More Great Road Trips to Ponder.

May I be so bold as to suggest some road trip tunes to get you in a good mood for the trip? I have to say my current fave is Celia Cruz and her CD called "Siempre Vivere" which kicks off with a happening version of "Oye Como Va" that just begs to be cranked every time! It will definitely put you in a tropical mood.
Anyway, back to the business at hand: Project Puente.

Another spectacular and interesting destination North of Vallarta is a spot called Santa Maria del Oro. Quite a few years ago, Lisa, her kids and our family went camping there and discovered an incredible scenario. It turns out that the town sits above an extinct volcanic crater which is now a lake surrounded by beautiful "cottages" and a campground. What made it all the more magical was the fact we were told the lake is so deep, no one has managed to calculate its depth and we found the swimming amazing! The lake is also famous for being ultra calm therefore the water skiers have discovered it's benefits. You get there by taking the same highway to Guadalara but after Compostella, my memory is foggy so consult a map or ask at the Cuota (where you pay.) Thumbs Up: While camping, we saw a bazillion fireflies, the kids caught them in jars and we used them as candles during our late night feast. Poetic but true.

Another big fave of ours is Ajijic (ah-hee-heek) which sits on the northern shore of Lake Chapala. (You are talking about a 5 hour drive from P.V. on the highway towards Guadalajara) This is a town we have visited MANY times because it has a unique flavor and lots to see and do. It's more expensive but we just love the atmosphere and food at the Real de Chapala hotel. Obviously there are more economical options but at least check it out for lunch or dinner. The Hotel sits smack on the shore of the lake, has all the amenities one could want including a roaring REAL fireplace in the diningroom and features one of my favourite bars which is decorated in honor of a very famous Mexican movie star by the name of Maria Felix. I have fond, fond memories of sitting in that bar at night, the kidlettes asleep in the spacious bedroom while hubby and I wax poetic overlooking the expansive blackness of Mexico's largest lake. Heaven! Can't say enough good things about the place but again, not for the super budget concious. Thumbs Up: Inexpensive horseback rides along the shore of the Lake and some great dining and shopping options.

I will now end with a quote from one of my fave writers, Mr. Mark Twain: "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

In Four Days You Could...

What follows is a list of possible excursions to be undertaken during the four-day weekend. All involve good scenery, fresh local food and cheap accommodations. In fact, with any luck, you could have the beach to yourself! "Do" them or save them for future "puentes."

Beginning with southern destinations and heading north, these are a few of my faves:
La Manzanilla (not to be confused with the bigger city of Manzanillo.) This seaside getaway is on the Bay of Tenacatita which is about as picturesque a bay as they get. It's about 3 hours south and offers good local seafood at very reasonable prices, lots of inexpensive accommodation and a Bohemian air. Thumbs up: Watch them feed chickens to the crocodiles or take a tour through their Mangrove swamp. Drive around the bay to the plethora of fish shacks for the cheapest and freshest of the days' catch.

Perula! This is one of my fave beachside getaways. It's about 2 hours south of here on another beautiful Bay called Chamela. You will be pleasantly surprised by the beauty of it and it's quite undeveloped which means good prices. Thumbs up: Cheap, very fresh fish and a long, long beach for "combers." Accommodation is a bit of a crap shoot, so check out what's available on the water and make your choice accordingly. You also have the option of camping, but beware of the high tide or you'll wake up with Little Nemo.

Any trip south should include lunch at Rancho Alta Mira which is about an hour south just past El Tuito. In fact, you can miss the turn-off if you don't keep your eyes peeled for the entrance on the left about a minute past El Tuito. Anyway, this hilltop spot is fresh, lovely and offers GOOD food at reasonable prices plus you can go horseback riding if the idea appeals to you. I really like this spot for the view, the cooler climate (it's about 1,000' higher than Vallarta) and the verdant hills surrounding the ranch. Thumbs up: The super friendly service.

El Tuito is worth a spin around for it's rancherito feel but the best trip is beyond! Drive into El Tuito's central plaza and ask for the dirt road to Tehuamixtla (better known as Tehua.) That's a road trip! The scenery is interesting but the final destination is truly worth the effort. Tehua is a gem of a bay with turquoise water, the freshest of seafood and friendly people. There is limited accommodation but close by is Maito which features quite a decent hotel. A Great palce to explore and "chillax" off the beaten path. Thumbs up: Diving in the bay over the ancient anchor left behind and if you time it properly, you could have a fantastic beach (Maito) to yourself. Bring a good novel.

East of Vallarta is San Sebastian del Oueste. This is also a gem of a place high in the mountains with a storybook feel. On the new highway, it only takes about an hour and the scenery is spectacular, perhaps even "white-knuckle" at times but take comfort in the notion that it's about 70% safer than it used to be! Once in San Sebas, get some home grown coffee, hike to La Buffa, or just kick back with the locals in the plaza. This place literally reeks with history and we always stay at the old silver mint which is now a hotel called "El Parador." The rooms are enormous but ask for a back room if you don't want the noise of the plaza. One note: watch out for the desrumbes! Thumbs Up: Breakfast at Dona Lupita's for her home cooked sabor and those hand patted tortillas.

Plane trip to Talpa. Check into flights to the mountain town of Talpa famous for it's Virgen and the "chicle" souvenirs. Very inexpensive accommodation and a real feel of a Mexican mountain town with all the charm and friendliness included. Thumbs up: flights are cheap and the rollo de Guyaba factory fills the air of the town with the sweet smell of fruit. Nice! Thumbs Up: taking home tiny, perfect decorative items made from the sticky chicle of the chicle tree. Excellent dust collectors!

More to come...

Dia de Los Muertos has plenty of meaning.

"The word 'death' is not pronounced in New York, in Paris, in London, because it burns the lips. The Mexican, in contrast, is familiar with death, jokes about it, caresses it, sleeps with it, celebrates it; it is one of his favorite toys and his most steadfast love." Octavio Paz.

I recently read this quote in conjunction with an article on the historical significance of celebrating death here in Mexico. In reading about it, I learned some new facts and thought I would share a few in this blog.

According to the experts, The Day of the Dead has nothing to do with Halloween but the two are close in date and have been celebrated here in Vallarta thanks to the large foreign population. The Day of the Dead celebrations actually hark back to Aztec times and the month of Miccailhuitontli on their calendar. (Try saying it with a mouth full of noodle soup.) Anyway, since the ancient peoples believed in the whole life/death/rebirth process, they treated death quite differently. These pagan practices eventually inter-twined with Cathoicism and the result is two or three days of celebrations in which the pagan and the Christian share the spotlight.
Typically, relatives prepare for the event towards the end of October by making a variety of offerings to the souls of the departed. Included in the gifts are photos, candles, candied skulls, flowers (specifically Marigolds which are an Aztec symbol of death and commonly formed into the pattern of an arch or cross) and the ubiquitous "pan de muerto" or bread of the dead baked in the shape of a pile of bones. Candles are subsequently lit along with aromatic incense to "lure" the souls to the feast and the celebration is underway. Sometimes toys are offered to the souls of children to create an even more pleasant atmosphere. Interestingly enough, there can be as many as seven different celebrations due to the Aztec belief in seven different "heavens" for all types of people.
The entire celebration serves to highlight another idiosyncrasy of Mexican life. The mixture of sadness and joy, reverance and mockery all combine to create a festive atmosphere in a cemetery where death is celebrated with the same energy as new life. The cycle continues...

A Very Scary Night!

The Colegio Americano sure knows how to throw a scary party--Halloween party that is!
Last night it appeared to break all records as cars lined both sides of the street as far as the eye could see. It was wild! Hundreds of ghouls and goblins, witches and villians, and was that "Reflecto Man" the super hero of the 21st century? Yes! He was the one on stage getting his super hair cut for a goodly cause. And is that our Director dressed as a hamburger with his wife disguised as a side of fries? Yikes! A gastronomically attractive pair if I do say so myself.

There was no end of entertaining pit stops along the way to the Haunted House. Mechanical bulls, live horses, a disco, food stalls of every variety and even a marriage/divorce booth! Tired of Hubby's shenanigan's? Throw him in jail for the price of one ticket! Leaving him there? Priceless.
Yes, once again the American School staff, parents and students pulled out all the stops and threw the best Halloweeny shin dig in town and there can be no doubt it was a total success in every way! BOO!

Shopping Michelin Style!

Get a load of this shopping excursion!
A friend of mine owns a consignment store here in Vallarta and I had taken her some used clothes last June or July. Well, she recently wrote me to say that she had some cash for me and that she was also having a sale at her store, so I grabbed my pal Lisa and headed on over.
When we got there she explained the rules of her sale. She said that she wanted to liquidate her current merchandise to make room for the "new" stuff so she was allowing any clients to take home as many clothes as they could fit on their body for $200 pesos ($20 US) and we were like: "say what?"
Well, you should have seen us work that system! I took pants, blouses, sweaters and whatever I thought would accent my current happening wardrope and proceeded towards the change room to try it all on. I even found a few nice shirts that I thought would suit the hubby. So, after trying it all on and discovering that I liked most of it, I walked over to my friend's desk and said: "Are you ready?" She just laughed and said: "ready!"
Well, I started wih the pants. Each pair I put on she would take the ticket off and prepare for the next layer. After I had on 3 pairs over my original pants, I started with the blouses. I managed to layer those with the smallest first and the loosest later and I also fit in a sweater and the shirts for my hubby. By the time I put on the last shirt, it was so tight I could only get it on half way and then I remembered the custom leather boots that I wanted! "If you can get 'em on they're yours," she said. Dang! By that time I was a total Michelin Man and could barely bend over and I was sweating like a stuck pig! I felt heart palpitations as I bent over to crank up the many layers of pants in an effort to make way for the custom boots and I thought to myself what an inglorious death this would be if I just kacked right now looking like a giant pinata! Well, I was determined to leave with the boots so it became somewhat of an epic battle to get those puppies on. Once I stood up victoriously, I felt like I had won some special challenge! (more like specially challenged shopper!) Anyway, then she says that if I cough up the $200 pesos, it's all mine and I'm like: "Um, I think You owe me some money!" Too true! She gave me $300 pesos and I went home a little worse for wear and tear but a lot better off in the clothing department. My friend Lisa did so well she said: "I'll go shopping with you anytime!" What a great deal!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sunday Morning on the Malecon.

Feeling energized after a good cup of Colombian coffee this morning, I decided to go for a power-walk/jog along the Malecon. I drove to the Sheraton Hotel, parked my car and made my way towards this favorite downtown landmark. What follows is a description of what you can expect to encounter should you decide to participate in the near future.
First of all, the scenery is truly inspiring. The ocean was extremely calm, there were small fishing boats in the distance and a man and his wife were rowing a tiny dingy close to shore. There were people poking over the morning catch at the small fish market by the Rosita hotel and an odd looking gringo woman was coaxing her two large Afghan dogs into sitting positions on the laps of the extra-terrestrial statues. A drunk was sleeping off the effects of his Saturday night high, a woman was feeding the pigeons in the square and it looked like something out of "The Birds" by Hitchcock. Kids were climbing the ladder of that other strange statue, a couple of hippies were making out on a bench, a family with about 6 kids was looking out to sea and a man went by huffing like he was about to kack. As I got closer to the Rio Cuale, there were more people, guys out fishing below the bridge, more people walking dogs and a couple of time share weasels sniffing out their next victim: "Hey lady, are you a speed devil?" O.K. People were sweeping in front of their tiendas, a woman was sketching and another woman was feeding her baby. More people walking dogs, more ladies exercising and the odd tourist looking baffled.

Anyway, that's probably a fairly average account of what you might encounter should you venture out on a Sunday morn. City explorers be prepared!

For Better or Worse.

A new chain restaurant opened this week here in Vallarta and it's called "Chili's." Those of us who have been here a long time found it a novel experience although we still prefer the smaller more authentic Mexican eateries along with the prices! (We did, however enjoy their air-conditioning!)
Chili's has all the bells and whistles of a wealthy chain similar to Outback with a plethora of helpful servers, plenty of gimmicky accoutrements including this giant "bong" of beer brought to your table (about 3 litres worth) with a pour your own spigget for about $13 US. We tried a couple of those along with some regular old one serving beer bottles and found it all decent. I gather their specialty is a variety of giant margaritas but none of us was up for a ring of salt on our forehead at 3:00 in the afternoon. The menu included lots of glossy food photos and we managed to order most of what was available between our rather large group. The portions are hefty and splitting a burger was a good idea since it is about twice the size of a regular burger. Everyone deemed the fries excellent and the chicken wings are as good as any you could get back home. The fajitas came to the table sizzling in a cast iron fry pan and there was a side dish loaded with the requisite sour cream, shredded cheddar and guacamole to add at your discretion. The pasta dishes looked good although I didn't taste them personally and the whole place was packed with satisfied looking customers. In a nut-shell, it's a good place to go if you are starving or craving American style food with an emphasis on large portions. The location is the new Penninsula development which used to be a beautiful piece of land adjacent to the Rio Pitillal full of birds and assorted land creatures, but that's another story. Oh, and just an aside: They are working on another restaurant a short walk from Chilis which should open within the next few weeks and that happens to be another "Hooters" which of course is just what we need, right?

What's Good About Bogota.

Instead of a lengthy and monotonous account of our personal adventures, I thought it expedient to cut straight to the chase-- Good things about Bogota:

The Mountains.
The Museo de Oro.
The arts and crafts.
The cool, misty mountain air.
The friendly people.
The clean City.
The coffee!!
The regional food.
The Cathedral made of salt.
Restaurant Club Columbia.
Restaurant Andres Carne de Res!!!!!!!!
The coffee! (yes, again.)
The polite taxi drivers.
The lilting accent.
"Si Senora!"
The Colegio Nueva Granada.
The Dog Walkers.
The views.
The winding roads.
The emeralds!!!!!!
The Esmereldas!!!!!!
The tea de Coca.
The 25 varieties of Papas.
The coffee-- Juan Valdez, Cello Rojo and Oma.
The Chocolate covered coffee beans.
The Indigenous people and their noble air.
The regional cusine.
The Education--28 universities in Bogota!
The culture.
The experience.
Thank-you Columbia!

Con suerte, un dia voy a regresar.

Cheesy Sauce.

This is a bit different since it's not really in keeping with burrito business, but how about some savory cheese sauce for your favourite dish? It's just that Wally Mart got some Jalapeno Havarti cheese in and I tried it in a cheese sauce recipe and it's pretty tasty. So, without getting complicated, this is the deal: You melt a couple of generous tablespoons of unsalted butter in a smallish non-stick sauce pan and add a couple of tablespoons of flour. Keep the heat low and slowly add some milk stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the consistancy is smooth. Add about a cup of the grated havarti and a tablespoon of spicy dijon and a pinch of salt. Stir and taste. It should be sharp enough to awaken most of your taste buds. Ladle over some broccoli or your fave veggie and enjoy!

"Espana World" and a "lil bit of Hell"

So, to continue with the tales from the most imaginative party ever---we all made our way across a great expanse of lawn in the dark to yet another apt. this one in building 16. It was truly a welcome feel to walk into the air-conditioned realm of "Espana World" and to be greeted by our hostess, dressed to the hilt in the attire of Spain. The entire apt. was decorated in yellow and red, there were same colored ribbons to affix to your clothing, and a generous selection of "tapas" awaiting the tipsy travellers. While we were served regional wines, trays of crusty bread laden with proscuitto were passed around and on a separate table one could nosh on olives, smoked oysters, tiny dried fish, chunks of cheese and the list goes on. There were pictures of fighting bulls on the walls, red and yellow banners and generally a very pleasant atmosphere--no sign of Pedro Romero though, much to my chagrin.
The last "world" was one of the wildest. It was billed as "Heaven and a lil bit of Hell" and we had to follow a trail of small candles up the stairs of building 11--up to the very top. As the door opened we entered "heaven" and it really was something! The entire apt. was tricked out in white balloons, glitter, and tons of "clouds" containing interesting quotes and pictures of teachers and students from our school. It represented an amazing amount of preparation!! There was a teacher dressed in full angel regalia and another dressed as a devil. The devil passed out red and white jello shots and the angel offered tiny "clouds" of whipped cream sprayed directly into your mouth. The drink of the evening was a heavenly concoction of vodka, Sprite and some pinkish ice cream--not sure the name and on an adjacent table was a selection of brownies and lemon bars, fresh fruit including giant strawberries and star fruit. Meanwhile, out on the balconey there were "flames" shooting up from the floor and the devil was busy pouring shots of Cuervo tequila. Mwaaa aaaa aaaa! It was truly something to experience.
Well, the guantlet has definitely been thrown down by these intrepid and tremendously imaginative teachers! We were joking that no one will want to follow that act---how could you??? I'm just glad I was able to participate and I raise a multi-national toast to you all! Salud!

Around the World in One Night!

Last night was so surreal, it still feels like a dream and I'll attempt to share a few of the highlights with you, but you may not believe it yourself!

Hubby and I were invited, along with about 50 other people, to a party hosted by a group of teachers from our Primary School. It was dubbed the First Annual "Around the Worlds" Party and the invitation led us to believe it would certainly be something different---Ha! Can you say understatement?
The whole shin dig took place at "Suites Marbella" and kicked off at 6:30 with a tailgate party by the Art teacher's truck. His truck is hard to miss since he has been customizing it over the months with a series of guady neck ties glued to the exterior. It's pretty wild and he loves it. Anyway, a decent sized crowd gathered at "Dave's Place" for a couple of Caguamas (the name for the giant bottles of beer the boys favor) and I'm quite sure Marbella hasn't seen the likes of our group ever! People we driving by just giving us the hairy eye-ball and one woman even paused in her car long enough to ask, "what's the occasion?" to which we replied, "Ahhhh, Saturday of course!" Heh, heh.
The party really started to get interesting at 7:30 when we were all told to make our way (sort of like a pilgrimage for the soused) to apt. #14-- where the theme was billed as "Under the Sea World." Well, we were like a bunch of kids on Christmas morning when we walked into this pad---just buggin'! It was totally tricked out in sea paraphanelia and the host had swim goggles on! There was a large TV playing "Little Nemo," the walls were covered in colorful sea life, there was sushi and fish crackers to eat and "Blue Lagoons" in the blender to drink. It was a tremendous effort and we "soaked" it up in more ways than one. But the fun didn't end there---ha! Just imagine, after about an hour of doing the Jacques Costeau thang, we were told to move to apt. # 14-- and visit "Jungle World!"
I've been to a lot of parties in my life (probably more than I'm willing to admit to) and I have never seen anything like we all saw at jungle world. Forget the fabulous jungly decorations, the plastic bugs everywhere, the fake paper palm fronds and the wild decor, try clearing the floor and being told "the show" is about to begin. With the beat of native drums thumping, armed with another "native coctail," all of a sudden this young man "gazelle leaps" into the livingroom sporting just a loin cloth and leopard skin leggings!!! Due to the tropical heat wave we're currently experiencing, he's glistening with sweat and begins this amazingly limber and seductive performance designed to impress us all with his dancing prowess. Well, it was truly spectacular and just as we were "ooohing" and "ahhhhhing" and shaking our heads in amazement---out comes "Jane" to dance with her "Tarzan." She was scantily clad and she even had flames in each hand! Their dancing was just over-the-top and the crowd got so excited, they started a cacophany of jungle noises similar to what you might hear if a gang of male chimps came into heat. It was truly "Wild African Safari" and I can only imagine what the neighbours in the adjacent apts. were thinking!!! OKAY---time for a break. There are still a couple more worlds to visit, but that's in the next blog...

Bogota-licious

Recently, I found out I'll be travelling with a fellow teacher to Bogota on business. Not knowing too much about this City, I decided to do a little reading and was surprised to learn a few Bogota-licious factoids: Aside from having the best pre-columbian collection of gold in the world, more plant species per unit area than any other country in the world, 80% of the world's cocaine production, and 50% of the world's emeralds, it also names the "Hormiga Culona" as one of it's regional dining specialties. Translation: Big-ass Ants. Although this is unique to the Santander area, it can be found in certain regional restaurants along with another South American specialty, grilled guinea pig or "cuy." Although we consider ourselves fairly adventurous eaters having savored gusanos de maguey in Mexico City, tripe, lip, and other "head" tacos here in Vallarta, and the ubiquitous Menudo (everyone's fave for a hang-over) we aren't sure about the "cuy" but we are toying with the idea of trying the hormigas. When in Rome...(I'll keep "foodies" posted.)