Well I just checked and I hadn’t written anything since May 2021. I am gone, left in June. It was hot, I lived in a room most of the pandemic Las Vegas stint. I like Vegas, but not to live!!!
Spent most of July in beautiful Solana Beach. My sons favorite surfing spot!! But I had one more stop before Mexico. It was to visit friends that live in California Hot Springs in the Giant Sequoias National Park.
Down Mexico Way
Then I left for Mexico!!!! First stop Cancun. Didn’t see anything of Cancun except the airport where we spent an hour haggling with taxi drivers to take us to a hotel that we had no idea what or where it was. This was Leons way of winging it!!
We wound up at a $12 a night hotel, in the middle of who knows where, that cost $35. I would have sleep in anything that had a bed, a/c, a sink, a toilet without a seat, broken window in bathroom
Well Playa del Carmen had it’s charm. After all it’s on the Caribbean, the Yucatán peninsula. Mexican riviera. White sand beach’s and awesome blue water. But until they clean up lots of seaweed, it will be tough to enjoy. And it does not smell particularly pleasant! Also the 5th Avenue was attractive. It had every high end store and restaurant. I called it rodeo drive of playa. I left after three days. Way too hot and humid. I couldn’t enjoy much. I did walk to the end of rodeo to the Caribbean and ate at a beach bar restaurant that had the most fabulous tuna. Fresh uncooked tuna. It was to die for. Also we walked down to a place at the end that had the most spectacular grove of trees. A guy from Seattle, who I met at coffee shop, told me it was where the Mayans found water. It was really beautiful and it had the most interesting resort with thatched roof hotel suites. Did not think to ask to see the inside. Should have but didn’t think to ask for a tour because I was so freakin hot and sweaty. Did not go in the Caribbean. That I regret. But I left. Took a bus back to Cancun airport and flew to Guadalajara. Rented a room at a best western in the historic district. It was not like the nice photos. But it did include breakfast at the restaurant next door.
Guadalajara was a huge city. It had lots of incredible architecture and history of which Zi did not see much. I rode on the light rail. Took a bus to Lake Chalapa for an hour. Wanted to check out this place that was suppose to be the largest community of ex-pats in the world. Left bus, strolled along the nice side walked streets with nice shops and got back on bus. Didn’t see the lake. I saw enough. Maybe it was I wanted ocean not lake. Or I didn’t figure out how to find the lake. Been there, done that.
Onward onto Puerta Vallarta. Now I took another big, comfy bus to PV. And took a cab to my hotel I booked ahead of time. On the taxi ride from bus station, the sky’s opened up snd the streets flooded. I seriously thought we were in a hurricane. I mean the taxi couldn’t even park properly because he was sliding away. Had to go around block again. I struggled to get suitcases out of taxi up on the sidewalk, which was high, probably because of flooding. ya think. Then up the stairs, three of them. Thank god the desk clerk, tiny as she was, came out to help. I was completely drenched. Go to check in snd realize I must have left my phone in the taxi or it floated down the street!!! Oh well. Unfortunately I had texted friends and family member that I thought I was in a hurricane. They did not know what happened until after noon the next day when the taxi driver returned it!! Someone suggested calling my phone, and guess who answered, the taxi driver. I told him I would pay him to return it, which I did. Losing my phone would not have made me happy. Nice driver. Except he didn’t get out of the cab to help me with suitcases. Not that I could blame him. He still had to drive the taxi.
The hotel room was great. Everything I needed and wanted. Outside my slinging glass door was a very nice pool. Outside tables and an unopened that served coffee and cookies every morning. I met a guy the night I arrived who was from San Diego. So that was nice for me, having lived there for 50 years. We discovered we went to the same college and grad school. He had lived where I lived. Went to school where my twins went fir a short time. It was crazy. His wife is from Spain and she had also lived in America. They introduced me to their friends at the local watering hole. Many nice restaurants and bars.
Where Are The Lost 