School Education and Raice

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Home Tours Raise Money For Cleft Palate, School Education And Rice And Beans Food Programs

By Twila Crawford

Approximately 70 persons annually receive cleft palate surgeries, and hundreds of children benefit from school education and rice and beans food programs in the Puerto Vallarta area from the proceeds of the Home Tours of the International Friendship Club (IFC).

On the day I took the tour, we saw four of the 50 homes that are available for viewing. Three of the four homes offered bed and breakfast. The Home Tours run from November to April.

Most unusual for the visitors to Puerto Vallarta, on the tour led by John Lockington and Eliana Hafiz, was a home we entered behind a tortilla factory…and what a beautiful hidden treasure. The home is located along the Rio Cuale.

The old large Mexican home of several stories is decorated in a European and Mexican style. Decorative items and art from around the world, along with greenery, fill the rooms.

We also traveled to Conchas Chinas to view three villas. They offered exhilarating views of Banderas Bay and the Sierra Madre mountains. One home had four levels and seven bedrooms.

Each year a home known to locals because of a colorful bachelor with a vivid lifestyle who lived there at one time is opened for the tour. The home now features Indonesian and Mexican art, with magnificent views of the bay and mountains.

John Lockington is the IFC Home Tours Coordinator with assistance from Yvonne Ward, Bob Lilly and John Hamlin. Al Ward is president of the International Friendship Club.

Tickets for $30 USD can be purchased at the Hotel Posada Rio Cuale, Aquilles Serdan 242, beginning at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Tours depart at 11:00 a.m. from the hotel and last approximately 2 1/2 hours.