Puerto Vallarta People Profiles

Shaken and Stirred: Like many others before him, Francisco Haghenbeck moved to Puerto Vallarta three years ago looking to get away from Mexico City’s increasing hustle and bustle.

Trago Amargo Preview: A virtualvallarta.com exclusive, enjoy the first chapter of F.G. Haghenbeck's award winning novel "Trago Amargo," or Bitter Drink, soon to be published in English.

The Viva Girls: A Dash of Class and a Lot of Marketing Savvy: Surprises happen in Vallarta when you least expect them, like when having dinner at a nice restaurant, say. And suddenly, four gorgeous women in capes glide in, appearing before you smiling broadly ...

Lew Jennings: A Life of Service and Adventure: Sailing around the world a decade ago with his wife, Anneke, on their 41-foot Unicorn, the couple instantly fell under the spell of Banderas Bay. “It was so beautiful — the whales, the dolphins, the mountains, the clean water, everything about it.”

Chiles: Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow: Like Johnny Carson, Hank Muffett and Conrad Kostelecky understand the wisdom of leaving when you’re at the top of your game. After 11 years of growing a local three-table eatery into a wildly popular business, begun more or less as a hobby, the two recently sold Chiles in the hope of having more time to smell the salt air.

Professor Enrique Barrios Limón: Fostering Mexican Culture: If to dance is to move among angels, then to choreograph and lead a dance troupe is to orchestrate heaven on earth.

Best Examples of: Vibrant Aging: Some people are forever youthful, despite their chronological age. Three such individuals are Puerto Vallarta residents, Don Gallery, Beverly Rose and Nelly Barquet.

Best La Cruz Connection: Philo’s: On a typical Thursday evening at Philo’s Music Bar on Calle Delfin in the heart of La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, the musicians are tuning up while, in one corner of the palapa-covered space, a group of grinning Mexican children are playing “Simon Says” – in English.

Best Yelapa Connection: Brad Wollman: After 15 years of visiting and ultimately living full-time in Yelapa, Brad Wollman decided to share his considerable expertise with would-be visitors to this pristine village 15 miles southwest of Vallarta.

The Late Richard Kaplan: Chances are, those of you who have been around for a few years recognize this mountain of a man, a larger-than-life entertainer and promoter of this town he so loved.

Bob Mandel: Making Wishes Come True: Most of us have a lifetime to fulfill our dreams. For children whose existence is threatened by a terminal disease, however, the window of opportunity is small at best, and often reduced further by a family’s limited financial resources. Thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the seemingly impossible is realized daily, in order to engender fragile lives with a sense of hope and joy.

Silvia Álvarez Bustos: An Example Worth Emulating: A dedicated wife and mother, Silvia is tirelessly committed to protecting not only her family but the environment and all creatures sharing this planet with us, her modus operandi combining the heart’s wisdom with rolled up shirtsleeves.

Tom Colvin: Promoting Music Near and Far: It is difficult to have a conversation in Puerto Vallarta about the local jazz and blues scene without Tom Colvin’s name being mentioned. A gifted harmonica player, writer and photographer, Tom’s relationship with Puerto Vallarta began as love at first sight, and quite possibly, as is often the case with musicians, first sound. Having accepted an invitation to visit a friend, he found the condo of his dreams during his first trip and took ownership within a year.

The Munguías - A love story: This town recently bid farewell to a couple who contributed immeasurably to making Puerto Vallarta the wonderful place that it is, Carlos Munguía Fregoso and his wife of 41 years, Elena Rose Castell.