A Whale of a Time

Enjoy nature at its largest. Officially whale watching season runs December 8  through March 23, 2015. The waters of Banderas Bay offer some of the most spectacular whale watching opportunities in the world. This is a great time to see humpback whales, dolphins, and other marine animals in their natural habitat. It is an extraordinary experience.

The whale’s annual migration from the cold waters of Alaska brings them to Banderas Bay where they will mate and raise their young in the warmer waters.

You can experience the thrill of observing them by going on a tour that is safe, educational, and fun. Many companies offer tours like Vallarta Adventures, which has a team dedicated to helping preserve the species while giving everyone a glimpse of them in the wild.

A typical whale watching expedition takes between two and four hours. Once a whale has been spotted in the distance, the boat will race towards it, stopping at the required distance from the wild animals. The humpback whale is a protected species so there is no touching or feeding allowed, but quite often the whales will put on a show for the boat’s passengers and everyone’s camera is rolling.

Whales can often be seen breaching or mothers playing with their young, plus dolphins are usually in the area, too. When the giant mammals disappear, the photo comparing and chatter resumes until the next whale appears in the distance and the whole process repeats itself.

Be forewarned that seeing a whale is not always guaranteed.

Market

A new Friday market opened December 12 at Marsol Hotel, located at the foot of the Los Muertos pier in Zona Romantica at the end of Francisca Rodríguez.

Open from 9:30 a.m. until 2 p.m., the market features specialty foods from restaurants and local vendors, unique jewelry, clothing, gifts, toys, art works, handicrafts, beachwear, services and more. There will also be music and a festive atmosphere where you can shop and chat with your friends.  Runs every Friday until the end of April 2015. 

Cooking Up a Storm

Learn from the pros at the traditional Mexican restaurant El Arrayán during their famous Traditional Mexican Cooking Classes. Owner/Chef Carmen Porras and Chef Alfonso Corona will be teaching participants how to prepare a wide variety of classic Mexican dishes.

For this season they have planned over 35 recipes from diverse regions of Mexico. The team at El Arrayán will offer an amazing opportunity to learn how to make moles, tamales, fresh salsas, desserts, and more.

According to luxuryexperience.com, Porras is someone who loves learning about and sharing traditional ways of cooking. He reads antique cookbooks for inspiration and knowledge, and watches many food shows on television.

Classes are given several days a week and contain a variety of activities in addition to cooking. On Mondays the experience starts at 9 a.m. and includes a typical Mexican breakfast, a visit to the market, a recipe book in English, an El Arrayán apron, food preparation and lunch with a cocktail or a glass of Mexican wine.  Thursday and Saturday classes start at 10:30 a.m. Classes are taught in English.

For cooking class reservations and more information, including full menus, pricing and payment forms for individual classes and groups, check out http://elarrayan.com.mx/en/kitchen  or send an email to owner Carmen Porras at  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call El Arrayán at (322) 222-7195. The restaurant is located at Allende 344, several blocks up from the Malécon in downtown Puerto  Vallarta.

Up In Smoke

Pyrotechnics will be lighting up the sky in Puerto Vallarta for the International Fireworks Festival, which runs from December 25 to 31. There will be displays from companies from all over Mexico as well as other countries. Long-time family fireworks companies from Jalisco, Puebla, Zacatecas, Sonora and Mexico State will be featured.

Displays start each evening at 9:30p.m. Fireworks will be set off from three points: the first will be between the Maritime Terminal and the Pitillal River area, the second will be between the Sheraton and Buenaventura hotels at the south end of the hotel zone and the last site will stretch from the Los Arcos del Malecón amphitheater all the way down to Los Muertos Beach. The pyrotechnic displays will have Banderas Bay area-related themes, be set to music and last approximately 20 minutes.

During the six-night cultural, artistic and touristic event, a variety of musical and theatrical performances will be held in various locations throughout the city, including Hidalgo Park and the Municipal Stadium, where concerts featuring famous Mexican entertainers will be held between 6 and 10 p.m. most nights.

With most of the main events and pyrotechnic displays being held at the Municipal Stadium, it will be the most central location to enjoy all the festivities. But, if you want to avoid the larger crowds, you should be able to see most of the fireworks displays from the Malecón.

A Perfect Day

Calling all cat lovers. PuRR Project Ranch now offers tours of their facility, which houses just over 150 cats. They have teamed up with Superior Tours Vallarta and the trip consists of traveling to the ranch in a ten-passenger, air-conditioned van. The ranch is about 45 minutes north of downtown Puerto Vallarta and there is a tour guide in the van pointing out various points of interest along the way. You will pass through several small colonias and there will be stops highlighting local culture and way of life.

The tour donation is just $250 pesos ($20US) and you will get the chance to pet, cuddle, hug, nuzzle, pamper and snuggle with all the kitties. Note that these van tours have been completely funded, so every peso of your donation goes directly to the cats.

The 2015 PuRR Project Ranch tours will be on January 7 and 2, February 4 and 18, March 4 and 18 and April 1 and 15. You can reserve you spot on their website, PurrProject.com and then click Shelter Visits, or you can contact the Tour Director Pam Sullivan at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

The tours have several pick up points and start at the Superior Tours’ office in Plaza Romy, Ignacio L. Vallarta 228, Colonia Emiliano Zapata, meet in the courtyard at 9 a.m. sharp. The next stop is at 9:20 a.m. in front of VIPS Restaurant, Francisco Medina Ascencio 2900 on the Walmart/Sam’s parking lot. The final pick up point is at the Walmart in Nuevo Vallarta, Carretera Tepic No. 430, Colonia Valle Dorado and meet in front of La Cevicheria restaurant at 9:45 a.m.

Purr Project is a non-profit shelter that provides homeless cats and kittens a recuperative stay with the ultimate goal of adopting them out to loving homes. All of them have been sterilized, vaccinated and are disease free.

Both monetary and dry cat food donations are most welcome – and much appreciated. For more information, visit http://purrproject.com or send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .