The kids are back in school and now we have that great fall weather in San Diego.
But Puerto Vallarta is moving out of the tropical summer heat and humidity too. I cannot wait to get back to my place down there but I’m a little stuck. I’m busy with real estate work and I have been fortunate enough to have my place rented down there so it can pay for itself.
The homeowner fees on my condo just dropped to $395 American per month from $440. When was the last time you ever saw something go down instead of up? That homeowner fee pays for everything: cable television, electricity, water (that I can drink straight from the tap because Puerto Vallarta has endless water and every resort building has further purification. The water lines throughout the city are, for the most part no older than 20 to 30 years.
The HOA also pays for all the security, maintenance and upgrades. I rent my place pretty cheaply for $50 per day, so one week of rental nearly pays the whole month. Other long-term residents with long-established returning vacationers get $80 to $120 per day after Oct. 1.
I only bring all this up because lately my office has been getting numerous calls from my ads for Puerto Vallarta and Punta Mita. People don’t care about the misleading news stories about drugs, violence and death. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Puerto Vallarta remains the seventh safest tourist destination in the world according to Conde Naste, the traveler’s magazine.
Somehow and some way through all that Fast and Furious screw up, it seems our press is hell bent on punishing Mexico. A lot of innocent people have been hurt financially because of that. If our press reported nationally the violence every day in Chicago, the town would soon become a ghost town.
Our mainstream press is no longer a fourth estate. They seem to be puppets of someone else’s design. It is all so frustrating. I don’t care what Walter Cronkite or David Brinkley’s political persuasion was but when they did their job, they did it objectively. No more. It is hard to trust the mainstream press anymore. We have to go dig for information ourselves, mostly through the Internet.
I love Puerto Vallarta in the winter time. I usually go to this little sports bar called El Torito on Sundays. They have all the football games and I get to watch the Chargers and mingle with all the San Diego fans that are down there as well. But it is great fun to meet and enjoy the company of the fans of all the other great American cities as well.
Puerto Vallarta recently surpassed one million American and Canadian ownerships. Now that includes the time shares too, but I look at Puerto Vallarta like another Southern California from the ‘50s and 60s. The open spaces, ocean-close opportunities and growing tourist attractions are just plum ready for picking for those who want to invest.
If this election cycle in November turns out the way a lot of people think it will, then a whole lot of boomers are bolting for places outside this country. It’s going to be interesting to watch how people look to find their peace.
Oh, I have to give props to Brenda Terrones (now Matthews). She is my first ex. My column was originally going to be “Baby Boomer Blues” but she thought that was a downer. She suggested “Baby Boomer Peace “and I loved it. It fit our era and peace is what we are all seeking. So, thanks Brenda!
Joe Moris may be contacted at (760) 500-6755 or by email at [email protected].
