the planning, the trip itself and the recollection of it.
i love all three parts for different reasons but the recollection
and journaling is one of my favorites because it takes me back,
and allows me time to reflect on the experiences we had.
so before any more time passes and i forget these things,
i'm spending time tonight at the kitchen table typing.
the trip began with the family driving to a park-and- ride just 10 minutes from the
us/mexico border. for $8/day, we left our car in a secured lot, and were shuttled
a drop off place right at the border. we walked on a sidewalk and 7 minutes later
crossed into mexico. super easy! from here we took a quick taxi ride to the tijuana airport,
and from here is when we all began trying to speak espanol. {try being the key word}.
after we got through security, we made a quick stop at starbucks for one last taste of america.
we arrived in puerta vallarta mid afternoon, rented a car and got out of the city pronto.
we drove about 1 1/2 hrs north to sayulita, a small fishing village that is popular with surfers,
and travelers who are looking for more of a laid back vacation and who want to experience
more of what life is like in small town mexico.
we had visited sayulita many times in the past, but had never stayed here.
it's actually bigger than san pancho, where we had wanted to stay originally,
but our favorite little hotel on the beach has closed down and we found a condo
community called los almendros that had all the comforts of home for the first week.
each building was situated around the pool and each contained 5 villas.
we stayed in villa oleandra, and were pleasantly surprised how nice it was as most of
the places we stay at tend to be a bit rustic. this one had all the comforts of home.
more than we needed really- we didn't cook so we didn't need a full kitchen,
the tv or the phone, but i loved that fans were in every room - including outside on the
balconies!
this condo was so comfy - even larger than the beach cottage we lived in on diamond street
all those years. it had 2 bathrooms which is always a treat for a woman who is surrounded
by boys. my favorite things about our villa were the large french doors off the living room
that opened up onto a balcony and overlooked the pool, and the location. we were just
blocks from the beach and a street lined with shops and cafes. there was even an elementary
school just around the corner for us.
as we walked to and from the beach every day, we'd walk by the school and see children
in their cute uniforms playing in the school yard or studying in open air classrooms.
{there were no windows at all....just simple openings that allowed for ventilation}.
i have so much more to share about the trip - ziplining, a trip to the turtle farm, beach days and
scout and finn even performed on stage on night. more to come tomorrow night.
~ i arrived home to finn telling me he finished the last book (#7) in the harry potter series,
and scout telling me he is a quarter way through book 6. the boys have devoured these books
ever since receiving the box set for christmas. they haven't gone many places without one
of these books in hand.
they will glady tell anyone who will listen to them that harry potter is "the best series ever"!
the popularity of the books around the world says thousands of children {and adults} would agree.
what a gift jk rowling has. a whole magical world exists in their imaginations all because of her writing.
