per 100,000). Why the singular focus?

Before you nix Mexico altogether, consider these five things:

1. Mexico may be more dangerous than the US overall, but not for Americans.

According to FBI crime statistics, 4.8 Americans per 100,000 were murdered in the US in 2010. The US State Department reports that 120 Americans of the 5.7 million who visited Mexico last year were murdered, which is a rate of 2.1 of 100,000 visitors. Regardless of whether they were or weren't connected to drug trafficking, which is often not clear, it's less than half the US national rate.

2. Texans are twice as safe in Mexico, and three times safer than in Houston.

Looking at the numbers, it might be wise for Texans to ignore their Public Safety department's advice against Mexico travel. Five per 100,000 Texans were homicide victims in 2010, per the FBI. Houston was worse, with 143 murders, or a rate of 6.8 – over three times the rate for Americans in Mexico.

3. And it's not just Texas.

It's interesting comparing each of the countries' most dangerous cities. New Orleans, host city of next year's Super Bowl, broke its own tourism record last year with 8 million visitors. Yet the Big Easy has ten times the US homicide rate, close to triple Mexico's national rate.

Few go to Ciudad Juarez, a border town of 1.3 million that saw 8 to 11 murders a day in 2010 (accounts differ – CNN went with 8). It's unlikely to ever be a tourism hostpot, but things have been quietly improving there. By 2011, CNN reported, the homicide rate dropped by 45%, and the first six weeks of this year saw an additional 57% drop, per this BBC story.

If that trend in Juarez continues all year, and it might not, the number of homicides would have dropped from over 3000 in 2010 to 710 in 2012. Meanwhile New Orleans' homicide rate is increasing, up to 199 murders last year, equivalent to 736 in a city with the population of Juarez.

4. By the way, most of Mexico is not on the State Department's travel warning.

The best of Mexico, in terms of travel, isn't on the warning. The US warns against 'non-essential travel' to just four of Mexico's 31 states (all in the north: Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango and Tamaulipas). The warning goes on to recommend against travel to select parts of other states, but not including many popular destinations such as Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, the Riviera Nayarit, Cancun, Cozumel and Tulum.

Meanwhile, 13 states are fully free from the State Department's warning, including Baja California Sur, Yucatan, Mexico City, Oaxaca, Chiapas, Guanajuato and others.

5. Malia Obama ignored the Texas advice.

Of all people, President Obama and first lady said 'OK' to their 13-year-old daughter's spring break destination this year: Oaxaca. Then Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum made snide remarks over that, perhaps overlooking that Oaxaca state has a smaller body count from the drug war than his home state's murder rate (Oaxaca's 4.39 per 100,000 to Pennsylvania's 5.2).

Oaxaca state, not on the US travel warning, is famed for its colonial city, Zapotec ruins and emerging beach destinations like Huatulco. Lonely Planet author Greg Benchwick even tried grasshoppers with the local mezcal (Malia apparently stuck with vanilla shakes.)

So, can you go to Mexico?

Yes. As the US State Department says, 'millions of US citizens safely visit Mexico each year.' Last year, when I took on the subject for CNN, one commenter suggested Lonely Planet was being paid to promote travel there. No we weren't. We took on the subject simply because – as travelers so often know – there is another story beyond the perception back home, be it Vietnam welcoming Americans in the '90s or Colombia's dramatic safety improvements in the '00s. And, equally as importantly, Mexico makes for some of the world's greatest travel experiences – it's honestly why I'm in this line of work.

So yes, you can go to Mexico, just as you can go to Texas, or New Orleans, or Orlando, or the Bahamas. It's simply up to you to decide whether you want to.

Robert Reid is Lonely Planet's New York–based US Travel Editor and has been going to Mexico since he was three (most recently to Chacala).

Read more: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/blog/2012/04/30/are-americans-safer-in-mexico-than-at-home/#ixzz1tpl03CE8

The second edition of CLOSE UP VALLARTA will take place from May 1 thru May 5, 2012 in various locations throughout Puerto Vallarta, such as Los Arcos on the Malecon, Teatro Vallarta, Centro Universitario de la Costa UDG (CUC), Centro Cultural Cuale and Gallery Haus Der Kunst proyectos.

CLOSE UP is a project created by artist Angel Delgado in Mexico City in October 2006. It was originally a national screening of video art presented over a number of years in different spaces: galleries, plazas, museums, universities and international festivals.

In 2011 it became an international festival of video creation, taking the name CLOSE UP VALLARTA, with its official base in the city of Puerto Vallarta. It is the only festival of its type in Mexico.

The project is an exhibition of videos in which material is presented that ranges from video art to experimental video, including video dance, video performance, erotic video art, experimental shorts and video animation. It constitutes a space of interrelation and promotion that enables us to encounter visual experimentation.

CLOSE UP VALLARTA offers the opportunity to present new work in video from both emerging and established artists, including students; it is interested in ensuring that art carried out in video not only circulates in museums and galleries but also in other spaces and to a wider public.

The curatorial proposal of CLOSE UP VALLARTA is concerned with liberating video art from a rigid and pre-established discourse. The project emulates the constant activity of the eye and arises from the modern tendency to visualize existence.

This year we received 170 videos from 159 artists from more than 25 countries. From these submissions, 72 videos were selected and will be presented in Teatro Vallarta on May 3, 4 and 5 at 8pm.

In addition to the presentation of competing videos within the different categories, there will be a solo exhibition by Michael Nyman in Gallery Haus Der Kunst proyectos, whose opening will be on May 1 at 8pm, lectures in Centro Universitario de la Costa UDG on May 2 at 11am, projection of videos by renowned international artists in the Arcos on the Malecon (Official Opening) on May 2 at 8pm, lectures by guest artists and the presentation of the New York Festival, Región 0 in the Centro Cultural Cuale at 11am.

GUEST ARTISTS

Amongst other guest artists and curators we will be welcoming Michael Nyman, Héctor Falcón, Fernando Llanos, Yair López, Eva Mendoza and Laura Turégano.

AWARDS

Solo Award, given by an important art collection
Individual Category Awards, given by Gallery Haus der Kunst
Local Artist Award, given by Los Mango Library
Most Chido (cool) Award, given by La Vida Chida
Dorado Award, given by El Dorado

JUDGES

Paola Paz Yee, Yaima Esterlich, Arturo Montero, Luis Moreno, Christian Köhl and Angel Delgado.

FESTIVAL ORGANIZING COMMITTEE

Managing Director: Angel Delgado
Coordinator: Christian Köhl
Assistant Coordinator: Sergio Toledano
Design and Image Manager: Chicharito Magnético
Press and Media Manager: María Karina Macías
RP & Marketing: Estrella Planter