say yes to everything.

this past weekend was a long weekend in celebration of the birthday of benito juárez, a famous mexican president and national hero. in international teaching terms a long weekend equals take-off-for-the-weekend. some teachers took overnight buses to san miguel, others flew to acapulco, and others went shopping in texas. in canada, when presented with a long weekend, i would have slept in, and enjoyed some extra time to get some errands done. not here! every long weekend is another travel opportunity not to be missed.

ginny and i set off to puerto vallarta on friday evening, along with the advice from a friend: say yes to everything. so we did.

say yes to...

dodgy airlines. viva aerobus is a new mexican budget airline which is a godsend to weekend travellers like us. however, they consistently overbook flights and do not make seat reservations! so, you have to arrive at the airports hours before your flight takes off... luckily, we had a makeshift travelling band as entertainment on friday evening in the waiting area!

minimal amenities. we pre-booked a budget hotel in the zone romantica in the middle of the action of downtown pv. i knew it was cheap, but what i did not know was that we would not even have a closet! i guess minimal amenities in mexico really is minimal. luckily ginny and i are fairly laid-back, and the character and location of the hotel made up for any lack in luxury.

fruit from the street. one of the best parts of each morning was the HUGE bag of fresh fruit you could buy from local street vendors. for only a dollar fifty, you would get a heaping pile of watermelon, mango, papaya and cantaloupe. each day, it was an adventure to find the fruit vendors, but it was always worth the wait. mexicans sprinkle chili powder on their fruit, but we politely declined.

strange concoctions. one of the best things about experiencing new cultures is the culinary adventures. mexicans enjoy very... shall we say.... interesting mixtures of flavours (that is probably an understatement)! odd combinations that i witnessed being prepared were: tortilla soup with chilies, avocado, onions and cheese; a cup of corn topped with a pile of mayonnaise and chili; jellied mango; carrots sprinkled with lime and chili; and apple flavoured coca cola. also, did you know that true quesidillas have only cheese? and that fajitas are tex-mex and not a national staple? so much to learn.

sleeping in until 9. ginny and i did not set our alarms one single morning. it was divine. we had a full energetic weekend, but never felt taxed or tired. very rejuvenating.

romantic dinners. puerto vallarta has some incredible restaurant locations. eating in a palapa restaurant on the beach, sitting on a patio overlooking the ocean or surrounded by live music and lush folliage, pv certainly knows how to whoo the romantics. the colonial architecture, cobblestone streets and village-feel probably help as well. even though ginny and i did not have men in hand, we still wanted to feel the love in the air. we discovered a restaurant named oscars which was in the ideal location: on a little island in the middle of downtown, next to the rio cuale (river), overlooking the ocean with live music in the evenings. we had impecable service, could hear the waves lapping only metres away and dined on fresh mahimahi/vegetarian crepes. yum.

strangers' advice. lonely planet mexico did not cover off the beaten path areas around puerto vallarta, so we had to get advice from the locals. we really wanted to find a more deserted beach outside of the city centre, and had no idea where to go! on the first evening, we talked to our cab driver, who told us to 'take a local bus to punta mita'. we clarified that with a waiter on saturday and ended up on a local bus (for only two dollars!) heading an hour up the coast. what we realized after being on the bus for quite sometime, was that we didn't actually know where to get off! but, as luck would have it, some canadian and american travellers got on the bus and told us we absolutely had to accompany them to desiladeros beach. the perfect advice! desiladeros was one of the most beautiful, pristine, tourist-free beaches i had ever been to. a perfect day lying, playing in the waves and soaking up the sun.

sailing around the world. i was very intrigued by the three families we met on the way to desiladeros beach. they had each left jobs, sold houses, packed up and set off on sailboats. such a cool lifestyle, but something that i can't even imagine. living with your entire family and all your belongings on a 35 foot boat! one of the families had a little six year-old named isaac, also known as mr. incredible. i felt so young again when he invited me to come and play in the waves with him. what a different childhood for him: home schooling, being socialized mainly around adults but getting to see new places almost every day.

stiff mojitos. clearly, the best kind. we accidentally stumbled upon a funky restaurant called uncommon ground while trying to find something else. well, lucky for us! this place was just awesome. two women from new jersey moved down in august and opened it up: a cafe/bar/restaurant/boutique serving natural, healthy salads and wraps. the atmosphere was inspired by asia/india/far-east and included an eclectic mix of momentos from around the world. the ladies were incredibly welcoming and i tried blueberry and raspberry flavoured mojitos. highly recommended.

flying high. on our last day, we took a water taxi to yelapa, a small village accessible only by water. we did not realize that chicho's water taxi company also provided a 'tour' of yelapa... aka making sure that chicho's palapa restaurant got a monopoly on business! after a short 'hike' to the local waterfall, we were treated to beach chairs right next to the parasailing dudes. now, i have already jumped out of an airplane, but ginny has never done anything of the sort! somehow (with extremely good convincing, or perhaps the margarita we drank on the beach) she made the spontaneous decision to fly through the air attached by a rope to a boat. once she decided, it all happened very quickly... no time for nerves! the next thing i knew she was in the air. will have to post pictures to prove it.

jewellery vendors. an accessory-lovers dream! silver everywhere. i restrained myself to only one ring and a few gifts for friends. but 'cheap' silver is still not quite cheap enough for me... at least until i start getting a regular paycheque.

with that, our long weekend came to an end. i only wish i could have said no to going home!