Ooooh, Mexico, I Never Really been

so I decided to go. And I'm glad I went, what a magical place. You start off with a beautiful setting. It's on a large bay surrounded by green mountains. It's also a very artistic town with great statues throughout. There are even works of art made in the sand (tips appreciated).





In Puerto Vallarta there is music everywhere. The mariachi groups that go from restaurant to restaurant our excellent. One night, a group walked in and one guy had a harp on wheel and the bass player had a little amplifer and battery on little wheels that he pulled along. They played several songs for a family. I think it must have been a special occasion for them.

On another night, I was walking on the board walk along the beach and was just floored by a classical guitarist singing a sad love song in Spanish. It was excuisite.








One of my favorite things I did while there was take a mountain bike tour up into the mountains. Our guide was Alonzo. You don't have to go very far to get away from tourist part of town and into the real Mexico. The cobble stone streets must have been designed by a shock absorbor salesman. He probably retired a rich man.

We went to a secluded spring-fed stream for a cool dip after a hot, dusty ride. Back in town, he took us to a local stand, the kind you would have been too scared to try, and we had cevichi. It's a blend of fish and rice on top of a cripy tortia shell. Deliciano! We also tried the local drinks that you wouldn't normally try. I'm glad I did. We sat in chairs in the shade next to the stand and talked to all the locals coming by to eat lunch. If someone would put up the same little stand in dowtown KC serving the exact same thing he'd make a lot of money.

Alonzo grew up in that neighborhood. The house that Elizabeth Taylor owned is right there. It's the picture with the pink bridge. Richard Burton lived in the house on the other side of the street connected by the bridge. If I close my eyes, I can just see them meeting on the bridge on a warm night...









The moring ride was just the start of one of the most special days I have ever had. after our ride, we hung out at the beach by our hotel for a few hours. It was so relaxing just to rest up on the lounge chair and watch the locals play a sprited game of soccor on the beach. Sometimes the game would take them out into the water. It seemed like they could just go on for hours non stop. They love their soccer there.

We had a long, leasurly dinner at The Vista. It's an open air, French restaurant high up on a hill with a spectacular view of the city and the bay. We watched the sunset every night. Every restarant had excellent food.

After dinner, we walked back through the town looking for adventure. We bought a bottle of good tequilla and drank it while we walked along the streets looking for a bar with a good band. We finally found one that had an open-air balcony that overlooked the beach. The young band played all classic rock and they were fantastic musicians and singers. At one point we got admonished for some "dirty dancing".

The next day was spent at a luxurious pool, recovering from the night before. When I closed my eyes, the sounds of night still rang in my ears...

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