My week in Mexico was pretty awesome. I don't have any pics yet to post, and I probably wouldn't post any pics even if I had some on hand to post. Puerto Vallarta is a lively city that was named after a former governor of the state of Jalisco (as far as I can tell). It boasts a beautiful boardwalk, a flea market the likes of nothing I have ever seen before, and hundreds of thousands of Canadians. The resort my mom and I stayed at was wall-to-wall with Canucks. Only a handful of Americans and three handfuls of Mexicans (from the interior looking for cooler weather on the coast). I'm a little surprised the state of Jalisco has not become a Canadian satellite province. It probably wouldn't hurt its rep any, and it might even raise its rep as a great place for Canadians to go.
10 pesos to 1 USD. That is common knowledge, although there were a few differences depending on where one goes. I found myself very fond of the local OXXO, as it reminded me of the local 7Eleven. They were everywhere! Not big in the way of chocolate though, which leads me to wonder; Mexico is considered the birth place of chocolate. With this in mind, wouldn't Mexico seek to capitalize on this rep by stocking their OXXO's and other stores with chocolate? I came across a few Milky Ways (American version of the Mars bar), which were good. Back to pesos, however... it cost 15 pesos (roughly $1.50) to surf the Net for an hour at the local Internet cafe. It was much cheaper than renting a laptop and connection from the resort. We probably only used between 15-20 minutes of that hour, but that was all right.
Had a couple of high adrenalin moments during my stay in PV. First one came while my mom and I sweated our way through Downtown PV. We had finished looking through the Municipal Flea Market and were looking for a restaurant Mom was fond of. Our walk took us over a lagoon across a footbridge made of wood and wire mesh. What a heart-racer that was! The second event came when I parasailed for the first time ever. $40 USD saw me strapped into a tight harness and hurled up like a kite into the air. The view was stunning and I was incredibly amazed by the feeling of freedom that coursed through me as I floated high over PV. No pics of this amazing event (shrug), but I have several witnesses.
More than once, my mom and I likened the resort to a sort of Fantasy. However, I quickly got to thinking about Reality, and how easy it was for Reality to creep and trickle through the Fantasy. Much like Gautama taking his chariot ride and seeing Reality for the first time. Reality is armed police and soldiers on nearly every street, making sure the tourists aren't harmed. Reality is decay just beyond the resort walls. Reality is Time-Share fiends nipping at your heels. Not something that our resort's staff would've wanted us to see (especially the decaying, cracking walls just outside). Sometimes I wonder if the locals are ever resentful about their economy being steered by so much pasty-white flesh. The vibe never came to me at all, but it still makes me wonder.
I'll probably have more to say about my trip later, but maybe not. BYE.
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