Beachfront to mountainside, Vallarta is full of palapas! Despite their primitive appearance, palapa building is an art and requires practice and creative ability. Palapas must be built in accordance with prevailing winds, all based on the structure’s weight, beam size, and roof angle! Think about that the next time you’re sipping your pina colada in the shade of a palapa!

Edificio vallarta plaza zaragoza #160 centro . Puerto vallarta, jalisco c.p. 48300 México.<p>

Date: march 23. 2006.<p>

To: AMERICAN CITIZENS<br>
Frorn: kelly trainor de Oceguera. U.S. consular agent U.S. Consular Agent
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.;p>

Phone: 222-0069<br>
 fax: 223-0074<p>

Re: u.s. consular agency commnunity outreach program medical matters open forum & health services expo.<p>

The U.S. consular agency of Puerto Vallarta wish to invite the English speaking community (residents and visitors) to an open forum with Mexican Medical service providers. FRIDAY, MARCH 31ST, 2006 AT 09: 30 HRS, HOTEL MARRIOTT CASA MAGNA.<br>

A panel of Mexican medical service providers has been assembled to provide information as to the various medical services in the bay. They will field questions regarding local medical services, practices, customs, costs and where to solicit more information.<br>

By, Lineberger, Myles <p>

The fishing has been up and down for the past month but with a good Captain and some luck you can catch fish both offshore and inshore. The fishing in the bay gets harder and harder every year and it’s because of over fishing, mostly with illegal nets. It seems that we will have to wait until the fishery crashes before the Mexican government will do anything about it. The laws are in place but there is no one to police it. My hope is that more of us will be letting the Mexican government know that we need patrol boats going around the bay day and night and getting these illegal nets out of the water. Then we need to make the size of the mesh of the nets larger so that the small fish don’t get caught and have a chance to grow. The size of some of the fish that are brought in is just stupid, ¼ pound Rabalo, (Snook) when this fish should get as least get over 5 lbs. In the U.S. Snook are not allowed to be caught commercially only by sport fishermen and then there is a slot limit, nothing over 36” and nothing under 18”. There are more Snook in Florida now than we have had in 50 years or more. If we give the Bay a chance to come back it would do so much faster than most people would think, but we need to give it that chance.<br>

Offshore: As the season begins to change the waters offshore are beginning to warm up to the magic 80 degree mark and the Tunas and Marlin are starting to pile up at the Rock and El Banco. With each new school of porpoise that migrates in more and more tunas from 50 to 150 pounds are coming with them and instead of leaving with the porpoise they are staying around the high spots to take advantage of the massive amounts of bait available there for them. While there aren’t really many fish over the giant 200-pound mark yet… there are plenty of fish in the 50 to 150 ranges. Captains like Josh Temple use tricks like kite and helium balloon fishing to float live baits out to the feeding tuna while keeping all line and gear out of the water, it really gets them to bite. We still have some Striped Marlin keeping fishermen busy about 10 miles west of the Rock.<br>

Inshore: The inshore action had been good to great. The Pargos (Dog tooth Snapper) and other snappers spawning have been racked up in the thousands, we caught a nice one over 40 pounds. Kim at Charter Dreams reports that Sierra Mackerel, Jack Cravele (Toro), and the California Bonitas have been doing well just south of the Marietas, which is also where we caught the 40 pound Dog Tooth Snapper (Pargo) on a live blue runner or as they are called locally Chili Verdes or Cookies. The best way to catch these fish is with a diving Rapala with a small squid bait 18” behind the diving plug and don’t forget to use steel leader for those toothy Mackerel. She also said that there have been Sails caught off Punta Mita and at the south point.<br>

Cajon de Pena: The Bass have moved off the beds and are hungry. Fish up to 8 pounds have been reported and about 10 to 20 fish per day. They have been hanging deep around the timber.<br>

If you would like to know more about our fine fishing please drop me a line or I guess I should say e-mail and we will get you hooked up. E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Love those bent rods!

Phantom of the ‘Opry’, Jekyll & Hyde and Nunsense<p>
By Ed Hutmacher<p>
 
   The musical spoof Phantom of the ‘Opry’ keeps entertaining audiences every Friday and Saturday night with its country and western spin on Lon Chaney’s classic thriller. Starring Ann Marie Danimus, Dennis Ty, and Levi Webb, this adaptation (co-written by Danimus and Ty) offers up a bevy of popular C&W standards, exceptionally performed by the talented cast.<br>

    Most of us are familiar with the original story—a deranged, disfigured artist prowls the dungeons beneath the Paris Opera House infatuated with a beautiful, up-and-coming opera singer who’s in love with another man. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s thrilling music forever marked the Phantom’s torment. Until now, that is. <br>

   With a deft directorial touch, Ann Marie Danimus humorously transports the dramatic mayhem surrounding the love triangle from the Paris Opera House to C&W’s Mecca the Grand Old Opry in Nashville, Tennessee. Mix together the comical high-jinx of a Jack Daniels swilling Diva (Gaye Ringness), a redneck toting a sawed-off shotgun (David White), the irrepressible antics of Minnie Pearl (Mikki Prost), some foot-stompin’ songs and heart-breakin’ ballads, and Phantom of the ‘Opry’ serves up a rip-roaring, hand-clapping good time.<br>

    Opening Sunday, March 19, is another musical adaptation of a Broadway hit show, the thriller The Musical Skeleton of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, starring Vallarta thespians David White and Sharon Baughman-White. The two-act musical had a successful run at The Palm this last November, and I’m pleased to present the production at Santa Barbara.<br>

   There’s plenty of “good stuff” for White to tackle in the dual character of Hyde-Jekyll. The range of behavioral twists and emotional turns that emerge in the well-meaning nice guy Dr. Jekyll and the down-and-dirty bad boy persona of Mr. Hyde are deep and wide. Baughman-White also plays dual roles, as Jekyll’s betrothed Lisa aand I’m pleased to present the production at Santa Barbara.<br>

   There’s plenty of “good stuff” for White to tackle in the dual character of Hyde-Jekyll. The range of behavioral twists and emotional turns that emerge in the well-meaning nice guy Dr. Jekyll and the down-and-dirty bad boy persona of Mr. Hyde are deep and wide. Baughman-White also plays dual roles, as Jekyll’s betrothed Lisa nd lady of the night Lucy.<br>

   But to really spice up the show, why not add a first-rate musical score to the demanding performance? Popular hit songs, such as “Once Upon A Dream,” “Someone Like You” and “A New Life”, came from the original Broadway show. Of particular note, Baughman-White adds softness and context with her marvelous vocals, though her spin with “Bring On The Men” is mischievously fun; and David White’s awesome performance in the ultimate duet between Jekyll and Hyde is stunning.<br>

   And Hallelujah, brothers and sisters! The hit musical comedy Nunsense premiered to a packed house on Monday and promises to be another one of a string of hit shows at Santa Barbara, with this adaptation, by the acclaimed directing-choreography team Federico Fonsecas Pina and Paul Guerrero Rosas, sporting new scripture and verse.<br>

   The original award-winning show opened off-Broadway in 1985 and has had a healthy life on the road ever since. The action wraped around the whacked-out antics of some feisty Hoboken, New Jersey nuns left confounded by the death of most of the convent’s sisters due to food poisoning..<br>

   By way of a simple twist and turn, and taking some playwriting liberties with the original story line, Federico and Paul’s adaptation have eight of the surviving nuns on vacation in sunny Puerto Vallarta. And in another pickle! Calamity strikes again when four of the fun-loving sisters drown in Banderas Bay while riding a banana boat, and there’s no money to retrieve and bury the bodies.<br>

   How do the other four desperate sisters solve the problem? By putting on an emergency fund-raiser show, of course, full of high-kicking dance numbers and pun-punched songs like “Tackle That Temptation With A Time Step” and “The Dying Nun Dance.”<br>

   Nunsense has been a hit show for 25 years because it’s unapologetically fun, strewn with vaudevillesque double-entendres, show-stopping songs, riotous dance routines, and some nunly surprises, revealing much about the repressed aspirations of the singing-dancing sisters.<br>

   Under the artful direction and sparkling choreography of Federico and Paul (who headed the highly praised production Godspell in January, and don the attire of nuns themselves, as Sisters Mary Regina and Mary Amnesia, respectively), and co-starring Morgan Adams (Sister Mary Hubert) and Norma Schuh (Sister Robert Anne), Nunsense – On Vacation In Vallarta is a show that’s sure to be “habit-forming.”

the first ever Festival purely initiated by this wonderful indigenous group. The events started on March 4th and run through until March 26th. <BR>
Unfortunately City support has been anaemic so the festival has been rather poorly publicized  - and the location is not easy to spot! But it is well worth making the effort to go and meet these wonderful people. You can find them at Plaza Caracol (where Gigante is) in the new area behind  the electric stairways which take you to the Cinemas.  They are there from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. with  special performances and ceremonies scheduled for 8 p.m. on Saturdays March 18 and 25 and music and dancing on Sundays March 12,19 and 26<BR>
 
There are lots of handicrafts on sale - and you can be sure these pieces were really made by Huicholes . The ceremonies are being revealed to the outside world for the first time as the Huichols are seeking better understanding of their culture and more support as they strive to better their standards of living.  For example, this group have recently built six cabins for visitors to stay in their village.  There were also 3 young musicians who are studying and have recorded their CD which they sell for $100 pesos to help them pay for their studies.<BR>
 
The Huichols are in need of immediate support because last year's harvest was ruined by drought and times are hard. They are resilient people but they still children to be looked after by relatives. That's pretty brave! The father told us the two year old had to be put in an incubator after he was born. 'He started to smile then and he has'nt stopped smiling since,' he said.<BR>
 
Donations of blankets, sleeping bags, baby and kids' clothing, vitamins, books in Spanish, clothing for men and women are being asked for, as well as food staples like rice, beans,  Maseca (corn flour), clothing .
To help or get more information you can contact Rosi Carrandi of the Grupo Ecologico Iguana at 044- 322-728- 5710.need help. We talked to one of the young leaders whose wife was sitting nearby nursing a 13 day old baby while her two-year old played around her. She must have left the village when the baby was only five or six days old, leaving hechildren to be looked after by relatives. That's pretty brave! The father told us the two year old had to be put in an incubator after he was born. 'He started to smile then and he has'nt stopped smiling since,' he said.<BR>
 
Donations of blankets, sleeping bags, baby and kids' clothing, vitamins, books in Spanish, clothing for men and women are being asked for, as well as food staples like rice, beans,  Maseca (corn flour), clothing .
To help or get more information you can contact Rosi Carrandi of the Grupo Ecologico Iguana at 044- 322-728- 5710.r other three children to be looked after by relatives. That's pretty brave! The father told us the two year old had to be put in an incubator after he was born. 'He started to smile then and he has'nt stopped smiling since,' he said.<BR>
 
Donations of blankets, sleeping bags, baby and kids' clothing, vitamins, books in Spanish, clothing for men and women are being asked for, as well as food staples like rice, beans,  Maseca (corn flour), clothing .
To help or get more information you can contact Rosi Carrandi of the Grupo Ecologico Iguana at 044- 322-728- 5710.

(Eschrichtius robustus)<p>
By Griffin Page-Naturalist ~ Eco-guide<p>

Last Monday, at around 9:30 am, as we were enjoying some Bottlenose dolphins playing near the mouth of the Ameca River, my captain “aka Checke” saw a whale near the coast. We’d been watching the dolphins for 15 or 20 minutes and so we headed straight for the shore line. Even from afar, through the glare of the sun upon the water, I could tell it wasn’t a Humpback; our frequent visitors in the winter months. I saw the knuckles and thought: “A Grey whale? Can it be?” I was really excited! In 4 years of guiding whale watching tours, I had never witnessed a Grey here. I have been told that they rarely come here anymore, not since the mid 1800’s when the whale hunts began, nearly extinguishing both species. Ship logs of the whalers of that time report both Greys and Humpbacks in this Bay. I have been told that they are now only seen here once every 4 – 6 years.<p>

Let me take this opportunity to tell you a little about these magnificent creatures. Grey Whales are often called the friendly whales for their sociable behavior towards humans. Some of them will come right up to a boat and float there, waiting to be petted. As you reach down and gently stroke their smooth barnacled flesh, their eyes will close in what appears to be pleasure. After nearly being completely extinguished by human’s violent hunts for their oil (used for lamps and machine lubrication), their baleens (used to make women’s corsets), their skin and their meat for consumption, one can only be in awe at their docile approach towards those who have persecuted them so mercilessly. Are they attempting to send us a message?<p>

Grey whales make the longest migration of any mammal known. Similarly to Humpbacks, they feed in the northern cold waters around Bering Strait and Chukchi seas. They migrate south to reproduce in the lagoons of the Pacific Ocean, specifically the west coast of Baja California (Guerrero Negro – Scammon’s lagoon, San Ignacio and Magdalena Bay). The other population goes from the Okhotsk Sea (East coast of Russia) to South Korea. The Atlantic population was unfortunately hunted to extinction some 150 years ago.<p>

This species is the only Cetacean that feeds by straining the sediment from the bottom floor. Their diet consists of up to 95% amphipods (crustaceans that live in tubes in the mud and sand in shallow ocean floors) but can also include worms and mollusks. They will rub the bottom sideways and strain the water and mud out with their baleens (bristles located in the upper jaw and used as a filter). Perhaps, that is what our whale was doing on Monday morning. It was in very shallow waters, rubbing the bottom constantly, raising silt everywhere it went. As with Humpbacks, most of their migration means a serious diet as       there is no sufficient amounts of food for them in warm waters. They will mostly consume their own fat and loose tremendous amounts of weight.<p>

Grey whales are easily recognized by their lack of dorsal fin. Instead, they have a low hump with between 6 and 12 knuckles descending in size between the hump and the fluke (proper term for a cetacean’s tail). They are mottled with patches of dark and light grey. Unlike Humpbacks which have barnacles in specific areas, Greys have them in patches all over their body. A barnacle is a very small crustacean that attaches itself to whales and other objects. See this page for detailed info on barnacles: <p>http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/indexmag.html?<br>http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/artjan99/barnac.html.<p> As a matter of fact,   Grey whales may have 100-200kg (221 - 441lb) of
barnacles attached to their head and body. Females are slightly larger than males.  This whale can reach between 39 feet (12.8m) and 50 feet (15.2m) and will weight an average of 15 to 34 tons. At birth, they will measure 14 to 16 feet and will weight around ½ ton or a little more. They are believed to live up to 40 – 50 years.<p>

A beautiful sight is the blow of a Grey whale. It is 10 to 12 feet high, bushy and heart shaped when viewed from the front or back. It doesn’t much matter which side I look at it from. To me, a grey whale will always have the shape of a heart. I just love them! <p>

Whilst hunting is now banned a small quota is permitted to indigenous hunters, and an unknown level of illegal hunting still occurs. Shipping and industrial activities in the coastal migratory routes increase the risk of collisions with ships, entanglement in fishing nets and pollution. Furthermore, habitat degradation resulting from drilling and dredging is also a problem. History cannot repeat itself. Let’s pay attention to the message.<p>

Since I didn’t have my camera with me that day, I want to send a special thank you to Eduardo Lugo for coming over in his boat to photograph this whale and make sure this rare sighting got documented and the data sent to whale research.<p>

“Nature could be such a wonderful teacher if only we saw it for what it really is” ~ Monachí

Sally Smith de Villalpando, Raul Villalpando, and Victor Del Castillo B. visit at the Puerto Vallarta White Ball, benefiting the Vallarta Against AIDS Organization.  The event was at Le Bistro Restaurant with food prepared by Vallarta`s top restaurants.(LtoR)

Hundreds of persons attended this year´s Puerto Vallarta White Ball at Le Bistro Restaurant last Sunday to benefit the Vallarta Against AIDS Organizazation.<br>  
 
Funds were raised from ticket sales with food prepared by Vallarta´s top restaurants, a silent auction, music and other entertainment during the 6-hour benefit.<br>
 
The AIDS Organization consists of doctors, psychologists, counselors and volunteers who provide AIDS educational programs, testing, free or low-cost medication and other resources and support for those who have HIV/AIDS, or SIDA, as it is called here in Mexico.<br>
 
This White Ball is just one way the Vallarta Against AIDS raises funds to help those living with HIV/AIDS whilce raising awareness in local communities about the global pandemic of HIV/AIDS.

Painter Philippo LoGrande Out of Surgery  

Philippo Lo Grande, a longtime Yelapa artist known to
thousands of residents, visitors, and admirers of his paintings, was seriously injured in a fall in Puerto Vallarta two weeks ago and underwent spinal surgery this past Monday at CMQ Hospital. <br>
  The surgery cost $90,000 pesos, according to
LoGrande who was released a day later. "I'm feeling
much, much better, better than I have for a long
time," he said yesterday from his apartment in Gringo
Gulch, where he had fallen and lay for hours before
being found. <br>
 
Yelepans responded with a 100-peso spaghetti dinner
benefit at the Passion Flower Garden, yesterday, at 6
p.m. Other donations may be made locally to Rita
Zanoni or April Jones; call 209-5183 (from the U. S.
call 011-52-322-209-5183).<br>
 
Readers with PayPal accounts may also make donations
online by going to the PayPal site www.paypal.com and
making a payment to Cliff Barney's PayPal account.
PayPal donations may be charged to a credit card. <br>
  Philippo was instrumental several years ago in
setting up Bambú, a fund to help artists who are
injured or ill. It now appears that he may be one of
the first beneficiaries of the fund he helped create.
However, Bambú will not cover expenses of the type
Philippo is now incurring, and donations are urgently requested.<br>
 
A Benefit here in Puerto Vallarta for Philippo
LoGrande is planned for this Sunday, Feb. 26, at Trio Restaurant, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Local artists are donating works for auction, and a 100 peso donation includes open bar and tasty snacks. RSVP at 223-2179. Organizer Judith Ewing Morlan said yesterday that some "fifteen or more artists have responded, and we'll have several works by Philippo himself for auction."

Longtime Vallarta/Yelapa artist Philippo
LoGrande, right, has been a part of the Bay of
Banderas art scene for some 25 years. An event is
planned at Trio this Sunday to hel cover expenses he
suffered from a recent fall and the subsequent
surgery.

4 Vallarta Fencers Bring Home 6 National Medals<br>Ariana Aranda and Jenny Lobato Make the Div. 1 National Team<p>

By Claire Miller:<p>
Gold, silver, and bronze – normally the stuff dreams are made of, but not for our local Club Esgrima fencing team.  At the latest Jr. National tournament held in Mexico City Feb. 4 –5, Ariana Aranda, Hector de la Torre, Stefany Lobato, and Alejandro Flores did a tremendous job and brought home 6 medals in a variety of events. In the competition just prior Ariana Aranda and Jennyfer Lobato won spots on the Div. 1 National Team, they will next compete in a national training camp to see who on the national team will represent Mexico at the upcoming (July) Central American Games in Bogota Colombia, the most prestigious international event in Central America this year.<p>

Ariana Aranda in the women’s saber individual trounced the competition and took the gold medal. The following day, Team Jalisco took the silver medal. Ariana - the strongest part of the team, won the most points against archrival Yucatan (who took the gold).<p>

Hector de la Torre also brought in two medals from Men’s saber. De la Torre won the silver individual, and the team silver for Jalisco – again Puerto Vallarta showed its value to the state, as De La Torre was the strongest team member winning the most points against Yucatan. The team only lost the gold medal by one point.<p>

Stefany “Fany” Lobato and Alejandro Flores, the youngest competing members from PV who attended, both put in strong performances to help the state win the gold and bronze medals in the Team Epee event. “It was so exciting to win the gold medal (Women’s epee), when I stood on the podium I really felt proud of our team” said Fany. “This was a fun event, and it really felt great to bring home another medal (bronze for Men’s epee) for Puerto Vallarta,” said Alex Flores. Coach Eugenio Davidson couldn’t be happier “while Fany has brought home several individual and team medals, and represented Jalisco at the Jr. Olympics, this is her first gold medal. She and Alex are among my hardest and most consistent in training, they both worked extremely hard for it, they deserve it” said Davidson. “It, however, is most disappointing that we had such trouble obtaining our funding for the bus tickets from the Fomento Deportivo (City Sports Department). On the day of the trip they still had not produced the promised funds, so the other fencers were not able to go. At the very last minute, City Councilman Cesar Abarca was able to get a special check issued, and Ariana Aranda took a taxi out to the bus station to see if there were any seats left. Unfortunately, we were not able to get a hold of the other children on time, so the team left without them. This situation had such a dramatic effect and because of it several of our fencers will not qualify for the National Jr. Olympics,” continued Davidson.

The next of series of Jr. National tournaments will be on the weekend of March 3rd, a crucial competition that will confirm who will win their spots to represent the state of Jalisco at the 2006 National Jr. Olympics to be held in May.

After a brief time away in Canada, Eileen returned to Puerto Vallarta to produce and direct many other plays, this time as Dinner Theatre.  To name just a few, “Arsenic and Old Lace”, “Play On”, “The Melville Boys”, “Two and Two Make Sex”, “The Mouse Trap”, and more.