A Moment of Contrasts

Grey enshrouds my seaside pueblo of Yelapa. Nikki and I observe the ritual of morning playtime followed by my consumption of two cups of rich Mexican coffee. A barely audible tap-tap-tap joins us and signals the onset of gentle rain.  We exchange curious glances. She returns to her sprawl across the tile floor and I to my cup.

A trek to the window confirms the totality of a gray bay, surrounded by gray mountains topped by gray clouds. All in contrast to typically rich beige sands licked by emerald waters, framed by a dozen shades of jungle green.

The off-centered morning is doubly punctuated by the fact that my best friend, creative partner and wife, Diana, is absent having departed yesterday afternoon. The succeeding forty-eighty hours always invite shared looks of "What's missing in this picture?" between Nikki and me. Previous posts addressed this near annual phenomenon.

A shuffle in the giant avocado tree reveals a clutch of cacique birds. They are the most beautiful of birds to call Yelapa home. Roughly a foot in length, they sport jet-black bodies accented by banana yellow striping. A black crest tops their elegant presence. I watch.

It is a moment of contrasts, blandness to beauty. I, like any other writer, approach my laptop and create.

(The following is lifted from a recent Face Book post.)

"Those of faith, and those of not, find this time of year an opportunity to take stock. Outwardly our political world is fraught with fear and frenzy, yet these are political issues. Through the entry way of any living space on the this planet you will find real people in search of meaning to their lives, safety for their families, and an improved future for all. It is a shared core. Just a thought."

Stay Tuned

My next posting will include the annual Memo Awards. Competition this year was fierce. Be sure to check back.

Yelapa Memo

C-E-L-E-B-R-A-T-I-O-N

 Our return week in Yelapa is always exciting. Reconnecting with friends, food, and village lifestyle demands a commitment of gargantuan proportions. Allow me to explain via our daily itinerary:

Sunday

Arrive Puerto Vallarta International Airport @ 2:35 p.m. Clear Immigration, baggage claim, Vet check (for Nikki), Customs then meet our pick-up by 3:15 p.m.  Cash at the ATM, then to Los Muertos Pier to await the water taxi to Yelapa. Arrive Yelapa Town Pier connect with Sipriano to transport our travel bits up the hill to Casa Azul. Extract the barest of necessities and step into Ray's Place for dinner by 6:30 p.m. Within ten minutes the world's best margaritas appear at our table and dinner is ordered. The rest is gastronomic history.

Monday

Due to the absence of foodstuffs at home, Diana and I are forced to enjoy breakfast (machaca, huevos rancheros) at The Eclipse. Breakfast absorbs the balance of the morning as we continue to meet/greet friends. A stop at Leticia's Market for groceries and return to Casa Azul to observe the Mexican tradition of the siesta. Arise, shower and head to Tacos y Mas for opening night. The Yelapa Bear, Pahuelas, greets us warmly and margaritas appear. Our eyes focus on the Five Taco Combination Plate. Although the plate is serving platter size, Diana and I (Memo) take no taco prisoners home.

Tuesday

Unpacking continues at a leisurely pace. Another trip for groceries and a stop by The Eclipse for a take-away order of their famous Tortilla Soup. Diana nurses the beginning of a migraine. The balance of the day plays out quietly.

Wednesday

A walk to the Town Falls mid-morning affirms an appreciation of the wonder surrounding us. Diana punctuates the experience with her totally abandoned imitation of a water sprite. (check out the video on my Facebook) More settling in. Dinner at Abuelos Taqueria.  This is NOT your average taco stop. Abuelos is a full service restaurant which takes the humble taco and imposes designer level presence. Margaritas ordered, we settle in to select shrimp, octopus, marlin, crab or a mixed taco or quesadilla; all purveyed on handcrafted blue corn tortillas.

Thursday

I head for Yelapa Kayak Rentals. Minor cleanup on the platform before yaks can be lowered and scoured clean. A chime announces Diana's incoming call. I am beckoned for lunch; I must obey. Siesta time, shower time and down the hill we trek to Ray's Place. Mixed fajitas for me and a chicken burger for Diana. Three hours evaporate before we open the door to Casa Azul, our home. We are at peace.

Friday

Over morning coffee, Diana is immobilized with guilt and declares that we cannot continue defining our lives in Yelapa by mere eating and drinking. The time has come to be productive. My analytical side discerns that we are five days into a six month stay in Yelapa and highlights the concept of whether or not this is a battle worth fighting. My creative/emotional side, in contrast, wants to holler "WTF" and declare that I am perfectly content to eat/drink through the remaining stay afforded by our Tourist Visa (180 days). I turn lovingly to my bride of nearly twenty-five years and respond "yes dear." 

Saturday

John and Tamara, arrive from Alaska for their first in a series of intermittent one-month stays. They request our company for dinner. Where? Ray's Place, of course! Great drinks, great food, great company.

Sunday

You know the drill, right? Birria at Ray's Place. It is the first birria to cross Diana's lips in nearly nine months, while my absence totals a mere five months. Our eyes connect and we quietly commence the mantra of "yum."

It was a good week to be a Yelapan.

Adventures with Teo-Aventuras con Teo

Three of the editions (The Lonely Egret-La Garceta Solitaria;  Fun in Yelapa-Diversion en Yelapa; The Pangas-Las Pangas)are available for immediate release on ibooks, NOOK and KINDLE. The second three are available for pre-order with a release date of February 2015. Visit/Like the Yelapa Memo Face Book page for bulletins and promotions. This bi-lingual series of children's books is richly illustrated and sure to be a hit with early readers.

Yelapa Kayak Rentals

Yaks and associated equipment are all tuned up and ready to go. Right equipment, right price, right under the giant fig tree on the Playita, (the small beach).  Contact Memo at 322 146 5064 (local cell). Multiple day discounts are available. Happy Paddling.

Back to Work

The next seventy-two hours will see clothes laundered, Nikki bathed, boxes placed into storage plus one tub, two totes, and twin backpacks organized-packed-stuffed into our daughter's SUV for transport to the airport. The prior three days addressed the purchasing of preferred toiletries, Nikki's annual visit to the Veterinarian, planning, organizing and much discourse. Alas, we are a busy trio.

Yelapans are no less busy as they prepare for the upcoming season. They likewise launder, bathe, store, organize, stuff, plan, all performed amidst much chatter. Alas, they are a busy bunch.

Teo Update

It is with pride I announce that five editions of The Adventures with Teo-Las Aventuras con Teo have been e-published and are now available on ibooks (iPad/MAC), Amazon (KINDLE), and Barnes and Noble (NOOK). These publications coalesced the creative geniuses of Dianne Risdon as illustrator extraordinaire, Erin Sorenson as grand editor, and Alfredo Reyes as translator. I am honored to work with such talent. Dianne and Erin took the scribbles of this wanna-be author and infused depth and breadth into the discoveries of a universal child on his odyssey through Yelapa.

The Lonely Egret-La Garceta Solitaria; The Dogs of Yelapa-Los Perros de Yelapa; Fun in Yelapa-Diversion en Yelapa are available for pre-order with November 1 as their release date. The Trip to Puerto Vallarta-El Viaje a Puerto Vallarta; and The Pangas-Las Pangas are available for pre-order and will be released around February 1, 2015. By the end of calendar 2014, all nine editions of Series I will be e-published and scheduled in groups of three for release every three months. Series II will cycle in next November. That's the plan.

Further developments, new editions, release dates, introductory offers will all appear on the Yelapa Memo FaceBook page. If you have not already, finish reading this post and then go directly to my author page (Yelapa Memo) and click on "Like." Several reviews as well as the cover art work and the links to ibooks are posted. For those using a Kindle or Nook format simply go to the Amazon.com or Barnes&Noble websites and enter "Yelapa Memo" in the white search box. You will be taken directly to the Adventures with Teo-Las Aventuras con Teo collection. With the holidays closing in, these richly illustrated/edited bilingual editions beg to be present beneath your electronic tree.

Yelapa Kayak Rentals

The week following my return (Sunday, November 2) will be devoted to sprucing up the platform, scouring and servicing all the kayaks and alerting all to YKR's readiness for the new season. Equipment plans include marketing the remaining Ocean Two (a double) and replacing it with Frenzy #4 (a single). My daily presence will be announced by two bold "Welcome" banners visible all the way to Shit Rock. Business cards will be distributed to key businesses throughout the pueblo. Numerous promotions are planned during the season. Visit the Yelapa Kayak Rentals FaceBook page, click on "Like" so you remain up to date. Better yet, before you venture to Yelapa, contact me at YelapaKayakRentals@gmail.com to reserve your equipment. Multi-day discounts are available. OR after you arrive, reach me on my local cell at 322 146-5064. Let's make this season fabulous together! Happy Paddling!

Retiring in Yelapa--Can I Visit my Money?

After nearly three years in Yelapa, I find that all my banking needs can be handled via one plastic card at an ATM (cajera automatica). Our home bank is located in southwest New Mexico, my wife spends a large portion of the year in southern California, and I reside in Mexico. Neither of us has seen the inside of a bank in years.

Unless you operate a business in Mexico, THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO REASON TO OPEN A MEXICAN BANK ACCOUNT. Mexican banking regulations, fees, hold periods, etc. are different than what we experience in the states.

Allow me to share a word/s of advice. In advance of your stateside departure, alert your bank that you will be traveling into Mexico (give them the dates) and identify your need to use both debit and credit cards. Confirm your daily limits as to cash withdrawals and/or purchases. Also find out in advance what your bank’s fees are relative to international cash withdrawals. Be forewarned that you generally encounter fees on both sides of the transaction: 1) when the transaction is performed at the ATM in Mexico and 2) when the same transaction is processed by your home bank. If you determine that the fee situation is not to your liking, locate another institution that you can use as an intermediary for depositing funds electronically and subsequently out via debit card. Puerto Vallarta enjoys a presence of all the major banks of Mexico as well as many of the internationals. Those of us who desire to cut expenses/avoid fees have shopped the various local banks to determine their international ATM assessments. The range of per transaction as of this writing approximates $3.50 USD (BanNorte) to just over $5.00 USD (Bancomer). Most stateside banks will then slap another $7.00 to $12.00 assessment once they process the same transaction. At that point, you just paid $15.00 USD in fees to complete your $200.00 cash advance. You get the point, right?

I enjoy a long term financial relationship with a wonderful credit union. I know the senior operations officer by first name and we communicate periodically via email or phone when either my wife or I move between California and Mexico.  All my income is deposited electronically, (no charge), I am extended a VISA account at half the big bank rate (no annual fee), and my international transactions are free (no fee). I pay my obligations online (no charge). What is there not to like about this relationship?

Mexican ATMs will generally display screens in English or dual language format once your card is read. Be sure to read each screen carefully. Just a reminder that the amounts on the screen are Mexican pesos not American dollars. On my first use of a Mexican ATM, I identified the amount of 200, thinking that I was removing $200 USD. To my befuddlement, my hand held 200 pesos, the equivalent of $16.00 not the $200.00 I had desired. You are never too old to learn, right?

All of my transactions are performed in the air conditioned booths of the ATMs at BanNorte in the Zona Romanitica. They are a five minute walk from Los Muertos Pier and on my route to the buses to head out on my errands. In addition to the comfort of an individual air conditioned cubicle, they have doors which you lock behind you. This feature alone, allows you to privately conduct your transaction, place the cash into your wallet without someone else observing.

Keep in mind, there are no ATMs in Yelapa. Very few establishments (lodging, eating) accept credit cards. Plan to pay cash for everything. Insure that the cash remains on your person at all times. Travel wisely and you will be just fine.    

Enjoying a trip/stay in Mexico need not be daunting. Plan ahead with a cash reserve for the first week and enter the international direct phone numbers for contact people at your bank. What is that adage about a penny of prevention is worth a dollar of cure? You’ll work it out. Enjoy your stay.   

Adventures with Teo--update!
Be sure to check the Yelapa Memo Face Book page periodically to follow the progress of the enchanting children's series of adventures in Yelapa. 

Yelapa Green-Part 2

In a recent post, I broached the topic of Yelapa’s degree of environmental greenness/friendliness; using metrics most likely established by those responsible for assailing the environment in the first place. These included: recycling, energy efficiency and the protection of native plants and animals. Not surprisingly, each of these three components has birthed a plethora of profitable industries. We now enjoy collection centers throughout most towns; these are then serviced by massive garbage collection-type vehicles which transport the various recyclables to some distant processing center. A deluge of expensive, energy-efficient products pass into consumers’ hands. We revel that a product is “more efficient” yet we lack any awareness about the overall energy “footprint” associated with the raw materials, production methodology, or subsequent transportation. We simply delight in displaying our twenty speed blender which required a financial outlay approaching the hundred dollar mark.

Yelapa’s electricity is provided by CFE (Comisión Federal de Electricidad). The village has enjoyed commercial electricity for less than fifteen years. Prior to that, business ventures (i.e. markets, a hotel, restaurants, some lodges, and homes) met their needs via generators. Individual generators are noisy, emit toxic exhaust, require repairs and periodic service and need a close (stored) supply of fuel. Those without generators either used kerosene lanterns or simply embraced the cycles of sunlight.

The Mexican government considers Yelapa an impoverished zone. I am unaware what that determination entails. As a result, electricity is provided to the village at a fifty percent discount. Rumors surface that this benefit may be removed since Yelapa’s main industry is tourism, not fishing, and that just possibly villagers are not as impoverished as earlier believed. The providing of deeply discounted electrical power was an economic and logistical boon to the village. It also removed the incentive to monitor overall energy costs. Previously these included fuel, lubricant, parts, service, transportation and handling. Now all you have to do is await your bi-monthly statement.  

Nonetheless, Yelapans are frugal. Construction is expensive due to material transportation costs. Sand/gravel, the single exception to this, is extracted nearby from the Tuito River bed. Unlike American domiciles, the number of electrical outlets and light fixtures are normally no more than one or two per room. The only running appliance, excluding the odd boom box or an oscillating fan, is a small  refrigerator. As of this writing there is only one ductless air conditioning installation and less than a hand full of portable/window units.

There is no centralized delivery system for natural gas. Villagers satisfy this need via individual propane tanks. Once again, due to transportation costs, propane is expensive. More lodging operators and homes are installing on-demand water heaters

instead of the diminutive gas/electric units. In addition to reducing consumption, this design also eliminates the chance of an unnoticed, extinguished pilot since there is no ignition until a demand is placed on the system.

A word about vehicles; Yelapa is home to perhaps thirty motos (ATVs), a hand full of small displacement scooters and one electric golf cart. There are no cars or trucks and never will be. All but one of these vehicles are gasoline powered and produce toxic emissions. To some villagers, the growing popularity is of concern. To their credit, many of the motos are used in the service of hauling heavy goods (i.e. bottled water, ice, concrete, cinder block, rebar, scrap, luggage), while others transport heavy adults and their hefty children to/from school daily.

Pack animals are still employed to haul building materials. A few use a mule for personal transportation. Most Yelapans walk from point A to point B and back again as their forefathers/mothers did before them. The old ways flex to accommodate the new ones which seem less flexible. As of yet, those who return home to Yelapa have not declared that they “are strangers in a strange place.”   That is a good thing.