A Day Trip From Puerto Vallarta to El Tuito

Puerto Vallarta Travel Show Podcast

An interview with Maria C. Santander of Galeria Coppelia, in El Tuito Mexico. Also an interview with Matty and Jesse Jamez, owners of La Joya de Tuito, a Bed and Breakfast in El Tuito, Cabo Corrientes, Mexico. El Tuito is a quaint pueblo south east of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

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[caption id="attachment_2388" align="alignright" width="387"] Maria C. Santander[/caption] This week is part one of my Day Trip to El Tuito and Mayto and Tehuamixtle, south of Puerto Vallarta, but first a little news about what’s going on in Puerto Vallarta Mexico this week, the 14th of February 2018. Earthquake last week woke up the town. No injuries and no damage were reported. Just rattled some nerves. [caption id="attachment_2385" align="alignleft" width="225"] Jesse & Matty Jamez[/caption]

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I have a new page on the site on how to consume a podcast, especially the Puerto Vallarta Travel Show and you know where to go to find it [caption id="attachment_2372" align="aligncenter" width="300"] How to Listen To The Puerto Vallarta Travel Show[/caption] atwww.puertovallartatravelshow.com. Now okay, I know, if you are listening to the podcast you probably don’t have to know how to listen, but there are some apps for android that you can download on your phone to make it easier to take the podcast, or any podcast for that matter, along with you wherever you go. That’s what makes podcasts so great, you can do two things at the same time. Listen and drive, jog, work out mow the lawn, work in the yard, you know. So, if you don’t need a lesson on listening to podcasts, share it with someone who does. There are plenty of those people out there!

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Coffee Fest Puerto Vallarta is Back!

[caption id="attachment_2426" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] Coffee Fest Puerto Vallarta[/caption] Coffee Fest is Back February 17th on the Malecon. The last event was rained out as you remember, but if you will be in town this weekend, let me read from this press release… We invite you and your family at Puerto Vallarta´s Malecon next February 17th at 18:00 hrs. and break the world record of the greater number of people tasting coffee at the same time! Everybody is welcome, and we are hoping to receive 500 participants to beat the record gained in Germany on 2016 with 368 supporters. The event is free of charge and we are willing to share with you the best coffee in México. Join us in this incomparable event and be part of this world record. More information at: http://coffeefestpuertovallarta.com/home or Facebook page coffeefestpuertovallarta http://visitpuertovallarta.com/event/join-us-to-make-history-at-the-coffee-fest-puerto-vallarta-2018 I have links to the event so sign up and get yourselves down there to the Malecon Saturday night. Who needs to sleep. Ask for an Americano double and stay up the whole night what the heck! No don’t do that, I’m just being obnoxious. You guys…don’t. Let’s get on with the show.

Let's Go To El Tuito, Cabo Corrientes, México!

[caption id="attachment_2389" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] photo by Dasan[/caption] I had never been to El Tuito and I was very excited to be going. My plan was to bus it down, talk with a couple of really cool people intown and have them tell us about the place, wander around, and then find a taxi to take me to Mayto and Tehuamixtle. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to do all that I wanted to do, but I was going to make a run at it. [caption id="attachment_2400" align="alignright" width="300"] photo by Dasan El Tuito[/caption] [caption id="attachment_2393" align="alignright" width="300"] photo by Dasan[/caption] So what is El Tuito anyway? Well JR and I talked about El Tuito in one of the first episodes of the show when we talked about taking buses. But if you don’t remember that conversation, I will just read from JR’s website, his DIY tours page where he talks about El Tuito. Here it is… El Tuito was founded in the 16th Century at about the same time as the mining towns and Talpa de Allende. However there are no mines or Virgins (at least the religious kind) in El Tuito. [caption id="attachment_2399" align="alignleft" width="300"] photo by Dasan El Tuito[/caption] What it does have is grazing land and water and it was on a major Spanish road that ran from Barra de Navidad to EL Cuale and Mascota, The Camino Real. The famous Manila ship that came once a year from the Philippines would unload some of its cargo at Barra before continuing on to Acapulco. El Tuito could supply fresh pack animals, food and water to the travellers on their way to the mines. [caption id="attachment_2390" align="alignleft" width="300"] photo by Dasan[/caption] The remains of an old Hacienda can be seen on the right of the old road leading to town from Route 200. I’ve also heard that there are the ruins of the old sugar mill that existed here many years ago. If anyone finds it, please let me know. El Tuito is a good place to get your Raicilla supplies. There is a store on the old road into town, but what it sells as Raicilla I have grave doubts about. To get the good stuff “La Punta” just wander around the plaza and ask at some of the stores, they will direct you to the houses that have it for sale, ask for El Perico, he used to live across from the church, last price I paid was 150 pesos for a liter. The Church’s altar is a huge rock, which the church was built around. [caption id="attachment_2392" align="alignright" width="300"] photo by Dasan[/caption] There’s a lot of construction these days, With new roads from route 200 into town and beyond to the rest of the Cabo Corrientes Municipality.They have also re-paved all the roads around the square. No tourist shopping here, local stores are like the Hardware Store, which sells saddles and horseshoes. Some pretty decent restaurants close to the plaza for the tourists, who are starting to come here with Vallarta Adventures and Superior Tours. Plus our old friend Machis, with Machis BBQ on the SW corner of the square, but he doesn’t open till around 2pm. Visitors should visit the cultural center in the City Hall building on the north side of the plaza. Lots of historical information including photos and old maps. Don’t miss the wonderful mural around the stairs to the second floor. [caption id="attachment_2391" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] photo by Dasan[/caption] This is also where roads to Mayto Beach and the fishing village Tehuamixtle start. There used to be a daily bus service, but, alas the bus died. Maybe somewhere in the future ? IT’S BACK 3 times a week, Mon, Wed. & Fri. leaving from the square at 3pm, and returns the next day. [caption id="attachment_2394" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] photo by Dasan El Tuito[/caption] There’s a strange festival on September 17th, called La Mojiganga, which involves a young bull, people throwing flour at each other and guys in drag dancing with other local men. Afterwards at night a big fireworks display.

Again, that was taken from JR’s site at Vallartainfo.com and I have links to the site on my site. So there. I also have a youtube video of this Mojiganga celebration in the show notes.

El Tuito By Bus From Puerto Vallarta

So here’s how you get to El Tuito by bus. Remember, you can have many tour companies take you, you can pay for a taxi, private transportation. In fact, I have an interview coming up with a friend, Camacho Castillo, who is a driver, but not this time. We are traveling with la gente. With the people. [caption id="attachment_2427" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] El Tuito Bus Stop in Puerto Vallarta. V Carranza and Aguacate[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2535" align="aligncenter" width="865"] JR's Map El Tuito Bus Stop Click to go to Vallartainfo.com[/caption] So the first thing you need to do is get yourselves to the corner of Aguacate and V. Carranza, on the Southside of Vallarta in the Emiliano Zapate neighborhood. That’s the corner, where you will find the bus that goes to the Botanical Gardens and El Tuito. The bus comes every half hour or so. It sits on Aquacate facing south, across from the Kiosko Market. It waits till it fills up, then heads off along the Carraterra 200. The same rout you would take to get to Mismaloya and Boca de Tomatlan. If you can, get yourself a seat on the right side of the bus, so you get that great view of the ocean and coastline along the way. When you get on the bus, tell the driver you are going to El Tuito. The bus ride will cost you approximately 32 pesos.

The ride takes about an hour. You will pass Mismaloya, and Boca de Tomatlan where the bus heads east and inland and up. The bus will stop at the Botanical Garden to let off most of the passengers, then it continues up into the mountains, along a beautiful forested road. Of course, the bus makes stops along the way to drop off people and pick up others along the way. You will see the driver stop and pick up a local and give him or her a lift into town. Everyone knows everyone it seems up there.

The bus first stops on the 200 at the mouth of El Tuito, then drives in along the main drag, dropping off passengers and proceeds to the main square where it loads up for the ride back to Puerto Vallarta and points in between. This bus has its last trip back at 5:30, so make sure you get back to the stop before the last one leaves tow. I’ll talk about that later. You can catch another bus if you miss that one, but you will have to be out on the highway at the bus stop for the bus coming from Manzanillo, but that’s another story for part two of this trip to El Tuito. [caption id="attachment_2401" align="aligncenter" width="300"] photo by Dasan[/caption] [caption id="attachment_2419" align="alignleft" width="403"] La Joya de Tuito[/caption] I chose to have the bus drop me off, not in the center of town, but at a place where I could walk through the town to get a feel for it. It was really quiet walking down the main street. This I later found out by talking to the taxi driver was where the oldest buildings in town were. There were small shops and homes along the street. Even some of the places had signs saying rooms for rent. I thought about poking my head in to see what kind of accommodations they were offering, and for how much, but I was running a little late. Mexican time. Hey, The bus was late! Whatever! [caption id="attachment_2387" align="alignright" width="300"] La Jolla De El Tuito[/caption] I had my first appointment at a place called La Joya de Tuito, which translates to The Gem of Tuito. When I told JR I was going to Tuito a couple days earlier he suggested I stop in and see Matty and Jessie. Said they had just opened a real nice bead and breakfast, and that I should see them for sure. So, I walked into the town square, and asked a guy at a taco stand if he know where La Joya de Tuito was. He had no idea. He asked his audience, all munching on tamales and tacos. None of them knew what I was talking about. I showed them my cellphone with their Facebook page and then one of them says, are you looking for Matty and Jessie? Yes. Yes! Okay, so they call up a taxi for me, and tell him where to go, and off we go. I show him my cellphone, get the map working, and off we go, back out of town, across highway 200 and up a dirt, well more like grass road, up to La Joya de Tuito Bed and Breakfast. [caption id="attachment_2418" align="aligncenter" width="1003"] La Joya de Tuito[/caption] It’s really beautiful grounds with pool and flowers and nicely landscaped grounds. The taxi driver seemed impressed too. [caption id="attachment_2413" align="aligncenter" width="875"] Pool at La Joya de Tuito[/caption] I found a quiet place to set up my microphones and had a nice talk about El Tuito, Ja Joya, The Gem of El Tuito, and things to do around El Tuito from these two young entrepreneurs, the keepers of the inn, Jessie and Matty. So let’s go right now to El Tuito, Cabo Corrientes, Mexico, and the La Joya de Tuito.

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[caption id="attachment_2407" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] La Joya de Tuito[/caption] [caption id="attachment_2417" align="alignleft" width="387"] La Joya de Tuito[/caption] [caption id="attachment_2431" align="alignright" width="300"] La Joya de Tuito[/caption] [caption id="attachment_2436" align="alignright" width="283"] La Joya de Tuito, Kitchen Area[/caption] [caption id="attachment_2433" align="alignnone" width="300"] La Joya de Tuito[/caption] [caption id="attachment_2434" align="alignright" width="300"] La Joya de Tuito[/caption] [caption id="attachment_2435" align="alignleft" width="459"] La Joya de Tuito[/caption] La Joya de Tuito La Joya De Tuito Website https://www.lajoyadetuitobedandbreakfast.com/ La Joya de Tuito Facebook https://www.facebook.com/LaJoyaDeTuito/ From there, Matty called me a cab to take me to my next interview. The destination, Galeria Coppelia and an interview with proprietor, Maria C. Santander. I had been in contact with her, knowing full well that she knew a lot about El Tuito for one, and I also knew she had a cool gallery where she displayed the work of local artists. I also found out that the building itself had historical significance as well.

Galeria Coppelia, El Tuito, Cabo Corrientes, Mexico

[caption id="attachment_2388" align="alignright" width="300"] Maria C. Santander[/caption] The taxi driver knew Maria, everyone knows Maria. She really should be the director of tourism down there as far as I’m concerned, but anyway, I needed to chat up this driver. I wanted to get to Mayto after the interview with Maria, so we got to talking, and this guy said he would drive me to Mayto, and then take me back too. I told him what I do, and he began to talk to me about the history of the place and I’m like wait, save that for later. Can you pick me up in an hour? Sure. Can you drive me to Mayto afterwards, sure he says. So he drops me off at the Galeria Coppelia, tells me he will be back soon, and in I walk to the Gallery. Maria tells me I’m early. I look at my cellphone. No, I’m late. No, she says, I was supposed to be here on Monday. It’s Friday! Oops! I’ve never been that early. But she was cool, and gracious. I set up my recording equipment, took a tour of the place and then sat down, and had a wonderful conversation with a very talented, genuine, caring, interesting woman. Let’s go right now to Galeria Coppelia, in El Tuito, Mexico, and let’s talk with Maria C. Santander, and hear her story.

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Wasn’t that a great story? [caption id="attachment_2382" align="alignleft" width="300"] Mural at City Hall[/caption] In the next episode, you will hear some of those fireworks and celebrations I got a chance to record. So, as we wrapped up the interview, Javier, the taxi driver came driving up right on cue. I bade farewell to my new friend Maria, and Javier and [caption id="attachment_2445" align="alignright" width="300"] Javier The Taxi to Mayto[/caption] I went in search of some lunch, before we took the trip to Mayto. But before we get to that story, we are going to have to call it quits for this episode. We will finish up the daytrip, next week because, I,m going to share with you guys, Javier, the taxi driver to Mayto. I got very lucky to have had the opportunity to talk with Javier about this area. So next week, more about El Tuito, and then the road to Mayto and Tehuamixtle and back. Then celebrations in El Tuito, and a bus ride back to Puerto Vallarta, Coming up next week. with Javier. [caption id="attachment_2439" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] Galeria Coppelia[/caption] [caption id="attachment_2441" align="alignleft" width="300"] Galeria Coppelia[/caption] [caption id="attachment_2440" align="alignright" width="300"] Galeria Coppelia[/caption] [caption id="attachment_2443" align="alignleft" width="300"] Galeria Coppelia[/caption] [caption id="attachment_2442" align="alignright" width="225"] Galeria Coppelia[/caption]

Tuesday 11AM–4PM Wednesday 11AM–4PM Thursday 11AM–4PM Friday 11AM–4PM Saturday 11AM–4PM Sunday 11AM–4PM Monday 11AM–4PM

Galeria Coppelia in El Tuito, Mexico Galeria Coppelia Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/GaleriaCoppelia/ Address: Calle Galeana 2, Centro, El Tuito, Jal., Mexico Phone: [phone] So for now, That should do it for this episode of the Puerto Vallarta Travel Show. But before I say good by, I wanted to thank Dasan Pillai, my friend who sent me some nice photos of El Tuito for me to use in the blogpost along with my own. He does a fine job with a camera, and he was kind enough to help me supplement my photos. He has a Facebook Group he manages called Puerto Vallarta in Images, so look for that. Thanks Dasan! Next week, stay tuned for more on the ground reports from Puerto Vallarta Mexico, with travel tips, great restaurant and excursion ideas and more. Until then, remember, this is an interactive show where I depend on your questions and suggestions about all things Puerto Vallarta. If you think of something I should be talking about, please reach out to me by clicking on the Contact us tab and sending us your message. [caption id="attachment_2451" align="alignleft" width="300"] Galeria Coppelia[/caption] [caption id="attachment_2450" align="alignright" width="300"] Galeria Coppelia[/caption] And remember, if you are considering booking any type of tour while you are in Puerto Vallarta, you must go to Vallartainfo.com, JR’s website and reserve your tour through him, right from his website. Remember the value for value proposition. His experience and on the ground knowledge of everything Puerto Vallarta in exchange for your making a purchase of a tour that you would do anyway, you’re just doing it through him as a way of saying thank you. It costs no more than if you were to use someone else so do it. Really. And when you do take one of these tours, email me about your experiences. Maybe you can come on-board and share with others what you liked or didn’t like about the tour. Again, contact me by clicking on the Contact us tab and sending off a message. Don’t forget his maps, his DIY tours and his revitalized Happy Hour Board. I have links to all of those in the show notes. [caption id="attachment_2449" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] Galeria Coppelia[/caption] And once again, if you like this podcast, please take the time and subscribe and give me a good review on iTunes if you would. That way we can get the word out to more and more people about the magic of this place. Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Remember I made it easy for you to do just that with each episode I create. But if you haven't been to my website, you really need to have a look there. I have the links to the places we talk about, interesting pictures and the more all right there in my blog-posts and show-notes for each episode of the show so check them out for sure if you haven't already all-right? All right. So, thanks again to Melissa Canez of Corazon de Nina. Check out their contact info in the show notes of this episode of the show at puertovallartatravelshow.com. Make sure you make time to visit them when you are in Vallarta. And thanks to all of you for listening all the way through this episode of the Puerto Vallarta Travel Show. This is Barry Kessler signing off with a wish for you all to slow down, be kind and live the Vallarta lifestyle. Nos Vemos amigos!