News
News about Sayulita and the surrounding area.
Missing boyfriend of Olivia Newton-John found
The former boyfriend of Olivia Newton-John who disappeared in 2005 reportedly has turned up living in Mexico with a new identity.
London’s Daily Telegraph said Patrick McDermott has been going by his birth name, Patrick Kim, and working as a ship’s mate on a tourist yacht in the seaside village of Sayulita.
McDermott vanished at age 48 just days after ending his nine-year romance with the “Grease” star. He was believed drowned during an overnight fishing trip off the coast of California.
People in Sayulita who saw a photograph of McDermott confirmed he had been living in the town for several years.
“We realized who he was, but nobody was bothered,” hotelier Mark Rubio told the Telegraph. “He kept to himself and hung out down the coast.”
A fisherman, Jesus Rodriguez, told the paper that McDermott kept to himself.
“Sometimes he would have a few drinks in the bar,” Rodriguez said. “But he would be relaxed and not cause trouble. I was very surprised when I heard he had been in some kind of trouble. But then we heard it was just because he was the boyfriend of some American film star or something.”
A private investigator hired by NBC’s “Dateline” pinned down McDermott’s location by setting up a Web site, www.findpatrickmcdermott.com, and noting the locations of those who logged on.
Newton-John, now married, has not commented on the new findings.
Veterinary valor
By Mandy Feder of the Lake County Record Bee 2/2/10
A Lakeport veterinarian performed 80 spays and neuters in four days, south of the border.
“Mostly spays since many people are afraid to neuter their male dogs, it’s a cultural thing,” Chris Holmes D.V.M. at Wasson Memorial Veterinary Clinic in Lakeport said.
What prompted Holmes to travel to Mexico and work for free was a client at Wasson who asked him about helping out an animal rescue group in Sayulita, Mexico called Sayulitanimals.
The trip was made possible entirely with Lake County contributions and the drug companies that serve the veterinary clinic.
“A little bit of help goes a long way in helping a community and increasing public awareness about the cause of pet overpopulation,” Holmes said.
Sayulita is a small beach town about an hour north of Puerto Vallarta.
“I had been there before and I loved it. There are a lot of expatriate Americans and Europeans trying to build a good community with the Mexicans,” Holmes said.
Though beautiful, the region struggles with extreme pet overpopulation, homeless animals and inadequate animal health care.
Sayulitanimals is trying to address these serious issues.
A year ago a group of donors built a small veterinary clinic where they could hire Mexican veterinarians to spay and neuter animals for free to the poverty-stricken population. Supplies and salary for the Mexican veterinarians were based on donations.
After a few e-mails to Sara Briner, the
primary person in charge of running the clinic, Holmes decided to take his family for a week and do as much volunteer surgery as they had for him to do.
“Their own veterinarians could only do five animals per day. They reached the 300 animal mark after a year and at that point the Mexican veterinarians moved on deciding to build their own practice elsewhere,” Holmes said. “So basically, as I was planning my trip, all of the technical help Sara had, quit. None of the other volunteers knew anything about anesthesia or prepping animals for surgery, which would have been a waste of my time.”
With a month to go before leaving on Jan. 23, Holmes asked a technician from Wasson, Christina Aragon, to go along. The duo began taking donations in the veterinary office to help pay for Aragon’s flight and to help with the transport of supplies. Donations from 33 people totaled $1,410. The money was used to bring a skilled technician and Holmes along with equipment and drugs necessary for surgery.
The clinic was bare with the exception of surgical instruments. Holmes says good suture and drugs get expensive.
“These people need a huge thank you, because I was able to buy everything I needed that I couldn’t get the drug companies to donate,” Holmes said.
Holmes said Sutter Lakeside Hospital, Merial, and Pfizer contributed about $3,000 worth of products that were “extremely helpful” in the venture. Products like Frontline, Advantage and Revolution were all great internal and external products that went on every animal and were also passed out to other Mexican families animals that needed them. “There were a lot of other useful products, with several boxes going down there with me. Thank you to the, often bashed, drug companies,” Holmes said.
Holmes and Aragon went from Jan. 23 to 30 and did a solid four days of surgery.
“All Christina and I did was work four days for free, which is no big deal and I got to play with my family at the beach afterward and have great dinners in 80 degree weather. Not a bad deal.” Holmes said. “What the town got, other than 80 spays and neuters and some veterinary help, was a change in their attitudes about animals.”
The last two days many people brought in strays and consequently many of those animals were adopted or fostered.
Holmes said the key reward to the trip were the numerous willing volunteers who wanted to help the town. Although the volunteers were mostly expatriates they were able to go into the community and teach the importance of spaying, neutering and taking care of pets.
Holmes said the Mexican locals were also incredibly appreciative that these “gringos” would work and sweat so hard to help them.
“Through these acts, I really think it spawns a cultural change in the way people treat animals,” Holmes said. For those wishing to help Lake County animals, Holmes recommends consulting with a Lake County veterinarian.
For more information on Sayulitanimals, go to www.sayulitanimals.com.
Living the dream
By Lisa Monforton , The Calgary Herald 1/22/10
On a bitterly cold Alberta day, many of us have dreamed of packing up to start a new life in a place where the palm trees sway, the weather is always warm and the beer’s always cold. Here are four western Canadians who have taken that bold step.
“If you wait too long to follow your dream, you’ll be dead,” explained one, former Calgarian Terry Orr.
These adventurous folks would rather spend their time rinsing sand off their feet than scraping ice off their boots during the long winter months. Those with school-aged children haven’t let that fact slow them down — the kids are either home-schooled or go to a local school.
None have regretted the move, despite some minor hiccups along the way.
From a surfers’ casa in Mexico to a chi-chi resort on one of the Bahamas’ Out Islands, there are plenty of ways to experience western hospitality in a variety of sunny southern destinations. Here’s a sampling.
Surf’s up for Calgarians in Sayulita
Terry Orr fell in love with surfing in the cold waters off the west coast of Vancouver Island many years ago, but he quickly warmed to the Pacific coast waves of Mexico.
Two years ago, Orr, 46, and his family — wife Sheryl, 40, and daughter Jasmin, 11 — decided to sell their Calgary possessions and move to Sayulita. In a series of visits over a decade, Orr fell in love with the small town, a favourite surfer hangout.
They bought a casa that was in “pretty rough” shape, close to the beach and not far from the town plaza. Acting as his own designer and contractor, Orr added a second floor and created a funky and colourful ocean-themed casa geared mainly to surfers. Sheryl, meanwhile, created the artwork in the airy guestrooms. They named it Casa Buena Onda, The Sayulita Surf Hotel. (In Spanish, Casa Buena Onda means House of Good Waves.)
The white adobe house with the tiled roof is an inexpensive place ($50 a night) to return to at the end of the day for a cold one in the shade of a garden palapa. It’s an ideal retreat after a day of riding the two main surf breaks, which, notes Orr, have been exceptional this winter.
The exceptional surfing is not the only reason people come to Sayulita, about 30 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta. Jungle trails invite hikers and bird watchers, and the town’s mom-and-pop restaurants serve authentic Mexican fare next to novel shops laden with arts and crafts.
“You get enchanted by the magic of the place,” say Orr. “It’s a little tropical paradise.”
Orr says word is getting out about Casa Buena Onda since its October opening, and they’ve hosted guests from Calgary to Vancouver and Seattle to New York.
Their clientele has been mostly younger, active types, says Terry: “people who want an authentic Mexican experience.”
Casa Buena Onda only serves breakfast; the couple is happy to recommend local eateries for lunch and dinner and show their guests around Sayulita. Occasionally, they even go out surfing with their guests or host surf movie nights.
“Upon arrival, we always have an ice cold cerveza waiting to welcome our guests and help them decompress from their travels and their life,” says Terry.
