Mexico: Food

An open letter of apology to my friend Emily:

Dear Emily,

I have always admired your gift of documenting life with pictures (not to mention your incredible gift of writing). Unfortunately, I do not share either talent and am hereby forced to bore you with a sparse sampling of the food items that were offered in Mexico.

In my defense: I have mentioned I'm Canadian, right? Most Mexican food down-right scares me. Apparently bad enough that I don't even take pictures! (Shiver.)

Forgive me, dear friend. I shall try to do better on my next trip out of the country.

Sincerely,

Amy

So, I'm afraid this will have to do:

This is the table where my waiter-friend, Mario, mixed a "Mayan Coffee" which basically was coffee, with a bunch of liquor which he started on fire, poured from container to container and let blaze while sugar on the rim caramelized. Entertaining, if not appetizing.

Festive mexican-colored Jello:

Jello art. (Who knew?):

And I don't even know what this is. See?...scary:

And, possibly the most frightening thing I saw? This:

Nope. Not even the least bit tempting for me. I may have vomited a little in my mouth then. I do remember thinking I don't think I like pork anymore. What's up, Mexico? Sheesh.

My (very boring) plate consisted of:

White roll, steamed cauliflower, steamed potatoes with rosemary and parmesan, roasted pineapple, mexican rice, and a tostada. And, believe me, 3 of those items are a stretch for my Canadian heritage. I'll let you guess which.

And here ends my post on the food in Mexico. I hope it will suffice.

Mexico: Day 4

We took a taxi to downtown Puerto Vallarta. On the way there, we saw a sight we never thought we'd live to see:

That's right...the Carnival Splendor docked in Puerto Vallarta. Miraculous considering the last time we saw her.

Anyhoo. Downtown Puerto Vallarta is a sight to behold.

There were people swarming around us, tempting us with "hey, pretty lady!" or "hola, movie stars!" and their super high-quality wares. One of the men from our group invited himself to come along with us. At first we were a little annoyed--a strange guy with his beer in hand following us around all afternoon didn't sound too fun--but as the day wore on, we were grateful for his body-guard-esque presence. We felt safe even when we got a little further away from the typical touristy area.

All in all it was a fun experience. If the heat doesn't kill you (I'm convinced it nearly did), you might find one of these babies:

So freakin' awesome.

Mexico: Pictures

The view from our room in the morning:

Our "Junior Suite":

(for some reason the beds are really close together...)

Our one desperate attempt at purchasing a Diet Coke. It tasted suspiciously like Pepsi...and our hopes were crushed. Luckily, Jody and I each packed a bottle of Diet Coke we purchased in the Phoenix airport. They are sitting in the fridge in our room (next to the complimentary bottle of wine) waiting for the perfect moment. Which will be really soon. (For the Diet Coke...not the wine.)

The lobby:

The pool:

That blue part to the left is actually another pool within the pool (so cool). The water starts out warm in the morning. By late afternoon, however, the temperature of the pool catches up to the temperature outside and you're basically in a big hot tub. Yeouch!

The view from our room at night:

(The picture is hazy because of the humidity. Never before in my life have I experienced humidity like this. Whenever I step outside it's like someone has wrapped a warm wet blanket around me. Needless to say, my hair looks AWESOME!)

Tomorrow is Mexican Independence Day. It is the day they celebrate their independence from Spain. Though it is not the day they actually gained their independence, it is the day that the people were inspired to fight for their freedom from the oppressive reign of the conquistadors and others. The poor people marched with pitchforks and shovels and began the insurrection. (A little tidbit of history for everyone.)

Tonight there will be some grand celebrations...including Mariachi bands, dancers, and an all-out celebratory buffet.

As for today, Jody and I will do our own celebrating by venturing to the downtown area of Puerto Vallarta and do some shopping.

"Viva México!"

Mexico: Day 3

This is what we did today:

Oh...and a funny thing happens when you're at the hotel. People keep asking you if you want something to drink. And you can order anything you want. This is my new favorite:

A "copacabana" (according to my new friend, Daniel) is a mix of Piña Colada, strawberry daiquiri, and a LOT of ice. No alcohol. So awesome!

Mexico: Day 2

I am worn out. Well and truly exhausted. Apparently that's what happens when you spend your day riding zip lines through the jungles of Puerto Vallarta.

We went with a group of 28 people on an Outdoor Adventure tour. It began with a 20 minute speedboat ride across Banderas Bay.

And then...I found the world's ugliest dog. And yes, that hairless dog is sporting a mohawk.

We left the pitiful hound behind and took a 20 minute ride on a "Unimog" (my first time) on what is arguably the worst road in the world. (I may never complain about road construction again.)

After getting appropriately outfitted, Lucas and I took another 20 minute ride further up the side of the mountain. (Lucas is the mule.)

With a multitude of pulleys, carabiners, and stuff I couldn't name...they strapped us onto a couple ropes and threw us off the edge of the mountain.

Literally.

My face probably wasn't this happy on the first zip line.

But after 4 hours of zip lines, rappelling, rope bridges of various style, and being dunked into river (after river, after river...) I was all smiles. And all wet.

What a great way to spend our first full day here!

Hola!

So...I'm in Mexico. So far I have:

• been offered a plethora of beverages (including, but not limited to, the Smirnoff which is "on tap" in my room)...which, of course, I have refused.
• been offered dancing lessons by a young mexican Michael Jackson impersonator.
• had my glasses fog up due to the unbelievable humidity.
• sampled about 1/80 of an amazing all-you-can-eat buffet.
• been unable to take pictures because the lens on my camera keeps fogging up.
• met 3 Javiers and 2 Miguels and a Jose.
• eaten a pear from our complimentary fruit plate.
• cried a little over the unavailability of Diet Coke.
• felt my hair frizz to a degree that would rival Carrot Top.

and

• missed my husband and children fiercely.

And that's only the first day.