Swine Flu

The swine flu story is dominating all our local/ national news stories . Cases in Mexico - Texas and California so far . I lived through the Sars hysteria that greatly affected Toronto a few years ago . People get scared real easy .

People cannot catch swine flu from eating pork or pork products. Cooking pork to an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit kills the swine flu virus as it does other bacteria and viruses

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-mexico-flu-box25-2009apr25,0,5114253.story

all this swine happening in mexico city
like the drug violence happening along the boarder
vallarta is still a heaven paridise
cool nights
balmy days
some breeze blowing
sunny
all helpful and friendly
what a healthy place to be

still lovin vallarta

Here is some good information on how to track swine flu online .


http://mashable.com/2009/04/25/track-swine-flu/

Swine flu - any discission of flying in an aeroplano anywhere with this Flu floating about is NUTS !! -Stay home and protect yourself and your familia - Mexico and vacations can be enjoyed another day - another time - airports and aeroplanes are the worst place to be other than any medical facility - so stay SAFE y not SORRY !!! Amigo

Should I stay or should I go? I vote Go!!!

My point is simple - if everyone protected themselves and others from the \"floating-virus\" the virus would have no where to go and would die - if you must go on a vacation then it is important to do all you can to protect yourself - but remember that your risk-factor increases dramatically because of your elected environment - Mexico is acting correctly in canceling public events - if we all acted responsibly then this and any other virus would vanish - Amigo

it seems the cdc is really on top of this, hopefully the threat can be minimized. i would follow kats advice, check out other options while waiting to see how this flu turns out.

The US State Department has just issued a travel ban. All I can say is they better get it together before my long awaited vacation. I am going travel ban or not. We get one chance each year to visit our friends. I could stay home and a truck could take me out on the interstate. I refuse to live my life in fear.

I agree with the reliable information. The US State Department did post a no unnecessary travel this morning. I am thinking this will pass. The only information we are getting is the hand washing thing, cover coughs and sneezes. Keep hands away from mouth, etc. The same for general flu precautions. Good friends of ours are from Guadalajara, and they are still planning their trip home, for an extended vacation. Of course, we will all be watching the posts to see how things are going in Vallarta. I think the high concentration of people in Mexico City hinders the containment. As always, our prayers will be with all of our friends in Vallarta.

I just wanted to let those who are following this Swine Flu know..I returned home from PV last night. So far everyone in my household is fine. I will keep you all posted if anything develops. As we were going through Immigration/Customs in LAX last night around 9pm there was no indication by anyone of any concerns regarding the Swine Flu..I have to say I was very surprised this morning when I got up and found everyone all in a flutter about it. To those considering travel to PV soon...just stayed informed. We saw no signs of illness anywhere in PV. This could quickly fizzle out.

nightclus, restaurants, or whatever as I have an upcoming trip in the next 5 days. Thanks!

If it is govt. conspiracy then it is the govt. of Mexico that is trying to keep us all out.

All schools and pre-schools have been closed through May 6th in the entire country. All bars and clubs have been closed in PV and there are hints that they might also close all the restaurants.

I feel Mexico is doing an excellent job of trying to deal with what has become a major outbreak.

They difference between this flu and other types of flu is this one is hitting hard and fast. The flu you usually start feeling achy, maybe a slight scratchy throat, etc. This one your fever shoots up over 100 in one hour.

Daily or bi-daily PV updates are being published on http://www.banderasnews.com

They are saying the people that have passed away are, for the most part, the patients who waited and tried to tuff it out before going to a doctor. Keep in mind also they thought it was a late season flu epidemic rather than swine flu, so they did not test anyone for it right away. Alot of the Mexican citizens are complaining the govt. did not act quick enough but again they were under the assumption it was an outbreak of regular flu. The problem with this particular strain is it is a combination of human, pig and bird viruses and since it is a \"new\" strain thus no one has immunity to it. That is why all the hype/caution is being given to it.

I tell you all, it is a government conspiracy to have all the Americans stay home

How the hell did your government pull of the second phase with that earthquake today?

Just a friendly reminder that alcohol kills germs. Do Not let your blood alcohol level get too low.

though this flu seems serious,crossing insurgentes on basilio badillo is more a threat to my health than swine flu. as of earlier today zero cases have been reported in jalisco.

It is truly amazing the feedback I have receive about my pending trip to Puerto Vallarta. I am grateful for all the posts on this website about the subject of swine flu. With that and the proper precautions I am still planning to take my trip to paradise as of this posting. Thanks for all the food for thought.

i have a trip scheduled for april 30th and i cant decide wether to go. i am staying at the royal decameron resort.....what do you think??

The number of new reported cases appears to have been declining already over the last 2 days, so fingers crossed everyone will start calming down soon. Preparation and awareness are key to this, and with people on the look out for early signs now and being ultra precautious lets hope things ease off sooner rather than later.

Either way, not much is going to keep me and the keys to my brand new house apart for long come the end of May, although if things take a real turn for the worse i guess we will have to consider taking a bit of a detour before touching down in mexico city.

The following blog entry is from Pamela Thompson who is a registered nurse who has lived in Puerto Vallarta for over 17 years, 10 of them in health care. Pamela now leads Health Care Resources Puerto Vallarta, a local health care resource network.

I have just spoken to Dr. Luis Suarez, infectious disease physician in Puerto Vallarta.
He reports that:

1. There are no confirmed cases in the state of Jalisco. 160 samples were taken and all were negative for Swine Flu.
2. There are no confirmed cases in the state of Nayarit.
3. Continue with precautionary measures including good hand washing, avoiding crowds, increase Vitamins B, K, A & D. Good ventilation in homes allowing the sun to enter.
4. Avoid hand-shaking, kissing.
5. He feels it is coming under good control in Mexico City.

Well since this virus is built on 3 or 4 different viruses - swine, bird, human and ???... we need to change the name of this mutation... Swine Flu is not appropriate especially if you are tied to the Agricultural Industry... \"Latin American Flu\", \"Mutant Mexican Flu\", \"Mexico City Flu\", etc etc etc.... and you cannot get it from dining on the other white meat - Pork!!! Currently on the CBOT soybeans are down 10 3/4 cents per bushel, Bean Meal (used in making hog feed) is down $2.50 per ton, live hogs are down $2.50 per cwt, and bellies are down $3.00 per cwt. Now you talk about an economic pandemic... this is hurting alot of the farmers we deal with on a daily basis... so not only is this scaring people from traveling to Mexico, it is scaring people from eating Pork, it is driving prices down for the agricultural community, etc... Iowa is still the #1 state in the US for pork production...

just another rube comment from the hick in Iowa...

Our secretary at work just returned home from Mexico her first day back to work today........They stayed just north of Playa del Carmen..

I had to laugh when she told me they never heard about the flu outbreak until they returned home to Canada... I told her they were probably the only ones in the World that had not heard of the flu :lol:

She and her family had a wonderful vacation...Did see the odd person wearing surgical masks but never really thought anything of it as they are a part of her life at the nursing home :D

She said if she collected a dollar from each person that asked her about her vacation and the flu in Mexico she said she would have enough money to turn around and go back and she would :lol:

Thanks Sr. Fox for posting..Nice hearing from someone who lives in PV...

Here is the latest for any Canucks who are schedule to fly down to Mexico or were to have a Cruise stop in Mexico.

http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2009/04/28/transat.html

We now have two confirmed cases in Alberta they say as well. One in northern Alberta and one in Calgary.

Helen

Israeli official: Swine flu name offensive
1 day ago

JERUSALEM (AP) — The outbreak of swine flu should be renamed \"Mexican\" influenza in deference to Muslim and Jewish sensitivities over pork, said an Israeli health official Monday.

Deputy Health Minister Yakov Litzman said the reference to pigs is offensive to both religions and \"we should call this Mexican flu and not swine flu,\" he told a news conference at a hospital in central Israel.

Both Judaism and Islam consider pigs unclean and forbid the eating of pork products.

Scientists are unsure where the new swine flu virus originally emerged, though it was identifed first in the United States. They say there is nothing about the virus that makes it \"Mexican\" and worry such a label would be stigmatizing.

Two Israelis who recently visited Mexico have been hospitalized with symptoms of the flu. Health authorities have not yet confirmed whether they actually have the virus.

The current strain of swine flu is thought to have originated in Mexico where more than 100 people have been killed by the disease so far.

Laboratories in the U.S. and Canada have confirmed that of the samples tested so far, the swine flu virus in Mexico and U.S. appear to be the same.

Cruise lines are cancelling stops in PV:
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/cruises/item.aspx?type=blog&ak=66114403.blog" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://www.usatoday.com/travel/cruises/item.aspx?type=blog&ak=66114403.blog

Here is the latest for any Canucks who are schedule to fly down to Mexico or were to have a Cruise stop in Mexico.

http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2009/04/28/transat.html

We now have two confirmed cases in Alberta they say as well. One in northern Alberta and one in Calgary.

Helen In the past few hours a few more Canadian companies have chosen not to fly charters to Mexico ...

Air Canada Vacations will not fly any of its charter vacation planes to Mexico until June 1st.

Thomas Cook Vacations is postponing its vacations to Mexico until May 8th.

WestJet has cancelled all its flights to Mexico between May 4th and June 20th. They will also increase their rescue flights to help bring travelers back to Canada.

Noli Tours, Air Transat, Sunwing Vacations, Sunquest Vacations and Signature Vacations have postponed flights to Mexico until June 1st.

For Canadian travelers in Mexico, most airlines will continue flights until May 3rd in an effort to bring all their customers and staff back to Canada.

I have cancelled my reservation this weekend. Reason being the closure of the night clubs and bars and the the 2 drink thing in restaurants. Airplanes with their recyclyled air is another concern especially on the way back. I have a week as a window so may be ble to able to reschedule next next week if this chrisis calms down.
Thanks again you guys.

Forgot one thing. as I recall, \"clubs and bars are closed in old town until June 4th and maybe June 6th?
When this restriction is rescinded, please let me know.
Please continue to update this board with the latest developments. Thanks!

As of April 30th 8:00 am, nothing has changed for us. We are open as usual. We have not been officially informed of any two drink rules. As a precaution, we are only serving you your last two drinks. :)

No need to cancel trips and plans. Vallarta is still a lot of fun without a few large night clubs. I do feel sorry for the bar only places that were told to close though. Seems as long as you serve food you can remain open though we have not had an official visit informing us of this.

Think positive! There is no outbreak in PV.

Hey we just got our first visit from the Reglamentos today at 1:30 PM. We were advised of booze only with food and we got it in writing. So our new policy is there will be a menu on every table. You better order food if they come in and do an inspection.
They did however hint that they may not have time to come check on us. :wink:
This is only in effect until Monday May 4th.

The Party goes on. :P

Thanks for all the info and updates. We have a trip scheduled for May 21st and are thinking about changing destinations. But recycled air is recycled air in a plane. The airline we bought out tickets from states, if your trip to Mexico is planned after May 15th, they will still charge you $150.00 to change destination. Prior to May 14th, there is no extra fee. Just as long as restaurants and some attractions remain open, we will stick to our plans and visit PV. I hope that business owners will be up front about the real siuation down there.

Enjoy you vacation beerschnoltz :)
Keep us posted ..

In Calgary we have one swine flu case more than the O cases PV has.. :)

btw where are you flying out of..
Thanks :)

Calgary now has 4 more added to the list. Still 0 for PVR.
Why are we here :roll:

Hola...been coming to PV for almost 20 years and always stay in Old Town, my daughter and I plan to be there on 5/7 and are hoping for the best, from reading the postings seems like we will have the warm relaxing vacation we are looking forwad to, coming in from San Francisco, no flu reported here yet either, it does look a bit quiet down there on the web cams...will keep checking in for updates...gracias, Christina

Swine Flu name is hogwash...We can kiss it Goodbye :)

Farmers are counting on you... Eat Pork

Indeed, there are no winners in the swine flu outbreak, but canceling port calls in Mexico was absolutely necessary to ensure the safety of every passenger and crewmember and to combat the spread of the influenza.

What a bunch of hogwash! There is no \"outbreak\" here in PV. Why does nobody pay attention to the actual news. There are cases in Mexico City, which by the way has a population approximately equal to all of Canada and is as far away as Vernon, BC is to Calgary.

Life continues normally for us here, albeit with a few less tourists and people who are afraid to leave the confines of their hotels.

I suggest you turn off your CNN and Fox News and get on with life. You have a better chance of catching this flu in Calgary than here in PV.

Besides... we have the prevention and antidote... Good Tequila.
We promise to \"inoculate\" everyone for free. Okay, you have to be over 18. :)

we have the prevention and antidote... Good Tequila

AND WHAT DID THE WORM DIED OF

we have the prevention and antidote... Good Tequila

AND WHAT DID THE WORM DIED OF Drinking binge - RIP

we have the prevention and antidote... Good Tequila

AND WHAT DID THE WORM DIED OF He died in a bottle of Mescal... not Tequila.

May 1, 2009 Issue 434 EXTRA



UPDATE: SFCVB Monitors H1N1 Outbreak
The World Health Organization (WHO) released a statement today that is encouraging news for San Francisco and the travel industry. We wanted to share it with you right away in case you have customers who would be interested in this update. To help you respond to questions from your staff, customers and guests, the SFCVB has compiled a list of Top Line Facts. These will be updated as the H1N1 situation evolves.


No Rationale For Travel Restrictions
1 May 2009 -- WHO is not recommending travel restrictions related to the outbreak of the influenza A(H1N1) virus. Today, international travel moves rapidly, with large numbers of individuals visiting various parts of the world. Limiting travel and imposing travel restrictions would have very little effect on stopping the virus from spreading, but would be highly disruptive to the global community.

Influenza A(H1N1) has already been confirmed in many parts of the world. The focus now is on minimizing the impact of the virus through the rapid identification of cases and providing patients with appropriate medical care, rather than on stopping its spread internationally. Furthermore, although identifying the signs and symptoms of influenza in travelers can be an effective monitoring technique, it is not effective in reducing the spread of influenza as the virus can be transmitted from person to person before the onset of symptoms. Scientific research based on mathematical modeling indicates that restricting travel will be of limited or no benefit in stopping the spread of disease. Historical records of previous influenza pandemics, as well as experience with SARS, have validated this point.

Travelers can protect themselves and others by following simple recommendations related to travel aimed at preventing the spread of infection. Individuals who are ill should delay travel plans and returning travelers who fall ill should seek appropriate medical care. These recommendations are prudent measures which can limit the spread of many communicable diseases and not only influenza A(H1N1).

Visit the World Health Organization for further information.

Sr. Fox,
Just wanted to thank you for your insight. I am supposed to be coming down next week to get married. Your posts about things in PV being vurtually business as usual have been very helpful. We had 45 people coming, at this point we are down to about 35, but we are coming to party. I have been to your sports bar before and we will definintley stop by to introduce ourselves and say hello.
Thanks again,
Josh

Hey we can handle 35 people. :)

Thanks for considering us.
Fox and Family Roma

Decorated swine flu masks in Mexico . :)


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthpicturegalleries/5243655/Decorated-swine-flu-surgical-masks-in-Mexico.html

Every thing that I see on TV or print here in Boston says Swine Flu in Mexico, but nothing specifically as to where in Mex. Are the reported cases only in Mexico City, or are they scattered throughout the country? No one wants to purposely go anywhere that is not safe; but conversely we do not want to be panicked into believing in something that does not exist.

Can anyone give us a better picture of where the swine flu has progressed
in Mexico? Specifically, what is happening so far in PV?

Thank you

Al

Hey we are glad you came to your senses too. Saturday had nothing new to report on. Life for us was the same... slow lazy days of summer.

Every thing that I see on TV or print here in Boston says Swine Flu in Mexico, but nothing specifically as to where in Mex. Are the reported cases only in Mexico City, or are they scattered throughout the country? No one wants to purposely go anywhere that is not safe; but conversely we do not want to be panicked into believing in something that does not exist.

Can anyone give us a better picture of where the swine flu has progressed
in Mexico? Specifically, what is happening so far in PV?

Thank you

Al When they say Mexico, they mostly mean Mexico City. To date there have been no confirmed or reported cases in the states of Jalisco or Nayarit. Puerto Vallarta is in Jalisco and Nuevo Vallarta is in Nayarit.
The flu has not existed for us. Bad rumors have.

maybe cnn can run free commercials for the mexican tourist board to try and undo some of the damage they have done to the mexican economy with their unrelenting pandemic coverage. there are cruise ships docked in san francisco this weekend that should be in mexico.

Hey Bruce

Would you weigh in on the Swine Flu situation. Many of us know you,
and trust you to give us the real low down and not Chamber of Commerce Hype. No disrespect to anyone, but many people are now
planning vacations for the balance of the year. It is important for every one to have a clear picture of what is happening, because the media is
doing a good job of panicing the world. (and Joe Biden is helping)

SVNR

Svnr - here is a breakdown from the Mexican govt .

http://www.reuters.com/article/swineFlu/idUSTRE5422AI20090503

Still no cases in Jalisco ( PV ) or Nayarit (Nuevo PV ) .

I read in our local paper that there would be an announcement today in PV regarding lifting of restrictions that were imposed on some public places. Has that announcement been made yet? We are still planning on being there on 9th of May and just trying to keep tabs on accurate information.

They have not told us anything other than the last paper we got which stated that any restrictions were only in place until after the 4th of May. I read somewhere the Mexican President lifted all restrictions as of the 6th.

Yippie! :lol:

Yipee!! For all of us who love to come to PV ( :D and for those who live there also)!

...and WE will arrive for sun and margaritas on 5/16. we are very excited and are not going to worry one bit about H1N1.
pjac

Sorry to hear that, I hope everything works out for you, might be better to take the refund and start from scratch?? Best of luck :-)9
jrtlovr

I am flying Continental and they too are canceling 50% of their Mexico flights. I got an email from Orbit (who I booked through) and they said there had been a significant change and to call them. I was totally freaked out because like all of you, we are still planning on coming. When I called them, Continental switched flt number on two of my flights and the time had changed by 3 minutes. Not so significant in my mind. I am so excited about our trip to PV...

The reason many airlines are canceling flights is lack of passengers. I talked to a couple who arrived yesterday and of 119 people booked on their trip, 60 had canceled.
Come on people, it is now up to us to let the world know that it is safe and has always been safe to come to PV. If we all do our part, we can counteract the problems created mostly by the news media.
I might mention that it is very normal for airlines to change schedules to vacation destinations this time of year. People just stay home more when the weather is more agreeable.
We have cold beer and great Margaritas all year... no matter what the weather is like up North. :)

what is the name of the bistro by the river that is a good place to go for brkfast/lunch? my friend was telling me it was a nice place but counld not remember the name.

I think you might be thinking of Le Bistro or River Cafe.

We live in a small community north of Calgary...
There is one confirmed case of the H1N1 flu..

A child in School... (mild case) Parents were told if children were home with the flu they were to keep them there for 7 days :shock: :) ..Other than that so far have not heard or seen anything unusual...
No folks out and about with masks on only in the Docs office....
I suppose if it comes to wearing masks we will see a few of these from the redneck cowboys.. :lol:

Life is slowly returning to normal here and all restrictions imposed in PV are off. With all the people that got scared of by the Media hype and canceled their trips, we are seriously down on visitors but the flights are arriving again and people are coming back.
This is a great time of year to visit PV as the crowds are down and you can have your pick of restaurants without standing in line.

Is it true that there are closures again in PV. Copy and paste this article:

http://www.examiner.com/x-2026-SF-Gay-Travel-Examiner~y2009m5d8-H1N1-swine-flu-scare--Puerto-Vallartas-bars-closed-again

Unfortunately it is true. Schools, Theaters and Bars have been ordered closed until 5/18. There have been 26 confirmed cases in the state of Jalisco, but NONE of them are in PV. They have the report of 3 deaths in Jalisco POSSIBLY related to H1N1. PV is still free from any confirmed cases.

\"There have been 26 confirmed cases in the state of Jalisco, but NONE of them are in PV.\" Unfortunately, just a matter of time. Chuck... 8)

On Thurs. one of the nurses at the care home where I work had a call from the School her son was attending..He had flu symptons and was to be tested for the H1N1 flu..
He goes to the same School where the one confirmed case is in our small city..
Have not heard what the test results are ...
........
I think of those that are out of work because of this flu.....

Life goes on as normal for us and I will keep you posted if something should change. We are still only serving you your last two cocktails just to be safe. :)

http://guadalajarareporter.com/content/view/24572/58/

Government steps in as business nosedives
Written by Guadalajara Reporter Intern
Friday, 08 May 2009
Running a business in Mexico has gotten a whole lot tougher in the past few weeks.

Luis Gerardo Estrada, who makes his living from the Hospedarte hostel in the Zona Rosa of Guadalajara, says dwindling bookings, a 50-percent drop in occupancy and a rash of cancellations from abroad have forced him to reassess his business strategy.

“We need to sit down and think of ways to overcome such crises,” he said. “We are going to open a bar/café next week so that we get local customers and not just visitors from other parts of the world.”

Estrada isn’t alone in feeling the consequences of the influenza outbreak.

“You could say it wasn’t the best time to open a new business,” said Mari Ochoa, the manager of San Francisco Salads on Avenida Chapultepec, which began service on Monday. “People just aren’t eating out, almost no one has showed up. And our other restaurant in Providencia has seen takings decrease by about 70 percent.”

The lack of visitors to downtown Guadalajara has seen bus ticket sales at Tapatio Tours fall by 50 percent, while drivers of calandrias (horse-drawn carriages) said they were scarcely averaging one ride a day.

Mexico’s Finance Minister Agustin Carstens announced Wednesday that aid from the government would be coming to the hardest hit sectors and that from July the country would see a “rapid recuperation.” Twenty-seven billion pesos are to be used for the most affected sectors, namely hotels, restaurants, pork-producers and public spaces such as the Expo Guadalajara trade show center.

Carstens also announced that all businesses in Mexico will be eligible for a 20-percent discount in their benefit payments to the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) for May and June, up to a limit of 35,000 pesos. And state governments are being asked to provide 1.4 billion pesos in tax benefits.

Estrada isn’t convinced that the stimulus plan will filter down to the small and micro-business sector.

“The government hasn’t helped us so far. They just sent out some leaflets about the dangers of swine flu and instructed us to give them out to our guests.

“We’ll have to look and see how tourists react come June, July and August and see whether the student groups that usually come actually do,” said the young businessman.

Margarita Ortiz, head of the Employers’ Association (Coparmex) in Puerto Vallarta, said many hotels in the resort are contemplating closing for the rest of the summer. Other businesses have also lost million of pesos because of the government’s “exaggerated” shutdown of bars and entertainment centers in Vallarta, he said.

Cancellations of vacations in Cancun were running at 70 percent last weekend, while other resorts reported figures as high as 90 percent.

Tourism has been worst hit in areas where the highest number of flu cases have been reported. Hotel occupancy in Mexico City and Aguascalientes fell to eight and ten percent respectively.

Meanwhile, Continental Airlines slashed flights to Mexico by half on May 4. The airline operates 450 flights a week between the United States and Mexico. American Airlines has cut its flights to Mexico by 25 percent.

Planes are arriving empty from Europe, Canada and United States but returning full with holiday makers anxious to get home.

Canada suspended all charter flights but has maintained its regular services to and from Mexico.

Even Mexican airlines, including Click, Aeromexico and Mexicana, have cut flights on many domestic routes, in particular to beach resorts.

Carstens said airlines will get a 50-percent reduction in air space fees and three billion pesos in loans and loan guarantees.

The finance minister said he was optimistic about the Mexican economy and that in comparison to events like natural disasters, the vital manufacturing sector has continued through the swine flu hysteria and that should mean a smoother ride out of the crisis.

Few days to go and still not sure if we should go. This is our first time for our family to go to PV and we booked this way back in November. I have conflicting argument whether to go or not.
How is PV at this time? Is is back to normal?

Hola Sr. Fox!
Me llamo Thalia y soy de Canada. Me voy para Puerto Vallarta para pasar el verano. Aqui soy camarera en un restaurante y me gustaria trabajar en un restaurante en PV. Seria feliz con solo uno, dos o tres dias cada semana!

Hablo frances, ingles y espagnol. Tengo mucha experienca en los restaurantes et tambien soy directora de marketing en un nightclub aqui.
Si buscan una persona dinamica, organizada, inteligente y de buena aparienca tambien, soy la persona para ustedes! (ps: tengo el pelo rubio y una grande sonrisa! )

Crees que podrias ayudarme ?? :)

Y otra pregunta, que pasa con el swine flu en PV? No quiero escuchar lo que las noticias dicen, porque los americanos... :-)
Pero pienses que no deberia venir? Como esta la ciudad? Vacia???

Gracias!
Puedes contestarme por correo :
thalie_stcyr@hotmail.com

With a large group. I am very familiar with PV, as are some of my friends. However, some are worried....that nothing will be open.

Hopefully they will lift restrictions on Mon 18th, and hopefully my favorite restaurants will be open..that is one of the reasons I come to PV.

Any news on your front would be great,

- David

I was sitting in the Epoca Bar here in PV about an hour ago and the officials came in to say the closures have been lifted and all can stay open as usual now. This whole thing is really so silly...been here since Apr 18 and we are healthy and fine and even if we did get the flu there is treatment for it....way too much media hype. Come to PV and make your own fun!

As of yesterday, Tuesday May 12th, they once again announced the \"all clear\" and things are back to normal. It is front page news in the local papers here.

We have had a number of people in here in Cafe Roma that had listened to my advice and came anyway in spite of the warnings from the news media. All have been pleasantly surprised and happy that they came.
To those who came and are coming... Thank You!
To the rest of you... Come on Down! :D

Hello,
I am currently in PV. I got married here at the Sheraton last Saturday. I will be here until Friday. We invited 45 people, 41 came. EVERYONE said it was the best time they ever had. It is slow here, but 99 percent of things are open. The big clubs like Mandala are open until 2 am. Due to the fact that it is slow, it is like having your very own private Puerto Vallarta. No waits, no need for reservations, excellent service, everyone here is willing to make a deal on activities and the current exchange is 14 to 1 USD, doesnt get any cheaper.

If you want to come to Puerto Vallarta to see lots of Americans or Canadians, then you should stay home. Otherwise the fear is nothing but hype and this could not be a better time to come.

We went to Roma Cafe last night for the first time and it was excellent, thanks Fox for the good times and the best bathrooms in the world.

It is a fact that they are checking peoples temperature at the airport as people come in and out. They have a machine that scans your eyes, not sure how it works. They are also stoping cars on the outskirts of town to check for sick people....guess what, no one is sick...you probably have more sick people sitting next to you at home than there are here.

IRONY AT ITS BEST :roll:

190 people get the Swine Flu and everybody wants to wear a mask.

10 million people have AIDS and no one wants to wear a condom.

Hello everyone and thanks for all of your informative posts. We have been keeping an eye on things down in PV and it looks safe as ever. My partner and I are sticking with the plan. Arriving May21st-May 25th. This will be our first visit to PV and we will probably be spoiled for our next visit by not having crowds of Americanos or Canadienses (sp?). Heading south for some adventure, shoppnig and a tan. :D

Wait till next year... :twisted:

2007 - Chinese year of the Chicken - Bird Flu Pandemic devastates parts of Asia

2008 - Chinese year of the Horse - Equine Influenza decimates Australian racing

2009 - Chinese year of the Pig - Swine Flu Pandemic
It gets worse........
Yikes...
Next year...... 2010 - Chinese year of the ? :shock: :lol: (will let you find out for yourself)

I am really down in the dumps today. We made a reservation in November for a flight in June since it was a great priced promotion by VIVA AEROBUS.
They started flying from Austin Texas first with a grand promotion early last year to Cancun.We live in San Antonio but, with such a low price we decided to book to PVR .We made and paid for a condo rental for a week in PVR and yesterday i recieved an email that all Aerobus flights from Austin have been cancelled due to people not booking and people cancelling and requesting their money back due to the swine flu and in todays paper it said that traveling restrictions to Mexico have been lifted ! I spent the night looking for other flights and the majority Leave San Antonio at 6:15 am and arrive at Pvr around 4:45 pm ! Can you imagine ,they have a 5 1/2 hour layover in Phoenix Arizona. I live in Texas ! Closer to Mexico ! We have been looking forward to arriving in PVR and have read everything we can about paradise . Bummer,Bummer !You all have been so nice and helpful ,any ideas how to get there without having to spend a fortune and 11hours to get to PV ? Any ideas will be appreciated. Thanks, :( :( :( :cry: :cry:

OMG the weather shows thunderstorms every day next weekend....

Praying this is not the case!

Did you see the chance? About 20% average which looks like 80% chance of wonderful weather. If it does rain it is usually later in the day for an hour or so. Then we have a beautiful sunset.
It is not quite rainy season yet so chances are zero rain.

I am really down in the dumps today. We made a reservation in November for a flight in June ......... to get to PV ? Any ideas will be appreciated. Thanks, :( :( :( :cry: :cry: I just went to the American Airlines web site and searched for a flight from San Antonio to Puerto Vallarta using 6/8/09-6/13/09 dates and found numerous flights. $480.00 pp.
Travel time: SAT to PVR 4h 40m.
PVR to SAT 5h 39m.

Thanks for the information,will continue to try to find some lower prices in the 300s, if possible. As far as i am concerned,i would not hesitate for a second to book this flight with American,but my companion would not go for it.Stating that it is money we could spend in PV and maybe it is a \"Sign\" that we should not go etc.etc. There is another flight with Mexicana that has a layover in Mexico City, but purple is not my favorite color and the last time i had a layover there on our way to Huatulco,thats the color i was. I only have one lung and asthma and the altitude almost ended my earth vacation.I might be down in the dumps now,but i never give up .I will continue to find a way to get there,i have been planning and dreaming of going to PV everyday since my reservations. Thanks for taking the time to look up possibilities.God willing i will be there June 11,swine flu hype or not !! :) :) :) :)

Happy days are here again thanks to you. I had been searching booking sites such as kayak,priceline,etc.but when you wrote that you found some flights from American Airline site i looked it up and found our flight for $329.00 including taxes.It also has a layover of 5 1/2 hrs. in Dallas ,but at least i will be able to breathe. Many thanks and God bless !! :D :D :D

2nd chance,
Next trip try Continental through Houston. They have a flight leaving SA at 9:10 a.m. arrives in Houston 10:13 leaves Houston 11:18 arrives in PV 1:55 p.m. Only a 1 hr. 5 min layover in Houston. $328

I have taken that flight out of Houston before.

I would like to take the time and personally thank all that listened to my advice and came to say \"Hi\".
Everyone I talked to was very happy they came. I heard no complaints at all.

Thanks to all that came and are still coming!

Fox and Family Roma

Our trip was splendid! We just returned from a really quick trip to PV, May 21-25th. Stayed in the Zona Romantica area. There were a few tourists, lots of expats and lots of Mexican families enjoying themselves without hoards of Americans! No one wearing masks, no one really worried. All I can say is go if you can. You will be spoiled with the warmth and friendliness of Vallarta. Our flight on US Airways there and back was full to the the gills with happy travelers.

Great report!
Your translation was perfect. It was easier to understand than most of what I type, and English is my native language!

For the time being this site will continue online, we will advise a month before if we go belly up.

Greetings

Mogens Hey is there anything that can be done to help? This site is a valuable asset to PV.
Fox

... First we had mad cow disease, then it was bird flu and now swine flu...O.M.G its FARMAGEDDON!!!

We have been going to Vallarta for twenty years and hope to make it permanent very soon. We have made many wonderful friends and have completely enjoyed the sun/fun/beach. We already had our trip for Oct/November booked, when the flu scare hit, and never once considered cancelling it. They had better take my passport and close the border, if they want me to stay away! We have a better chance of getting hit on the interstate by a truck than falling ill, in Mexico. We have had occasion to need a physician and have nothing but good things to say about Vallarta healthcare. I feel as if we are going to our second home, when we head south, not like we are going to some edge of the world. Please everyone go, enjoy the culture, be an asset to the community, spread some good will around and help out the economy at the same time.

Nice to hear you had a great trip 2ndchance :)

I was also thinking about going to Mexico but I have decided to change my plans. I am a little afraid of being infected with the swine flu because you still hear about cases of people getting ill. I hope things improve and I can go there later this year or beginning of next year.

Not much to say, as it is your choice. I would not cancel a trip of mine. It was all blown out of proportion by the media.

You will miss a great place. I have felt that way for the 25 years we have been going to Puerto Vallarta.

That old Dutch saying is pretty good. As someone else (Churchill?) once said: \"We have nothing to fear but fear itself\". :wink: