Discover the Nuevo Cine Mexicano: Five Films You Must Rent: Attend your local cineplex and, if you pay attention to film credits, you'll find an increasing number of incredibly talented Mexican artists contributing in many different capacities to high-grossing films.

Mexican Pyrotechnics: From Gunpowder to the Marigalante: Spend enough evenings around downtown Puerto Vallarta and you'll find you no longer need a watch, especially around 9 pm, when the daily Marigalante pirate ship fireworks light up the night sky. Here in Mexico we need practically no excuse to set off fireworks.

Flyers by the Trees: These are two of more than 300 different bird species that can be spotted locally. Search for them on your own or visit www.birdinginmexico.como to learn about professionally guided birding tours.

Bullfighting: Condemned in many areas of the world, including Spain where it was born as we know it today, bullfighting is an activity that has withstood the test of time. Ensconced in centuries of tradition, Spanish-style bullfighting, or corrida, continues to awe long-time followers here in Mexico and pique the curiosity of newcomers.

Non-surgical facelift is the rage!: With its wealth of competent surgeons, full-service hospitals and reasonable fees, Vallarta has given birth to a new brand of vacationer whose visit to Paradise includes cosmetic surgery, combined with the healing powers of sun and salt air.

Purchasing Art Supplies in Puerto Vallarta: Art supplies in Vallarta are available primarily through two sources: Mexico Magico (formerly Xochitl) at Juarez 534 (222-5776), which is open Monday through Saturday, 10 am to 2 pm and 4 to 8 pm; and Pro-arte at Mexico 1197-A (across from Casa Ley, no telephone), which is open 10 am to 2 pm and 4 to 7 pm Monday through Friday, and 10 am to 1:30 pm on Saturdays.

Turkeys are Red, Iguanas are Blue: To relieve their inevitable bouts of bucolic boredom, goatherds have from time immemorial moonlighted as unpaid whittlers of wood. But then around 50 years ago, the world of pro bono wood-whittling was changed forever when a Mixtec Indian named Manuel Jimenez began applying paint to his rustic carvings.