As I have traveled over the years and told people I’m from the United States, one of the questions I often get is, have you been to New York? While I’ve traveled to Europe, Africa, and the Americas, I have not reached the Big Apple. I have been to many Major Metropolitan Cities around the world. On my way to Jungapeo, I flew into Ciudad de México, and we took at three and a half hour taxi ride with my nieces and cuañdo to our final destination. The car didn’t fit all of the luggage, so we were left packed and carrying luggage on our laps the whole way. While we didn’t get to spend any time in CDMX, you could tell it is a bustling place, something I don’t think you can get away from with a population of over nine million. As we spent about an hour winding our way through different side roads, arterials, and highways, I told mi sobrinas (nieces) that the roads are like how ants build their tunnels. If f you have never seen one of the videos of somebody pouring liquid silver into an ant hill to make art, it is fascinating to see what lies under the ground.
Puerto Vallarta isn’t that busy, but it really can be packed with people. On Monday I wandered around the Malecón. It is really beautiful but also so busy. During the day in the plazas you can hear so much birdsong.
There are a bunch of large clubs all next door to each other.
The prior night, I had been walking around, thinking I might buy a bottle of tequila. I ended up in a shop that sells bottles, encourages customers to try shots, and then wants to sell you timeshares or tours (or expensive tequila bottles). I’m not a fan of time shares or feel like they are a good idea. While I declined all of the above, he recommended going to Playa Las Gemelas.
Sometimes, talking to random strangers when traveling gives great recommendations (like going to Prague), and other times, I can be a bust. The beach was super pretty I liked it. But it wasn’t my best option. I took the bus (which I have always loved public transport). I checked in through the hotel there, but when I tried to go back from the beach to visit their bar, I was locked out. I just didn’t come prepared. I didn’t stay very long and ended up exploring Playa de Los Muertos. Got a margarita from the the Margarita Grill and then ate a nice dinner at Langostinos, listening to a singer eating and drinking sitting watching the sunset on the beach.
That night, I went to an Irish pub to listen to live music for Saint Patrick’s Day. I ended up making friends and going to a few other places. The next day was more relaxed with time at the beach. Although I had somebody steal $160 out of my wallet (thankfully not cards and all of that). The details are outside of what I’d share in this venue. The following day (e.g., Wednesday) led me to my flight and the start of the second leg of my trip.
My wife is from Jungapeo, and I rode over with my family. It has been a much slower pace, but it has been fun. There are two streets that go all the way through the town. When we arrived, I ate a fantastic Pan Bazo, which is my favorite Mexican food and something I think originated here or nearby. It isn’t really a thing in other parts of Mexico. We went and spent some time at the Jardin (the plaza that is the center of town) and ate ice cream with wine in it (which is really good). The next day, we went to Zitácuaro to do some shopping and wander around their much larger markets. In the evening was a parade of all elementary schools (dressed in various themes such as The Flinstones, Lion King, etc.). The kids were cute. Then, drinking and hanging out on the street, talking with people as they go by. At 530 am, there was another parade (I was asleep but tried to go out and watch the last little bit), and there is another one today (Friday) at 11 AM.
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