The Yelapa Report
 Kathryn & Robert Hardin - PVNN
| | The children of Casa de la Imaginación | 
| | La Cascada | 
| | La Cascada restaurant |
The winners of the $2 dollar per ticket raffle to raise funds for Casa de la Imaginación (the village center for children and teens) have been announced. Joel Summerhill won one week at the Hotel Lagunita, Maritza Ravelo won a week at Casa Pedrana, Darcy Sharpe-Mead gets a week's stay at Casa del Sol, Aucht Reddy will enjoy his $2 week at the Oasis, and Esme Freedman's lucky ticket won a week at Casa Isabel.
More importantly, the raffle brought in enough money to cover the Casa's budget for at least a year, as well as enough to put in running water and some other needed improvements. Thanks to all who participated, and a special thanks to those who donated the lodgings. Another raffle is planned for next summer.
This summer, young men and women from all over the world volunteered to come help locals run the Casa and when they return home the farewells at the water taxi pier are poignant, with tears running down their cheeks as well as those of the children they have come to love. Jill from Luxembourg and Dana from New Mexico left just last week, Antonia from Wales couldn't bear to leave and is staying a little longer. The energy, creativity, and breadth of experience these young folks bring is a real bonus for the kids of Yelapa.
The restaurant scene in Yelapa has been quiet this summer. Most of the beach eateries have stayed open, though only the Hotel Lagunita for dinner. The hotel has a new chef with international experience, and an interesting new menu. In the village, Pollo Bollo has continued to offer its famous barbeque and fish on Saturday and Sunday evenings; soon they will be open Wednesday through Sunday. The Cascada y Bosque restaurant has served breakfast and lunch seven days a week all summer long - except for a couple of days in September when they were inundated by rocks and water from the cascada.
A new restaurant, Taquería Centro is opening this week for tacos on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and pizza on Saturday. The Eclipse will open for the season on October 15 with espresso drinks, internet access, and good Mexican food. The Yacht Club will inaugurate their fall season on Halloween night with a costume ball, fine food, and disco music. They will be open Monday nights for dinner and open microphone, breakfast Monday through Friday, and on Saturdays for dinner and disco. Other restaurants that we have been told will open in late October or early November are Mimi's Internet Café; the Galleria, the Oasis, and El Manguito. We have no word yet on El Tule, Andy's, Café Bahia, Vortex, or the Oasis.
A Yelapa vignette: Last week, we went into Puerto Vallarta to shop and returned on the four pm water taxi. Victor, the captain, is one of the most professional and (usually) punctual skippers. As we rounded the point it began raining hard and we encountered a school of Toro (a favorite bait fish) literally leaping out of the water, whereupon Victor smiled, shrugged, and stopped the engines to give his crew a chance to cast their lures into the roiling frenzy.
We passengers were getting wet, as were our bags of supplies, but we all cheerfully acquiesced to the situation. One of us, Jill from Luxembourg, a volunteer at the Casa de Imaginación, was actually thrilled. A large Toro was soon caught. Still, Victor did not hasten to the pier. Instead, he slowly trolled in that direction in hopes of another catch. After all, everybody would need some bait for the night's fishing. Eventually, we passengers disembarked in a good mood. What's a little water? And what is time in Paradise?
Kathryn Hardin is a retired Ranger from the US Forest Service, serves on the Advisory Board for the Casa de la Imaginación, and considers herself to be the "Abulita de la Playita" in Yelapa. Robert Hardin is a Yelapa-based author with four published books under his belt. His novels, AMATEUR HOUR, WARPATH, FEDERAL OFFENSE, and his latest release, IMPERFECT CRIMES, can be purchased online at Amazon.com, Albis.com, most American book stores and at The Book Store on V.Carranza in Puerto Vallarta. A recent addition to the BanderasNews Team, Robert has also written articles for several magazines, including Flying, Dance, and San Francisco. For more information about the author and his literary works, visit his webpage on PublishedAuthors.net or send an email to capnbobby@yahoo.com. |
Vallarta Weddings
Vallarta Living | October 2006 
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