Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - Those of us who live in or visit Puerto Vallarta, will always notice the hustle and bustle of taxi drivers, boat cruises sailing around the bay and tour operators who drive their buses through town. All of the above remind us that we are smack in the middle of Tourism-Ville. My question is, where are the invisible folk who work behind the tourism scene?

There are movers and shakers in Puerto Vallarta who play an important role in our tourist destination and unfortunately, some go unnoticed. My mission is to write about the people we often walk by but don’t always “see.”

"Life is what's happening when you're too busy to notice." - Wayne Muller

Walking and or taking a bus allows me time to meet new and interesting people. It also gives me the opportunity to catch that perfect Kodak moment. The perfect moment was presented to me not too long ago, as I was walking up the steep hill of Iturbide Street. Home to restaurants, Veggie Planet and Esquina de Los Caprichos, Iturbide is also a street graced with a beautiful garden and is where I found my first “Behind the Scenes” subject.

Meet Cipriano Sanchez, born in 1940, originally from San Marcos, Jalisco. He moved to Puerto Vallarta in 1979 and became a gardener ten years later. At age 71 he is still going strong doing what he loves doing best, gardening. He may not be the landscape architect who created the garden, but he does play an important role in keeping the green space alive and pretty. I constantly run into him and felt it was time I featured him.

Watching Mr. Cipriano Sanchez, with his Zen, ‘Marlboro Man’ look, has such a calming effect on me that I could watch him work his garden magic for hours. In one of our many chats about the secrets of a healthy garden, I asked him what the secret to longevity was. His response was, “Hard work and work hard.” Yikes! Not really the answer I was hoping for, but it seems to be working for him.

Mr. Sanchez is one of many of the "unseen" who keep doing their best to keep Puerto Vallarta clean and green. If you haven’t already explored the Gringo Gulch area, I suggest you visit Iturbide Street where you can take a break and enjoy some green space.