10 Reasons to Love Living in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

People ask us, why do you keep going back to Puerto Vallarta every year? Well, let me count the ways, read on! #1 The Weather Not all tropical locations have consistently great weather in the winter season as does Puerto Vallarta (and we’re talking 26° to 30° every day, although the nights can be chillier in part of Jan and Feb). Waking up to the sun shining keeps us happy, very happy. #2 The Mexican People Being a major tourist destination,

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2021 Celebrating “Dia de los Muertos” in Puerto Vallarta

Growing up Catholic in a large, extended German immigrant family in Canada with more relatives than I can possibly count, death was as natural as life itself. But no one “does death” quite like the Mexicans do as witnessed in Puerto Vallarta on Día de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead). Attending Catholic school until age 11, the church was attached to our school and it was required that all students attend masses and every funeral, whether they knew the

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Restaurant Review: The Old Bauernhaus Restaurant (Kimberley, BC, Canada)

Often, artery-hardening images come to mind when thinking of German food. Starchy noodles, big fat sausages, fattening gravies and sauces. But thanks to the Old Bauernhaus Restaurant in Kimberley, BC, a mountain retreat town in the East Kootenays, you can have your health and still feast like a Bavarian King. Whenever we head back to our hometown, a reservation to the Bauernhaus is always in order. Have the Bavarian Feast: a slow food, delectable 10-course extravaganza, using locally sourced and organic

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Road Trip to Tequila: Pueblo Mágico!

“Hola Amigos! Come and taste some Tequila, it’s free!” Any visitor to Puerto Vallarta walking on the Malecon soon learns that these tastings are anything but “free” … they are high-pressure “teasers” with the ultimate goal to get you to go a timeshare presentation. Did we want to learn about Mexico’s liquid treasure from a slick salesperson whose only goal is to guide unsuspecting tourists down a very bad investment path rather than from someone who had real knowledge of the

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Reeling in the Big One (!) and a Delicious Ceviche Recipe

What do bananas have to do with deep sea fishing? Apparently, a lot. “Do you have any bananas?” Our fishing guide Eduardo asked as we boarded our Vikingo charter fishing boat at the Pier at Los Muertos Beach in Puerto Vallarta. “Because bananas are very bad luck for fishing! If you have any, we’ll have to throw them overboard!” We already knew about the banana superstition when booking our charter, so no worries, no bananas. However, without thinking, I had thrown

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Fishing Derby, Mexican Style

The Pier at Los Muertos Beach in Puerto Vallarta was the place to be to watch the fishing boats come in with their prize catches on Nov 8 and 9, 2019. More than 100 boats participated and the end of the tournament was celebrated with a live band and marlin, mahi mahi, tuna and other fruits of the sea cooking on the grill. November is the best month for fishing, and the even bigger 64th Annual International Fishing Tournament Marlin &

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My Parisian Street Hair “Sculpting” and Deluxe Curl Job

My hair tends to be dry and I am always battling split ends. So one day in the Marais, we came upon the “Hair Cowboy,” a street hair stylist who claims he was a model in Los Angeles and a stylist. Kanu is sweet but I think he has seen better days. We watched as he “sculpted,” not cut, a woman’s hair and it looked gorgeous. In a leap of faith and being the risk-taker that I am, I went for

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Distorted View of the Eiffel Tower

Soaking up atmosphere and watching the world go by at one of the City of Light’s celebrated cafés is a favorite past-time, for tourists and locals alike. For years, I took tour clients to see the Eiffel Tower magically light up from the Place du Trocadéro and then snag a prime seat at the Café du Trocadéro, which has the best view of La Tour. Well, it used to. But now the trees that the city planted almost completely obscure the

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A Day of Luxury in Paris

One of the great pleasures of being in Paris is being immersed in luxury and exquisite presentation, as only the French can do. We started our “luxury tour” at Printemps Homme, one of the Grands Magasins near Opera Garnier at Boucheron to see if I could get my Boucheron wedding ring cleaned. Bien sur, Madame. The cost: 250 euros and it would take 7 weeks! We explained that we were only going to be in Paris until the end of October

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Shopping in the Ancient Walled City of Alcúdia, Spain (Majorca)

While some of our group set out on a grueling, hill-climbing 100 kms cycling ride (painful just to hear about it!), I chose to go on a much tamer adventure: shopping in a large street market in nearby Alcúdia. Boarding the large, very comfy transport bus (for under 5 euros return) in Port de Pollença, the 20 to 30 minute journey winds past the exquisite beaches on the Balearic Sea. Stopping in front of the market entrance and witnessing the miles

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