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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Aging: When is a Rose a Rose?

Thank you to Walker Thornton. I loved the article Aging is Beautiful and you made me think.

From Graying and Grinning on a study done at University of California at San Diego. Read this if you think that being a long way down the aging path will be a depressing.

The linear nature of the findings was surprising,..., particularly in magnitude. The oldest cohort had mental health scores significantly better than the youngest cohort, though the former’s physical and cognitive function was measurably poorer than the latter’s.

I belong to a wonderful online group called Women of Midlife. It is a closed group but connects to a public website called Midlife Boulevard. This website is all about women of a certain age. Yes, I fit in while I go about doing what I do.

Recently Walker Thornton asked this question about how or if it was a good idea to talk about aging women: 

It didn't occur to me until I read this that women in their fifties or sixties would put off by topics with the tag #agingwomen. I do not see any diminishing of my personal life that makes me unhappy. AND yes, I do like to look beautiful and attractive to those around me. Not obsessed but still... I was puzzled.

The problem could be all about what we think others think of us. Insecurity in our sexuality and appearance can suck the life out of us. Overcoming that can be very hard but it is part of the journey. Or it could be the label...do we resist admitting that we are aging women? Maybe so.

I think it was Eleanor Roosevelt that said, "Don't worry about what others think of you because they don't." It is good to remember that...the world is not looking at us most of the time.

Daughter, me and Great-Granddaughter.
We look different but we are all
 girls! :)

I sort of felt #agingwoman was synonymous with taking a #womenslife'sjourney. Women in their twenties are aging women too...just in different ways. I don't think that a different word would change what we are saying..a rose is a rose.

No matter our age we share so many things and those of us that are further down the road should share our wisdom with those younger than ourselves. In the end, the thing that sets us apart is our appearance.

I have found personally that the fact that I am a late life aging woman has not been easy yet, I have always taken a lot of joy in my life. Now I have reached a place on the road where I am actually rejoice in my age. I really don't want to be or look younger! I like being, dare I say it, old. I like how I look and I like how I am treated. And I like that I don't worry about the men around me admiring a younger woman. Life is good.

I have been writing about the journey in various blogs since 2006-7. I really have not seen things change in the attitude toward older people. What I do see is the boomers making us more powerful. The older that age groups gets the benchmark for "old" will move up and up. Now those of us that are experienced aging women see the mark in the sand as 80 or older.  We will see how it evolves in the general population.

So, how do you feel? Where in the journey are you and what do you think is in store for you? Are you obsessed with your appearance and feel threatened when the man in your life looks at younger women? How is that affecting your quality of life? Be honest with yourself.

Have a wonderful day!

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