Jaltemba Sol Features

March 16, 2008 Page 2

Jaltemba Features

Police Extortion of US Tourists have Declined Dramatically in Mexico
Theodore Koumelis - Travel Daily News
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U.S. visitors have been staying away from Tijuana and other border areas, fearful they could get caught up in the rise in violence and kidnappings. Yet tourists are not being targeted, and major incidents in recent months have largely bypassed tourist areas. The U.S. State Department Travel Alert for Mexico recommends caution when visiting the country, but points out that millions of U.S. citizens do so safely each year.

It often boils down to an individual's own assessment. A veteran traveler who speaks fluent Spanish and has numerous contacts in Mexico might well take a different approach than a first-time visitor. �Each situation is different,� said Martha J. Haas, chief of consular services at the U.S. Consulate in Tijuana. �Each person needs to evaluate their own individual circumstances.�

Shootouts in public areas have heightened fears that stray bullets could strike bystanders, and innocent victims have been killed in recent months. But as drug gangs fight for control of key drug routes, the great majority of victims this year have been linked to organized crime.

Some U.S. citizens and permanent residents have been targeted by kidnapping groups in Tijuana and Rosarito Beach, but they are not U.S. tourists or members of the large U.S. expatriate community. According to the FBI, these victims are kidnapped while conducting business or visiting family in the area.

And even as overall violent crime has increased, U.S. consular officials report a decline in crimes against U.S. visitors in the Baja California region. A series of attacks by groups of armed gunmen on surfers and other visitors traveling the coastal areas in 2007 has ceased in recent months, according to the U.S. Consulate in Tijuana.

Reports of police extortion of U.S. tourists in Tijuana and Rosarito Beach have declined dramatically, officials say; governments have taken steps to secure tourist areas, but the steep drop in tourism could be another factor.

Gulls: Flyboys of the Sea

Fourth in the seabird series

by Tara Spears

These sleek, soaring seabirds have long been the inspiration for artists and fishermen, such as the popular 1970�s Jonathan Livingston Seagull book that epitomized the self-discovery movement and spawned movies, posters, and music. What is it about these medium sized birds that captures the human imagination? Perhaps it is their effortless flight and diving antics as they pilfer food from pelicans or your picnic lunch that is so entertaining: a day at the beach watching the gliding gulls is guaranteed to make you smile.

A Pacific species, the Heermann�s Gull, (above picture) can be seen on the Riviera Nayarit coastal areas during the winter and spring months until late May when they begin their migration north along the US and Canadian Pacific coast. Unlike many other seabird species, Heermanns do not fly in large flocks; in fact, large groups of this gull are only seen at roosting sites such as small, offshore islands, kelp beds, sandy beaches and estuaries. We are very fortunate to have the largest breeding colonies off the west Mexican coast: 95% of the world�s gulls breed here! The gull�s main diet is fish and other small marine creatures, but they are also known to eat eggs, trash, and carrion. Both parents incubate the 2-3 eggs for about four weeks. Both parents then bring food to the nestlings until they are old enough to fly and feed themselves.

In Mexico, there are several Important Bird Areas that protect Heermann's Gull breeding grounds, including Isla Benitos, Isla Angel de la Guarda, and Isla Rasa, which supports 300,000 breeding birds.

NOTE: The inland gulls that you see in the northern interior of the USA and Canada are a different species than those viewed here along the coast. The interior species are more scavengers whose diet consists of carrion and garbage- hence the large flocks around trash dumps.

adult heerman gull.jpg Compare the picture of the adult Herring gull, left, with the adult Heermann gull, right. Note the different colored legs and beaks besides the plumage. The Herring gulls are the most familiar and widespread of the gull species and are what most people think of as seagulls. This big bold bird is around 25 inches long and has a wingspan of almost 60 inches. As a young bird it is brown with scale-like patterns, but as an adult it is white with grey wings, a red spot on the lower beak, and black back feathers.

nonbreed heerman gull.jpg Herring gulls are sociable birds who hunt, migrate and feed together. Herring gulls are long lived as far as birds go. In captivity, the longevity record is 44 years and in the wild 36 years. Males and females are virtually indistinguishable, however the male is slightly larger. This seagull is best known as a scavenger. It is most often seen in large, noisy flocks congregating where food is available, around fishing boats, picnic grounds, parking lots and garbage dumps. Many people consider it a nuisance, but the gull performs a valuable service. It scavenges up great numbers of dead or injured animals and organic litter which could pose a health threat to humans. The call of the gull is a distinctive, shrill, screechy �Eurl� repeated incessantly. Gulls flight behavior is characterized by strong, direct movements with deep, steady wing beats and gliding on thermals and updrafts.

herring gull.jpg Seashore gulls will pick up clams, minnows, barnacles, mussels and crabs from beaches. Gulls are not good fishermen, but they are good scavengers. They are important in cleaning up harbors and beaches. It is so enjoyable to watch the patient, persistent seagulls pick up shellfish and drop them from the air onto a rock, road, or car to crack them open. If the shells do not break they will repeat the process indefinitely. Seagulls are known to follow large ships across the ocean, feeding on the garbage that is thrown overboard.

Feeding gulls should be strongly discouraged as they learn quickly. If hand fed, the braver birds will take food directly from you, and confidently begin to snatch human food, whether it is offered or not. If Herring Gulls are not provided unnatural meals, they will turn to a more natural source of food. Another interesting characteristic of gulls is that it drinks salt water because it has a special gland that filter out the salt.

These amazing flyers will sometimes hover over foraging blue fine tuna that are eating fish and squid because the large schools of fish force the bait close to the surface where the gulls can easily grab a meal. Recently European scientists have learned that gulls of different ages spend time in different locations- that they are segregated by age, much like teens and adults at a mall.

Whether you appreciate the seagull for its marvelous flight, delightful feeding antics, or its valuable role in the ecosystem, these familiar flyboys are an asset to the Riviera Nayarit.

isla pena.jpg

heerman winter.jpg

Heermann gull

roosting island Guayabitos

gull range map.gif

Kittiwake gulls gull breeding/migration area

Contact Tara: tara.sprs@hotmail.com

Jaltemba Bay Animal Rescue

Advocating humane and healthy practices for animals in the Jaltemba area by promoting health, education, sterilization, adoptions, foster care and positive relationships with animals and their owners.

December 2006 to November 2008: Two years, 6 clinics and more than 854 Animals Spayed or Neutered in the Jaltemba Bay Area!!!

JBAR UPDATE: THE NEXT SPAY AND NEUTER CLINIC

Free Spay and Neuter Clinic, March 18 to 21 and March 25 to 28

Clinic Set up will take place at 9 am on March 17th. If you wish to help out, please join us at the clinic site: No. 12 Av. Los Flamingos in Zona Residencial

Meeting of all new volunteers for an orientation of the clinic will take place at 12:00 noon.

Please help by passing out flyers so the word get out to everyone! Thank you.

Our next clinic will take place in March 18, 19, 20, 21, with a four day break and then again on the 25, 26, 27, 28. Eight days in total!!!

We will hold the clinic again at Lacy�s house (#12 Los Flamingos in Zona Residencial, Rincon de Guayabitos) as she has the space for both the clinic and accommodation for the medical team. Also thanks to Mona Cavalli and Rocky (Rocky�s Restaurant) for offering accommodation for an out-of-town volunteer!

We have lunches volunteered for all 8 days!

Many thanks to Bobbi and Brian Emmons, Nancy Milski and Carole and Brian Francoeur, Rosalie Hope, Karen Gregg, Linda McCluskey, Sherry Kisner and Marion Schryer who have volunteered to provide a lunch for one day of the clinic.

We still need offers of bottled water, coffee, juices, snacks, cookies so our volunteers can make it through the morning!

JBAR also needs to provide dinners for the medical team. Thanks to Xaltemba Gallery and Restaurant and Latitude 21 for the offer of one nights dinner. We have 6 more dinners to go!

Attached is the flyer advertising the clinic. If possible, please print a few copies and post or hand out in the Jaltemba Bay area. Coloured paper is most effective.

CLINIC NEEDS:

*sterile surgical gloves size 7.5. 8, 8.5 and 9

*stethoscopes

*digital thermometers

*SUTURE, monocryl and vicryl 3-0 and 2-0

*leashes

*Frontline or Advantage (flea and tick medication)

LACY�S CORNER: A Week in the Life of a JBAR Animal Rescuer!

February 28th

I dropped off supplies to Celia this morning with more newspaper and frontline. Muneca has all her hair now. You will be amazed. I think she is ready for her final photo and don't we have a home for her. She is ready to go to a home.

Bala is now tame enough to go to a home. She also has three puppies and another dog brought to her that we need to get on the internet for adoption. These are the two dogs from the fugitive's house. One had to be put to sleep. The one that had to be put to sleep attacked Stitch and Kitty. The other dog should be fine. Seems to be calm. Police had fed the dogs and released them yesterday. I not sure why they were holding the dogs.

March 2nd

Some friends of mine went to Celia and have adopted one of the puppies, if they can get it back to Canada. I will check to see if it can be vaccinated and can get a health certificate. It is only four and half weeks old. I will get a hold of Marcelino this afternoon. I took the flyer to La Penita and made 200 colorful copies. I left 10 under the door at Roberto and Eddy's (no one was home), 10 at Hamayaca Maya, 10 with Eladio and will send ten home with Zaida to Celia's. I will have Alicia's grandchildren put up the another 10 at her end of La Colonia. Tomorrow morning I will plaster the Avenida in La Penita and the main street of Guayabitos. The next day I will concentrate on the hill of La Penita.

Priscilla came by today and will be working the clinics and she has five animals of her neighbors that she needs help trapping. I will get cat trap from Ana. Priscilla will trap the cats and I will help her with the dogs but will need the leather gloves and stick with the loop end.

Donna from La Penita (helped with Chibarro) the dog that pulled all her stitches and was wide open that was at Ana's, came by today and borrowed a kennel so she can try to get the dog with the duck used to it so we can sterilize it before it goes with the duck to Vincente's ranch. She said she will write you the story about dog and duck.

March 5th

Aaron McRam, wife and two young sons adopted a puppy at Celia's. They are son-in-law, daughter and grand sons of Terry and Jim Saunders. It is a cute terrier puppy and Terry and Jim will transport it home in a week or so to Canada to the waiting arms of their grandsons. I am helping with health certificate and airline arrangements.

La Pe�ita is now plastered with posters, and I finished Guayabitos today.

Alicia (who works with me) her grandson put posters on the school end of La Colonia and Celia is posting in the tiendas and on her gate. If I have time tomorrow I will have a few more colored posters made and work on the hill.

I gave Jim posters for you to post in Los Ayalas.

Anna is coming today to pick up Muneca. She has a home for her.

Yesterday we had a puppy that was being played with in a family home and got left on the table and fell off. Skull was broken in two places. Celia spoke with the family about puppy care. The little boy cried. It was suffering and we put to sleep. Also had a dog hit by a car that we had to put to sleep. Two broken legs. It was shaking and crying with pain.

MANY THANKS FOR THE FOLLOWING DONATIONS!

Judy Amos $ 1,000 pesos

Molly and Jim Schultz $ 1,000 pesos

Maxine and John Zurbrigg $ 200 pesos

Karen and Mike Yabsley $ 1,000 pesos

Natalie West (Crazy Nellie�s) $ 1,000 pesos

Rodney and Joyce Alto $ 2,000 pesos

Shannon Horquist $ 50.00 CDN

Karen Dalzell $ 250.00 CDN

Wayne and Gloria Smith $ 200 pesos (for refreshments)

Linda Cornwall $ 100.00 CDN

Frederic De Pourcq for Abbott) $ 2170 pesos

(for care of Abbott, an abandoned puppy)

Many thanks to everyone who has dropped of leashes, meds and supplies!

Sharon Hanson�s daughter for the donation of 3 much needed stethoscopes

Andrew and Mairi Speed for their donation of dog leashes

Niki Hamil boxes of gloves from Island Veterinary Hospital in Nanaimo

Harry and Mary Beckner for their donation of boxes of sutures

FOR ADOPTION: All JBAR Animals for adoption are vaccinated and will be spayed or neutered at our clinic in March.

Two Month Old Kitten

Female, Five Months Old

6 Week Old Kitten Found on Beach Being Attacked by Birds

Blackie, 5 Months Old, Female

Guapo, 4 Months, Amiable

Two Black Female Puppies

This beautiful one year old male collie cross needs a home and possibly a job. Lobo is going to be gorgeous. He his undernourished but will recuperate well. We gave him Frontline drops and 3 pills for parasites. I would like to have this one year old male neutered and put up for adoption a.s.a.p. Contact: Brian or Carole at bcfranco@shaw.ca

Rex, a male Doberman between 7 and 8 years old. Neutered two years ago. Rex is a great guard dog, Will protect property and his owners. Please

contact Mark O�Neill at: anesthesia94@yahoo.ca

Lovely Siamese cross. She just had a litter of kittens will be spayed. She is very affectionate and as you can see in the picture a beautiful cat, who can resist that face,

Contact: Joyce at joycev@shaw.ca; phone: 274-0635

ADOPTED!!!!

ADOPTED!!!

Ruth and Don chose this stray beach dog to adopt because he was so "unadoptable", large and quite infected with mange. They lovingly nursed "Chico" back to health, socialized him, and accustomed him to walking on a leash and riding in a car. They even got him fixed at a clinic near Mezcales just a few days before their journey back to Canada. Thank you Ruth and Don for your kindness and compassion, and we wish you and your new family addition many happy years together. ADOPTED!

If you have room in your hearts and your home to foster an animal until it is adopted, please contact me! It is a very rich and rewarding experience! We have, so far, a 100% adoption rate!

Additional Requests!

Donations of bags of dog or cat food are always needed as we continue to feed street animals.

In 2008, approximately 20% of our budget was spent on providing food for homeless animals.

DON'T FORGET TO CLICK ON THESE LINKS

http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com

http://hopeanimalnetwork.ning.com/

TO MAKE A DONATION:

Please contact linchimes@hotmail.com

Donations may be made through mail, direct deposit, email money transfer or in person.

Thanks to all of you for your wonderful support!

REWARD/STILL MISSING:

FEMALE AIREDALE, large, brown and black dog, probably very shaggy and
ungroomed but possibly shaved or trimmed, missing in this area since
January 1, 2009. Has Avid microchip and tattoo on abdomen.

Please contact owner: reyesito@hotmail.com or telephone (442) 148 88 16 or contact Jaltemba Bay Animal Rescue: linchimes@hotmail.com.

Travelers Be Aware: Mexico is Behind the Times
Ed Walsh - SFGate
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You will literally be going back in time if you travel to Mexico over the next month.

We switched to daylight saving time early on Sunday morning, March 8.

But Mexico won't switch until a month from now, April 5. That means when you cross over the border from San Diego to get to Tijuana, you may get there before you left.

Two years ago, the US moved daylight saving time up a month to save energy. The idea is that we wouldn't have to turn on the lights when we get home. But studies have shown the energy savings are nonexistent and that we might actually use more energy. That's because although we would use less electricity for lighting that savings would be offset by the use of heating or, if you live in Florida, air conditioning. Of course, the big advantage is that there is more sunlight for outdoor activities in the early evening. Arizona and Hawaii never change their clocks.

Mexico didn't adopt the early time change. That could cause confusion over the next month, particularly among border towns. It could cause a little more jet lag for visitors to Mexico. For example, the normal two hour time difference between California and Puerto Vallarta is two hours, but for the next month it will be three hours.

By the way, for more information on traveling to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico's most popular gay destination, let me give a shameless plug to myself. Click here to read tips on visiting that fabulous city. You will have to deal with slightly more jet jag but it is a great time to visit. The exchange rate is great for Americans. It is currently about 15 pesos per dollar! Click here for my article last week on the exchange rate.

Agoda is the on line company that we book through when we travel.

Motorcycle Treck for Breast Cancer

Hi Bill, and Dot

I am Tannis, my knick name is Mexitana here in Mexico.

I live in Guayabitos and Apri I leave for Florida and ride a motorcycle across the USA, to my home in Vancouver Island.

This is the second year I will be doing it. The first Year it was to raise money for Cancer.

This year is for Breast Cancer... With all that is has been going on in the area, clinics and all. I am asking if you wouldn't

mind putting my fundraiser in your newspaper.

Here is the link if you wouldn't mind.

http://www.firstgiving.com/wwrconga

Thanks in advance.

Tannis

Aspiring San Pancho- Delightful Seaside Village

By Tara Spears

Just a simple 20 minute drive or taxi trip south of Guayabitos lies a tiny village on a magnificent pristine beach that has spectacular sunsets, and this weekend, the annual music festival under the stars. The music festival showcases local talent, opens at 4 to 11 p.m. today (Friday), and Saturday and Sunday.

Don�t let the huge developer�s signs at the highway fool you, this is a tiny village consisting of one narrow, cobblestone main aveneda with seven dirt side streets that contain the residential areas winding off up into the mountains. In spite of its diminutive size, San Francisco, Nayarit boasts four art galleries, several boutiques, and numerous good cafes, hotels, and restaurants. Unfortunately, in the last three years, an explosion of real estate offices now outnumber the merchants. At the end of the main street is a new ocean-side plaza (above picture) that offers charming wrought iron benches to enjoy the lush tropical foliage, Mexican crafts for sale, an attractive, informative mural that depicts the history of the village, below, and two palapa restaurants on the beach.

Switching names to San Pancho is a very recent occurrence, related to the image the major housing developers are marketing, but the location was home to indigenous Mexican people (Taturan tribes) for hundreds of years. In 1524 the Spanish explorer, Don Francisco Cortes de Buenaventura, discovered the area. When the area was included in the hacienda de Jaltemba, it was named San Francisco Azapan. This remote village retained its simple Mexican lifestyle until the construction of the Carretara Tepic/ Puerto Vallarta (highway 200) in the mid 1960s. The addition of a town road, utilities and businesses began in the early 1970s, but it was only in the last five years that the village exceeded a population of 500 people. True to its Mexican roots, the hub of San Pancho�s social life is its church on Calle Mexico (pictured below.) It is the fifth side street off the main avenida towards the ocean- turn right.

The weekend music festival will be held at the Plaza Principal, adjacent to the church on the same street. The village is fortunate to have a very active group of international residents that support the local schools, provides a bilingual library and encourages the Mexican artists.

Visiting San Pancho is a delightful, laid back experience that offers art, music, dining or just plain relaxing on the beach. It is another jewel of the Riviera Nayarit that shouldn�t be missed.

San Poncho Scenes:

Mexico's First Bank for Foreign Residents & Visitors
PVNN

In the past, banking in Mexico has been neither convenient nor easy for English speaking foreign residents and visitors. But now, thanks to BBVA Bancomer, you can get the service and attention you expect for all of your banking needs.

BBVA Bancomer, through its Preferred Customers' Unit, is the first bank in Mexico to cater to the special needs of foreign residents and visitors, using not only the English language, but also the financial language you are accustomed to back home.

By signing up to be a Bancomer Preferred Customer you will be given a Preferred Customer Card, which enables you to use the Preferente tellers at any Bancomer branch for fast and prioritized attention, and gives you access to Bancomer's safe and efficient online electronic banking services.

You will also be assigned a Personal Account Executive whose job it is to provide all the banking and financial advice you require and promptly tend to all your needs regarding Bancomer's financial products, services and solutions.

To learn more about the BBVA Bancomer Preferred Customer's Unit, click HERE or visit TerraBancomer.com.

The History of Mexico's Mariachis
Camille Collins - Mexico Connect
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Antonio Banderas - El Mariachi

The only thing more Mexican than tequila is mariachi and it seems a shame to have one without the other.

Mariachi goes beyond music, it is the sum of a cultural revolution expressed through a group of musicians, dressed in popular clothing (most recently charro suits) which encompasses the essence of Mexico and its people. It is something cultural, spiritual and traditional that is unique to this country, an experience not to be missed.

The word mariachi refers to the musicians now commonly seen in restaurants or strolling the streets, dressed in silver studded charro outfits with wide brimmed hats playing a variety of instruments which include violins, guitars, basses, vihuelas (a 5 string guitar) and trumpets.

Their songs speak about machismo, love, betrayal, death, politics, revolutionary heroes and even animals (one particularly famous song is "La Cucaracha").

The mariachi originated in the southern part of the state of Jalisco sometime in the 19th century. No one is sure where the name comes from although a variety of theories have been postulated and, depending on which best fits the postulators needs, are adhered to.

The original theory held that mariachi was derived from the French word for wedding - mariage, because of the type of music played at these events. The only problem with this theory is that the music originates in a part of Mexico the French never visited and, even it they had, it began before their arrival in 1864.

Another theory states that the word comes from the indigenous name of the Pilla or Cirimo tree, whose wood is used to make guitars. If this were true then the word mariachi would be applied to the instrument itself and not to those who play it.

It has also been suggested that the name comes from a festival in honor of a virgin known as Maria H. (mah-ree-ah AH-chay) at which musicians played and that over time they were given this name.

The truth is that no one knows where the name originated, but it is one which is associated with a great deal of prestige not only in Mexico, but around the world.

The origins of the mariachi itself (the group, culture, music, etc.) are not much easier to trace. The mariachi is the sum of a cultural evolution which has taken place over the last century or so in Mexico.

Although the indigenous tribes of Mexico made music with flutes, drums and whistles, there is no clear link between the indigenous music and the mariachi. The instruments originally used by the mariachi were those introduced by the Spaniards - violins, guitars, vihuelas, harps, etc. These instruments were intended to be used during masses but the criollos (Mexicans of Spanish descent) began using them to make popular music as well, much to the chagrin of the priests, since they were used to accompany some of the more scandalous, satirical or anticlerical couplets of the times.

Mariachi music thrived with the support of the people. The criollos of the 19th century did all they could to wipe out every last trace of the Spanish presence in Mexico and, by doing so, supported the mariachi music.

Mariachis could be seen wearing traditional workmen's clothes - white pants and shirt and a straw hat, and traveling around looking for work. Most commonly they would find employment at any of the haciendas where they would earn more than the average laborer.

With the revolution, many of the haciendas were forced to let the mariachis go. They would then wander from town to town singing songs of revolutionary heroes and enemies, carrying news from one place to another.

Still not enjoying the same position they had before, the mariachis took to playing in public venues for a fee. One of the most popular of these was San Pedro Tlaquepaque in the state of Jalisco, a fashionable place for the residents of Guadalajara to spend their summers.

Since they were playing for a fee they were forced to add new elements to their music and to expand their repertoire to include waltzes and polkas.

By the early part of this century the mariachi began to regain its popularity. The most prized of the mariachis were still those from the state of Jalisco, particularly the areas of Cocula and Tecaltitlan. They represented Mexico to the people during the Independence day celebrations in Mexico City in 1933 as well as during Lazaro Cardenas' election campaign in 1936.

With the advent of radio and television their popularity continued to grow. Recording contracts were signed and they were paired with famous singers like Jorge Negrete and Pedro Infante. Due to the popularity of jazz and Cuban music the trumpet was adopted, pushing the violins into second place and, in some cases, replacing the harp.

Movies were made which represented Mexico as a place populated with truly macho men whose live revolved around the charro, tequila and, of course, the mariachi.

Today, mariachi music is played around the world in places as far away as Japan and Europe. This integral part of Mexico's culture and history is celebrated each September in its birth place, Jalisco.

Camille Collins lives outside of Guadalajara in a place where the cows still outnumber the humans. She has lived in and around Mexico for 20 years and now writes, occassionally, about the little things that make her life here so different from what she left back in Los Angeles, California... and enjoys every moment of it. camille(at)mexconnect.com

New Classified Ads

Car Trailer For Sale

16 feet car trailer with brake on both axels.

Very strong and ride very good. The trailer is plated in Qu�bec Canada and is also legalise here in Mexico.

27 000 pesos.

St�phane at elrefugio rv park in lo de marcos (villas tlaquepaque)

or cell 322-111-5390 or skype at stephane.rvpark

For problems or questions regarding this Web site contact editor@jaltembasol.com