March 24: I bought two bathing suits this week. For most of us, that's a horrifying experience and one where you really don't want to have a 3-way mirror. Or maybe no mirror at all. I considered trying them on and just feeling to see if they fit rather than looking at myself. After a few, it becomes the lesser of all the evils, so I found two I could live with...or that fit.
Thinking about the experience, I have decided bathing suit sizing should change. They should be small, smaller, smallest, and extra small. Everyone would really know deep down that small is really an extra large, but just the thought of buying something that says small or smaller would make us feel so much better. And who cares how it looks--we'd be able to say we bought a bathing suit in size small! Maybe the labels should be sewn on the outside.
...so I wore the two new suits in Puerto Vallarta, even though I think I have lost the removable straps for the takini. Good news...it didn't fall down.
TRIP NOTES for Puerto Vallarta will be brief because I didn't carry my laptop, just my mini Pad for the week. One motivation for extensive note writing and picturing taking when traveling is gone...see earlier post. But she wasn't the only reason, so here goes.
We got to PV 5 days ago and are sharing a condo with another couple. Connie and I taught together many years ago, and they now live in WA. Some of my former Nesbit students might remember Mrs. Elliot.
It's also fun watching for dolphins every morning. I always love sitting outside eating or drinking morning coffee which I can't do at home without wearing fleece.
We have avoided Mexico for over 5 years due to their drug cartel troubles and negative publicity, so I'm excited to return to the sites and bright colors of the country.
We've mostly relaxed in the sun, walked into Old Town to explore and eat, and relax some more in the condo we rented right on the Malecon. The condo is in a perfect location very close to the bridge into old town, but between the loud surf right below and the barkers and music, it's not the most conducive place for sleep. Oh, and light curtains that don't block out light.
On Saturday, we headed to Old Town for the Farmers' Market. They have split in half, so we passed by one, sampling their great foods along the way and headed to the one we thought was the main one farther into town. It turned out to be much smaller with no fruits or vegetables, mainly artisans like fused glass, bakery goods, and jewelry. And many, if not all, the artists were ex-pats. We had to stay and eat since we'd skipped breakfast hoping to get fresh tamales, but they were back at the first place. Matthew sat down to eat a breakfast burrito and shared a table with a man we ended up chatting with. His name is Bruce and he owns 3 restaurants in PV, one he just opened two weeks before. He told us we should shop at the Old Town Farmer's Market and he was heading there in 10 minutes, so we should join him. He had many stories about himself, even Googled himself to show what people have said about him on Trip Advisor. He help many of the restaurant or food-connected people with business savvy, which he told us about too. I said we'd had dinner at the Argentinian place the night before, and he asked how their beef was (fantastic--probably the best I've ever had), and he was happy to hear that because they buy their meat from him.
So we followed him and ended up back where we started, but this time, had a personal tour of each stall. He hands out money like crazy, eating everything in sight. He grabbed several handmade chocolates and threw money at her saying we should try them...delicious. When we passed the fresh fish guys, he gave them advice about how they should be keeping their fish in the shade on a table in ice, which they did.
He was like the mayor of Puerto Vallarta! He then took us to his newest restaurant, Anejo Limon, and we made reservations for dinner later. Pictures were dark, but the food was good. I ordered pork shank with Mexican spices, which was spicy, with meat that fell off the bone.
Chef Bruce acts as host to his customers in his new restaurant going table to table to make sure everyone is happy and satisfied.
We visited a tile place where they paint and fire them there and bought some for our new entrance. I don't have a picture of what we brought home, but here's a teaser of what they make:
pork quesadilla
pork taco from a food cart
Thinking about the experience, I have decided bathing suit sizing should change. They should be small, smaller, smallest, and extra small. Everyone would really know deep down that small is really an extra large, but just the thought of buying something that says small or smaller would make us feel so much better. And who cares how it looks--we'd be able to say we bought a bathing suit in size small! Maybe the labels should be sewn on the outside.
...so I wore the two new suits in Puerto Vallarta, even though I think I have lost the removable straps for the takini. Good news...it didn't fall down.
TRIP NOTES for Puerto Vallarta will be brief because I didn't carry my laptop, just my mini Pad for the week. One motivation for extensive note writing and picturing taking when traveling is gone...see earlier post. But she wasn't the only reason, so here goes.
We got to PV 5 days ago and are sharing a condo with another couple. Connie and I taught together many years ago, and they now live in WA. Some of my former Nesbit students might remember Mrs. Elliot.
We have avoided Mexico for over 5 years due to their drug cartel troubles and negative publicity, so I'm excited to return to the sites and bright colors of the country.
We've mostly relaxed in the sun, walked into Old Town to explore and eat, and relax some more in the condo we rented right on the Malecon. The condo is in a perfect location very close to the bridge into old town, but between the loud surf right below and the barkers and music, it's not the most conducive place for sleep. Oh, and light curtains that don't block out light.
On Saturday, we headed to Old Town for the Farmers' Market. They have split in half, so we passed by one, sampling their great foods along the way and headed to the one we thought was the main one farther into town. It turned out to be much smaller with no fruits or vegetables, mainly artisans like fused glass, bakery goods, and jewelry. And many, if not all, the artists were ex-pats. We had to stay and eat since we'd skipped breakfast hoping to get fresh tamales, but they were back at the first place. Matthew sat down to eat a breakfast burrito and shared a table with a man we ended up chatting with. His name is Bruce and he owns 3 restaurants in PV, one he just opened two weeks before. He told us we should shop at the Old Town Farmer's Market and he was heading there in 10 minutes, so we should join him. He had many stories about himself, even Googled himself to show what people have said about him on Trip Advisor. He help many of the restaurant or food-connected people with business savvy, which he told us about too. I said we'd had dinner at the Argentinian place the night before, and he asked how their beef was (fantastic--probably the best I've ever had), and he was happy to hear that because they buy their meat from him.
So we followed him and ended up back where we started, but this time, had a personal tour of each stall. He hands out money like crazy, eating everything in sight. He grabbed several handmade chocolates and threw money at her saying we should try them...delicious. When we passed the fresh fish guys, he gave them advice about how they should be keeping their fish in the shade on a table in ice, which they did.
He was like the mayor of Puerto Vallarta! He then took us to his newest restaurant, Anejo Limon, and we made reservations for dinner later. Pictures were dark, but the food was good. I ordered pork shank with Mexican spices, which was spicy, with meat that fell off the bone.
Chef Bruce acts as host to his customers in his new restaurant going table to table to make sure everyone is happy and satisfied. We visited a tile place where they paint and fire them there and bought some for our new entrance. I don't have a picture of what we brought home, but here's a teaser of what they make:
Breakfast on Tuesday:
pork quesadillapork taco from a food cart
One of the most fun parts of the trip--shopping for little girl dresses!!
Notice the headband! The onesie skirt was made by an 8 year old who's in a training program called Girl Power that teaches them to sew and sell.
Great rendition!! I enjoyed our trip all over again!!
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