|  A
book where the everyday life of a woman, her family, her friends and everyone
in her town, reminded me and made me value what Puerto Vallarta has represented
in my life and that of my family, my friends and of all of us who have come from
outside to settle in a land blessed by God.About three and a half years ago, I
had the opportunity to purchase one of the few original editions still in existence.
I remember when Gerardo, a close friend, told me that I could get it at the bakery
located on Basilio Badillo Street. I thought he was joking but knowing what we
were dealing with, I did not hesitate in going there to buy the book.
That
same evening I started reading it as soon as I returned home. From the very first
paragraphs, the narration by Señora Catalina Montes de Oca de Contreras,
the book's author, captivated all my attention, inviting me to go on without stopping.
Only one other book, "La mujer dormida debe dar a luz", had ever captivated
me this way. Little by little, through her clear descriptive and very easy manner
of relating life in Vallarta during an age of real gold, she incited me to visualize,
to feel what she was experiencing, and even perceive the refreshing ocean breeze
against her face as I walked in her footsteps along the Malecon. Reading
"Puerto Vallarta My Memories" is an event in itself. Besides educating
me, it taught me values and principles that force me to revise everything that
had happened in the life of this beautiful port so that I could arrive and receive
its warmth, along with a wave of hope when I needed it most. Reading
the book reminded me that shortly after our arrival in the mid-seventies, thanks
to the simplicity and cordial warmth of its people and the marvelous setting of
the town, and especially the picturesque nature of its everyday life, I was able
to feel for the first time what faith and hope really are. The simple fact of
seeing Vallarta proves to me that there is an all-loving God who manifests Himself
in every moment. I felt the hope when I realized that it was only thanks to Him
that I arrived in such a privileged place where, without being asked for anything
in return, I was given the opportunity to make a worthy life for myself. Today,
at a time of continuous growth and tourist abundance, I live enamored of Vallarta,
although I must admit that I miss those times when one of my favorite activities
during the rainy season was to go out barefoot to walk along the streets that
were flooded. I remember very well, and I can still feel the coolness of the current
of water against my feet and my legs as it ran down to the ocean. The best part
of all was to stand there mesmerized as I watched hundreds of flowers of various
colors floating and letting themselves go. Once, when we had just moved here,
I heard an old man say, "here, during the rainy season, instead of rain,
it is the flowers that fall…" Every time I saw them float, carried along
by the current, I would remember those words and think about the wisdom of the
elders. Today when it rains I don't go out walking any more, but I do open the
windows in my home, I sit down to read in my favorite chair, and when I feel the
ocean breeze coming in through the window and wet me with the rainwater, I close
my eyes and I see the buganviliae and the hibiscus flowers floating on the water,
carried along by the current, down to the ocean. "Puerto
Vallarta in My Memories" has shown me the true essence of a town and its
people. Today I thank God and this town which, without asking for anything in
return, has offered me shelter. Thanks to the invaluable
collaboration of the Coastal University Center (CUC) of the University of Guadalajara,
a second edition has been published without any modification to the original text,
though enriched with excellent photographs that could tell the story of the town
all by themselves. Thanks to an excellent translation by Yolanda G. de McCullough,
daughter of Yolanda Contreras de Garduño, co-author of the book and grand-daughter
of author Catalina Montes de Oca de Contreras, this book has also been published
in English and is available for sale. Now anyone, local
or foreign, has the opportunity to buy what I consider to be a true historical
and cultural treasure of Puerto Vallarta. In mi opinion, no one who lives here
or who visits this destination should miss reading this marvelous work.
|
in USA
Mail to: Puerto Vallarta,
My Memories
P.O. Box 1107 Borrego Springs, CA 92004 U.S.A.
Email: pvrmymemories@hotmail.com
* Please include check or
money order payable to: Yolanda G. McCullough,
for US $25.24.Tax, Shipping ["priority mail"]
and handling are included.
Or:
www.amazon.com - www.barnesandnoble.com | |
in Puerto Vallarta:
Libreria Limon
315 Veniustiano Carranza
Col. Emiliano Zapata. | Until
the next one!… Jesús de Avila
editor@pvmirror.com
|
Current
Weather Report
