What day is this and where am I?…MEXICO

I went to Mexico for Thanksgiving. Here is a post I wrote while I was there.

OVER 1 YEAR  AGO MY HUSBAND AND I PLANNED A VACATION TO MEXICO BUT THE WORLD HAD A DIFFERENT PLAN…life is never perfect.

My husband passed away suddenly and the vacation was put on hold.  I traveled back and forth from Tucson, AZ to Oregon and I boarded a plane alone to travel to New Dehli, India for my granddaughters high school graduation. A lot has happened and the vacation in Mexico remained in place waiting for me to be ready.

So here I am in Puerto Vallarta with my daughter and her family.

Now, you need to understand that I love to visit Mexico…it is a beautiful country like my own. I do know though that no matter where I am in the world, the people/humans remain pretty much the same. There are good/bad/indifferent people. In the end it is the cultures that I gravitate to. 

Although it is unfair to day that all Chinese will push you if you are in their way, in some ways that is true. The Chinese live in close proximity to their neighbors and simply getting through each day requires a certain amount of pushing.

The Vietnamese are not alike themselves. We contacted tribal people, true Vietnamese and communities that fished etc. The diversity of the people astounded me. Because China is so large, we did not get to experience the Mongolian people or cultures of different provinces. In that regard the Chinese and the people of Viet Nam are much the same. We always miss a lot. 

I am now aware of the danger of putting a culture in one box. It just doesn’t work.

And so it is with Mexico. But the culture I have experienced here for many years just makes me happy. It seems to me that no matter how poor or what their occupation is, they exude a great appreciation for their good fortune. I have really never rubbed shoulders with the rich or famous so you will need to fill me in on that.

Mexico Today

This visit to Puerto Vallarta has been a mixed blessing. I gave up a membership in Vidanta Grand Mayan. The Grand Mayan in Puerto Vallarta have walled their resort in so escaping to enjoy the local people takes a lot of effort. Giving up the membership was hard but the cost versus fun did not work for me. I love Mexico and all of my family loves getting to know the culture…hanging out with a bunch of tourist is not my idea of a vacation. My daughter, her family and I stayed there for a week and then we moved to a small boutique resort close to Puerto Vallarta. It is busy, well cared for and happy. I personally feel very at home!

View from our deck in the small boutique resort.

Family leaving fishing boat.

The family fished yesterday with a fisherman from Mismaloya. They had a beautiful day and discovered the pueblos that are south along the coast beyond where the highway goes. Yelapa was the place they stopped and took a hike to a waterfall. Truly, I think if  you love this kind of adventure, it would be great. I know my husband would have loved it.

*note: if you’re interested in this just take a taxi to Mismaloya and book with fishermen near the water. They have a concession set up there.

We are experiencing the food as “all inclusive” for just three days and at this resort the food seems to be very good. However, we went to a restaurant called Campomar near the hotel zone. I would actually give it 5 stars if I could. It was a place where service and taste of food seemed perfect…I do love my wine so there is that.

THE AIRPORT IN 2022  (ALMOST 2023)

Some advice when going through the airport in Puerto Vallarta: 

AS YOU EXIT THE PLANE ON YOUR WAY TO CUSTOMS, ETC., DO NOT LOOK LEFT OR RIGHT, PLUG YOUR EARS TO THE OFFERS OF SERVICES, WALK RAPIDLY TO THE LUGGAGE CAROUSEL AND EXIT. THOSE PEOPLE ARE VULTURES PREYING ON THE INNOCENT OR EVEN NOT SO INNOCENT. IF THEY TOUCH YOU PULL AWAY AND CONTINUE YOUR WALK. THEY CANNOT HELP YOU.

Really, at my age I believe that they are even more persistent. One gentleman even grabbed at my arm. Just-keep-walking!

PLACES WE LOVE:

Bucerias, downtown Puerto Vallarta, any market place, restaurants, exploring and on and on. Taxi drivers can suggest places but you do not need to go with them. Just remember, do your research and go the next day. You can drive to Tequila or Guadalajara from here in a rental car. It’s not that hard  

TAXIS

The taxi ride from the airport to Vidanta (Grand Mayan) is the same was a ride from Nayarta to the city or to Bucerias…is the same price. We paid $250 pesos from the hotel zone to Mismaloya. That is the equivalent of $15.50 usd. I tip10% which is what is expected here. It does not seem like enough but the workers are happy. Right now the exchange rate is very good  

LEARNING THE LANGUAGE

We are immersed in the language here but I still spend a certain amount of time playing with the Duolingo app. Something about listening to a language on the street that helps you tune in to a language.

SOOO….

This is the beginning of a life of adventure and growth and above all, learning for you and me. Life is good. Post a question and I will see if I can help you. I promise I will check back to see what you say.

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What a Cancun Area Guided Day Tour Offers! Tulum

I really could not leave without going on at least one tour. So we chose the cheapest and shortest available.  If we decide to visit other sites on a return visit, we will rent a car. Our tour of choice was to Tulum, a ruin located on the Caribbean. The walled religious site was not only a place for shamans to practice but also a place the navigators could come by water to trade their goods. It takes a willing suspension of reality but if you can imagine what it must have looked like over 600 years ago while standing among the ruins it is breath taking.

Here is what we found:

Xcaret is a Maya civilization archaeological site located on the Caribbean coastline
of the Yucatán Peninsula,in the modern-day state ofQuintana Roo in Mexico. (Wikipedia)

Tulum is the site of a Pre-Columbian Maya walled city serving as a major port for Cobá.
The ruins are situated on 12-meter tall cliffs,along the east coast of the Yucatán Peninsula on the 
Caribbean Sea in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico.(wikipedia)

Note: The cost for the tour was $45 American per person. 

We paid full price because I did not want to go toa Mayan Palace presentation. It would be less if wehad done that.

We were shuttled from our resort, Mayan Palace, to a spot along the highway where we boarded a bus for the rest of the tour.We were given 

admission to the site and a very thorough English speaking tour guide. 

Lunch as available for purchase on the site.

Your resort concierge will have information on costs and recommendations.

I don't know about you but I am not a tour tourist in any sense of the word. I don't like buses with pictures painted on the windows or even sitting in them. But, even given these fact, I had a wonderful day when we went to Tulum. The tour guide was a charming older man, matter of fact, well informed and kind.  Those are all qualities that a tour guide can misplace after they have been in the business for many years.

The tour business is alive and well here on the Riviera Maya. The better know and more elaborate sites are very busy and the resort fills buses day after day.

We were waiting for our transportation when two buses destined for Xcaret arrived.  Both buses filled.  This national park can be a whole vacation in and of itself as I understand it. I just loved the look of the bus. The luggage you see on the top is only for show. It just gives you the feel of what it must have been like when these buses were the only way to travel on the Yucatan.

What is your attitude?
Tonight we will take a shuttle bus into Cancun where we have dinner reservations.  The restaurant was the one recommended by Fodors. I have never gone wrong with there advise. The Thanksgiving dinner here on the resort was around $75 per person.

Here is where I want to say that we have decided not to be dissatisfied if the shuttle does not go exactly where we want. In this particular case we wanted to go to El Centro Cancun but the shuttle drops the tourist at a plaza on the very end of the hotel row. It is about as far from El Centro as you can get and still be in the city.

We looked at each other yesterday when we were trying to figure a way around it. We were not liking the time of day or the drop off point or anything much. It occurred to us both that we were whining...yuck! I hated that. We both laughed and decided to go with the flow. I will let you know but it is almost a given that we will totally enjoy ourselves!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! If my family happens to read this, we love you.

Steps to the beach

The azure blue waters of the Caribbean

My beautiful husband and all my
baggage. You just have to
love him!


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