English Language Books

Puerto Vallarta’s best source for English language books, The Book Store, has recently doubled in size. I call The Book Store Puerto Vallarta’s Barnes & Noble. The only thing that is missing is a coffee shop.

The Book Store carries a full selection fiction and non-fiction books in English plus a growing selection of Spanish language books. It also has has an extensive selection of books for teens and children.

The owner Tom Barrett imports nearly all of the books carried by the shop which is not an easy task. He has done an excellent job bringing in great titles at a reasonable prices. Even with the Peso’s recent decline against the dollar he has managed to maintain very fair prices.

The Book Store is located at Plaza Caracol in front of the Soriana Supermarket’s cash registers. The telephone number is (322) 224-1872. Contact them at thebookstore@aol.com

Bookstore in Bucerias

The Book Store in Puerto Vallarta isn’t the only english Language bookstore in the bay. Gringo Books is a good bookstore in Bucerias.

Pictures of Puerto Vallarta

I took this series of pictures of Puerto Vallarta from the same vantage point on the terrace at the Brisas del Mar hotel.

The first picture is facing south towards the beach and rocks at Conchas Chinas. The second photo is facing west torwards the bay. The third picture is facing north shows Olas Altas. And, the fourth picture is facing north-east towards Old Town Puerto Vallarta.

As you can see from the pictures, Puerto Vallarta is a beautiful place, especially at this time of year. It’s sunny and warm with little humidity. It’s hard to believe that it’s the middle of November.

A fisherman in Puerto Vallarta casting his net at the rivermouth in front of the pedestrian bridge to the south side of town.

Another fishing photo

While reviewing some photos that I had taken on a walking tour in Gringo Gulch, something caught my eye that I hadn’t noticed before. One of my photos shows the crown at the top of Our Lady of Guadalupe church was being restored.

I don’t remember hearing or reading anything about renovations. I would expect to because Puerto Vallarta is a fairly small town and the crown on Our Lady of Guadalupe is Vallarta’s most famous landmark.

Curious about what was being done to the church, I did a quick Google search to see what I could find out. I didn’t come up with much. The best information came from an undated article about Our Lady of Guadalupe on VirtualVallarta.com.

Presently at the helm of a major fundraising effort is the Patronato de Amigos Vallartenses, a non-profit organization created to look after the conservation and restoration of the church, as well as many other important monuments around Puerto Vallarta. It was originally set in place during the restoration effort after the earthquake. Composed of Puerto Vallarta citizens and businessmen, the Patronato estimates that the budget required to restore the crown to its glory is $800,000 USD. This past December, a gala dinner and silent auction took place in which a sizeable portion of this amount was raised. Much more help is needed, however. To learn more about how you can donate to this worthy cause, contact the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe at (322) 222-1326.

If you happen to have any information on the work being done, please let us know by posting a comment or shooting me an email.

Getting out on foot is the way to see a city because you never know what surprises you might find. Wandering around Gringo Gulch, I discovered Puerto Vallarta’s original lighthouse in what is now a residential neighborhood.

The lighthouse was put into service on August 15, 1932 and decommissioned in June of 1978. The lighthouse was restored as landmark by the 2004-2006 city administration.

Puerto Vallarta has two main seasons; the dry season and the rainy season. During the dry season the skies are sunny and blue for months on end. The dry season weather is what more people are familiar with.

During the rainy season we get heavy rainstorms that blot out the sun and are usually accompanied by an amazing electrical storm.

The rainstorms rarely last for more than a few hours and are one of my favorite parts about living in Puerto Vallarta. Everything turns a tropical green after the rains and the city feels clean and refreshed.

Take a look at the day after picture taken from the same vantage point. It looks like a different city.

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Fajita Republic Restaurant – Old Town Puerto Vallarta

One of the restaurants we go to when we are in the mood for fajitas is Fajita Republic located on Basilio Badillo street in Old Town.

Our favorite dish is the Molcajitas – strips of beef and cheese, onion, pineapple and salsa heated in a stone molcajete. They give you a stack of flour tortillas, plus guacamole, pico de gallo, sour cream, rice and beans to make your own tacos. We are not real big eaters so one order is enough to feed the two of us.

This visit we decided to try something new and we ordered the Shrimp Tacos Pastor. The shrimp are covered in an adobo sauce which is a red tomato based sauce made with chipotle. Adobo can be on the spicy side but the version at Fajita Republic is tasty and mild.

Something new that they are doing is giving you a plate of nachos on the house. They have always started you off with a ton of tortilla chips and homemade salsa plus a plate of jicama sprinkled with chile powder. And, they still do, with a plate of nachos to boot.

Last March, they relocated the restaurant to the other side of the street. They kept the same menu and decor. So if you have been to Fajita Republic before and enjoyed it, you will still find it to your liking.

Service this visit was really quick and friendly, much better than our previous visits. The waitstaff puts on a good show at the tables when they serve the fajita plates flamed in tequila. I kept trying to get a picture of them in action but I was never quite quick enough.

Prices are mid-range and include chips and homemade salsa, a plate of nachos, and a plate of jicama. The Molcajitas cost $134 pesos and the Shrimp Tacos Pastor cost $128 pesos.

Fajita Republic is located at Basilio Badillo #188 in Old Town. Their telephone number is 222-3131. They Also have a location in Nuevo Vallarta at Embarcadero Centro, Paseo Cocoteros Lote 8 Villa 8. The phone number in Nuevo Vallarta is 297-2277.

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Another place you might enjoy in Old Town Puerto Vallarta – El Querreque Restaurant

I took this picture of people fishing on the pier at Playa Los Muertos just as the sun was coming over the mountains early in the morning.

A Typical Mexican Restaurant in Olas Altas / Los Muertos

One of the most traditional restaurants in Puerto Vallarta is El Querreque in Olas Altas.

The food is what you find in a small town lunch room or what you might be served in someone’s home. It’s simple, filling, and very tasty.

At El Querreque they serve breakfast and lunch. For some unknown reason, I have never gone for lunch. My favorite dish is Huevos a la Mexicana with a slice of ham. Prices are very fair. My eggs and a cup of coffee cost $45 pesos.

I like the old-time feel of the restaurant with it’s anti-chain restaurant decor. The pace unhurried, although service is quick and friendly.

The owner is a poet. The walls are covered in poems he has written over the years. If you know some Spanish, you will find some of them a little risque and very funny. Look for the poem about the worn out horse.

The poem above is one of the more serious poems and translated into English.

El Querreque is located on the corner of Francisca Rodriguez and Olas Altas street not far from the Los Arcos hotel.

Funny Warning Sign

I always like to run across funny signs. This warning sign is at the base of the pier in Olas Altas.

All you can read is, “The Alcohol and the Helm.” I assume the bottom part of the sign which you can’t read says something like, “don’t mix.”

Another one of my favorite warning signs: Things You Can’t Do at the Beach