Rather than bore you with the non-events in my life over the past week, I thought I might give you a little insight into the reasons why we haven’t been publishing much "local news" per se over the last little while.
We usually leaf through the local Spanish language dailies for news that may interest locals and visitors to Ourtown. At times, like during election periods, there really isn’t much that falls into that category - a little like CNN has been recently, devoting hours and hours of coverage to that ditzy blonde heiress, as if nothing else happened or mattered in this world. But I digress. The point I wanted to make is that the local news lately has been so depressing that we haven’t found anything to share with our readers …apart from all the good deeds accomplished by Puerto Vallarta’s FOREIGN community - things we can all be very proud of indeed! New parks for the kiddies, funds for the NGOs helping street animals, underprivileged kids, and AIDS victims (please see Len’s account of the incredible Reveille concert elsewhere in this issue), among others.
Anyway, what I thought I would do is translate some of the headlines published in the aforementioned papers over the last couple of weeks. This should give you a good idea of what’s really going on -or not- in this little paradise of ours. Here goes:
"Jetties Exacerbate Beach Erosion Around the Bay", "Vallarta Victim of Investors' Corruption and Voracity", "Mayor Gets New $470,000. Peso Van", "80% of City Vehicles from Last Administration Not Roadworthy", "Snorkeling and Scuba Diving Tour Boats and Passengers Destroyed Coral Reefs", "Anarchy Due to Loopholes in Urban Develpment Plan", "Britney Spears Vacationing in Punta Mita", "Residents of Marina Vallarta Petition to Stop Nima Bay 11-Story Towers", "Repairs and Maintenance of Tunnel Completed", "City Gets 34 New Pick-up Trucks", "Legal Loopholes Prevent Protection of the Mountain", "Finally, Four Garbage Trucks to Be Purchased", "Federal Dep't of Nat'l Resources Blamed for Baby Orca Death", "Illegal Construction Around Guadalupe Church"... and so on. Got the idea?
Well, the rainy season has officially begun, about two weeks earlier than the traditional June 24th. Within a couple more days, a few more rains, probably by the time you read this, the little bit of vegetation that has survived the uncontrolled ravaging of the mountain sides, and the multiple caused by the too-much, too-late spraying against the dengue-carrying mosquitoes by the municipal authorities, using the wrong product, …will turn vivid green. (How’s that for a long, rambling sentence? I’m talking about the vegetation here, folks.) Maybe, just maybe, the new growth will hide some of the many scars we see on the hillsides…
Saturday, June 9th, was the night of the very first rain in the Romantic Zone on the south side of town. It had rained in Conchas Chinas a couple of days earlier. Within a half-hour or so of the first drops, around 8 p.m., the transformer at the bottom of our hill exploded. Our whole neighborhood was without power for 18 hours. I’ve always been told that food will keep for 24 hours in a refrigerator if it stays closed, so I didn’t open mine at all. I also disconnected all my electronic gadgets. Trying to get through to the CFE (our electricity provider) was an exercise in futility - until Sunday afternoon. I asked the young lady who finally did answer when she thought power would be reinstated in our part of town. Her answer was rather succinct: "When it is." Oh, OK. I guess I shouldn’t have asked. I really should know better after so many years.
Actually, to be honest, it was an unexpected event. When we first moved here, thirteen years ago, power failures and exploding transformers were regular occurrences from June to September. Over the years, the situation improved so much that I cannot recall any power failure at all over the past year or more.
There are lots of things happening this week, so do take advantage of them, dear readers. An unexpected and most welcomed Art Walk on Wednesday -the official start of summer-, a fun-filled Bingo night on Thursday (see Joy’s article), a Walk for Women’s Health on Sunday, and all those yummy restaurants offering us special prices! We should also have news for you regarding our annual celebration of Canada Day in next week’s issue…
Enjoy yourselves, enjoy the rain and the thunder and the lightning bolts dancing across the sky, but don’t forget your sunblock during the day! Hasta luego. pvmom04@yahoo.com
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