Not What I Expected (Mexico Part I)

Well it has been over 13 days since I have set my feet back on the soil in my home town.  My husband and I with 3 other fabulous couples spent 10 amazing days in the sunny port side town of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

 This was the rather creepy entrance to The Grand Mayan resort we stayed at, see the door way below to get a sense of the scale.

 The gang is all here!

 These pictures give you a bit of an idea how big this resort was.  This was one building and complex of about four different hotels on the grounds.  It was totally over the top.

 Below part of our balcony and view out the front of the hotel. 

 On our way past dozens of pools to get to the beach.

 This was a favorite lunch spot.  There were many, many restaurants scattered all around.  Trams were used to give you a ride from here to there.

 The pools are interconnected and you could swim from one area to the next. Something I rather enjoyed doing!

 The bar pool in the background where you could swim up to an under water stool and have a Margarita.  This was obviously not happy hour yet.

 This was the backside of the water slide disguised as a Mayan temple. There were two wave pools (below) and around the whole place was a lazy river you could slowly float around in an inner tube.

 Following are a bunch of pictures from the resort.  I will be posting more pictures about the people, the city and the culture.   Take a wander if you will and try to imagine...

 On the far left you can see the lazy river.

 There were all sorts of nooks and crannies...we never did get around the whole place, it was immense.

 Of coarse some flora for me!

 Yes it was hot and sunny.  Yes it was touristy and third world.  Yes it was semi tropical and humid.  Yes it had the essences of Tijuana as in EVERYTHING was a negotiation and or a bartering ordeal  =)  All that, I did expect.

What was not expected was the impact this piece of the world had on my spirit.  Was it the people? Hmmm I think so.  Was it the culture, oh definitely.  Was it the unguarded beauty on a lonely beach at sunset.  Yes I know so.  Was it long meandering walks past dozens of resort beaches to come to the end of it all and find and old marina with real locals preparing good food, making a meager living and a heart open to the world.  Absolutely!!!

I hope some of my pictures can tell a better story, one my heart can't quite put into words yet.  All I know is that I want to go back.  Maybe again and again.  I think I have a glimpse for the first time of what a snowbird is all about, perhaps even an ex pat.  Now I love my town, my family and the good old U.S.A.  Nothing like it I am sure.  BUT...there is something amazing about getting away from it all for a special moment in time where life is so different yet so heart warming and inviting, to a place full of warmth in more ways than one, a place called P.V. under a lovely Mexican sun!

    A big thank you to great friends who landed us this over the top vacation by trading in their timeshare weeks for us.  It was a steel of a deal I still can't believe =]