Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

This year in lieu of a medical conference in Whistler, Canada we have decided to soak up some warmth and sunshine on the beach in Mismaloya, Mexico. We had planned this conference during the last few weeks of February. I had recently visited my daughter Crystal and while we had done some cross-country skiing during my visit I realized Whistler was no match for me as this ski resort was definitely above my skill-set. The winter was cold and the appeal of spending some time on a warm beach suddenly made much more sense.

When the opportunity arose to go to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and spend some time in Mismaloya with our dear friends we jumped on it! Mismaloya is a small fishing village in the Mexican state of Jalisco and is south of Puerto Vallarta. It is best known for a two things. It’s tequila production and for the filming of the 1963 film The Night of the Iguana with Richard Burton. There is a giant carving of an Iguana on the rocks across from our place and I felt inspired each time I saw it to watch the movie once again.

While I usually limit my travel writing to our fall sabbaticals, I have decided to add a recap of our time in Mexico earlier this year to those writings. There were many times when I thought this might be our only travel of the year and those thoughts gave this little vacation great significance.

We are travelling with our friends the Martina’s and the Becvar’s. We are staying in a penthouse condominium that overlooks the Bay.

It is a beautiful beach town and although there are a few resorts in the area it still has the feel of a small village. On our first night we walked across the street and up a cobble-stoned road and had a wonderful dinner in a local restaurant with torches and a sand floor. It was perfect! We experienced the bounty of the local fisherman’s catch long with the specialties of the area. The margaritas were fantastic as was the after dinner coffee!

Our mornings were decadent as we awoke to the beauty of the sea around us. We could peer down from our eighth floor penthouse and see the fishing boats head out for the day as we sipped a cup of coffee in our Jacuzzi. Our days were spent walking along the beach, riding the bus into town to enjoy the everyday life, going to the local zoo and tequila tasting. We learned the medicinal value of tequila at one of our tastings and after several samples we each ended up purchasing the maximum amount of tequila one could export out of the country along with some interesting but not necessarily useful trinkets. Our nights were a blast as our friends Marguery and Louie showed us the best this area had to offer. They have been coming to the area for nearly thirty years and know this place like the locals do. They shared the very best with us.

It is hard to put into words the beauty that this trip brought to us. The area was phenomenal; the beaches pristine, the margarita bars were fun beyond words and we had the adventures of a lifetime. I think the best part was sharing life and experiences with friends we have come to love so dearly. Thankful for this gift of fun and friendship!