Categoría: 365 Fun Things To Do In Puerto Vallarta

Speaking Spanish

The urge to use Google translator should be quelled when attempting to have a conversation in Puerto Vallarta. It might be great for looking up words but for putting together sentences, we recommend classes. Puerto Vallarta has a lot of language schools and tutors are also available. Many people move here with the expectation that everyone will speak English because there are so many expats. It’s wise to remember that foreigners are really in the minority and while your waiter might speak English, most locals have no cause to do so. It can be embarrassing going to the supermarket, asking for a good year in a wine selection and instead putting yourself in a situation of having propositioned someone. These things do happen. Though they are usually met with good humor, for those who like to do their own shopping, guide their own tours and meet the neighbors, it’s a good idea to have some lessons under your belt.

Self teaching is inspirational but you need to immerse yourself in the language, meaning: go out (of your comfort zone) and talk to people who do not speak English. Talk to the gardener, the taxi driver, the lady at the lavanderia, shopkeepers, school kids, and hey…try using your Spanish on the waiter who speaks English. He will appreciate your effort and everyone in Puerto Vallarta loves it when people test their skills. No one will laugh at you, though they may laugh with you.

Classroom settings make us get things done; assignments, conversing, and working on your strength in comprehension. There is something about showing up on time, doing the homework, and using the skills that encourages advancement.

Melchor’s in Versalles offers four levels of instruction so there’s something for everyone. Whether you’re learning the basics or determined to perfect your conjugation expertise, there will be a program to aid you, three hours a day, three times a week.

Stickman Spanish, which you can find on Facebook, has worked very well for a friend of ours who loves the one-on-one assistance he gets. Carmen, the teacher has great reviews.

You can also connect with Spanishland on Facebook or go to their website. Another option is to meet at Azafrán on Olas Altas on Tuesday mornings. For 100 pesos per hour, you get to learn from a certified teacher, with classes starting every hour on the hour. Another group that meets in Marina Vallarta holds classes on Tuesday and Thursdays from 3 – 5 pm.  Check bulletin boards in grocery stores and shops in Puerto Vallarta, local English speaking newspapers, Facebook and Google. There’s something for everyone.

Que es cómo es.

Timothy Real Estate Group is a locally-owned and operated real estate brokerage with a strategic location in the Romantic Zone of Puerto Vallarta in the Colonia Emiliano Zapata. Because the Puerto Vallarta area has varying neighborhood personalities, we practice localized real estate. We believe neighborhood knowledge is a top factor in solid sales, and we know our communities well.

We enable our clients to realize their vision for the future.  We understand and plan for their concerns and are dedicated to transforming those concerns to peace of mind and joy.

Our philosophy of transparency, integrity, and professionalism imbues our culture with a tangible sense of purpose and results in the length and depth of the quality relationships we enjoy.  We believe buying or selling a home is first and foremost about people. Of course we have the latest technology, marketing tools, statistics and research, but a successful real estate transaction really comes down to people. Connecting the right buyers to sellers or investors our professional agents structure solid transactions with successful solid outcomes.  We believe in collaboration by connecting people in ways that bring satisfaction and success.

When you combine extensive local knowledge and our long standing reputation for honesty and sound judgment, you have an unbeatable resource at your disposal.  You have Timothy Real Estate Group, a constant leader in Puerto Vallarta real estate.

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Safeness in Puerto Vallarta

Puerto Vallarta is so safe that many ex-pats choose to retire here, over other suitable destinations in Mexico and southern United States. These are a predominantly affluent and a well-informed group of individuals who have selected their retirement home carefully and many vehemently maintain its safety.

Aggression and hostility in Mexico are mainly associated with drug crime and arms trade, with most of these crimes occurring in border towns, usually quite far from tourist destinations such as Puerto Vallarta.

It seems, however, that when any type of crime is committed in Puerto Vallarta, it doesn’t take long to become sensational fuel for the media. Last week when a local restaurant was closed after hours to the public, a private party was accosted. It just so happens that among that group of people was the son of the most famous drug lord in all of Mexico, who happens to be currently incarcerated, waiting extradition to the US. Rumors have been rampant since this incident but the truth of the matter is boring. Guns were involved, that is an undeniable fact, but none were fired. Most of the male diners were escorted out of the establishment; the owner and staff were unharmed and left to clean up dinner debris, nothing more. Lady friends were apparently not involved and left on their own volition.

Does this make Puerto Vallarta unsafe? We have heard all the usual assessments of shootings and disasters north of the border, but it doesn’t really do any good to make comparisons across international lines when there are few similarities.

There are so many wonderful events in Puerto Vallarta that are unfortunately shadowed by sensationalized news coverage. Watch the ABC show Bachelors in Paradise instead of paying attention to the negative. We’re not sure how fact-based Bachelors is but at least it’s pretty.

Que es cómo es.

Timothy Real Estate Group is a locally-owned and operated real estate brokerage with a strategic location in the Romantic Zone of Puerto Vallarta in the Colonia Emiliano Zapata. Because the Puerto Vallarta area has varying neighborhood personalities, we practice localized real estate. We believe neighborhood knowledge is a top factor in solid sales, and we know our communities well.

We enable our clients to realize their vision for the future.  We understand and plan for their concerns and are dedicated to transforming those concerns to peace of mind and joy.

Our philosophy of transparency, integrity, and professionalism imbues our culture with a tangible sense of purpose and results in the length and depth of the quality relationships we enjoy.  We believe buying or selling a home is first and foremost about people. Of course we have the latest technology, marketing tools, statistics and research, but a successful real estate transaction really comes down to people. Connecting the right buyers to sellers or investors our professional agents structure solid transactions with successful solid outcomes.  We believe in collaboration by connecting people in ways that bring satisfaction and success.

When you combine extensive local knowledge and our long standing reputation for犀利士
honesty and sound judgment, you have an unbeatable resource at your disposal.  You have Timothy Real Estate Group, a constant leader in Puerto Vallarta real estate.

Learning about la Siesta was one of our favorite lessons when we arrived in Puerto Vallarta many years ago. With the coming warmer months, we will schedule this activity as mandatory, in a binding contract with our very own self, knowing full well the pup is willing to sign on, as well.

As it’s well known that “only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun” we’ve taken the sensible position of how important a power nap is to one’s existence, man or beast. One does not need to become slave to one’s own aspirations in order to sustain grand achievements. Relaxation is endemic among the successful. Several reports indicate that those who nap have less risk of heart attack and maintain better health.

Famous nappers have included Winston Churchill, John F. Kennedy, Thomas Edison and Napoleon. The eccentric Spanish artist, Salvador Dali had his siesta perfected, as did Einstein, with a method taught by Capuchin monks, in which sleep in limited to the amount of time it takes to drop a key on a brass plate. Though we recommend a longer duration, this was a technique that not only restored energy, but also rejuvenated the creative process. One sits in a chair and holds a key between thumb and forefinger, sits back in a relaxing manner and awakes with a start to the sound of clang on metal. One second is apparently sufficient. We prefer a hammock in the shade, after a cheerful shot of tequila.

Studies have shown that Mexicans and Japanese are the hardest working cultures, putting to bed the image of a large belly under a sombrero sleeping beneath a cactus. Therefore, the siesta should never be viewed as a symbol of laziness but one of intelligent and healthy behavior. The siesta has been around since the beginning of time, when smart people in hot climates, such as Puerto Vallarta, sleep through the hottest part of the day and eat a light dinner in the cool evening hours, after the sun’s gone down.

The word siesta comes from the Latin hora sexta, which means the six hour. In a more reasonable era a day actually began at dawn, making the sixth hour noon, a perfect time to have a rest and collect one’s thoughts, following what should be the grandest meal of the day. Practiced in the Mediterranean and the South of Europe (riposo in Italy), as well as the Philippines and much of Latin America, it is common for businesses to close, giving both proprietors and guests a chance to stay at home, have a long and hearty lunch, and a well deserved rest. Siesta is not limited to countries with warm climates; many locations in South America, such as Patagonia, make it a practice.

When homeostatic sleep and circadian rhythms, the subjects of sleep, are the topic of talk shows and scientific studies, we know we have made the correct choice of living in the paradise we find in Puerto Vallarta.

Que es cómo es.

Timothy Real Estate Group is a locally-owned and operated real estate brokerage with a strategic location in the Romantic Zone of Puerto Vallarta in the Colonia Emiliano Zapata. Because the Puerto Vallarta area has varying neighborhood personalities, we practice localized real estate. We believe neighborhood knowledge is a top factor in solid sales, and we know our communities well.

We enable our clients to realize their vision for the future.  We understand and plan for their concerns and are dedicated to transforming those concerns to peace of mind and joy.

Our philosophy of transparency, integrity, and professionalism imbues our culture with a tangible sense of purpose and results in the length and depth of the quality relationships we enjoy.  We believe buying or selling a home is first and foremost about people. Of course we have the latest technology, marketing tools, statistics and research, but a successful real estate transaction really comes down to people. Connecting the right buyers to sellers or investors our professional agents structure solid transactions with successful solid outcomes.  We believe in collaboration by connecting people in ways that bring satisfaction and success.

When you combine extensive local knowledge and our long standing reputation for honesty and sound judgment, you have an unbeatable resource at your disposal.  You have Timothy Real Estate Group, a constant leader in Puerto Vallarta real estate.