by Mick'n Zeno

It has been over a year since I’ve taken a vacation to travel somewhere and over 6 years since I’ve been outside of the United States. Like almost every other young adult, I love to travel and wish I could do it more often. Going to another state or country that you’ve never experienced in reality is refreshing and eye-opening. It’s like stepping outside of your own little world and witnessing how vast the world actually is. I’m reminded of that every time I look out of the window as my plane takes off. You’re able to observe subtle differences in the food, the culture, and the people. My trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico was that refreshing experience that I needed to inspire future travel plans.

Day 1: Getting intimate
My friend, Gabby and I began our experience by roaming around the resort and planning activities for the next few days. We stayed at the Occidental Nuevo Vallarta resort. The entrance was very open and welcoming, with a calming waterfall in view as you walk in. The beach was the most picturesque: white sand, warm, blue water, and a sunset. The first night, we found ourselves sitting on the edge of this platform that faced the beach. The only thing we could see were the waves as they washed in toward us. It was the most peaceful thing that I had experienced in while. I suggested that we end every night at that platform.

Day 2: Resort, resort, resort.
We lounged around the resort the entire day, which was not as bad as it sounds. I actually made a
friend. I was enjoying the view of the beach, while sipping on a mimosa, when this random lady strutted up to me wanting to take a seflie. We posed. I proceed to introduce myself. She stares with a smile on her face. This is the moment that I regretted not taking full advantage of those four years of high school Spanish. We somehow managed to communicate using body language, homemade sign language, and Google translate. It took a lot of effort to communicate the most simple things. I’ll admit, there were times when I’d see her around the resort and hoped that she wouldn't stop to try to have a conversation. It was exhausting. I had to mentally prepare myself each time I wanted to communicate with a stranger. Other times, I chose to remain silent. I definitely have a better sense of what it’s like to reside in a country where your language is not primary.

Day 3: River Expedition
The river expedition tour was the best part of this trip. It consisted of ziplining across mountains,
walking across hanging bridges, rappelling down cliffs, crossing rivers, and forcing mules to carry us back to the top of the mountain. It was everything. Thrilling, adventurous, fun, and a pretty good workout. The tour ended with a tequila tasting. I learned that I’ve never had good tequila prior to this trip.

Day 4: In the city/No more Tequila please!
This was the first trip that I decided to bring my Cannon with me, and it will be tagging along with me from now on. I am slowly turning in to my Mama. She understands the importance of capturing memories. The best moments that I’ve had with my family are going through old photo books and laughing at the memories. Our trip to the city of Puerto Vallarta was a mini photoshoot. We browsed around downtown, snapping pictures in front of random monuments, checked out flea market, and I tried some street tacos. It was short lived, but just what we needed to take a break from the resort.

If I could go back and change one thing from this trip, it would be this night. The plan was to change into our swimsuits, lounge on the beach for a couple of hours, get ready for our dinner reservation at 8, then end the final night on the platform. Things don't always go as planned when tequila is involved. We changed into our swimsuits and lounged on the beach for awhile. Gabby then consented for two double shots of tequila. Apparently, this one consent gave the waiter permission to bring us 2 more rounds of tequila shots without us requesting. Add those shots to margaritas and sex on the beaches, and we were drunk in no time. I consider myself more of an optimist, while Gabby is a realist. In my mind, we were going to make it to that dinner reservation, but Gabby was right there beside me saying, “We’re not going to make it.” Deep down, I knew she was right, but I really wanted Japanese food while in Mexico. We stumbled our way back up to the room a close to 7pm. We did not leave the room until the next morning.

Day 5: Goodbye
This was one of the best vacations I’ve experienced. Of course traveling always brings about a few issues, whether they be logistical or personal. However, there were few, and those few were very minor.

The good experiences outweighed the bad, by far. Mexico, I’ll be back.