"It sounds," he said, "like they are destroying the jungle."
"They are," I replied.
And, they are.
Every morning we hear giant equipment plowing through the jungle where a development company is creating their version of San Pancho.
Lemmus, the public relations firm for the development, can show you plans for condos, villas, hotel, beach club, and a cultural center with music room and gym and galleries and coffee shop. All, of course, built in what was the jungle.
The development company has even stolen the nickname of our San Francisco pueblo. San Pancho. So let's call it The Development San Pancho to call attention to the fact that The Development is not the "real" San Pancho.
Oh, Lemmus the pr firm for the developers, is doing a good job promoting The Development San Pancho. There are billboards, websites, free get togethers, even signs at the polo field. There's a heavily promoted New Year's Eve party ... music, food, entertainment, fireworks ... at $100 USD per person. Guests will be bused in from Puerto Vallarta (just a 20 minute trip according to the press release ... 20 minutes? hah!).
Back to The Development. Just south of San Pancho, across the river from the real San Pancho. Goodbye jungle...you can see the gouge from atop cemetery hill. Hello lights ... at night the red hotel is brightly lit, ruining the view of the sky.
Now, another development company came to town a couple years ago. A lot of people didn't like the company, but I can say that, at least, they gave the real San Pancho some nice gifts. They built and landscaped the malecon, built the changing rooms, made improvements to the preschool, revived the vivera, built a park complete with benches, landscaping and a huge gazebo.
That company is gone. But it doesn't look like this new one is going away. Many houses, as well as the hotel and "cultural center" are already built.
But they haven't done anything that I know of to benefit our little community except plant some bougainvilleas.
Oh, they did one other thing on our side of the river. They painted the first house you see when you come into San Pancho. Painted it a bright pink, with their logo "San Pancho."
The letter h has fallen off. Maybe the rest of the letters will, too.