Recap: Good Morning, From Here, November 01 – 07
Monday
If you are a fan of Madonna, then get thee hence to Coco Cabaret next Sunday at 9 pm to see Waleska Rondon portray the Material Girl to an exquisite ‘T.’
This fast-paced tribute, produced by Chris Lopez, was an audience sing-along (and dance-along for a few super-fans on the sidelines) featuring many of Madonna’s mega-hits.
Some of the costumes are absolutely gorgeous, with 18th-century France creating a fabulous commotion center stage. Just Waleska’s Vogue wig is worth the price of admission! Vallarta has come such a long way in creating replica costumes for many artists in the city.
The Starboy dancers are well-muscled and equally well-rehearsed, and if Madonna can be a Boy Toy, then the Starboys are Eye Candy.
The visuals, created by Chris Lopez, are beautifully put together and seamlessly edited; I can only imagine how many hours of research this show must have required.
Lights and sound controlled by Carlos and Lucero were exciting and exacting. The amount of teamwork at Coco Cabaret is clear and apparent, and produces some of the finest shows in Vallarta. Madonna is another blockbuster!
My small forest of pineapples has found a home with loads of new dirt and full sunshine on the hillside overlooking Vallarta. I am grateful to Herschel Weisfeld, who offered to take them off my hands and off my teeny patio. I will, of course, share the news of how they are doing and if and when they produce anything edible at all!
Congratulations to the Vallarta Garden Club, Casa Karma, and all the other sponsors and volunteers who made the Third Annual Isla de los Muertos such a huge success. Patrice, Sandra Bradley, and I stopped in on both ends of the goings on, between other events happening around the city on the same evening. We saw and heard Angeloo sing his heart out – how I love Diva Dance!
After a couple of hours at the Museo – more on that tomorrow – we returned to the Isla to catch Sargento in mid-belt and in his usual fine form, keeping his audiences amused. Yoalli, who performed her entire allotted time in Spanish, something she had never done before, chose the most Mexican time of the year to gift us boleros in her native language. Brava, chica, for that! Gloria Fiona was a gracious hostess for the entertainment segment, which ran from 5 to 10 pm, nonstop, with straight-through singing and some folkloric dancing, all free to the public. Monies raised from food and drinks sales will be split between Vallarta Cares (formerly the Vallarta Food Bank) and the Vallarta Garden Club. I will let you know the numbers after the President of the VGC, Sunny Rossi, gets them compiled. Take a bow, Sunny, you transformed the entire Island once again!
Coming up this week, we have Gay Mixer #3 at One-Six-One tomorrow from 6 to 8 pm. These amazing get-togethers are sponsored by Out & About Puerto Vallarta magazine. For details, see VallartaCalendar.com, From Here.
Tuesday
In the afternoon of Halloween, La Catrina Cantina was cloaked in black cloth, setting the sexy mood for Gloria Fiona’s next leap into S and M theatre with more volunteers than she could handle at the ready. Who knew bondage could be so much fun! Many people came in costume, which added to the creative atmosphere with a delicious hint of anonymity.
The outstanding circus couple from Costa Rica, Dabit Azofeifa and Ale Matus, juggled, sang, balanced, and strip-teased while wobbling on a rolling board. Then, the atmosphere grew hotter as Ale tantalized an audience volunteer with feathers and a riding crop as the woman sat on a chair, center stage, blindfolded and gently roped. The victim cum volunteer really had her hands full (ahem) when the male stripper created a threesome.
The Halloween joy continued at Coco Cabaret’s official Grand Opening of Season Two with a Chris Lopez production complete with dancing zombies and vampires. The graduating class of Coco’s Theatre School, taught by Chris Lopez and Sebastian Coronel, all summer long, mixed, danced, and mingled onstage with professionals, Nacho Granados, Eva Jimenez, Steven Retchless, Waleska Rondon, and more Coco superstars.
Nacho Granados did a fantastic rendition of Welcome to the Jungle by Guns N’ Roses that left me speechless except to say, ”Move over, Axl Rose!” Chris Lopez assured me and Patrice that Nacho would be singing some seriously hard rock and roll this season… stay tuned!
Tonny Kenneth gave us a taste of what to expect from him next week for ”Rock the Opera” with Mexican countertenor Fredy Otello Pacheco, at Coco’s on November 15 at 7 pm.
The food at Arte Vallarta Museo was outstanding during the monthly First Saturday fiesta last weekend. A taste of what’s to come to that wonderful courtyard setting this season, maybe in time for Thanksgiving dinner, I will keep you informed!
The altars at the Museo this year are incredibly intricate and stunning. The entire upper gallery is strewn with marigolds and stuffed full of artifacts and paintings. The displays are spectacular, creating a hushed, reverent atmosphere that is usually filled with bright conversations and wine-infused chatter.
Mexico’s award-winning clothing designer, Armando Mafud, has an altar featuring a bride and groom, along with one of his masterpieces masquerading as a dress. Gorgeous!
If it’s Tuesday – and it is – there must be a tianguis in Coapinole! Patrice and I will head there this morning to see what we cannot live without, buy some veggies so fresh they were likely still growing in the dirt yesterday. Then, a late lunch/early dinner at Barcelona Tapas up on the hill in Centro overlooking the bay with sweeping views. From there, we will waddle over to One-Six-One for the 4th Gay Mixer of the season, and see how the publisher of Out and About Puerto Vallarta magazine, Jerry Jones, is doing. I will have photos of the shenanigans in the morning.
Enjoy our near-perfect weather and do at least one random act of kindness today, From Here.
Wednesday
‘Night Divine’ by CelloVoci is coming to Teatro Vallarta on December 29, for one performance only. CelloVoci is composed of Branden and James (tenor and cellist, respectively) and Effie Passero, soprano. For tickets and more information, see VallartaCalendar.com. This will be a spectacular concert. I will have more on this outstanding trio, comprised of three superstars in their own right, whose combination creates divinely inspired music for your ears.
I had dinner with Alan Ross at Flavors of Swell on Pulpito a couple of nights ago. Grupo Swell has recently taken over the old Zumo location, adding some bold splashes of color to the walls, and has brought the ease and comfort of their famous beach bar, just down the street, indoors without the sand.
The menu is concise rather than extensive, offering enough vegetarian options to make me happy.
After checking with knowledgeable wait staff that the clam chowder was of the New England variety and not Manhattan, we each ordered a bowl. Fitting now that our climate has dialed down somewhat, hot soup seemed like the order of the day, or rather, the evening. It is seriously too big a serving! We could, neither of us, finish this deliciousness. It is rich beyond compare and would be exactly right to have it on its own with the crunchy bread that came with it, or to have the option to order a cup only. We still had two large salads to deal with, and the dessert menu looked and sounded fantastic.
Our salads were fresh, lightly coated with dressing, and came with more of their must-be-baked-in-house bread. There was no chance for dessert; we were both stuffed. So, that means another trip to Flavors of Swell is in the offing. We were both surprised at how busy Flavors was, considering it was Monday. And, as you can see, Flavors of Swell is dog-friendly – that is, Winnie, Alan’s dog, commanding floor space.
Another fine restaurant, Barcelona Tapas, took good care of Patrice and me yesterday afternoon. Barcelona Tapas offers one of the finest views in the entire city, and I have to applaud them on their background music, which was exclusively guitar, unobtrusive, low volume, perfectly lovely song choices, so bravo, bravo for that. Italian maestro Paolo was setting up his guitar to play live for lucky patrons after 6 pm. He is a genius, and we’ll have to return there later in the day and appreciate his mastery and the great food.
We were treated to potato salad and again, two types of great homemade bread. The potato omelet was as beautiful to look at as it tasted. An enormous platter of grilled mushrooms and a beet and goat cheese tapa left us just enough room for homemade ice cream with a fried banana drenched in cajeta, which I adore!
Join me for coffee tomorrow morning for a rundown on the latest Gay Mixer and our day trip to Coapinole. Have a great one, From Here.
Thursday
Patrice and I had a blast in Coapinole. Clothing fairly flew off the heavily laden tables into our arms. Gorgeous veggies everywhere; it is a colorful feast for the eyes.
A quick nap midday revived us so that we could trek across town to Rodolfo Gomez for a Gay Mixer, brought to you weekly by Out & About Puerto Vallarta magazine. It was publisher Jerry Jones’ birthday, which added to the frivolity as cakes were cut and slices handed out on the street. There was not an inch of room inside the air-conditioned bar next to their sister property Anonimo. Loads of familiar faces, including Gerwin Rutten, in charge of advertising for O & A’s super glossy magazine. Herschel Weisfeld hooked up for a photo with the crew from VallartaCalendar.com – Kevin Feltner and Rob Dornan. The elusive (busy!) and always fabulous Jet de La Isla lent his sparkling energy to the crowd. I didn’t get a number on how many people showed up for drinks and chitchat over the two hours, but I am guessing hundreds.
The next big Gay Mixer will take place at the beautiful Villa Tita, just south of downtown, from 6 to 8 pm on Tuesday, November 11. See you there just before the Opening Night of Open Mic at Nacho Daddy. Welcome back to the big cheese, Gouda Gabor, and her sidekick, Captain Lydia Damato of Colina Spay and Neuter Bingo fame.
November’s Scrabble Tournament at Qulture yesterday had six of us vying for the crown. Half of our players were new to the competition, which made it a little more exciting than usual. Our reigning champion, Andre Couvillion, had to abdicate his throne due to work issues. Three teams of two set out to win, and only one player won three games in a row. Me. The Air Fryer Queen of Vallarta, Sharon Gerber Scherer, was second, and third place went to Sandy Lopez. Join us next time on December 03. Watching Scrabble has been compared in the past to watching paint dry, but just know you are welcome to bring pom-poms and cheer us on. And remember, it’s Happy Hour all day at the Q, which is celebrating its 7th anniversary this Saturday!
Patrice and I slipped away from my kitty Bogie and walked over to La Catrina Cantina to listen to Angeloo’s first set of the night. At 12, Angel’s voice is deepening somewhat with lovely, rich color and tone. He can also sing any soprano aria and hit every soaring note with ease. He is branching out, adding new songs – I heard ‘Knights in White Satin’ by the Moody Blues for the first time last night. I am waiting patiently for some Robert Plant. Maybe ‘Immigrant Song’ without the long, instrumental ending. Just putting that out there for future consideration!
The news of long-time Vallarta resident Paco Ojeda’s passing has left our community shocked and saddened. Paco’s family arrives today to address the official matters; I will let you know if there will be a Celebration of Life or a memorial for Paco. He will be missed by many, From Here.
Friday
I got up early this morning for no particular reason, and I realized how much I love the quiet of the city that finally and completely shuts down around 4 am. Cars with sound systems blasting with windows rolled down, call it a night at the ‘witching hour’ by some and ‘time to talk to god’ by others. It’s peaceful, and the clock doesn’t move as fast toward my deadline as it will in another couple of hours, when I will be late (after 9 am) posting this column.
I am wondering how Paco Ojeda’s family is coping with his sudden but apparently peaceful death, at 61, a few days ago. I don’t even know what family is here – brother? Sister? Cousin? And how can I/we help? I know Paco’s kitty, Luna, whom he adored, passed away a short while ago, but I had not heard if he got another cat to keep him company during his morning broadcasts of ‘Coffee and Headlines.’
And, of course, when a friend or colleague dies suddenly, we are reminded of our own demise that is undoubtedly coming. Are we prepared? The old adage, ”Get your affairs in order” should loom large for all of us expats living here in our cocoon called Puerto Vallarta. We live in a foreign country – that Last Will and Testament you had drawn up in Toronto 20 years ago is great, but only if you die in Ontario or possibly in another part of Canada, but it won’t fly in Mexico. And, I learned recently from Sandra Bradley, Vallarta Mirror contributor, that wills are deeply discounted during the month of September in Mexico. I had mine written up a few years ago, and my sister Patrice (my Executrix) knows where it is in my house. But how will she cope with that in a language she doesn’t speak? All these little things.
I have to make a list of passwords. I have to get rid of S-T-U-F-F that I no longer use or need in my life, and what I have left of that.
My 74th birthday is in two days. I only make a ‘fuss’ for the ‘5s’ and zeros, so next year, I will have a party. Assuming I am still here. If I’m not, will someone think or remember out loud that November 9, 2026, would have been my 75th birthday, and does it matter? The answer is yes and no. The remembrances are what make us human. The fact that we CARE about a birthday. Or a death day. An anniversary. Or just Monday.
Every day that we have the privilege to walk softly on Mother Earth is a gift worth celebrating. So, start today and get your life in order. Begin with gratitude, then put pen to paper, so to speak, and make arrangements to take care of your pets and the things that could make someone else’s life better or more comfortable when you won’t need them anymore.
Have a love-filled weekend, everyone, and smile because you can, From Here.
