Mexico

HIIIIII! I'm back from a many-month blogging break. Sometimes it can feel like there is nothing to blog about and other times life is too overwhelming. The latter is more how it has been for me in both good and difficult ways. I can go into that in other posts, but today I want to start where I left off: my trip to Mexico last December!

 My friend Shea and I took a trip to Puerto Vallarta along with her sister and brother-in-law the week before Christmas. On this trip Shea maybe started talking more about a special guy named Don who she is now married to! But that's not the point of this post. I was so excited when Shea asked if I wanted to go with her and her family to Mexico. It was amazing!

We did the typical resorty stuff like laying out, getting hair wraps, parasailing and swimming. And all of that was great. But you can do that in the United States people! The point of traveling to another country is to learn something and get some culture.

One day we took a van from our hotel up in the mountainous area to visit an NGO's facility. The organization was called Families at the Dump (I guess they changed the name since that sounds super sad, but I'm not sure what it is called now). Basically, this really sweet couple visited PV once and found out about these families who live at a dump and dig through to find stuff to support their families. So this couple started an NGO to help them recycle stuff they find at the dump and turn it into jewelry and other re-sellable goods. Now they have a building that the resort owner funded where some of the families can live and are taught how to be good renters, and while the families are working the children can go to school next to the housing. While we were there, the kids were having a school Christmas party with some really bizarre comedians who took all the kids shoes and put them in a pile on the floor and then the kids had to run all the shoes back to their owners. Maybe if I knew more Spanish I would have been more clued in. But point is, the kids were adorable, it's a great organization, and we were lucky to meet the couple who started it. They were inspiring! You can learn more here.

After that visit, Shea and I figured out the bus system and made our way to downtown PV. If you walk along the boardwalk and step into the shops, not much culture. So get away from there and just go up a few streets. Go up the stairs into the hills, and then have your Spanish-speaking friend ask the locals "where are the best tacos?" (thanks Shea!). We did that and were directed to this garden delicious taco place in an alleyway. I think my four tacos with guac and horchata was all less than $3 USD. I HIGHLY recommend you do this because I have no address for this place and you won't find it on TripAdvisor. You may still not find it, but you'll still find better, cheaper tacos by asking locals than by eating at your hotel or the restaurants by the boardwalk.

Mexico was amazing - go there! Now for the obligatory model pose and I'm out!