Puerto Vallarta: Sun, Surf and Stitches

The week of our spring break is appropriately named Semana Santa or the week of the saint also known as holy week as it's the week before Easter. A friend of mine Anna and I decided to take a 13 hour trip up to Puerto Vallarta for this holiday week to enjoy some adventure mixed with some relaxation. We left Thursday evening to arrive around noon time on Friday in the Vallarta bus station. From there we found our way to our hotel located in the Centro, or center of the city near the Malecon (boardwalk). From there we dropped our stuff off and immediately set off to explore Vallarta. We had an incredible and huge lunch at a restaurant located on the river that runs through Vallarta overlooking the tree tops giving us a rather quaint view. We ate a huge lunch before heading out on a bus ride to no where allowing ourselves to get familiar with a few of the bus routes through out the city. Afterwards we took a walk through some shopping vendors looking for a shot glass for Anna as a souvenier while I just flitted through the items of interest not looking for anything particular. Afterwards we walked down the Malecon and watched the sun set on our first night in Puerto Vallarta, it was along the way we met up with a stand selling the tours we'd talked about trying to do before we'd arrived in Vallarta. We reserved our spots on two different tours for the following days and then quickly made our way back to our hotel to get ready for a night out on the town.

The next morning we awoke relatively early to make our way to the meeting place and begin our first day of adventure with an ATV tour. A quick ride up the mountain and we made it to the place, strapped up and were off Anna, myself and our instructor. We rode for several miles until we reached our destination where we sat and rested near a spring and watched the beautiful relaxing waters flow. Afterwards we drove around for sometime more enjoying the excitement and fast paced adventure that comes with driving an ATV. Afterwards we arrived back at the ranch where we'd begun the whole adventure only to begin our next adventure. Gliding over the Vallartan jungle on a metal cable with our wits and the supplied handle bar to aid us in our flight. Also known as zip lines. After a few quick instructions from our adorable little instuctor Ricardo we were set off and flying over twelve lines hung at precarious heights through the trees and forestation that existed. At one point I was even allowed to go down along with our instructor allowing me the chance to fly with out having to have both hands attatched to the bar, gaining speed along the way and with an incredible view. After all twelve lines (two practice lines and ten regular lines) we ate lunch at the restaurant located on sight and then headed back into town for a little bit of clothing shopping. After that it was once again time to hit up the dancing scene.

Sunday we over slept missing our scheduled boat tour and snorkling adventure. So instead we spent a relaxing day on the beach near by the hotel in the hot hot sun and then decided to go for full body messages to help relax and get rid of the tension that had been built in our bodies for some time now. It was an early night for both of us so that we'd wake up and have plenty of time to get ready the next day for our snorkling, boat tour, beach and waterfall adventure.

The next morning we awoke, dawned our bathing suits and headed out to meet our boat for our latest adventure. We boarded a water taxi to head out to the larger boat that would be taking us to the various sites on the tour. Within little time we arrived at Los Arcos or the Arks, a large grouping of shaped rocks in the middle of the ocean where we were given snorkling gear and little time out in the water. In the time alotted I saw nothing and became slightly agitated with the promise of fish that had not been there. I quickly returned to the boat upon their calling and we were off to our next stop. The beach. It was here we were seated for lunch and it was here Anna and I waited over ten minutes with no service while almost every other passanger on the boat had received drinks, and most others had already began or even finished their food, a drink order had not even been taken. So becoming more frustrated we finally flagged down a young boy who had been working and finally got our order placed for food. Another ten minutes later we got our food but still no drink order had been taken. After all had finally been received we finished and I went to sit while Anna went to go over and climb on the rocks shortly after she left they called us all back to the boat to go to the next location, aggravating me further by how little time we'd gotten to spend on the beach so Anna and I decided to stay. I decided to take up surfing while Anna went back to climbing around on the rocks. Shortly after entering the water and after finally getting up on the board I was thrashed by a wave and knocked off only to crash my knee against an extremely sharp rock. Cutting myself on my right knee, the side of my left foot, and on my hands as I tried to stand up and make my way out of the water. I quickly noticed that large amount of blood pouring down my shin from my knee and sighed forgetting my board and making my way back to the restaurant we'd eaten at earlier. Passing by several groups of American's who only stopped and stared at the badly injured leg with so much blood it was difficult to tell where the wound was coming from. As I reached the restaurant several mexican's rushed about to aid me one shouting off orders in spanish to call an ambulence, get the cleaning supplies, grab a chair and elevate the leg, get a tournequit, etc. I was quickly tournequitted and elevated and then carried to a boat by four rather strong and good looking mexican men and rushed over to another beach where I was told we'd meet the ambulence. I was quickly rushed off onto the beach by the lifegaurds there and attended too. They set to work cleaning the wound as best they could and wrapping it in an effort to stop the blood flow as we waited for an ambulence that was never going to come. After almost an hour of waiting they called in some other lifeguards to take me by truck to the nearest hospital. I was then carried away by two more cute lifeguards and on my way to the hospital receiving a most gorgeous and un seen by most view of Puerto vallarta from the ride to the hospital. As I arrived at the hospital I quickly came to learn that the reason the bleeding hadn't stopped was because I'd cut an artery in my knee. A stem of the femoral artery. They placed me into a bed almost immediately and the doctor set to work. Around another hour or so later I received somewhere around five internal dissolvable stitches and 20 external stitches, the whole while talking the poor doctors ear off in Spanish as Anna tells me the slight blood loss and possible anxiety of the whole situation might've made me a bit loopy. At one point in time I could've sworn the doctor wanted to give me an anesthetic just to shut me up, but through out the whole endevour I learned just how well my Spanish could hold up as I spoke almost no English the whole two and some hours. And as I left with a 4,000 some peso hospital bill and a ugly knee to hit up the pharmacy for an antibiotic to make sure I didn't receive an infection I realised maybe that wasn't a bad experience overall.

The next day was a day of relaxation as I was told no extreme physical activity. Anna had mentioned wanting to get a hair treatment and so we went off in search of a hair salon, and as she got a treatment a trim turned into a cut and slightly new style for my hair as I think the stylist was having fun playing with hair as blonde as mine as he continually told me how beautiful and shiny it was and healthy. After that we went back to the hotel and went off in search of parasailing only to find that is was more then double what it had been in Acapulco and we ditched the idea for a few beers and some delicious shrimps on a stick on the beach instead from a local and delicious vendor. That night was our last in Vallarta as the next day Anna had plans to move onto Mazatlan after we met up with Kelli while I was to return to Puebla since I was of little fun with the bummed knee. Ending an amazing and adventurous week in one of Mexico's more touristy cities.

Boys: The good and the bad

Thursday was the scheduled day of the tennis tournement that I'd been entered into. Tuesday evening at practice coach had talked with two guys asking if either one of them could pick me up as I had no other way of getting to the tournement. One responded saying he didn't know if he'd be going to the tournement or not as he wasn't sure if he'd get out of classes. Thinking plans had been arranged I waited around the dorms for one of the guys to come and pick me. 11 o'clock rolls around and no one's come, this was the time the tournement was to start. I was ditched apparently. Angered I returned to my room to take a nap quickly getting over it knowing I'd see them both Tuesday and would be able to reem them out for forgetting me.

That same evening myself as well as one of my friends Anna, my neighbor Erica, and a girl from down the hall Regina went out to some clubs near by in Cholula. Friday I spent my day running some errands. Spent a good 20 minutes at the post office arguing with the employees over a importation tax that they had placed on an important package I'd had sent in order to begin my studies for Japanese. Afterwards I left frustated and jipped out of $86 (USD). The rest of my day I spent chatting with the boy from Toluca, Erick, and getting a head start on my Japanese.

Saturday I awoke somewhat early and made a last minute decision after talking more with Erick to go visit him once more. So I traversed once more to Toluca and spent my weekend with Erick and some of his other friends. Saturday he had a small house party for the soccer game that was taking place that day Mexico versus Costa Rica. Mexico won 2-0. We then went out to a bar to meet up with some other friends including Alex whom I'd met in Acapolco as well. Sunday we made breakfast together and afterwards we spent the day in a town outside of Toluca with his dad and his brother. We hiked up a large mountain like hill where there was a gigantic statue of Jesus on top and a beautiful view of the town below. Afterwards we spent the afternoon relaxing by a lake watching the various couples and families all while listening to a mariachi sort of band at the restaurant nearby. After that it was off to Erick's brother-in-laws family's place for an amazing fish dinner and tequila where we spent the evening in good company and conversation. It was after several hours spent here that I had to take the return trip to Puebla saying goodbye to amazing people with whom I hope to visit once more as they warmly welcomed me into their home and hearts and I as well...

March 21- A USAC Trip

This past Saturday the USAC program had organized a group trip, much like the one's I'd taken in Spain, to a part of town in Mexico City called Coyoacon in order to visit some museums. First we stopped off for a shortwhile at the Frieda Kahlo museum which was once her house. Frieda Kahlo is a very famous artist who was crippled by an accident and later died because of complications from this accident. After exploring her house for some time we were then dropped off in the Zocalo like area of Coyoacon where there was a large market with vendors selling anything and everything. Here we explored for a few hours, grabbing some ice cream from what was said to be one of the best places around to get ice cream but after being spoiled by the Gilato of Europe I've found it's hard to compare. It was in the market that I bought a few little neat souveniers for myself and a few others. After we were done exploring Ignacio the director took us for lunch at what had to have been one of the most americanized restaurants in all of Mexico. The music as we entered should've been the tip as it was American but it was baaad music none the less. We were served a delicious minastrone soup, some pasta with practically nothing on it to which we all added a spicey salsa and lime noticing how mexican we all started to become by adding salsa to pasta. Although it tasted rather good with the salsa and lime in my opinion. For the main course we were given a choice between three dishes to which I chose Chicken Cubano, which was supposed to be chicken served with an almond sauce and freid bananas all caramalized and sweet sauce. The sauce tasted like nothing, but the bananas were good. The other options were beef with mole (to which I'm wishing I would've eaten now, and Mexican Chicken to which few people liked as they said it wasn't very tastey). After lunch it was time to go to the Diego Rivera Museum, another famous artist once the husband of Frieda Kahlo. While there we were forced to take a tour and "stay with the group." I'm not a fan of tours and don't like being told to stay with a group if I don't want to. Needless to say I became the rule breaker and lingered until the group finally left me, paid little attention to the tour guide (which was easy to do as she spoke in Spanish I could easily block her out pretending to not understand.) and after a while the others followed suit becoming bored with the tour guide. After some time we began to then play the self timer game where everyone who had a camera set the camera to self timer giving us each ten second to run to a spot within view of the camera and then make funny poses and faces giving each camera a different picture. It was after we had our fun with the self timer game that we got back on the bus and headed back to Puebla ending the first of two USAC trips... and beginning another week in Puebla!!

The Long Weekend: March 13-16

For the weekend a large group of all the USAC student plus two Mexican boys decided to take a trip to a small town a few hours away from Acapulco called Ixtapa/Zeohuatinejo. It's two connected towns with very lovely beaches and crystal like waters. The first day they had all gone on Thursday night, but because I was supposed to have tennis practice (even though it was canceled due to a thunderstorm that occured in the last minutes before practice) which allowed everyone else in the group to arrive on Friday giving them one more day over the rest of us. Alyssa, Ramon, Kelli and I on the other hand left Friday evening arriving early Saturday morning. We immediately went to the hotel to meet with everyone before getting some breakfast and heading out on a boat over to the island's beaches where we started off by grabbing some tables, chairs to lay out on and some shade. Where Chris ordered some beers and we sipped while cooling off and applying some sun screen. Afterwards we took a dip in the water. After an hour or so of cooling off in the water, Kelly, Haven, her fiance Fernando and I all went and got full body massages for an hour relazing us to the point of inability to walk.

After we came back from out massages a group of us decided to rent some snorkling gear and see what we could see in the reef below. An hour or so of snorkling later it was time to get abck on the boat and head back to the mainland to clean up and get some dinner. That night Ramon and I split a tray filled with the most delicious of sea food. We ate lobster, shrimp, octopus, fish and clams until neither one of us could eat anymore. Afterwards we parted ways and Kelly and I went salsa dancing while Haven and Fernando went to another club. The rest went home early to prepare for the next day as some would be waking up early to go fishing.

Sunday Kelly, Haven, Fernando and I went and had breakfast at a pancake house where I ate delicious waffles with strawberries on top as well as chorizo gravey. Afterwards we explored the downtown market for a little while before heading back to the hotel to get ready to spend another day beach bumming it. Getting on our suits Kelly and I found some shade and hung around for a while till we found Alyssa, Liz, and Erin, and Ramon later joined us as we sat around in the shade enjoying one another's company until it was time for Erin, Kelly and I to part as we all had things to do Monday even though it was a day off from school. Neither Erin nor I wanted to arrive at 7 am Tuesday and have to drag ourselves to classes on Tuesday. So instead we took a rather empty bus back to Puebla arriving early Monday morning in which I spent my day lazing around and doing very little. Ending my long weekend vacation.

The Weekend of The 6th

This proved to be a week of excitement as I found out one evening that I was going to be participating in a tennis tournement the next week. So that Friday I then went shopping for some new tennis necessities including shoes as mine were falling apart and I'd needed new one's ne ways, a new racket (my old one is on the verge of death), and the uniform needed to represent the University. Ana went with me and we decided to do some accessory shopping afterwards and enjoy a juice and that evening she and I went out dancing with the others in Cholula. The next morning we of course had our internship. As well I paid a visit to Erick and his friends whom we'd met in Acapulco because one of his friends Angel had invited me to a big party that weekend. So I went to Toluca for the rest of Saturday and all of Sunday. It was here I discovered how much of a party animal my friend Angel really was.

The next morning we all ate chilequiles and Erick took us around the city of Toluca where we went to an indoor garden that was once a farmers market. And Erick talked about the history as well as the story told by the beautiful mosaic windows that encircled the entire building. Windows that had been pieced together on tiny little glass shard at a time by one man. We also paid a visit to a small art museum as well as got ice cream and watched the hustle and bustle of the Sunday city life go by. Later we went back and watched the movie "The Boy In The Striped Pajamas." And after dinner it was time to say goodbye and return to life in Puebla with classes to complete and all.

Random Week of Puebla: I'm losing track of time

It was a few weeks ago that this happened at it was the beginning week for the internship in which I found out was not what I had been expecting nor what I thought had been promised to us. Two other girls, Liz and Ana work alongside myself at a center for cancer in children who can't afford treatment. The place is called "Una Nueva Esperanza" which means A New Hope in English and it's a very noble and worthwhile cause, it's just that the work we do there is more like volunteer work less like that of an internship. But I'll work my best to get the credits to transfer as without the internship I barely meet minimum requirements. The rest of the week was nothing much to talk about minus Sunday.

Sunday Liz, Morgan and I trecked to Cholula. Cholula is normally where the night life is at here, but we took a trip during the day to go visit a monumental piece of history. The pyramids of Cholula started in a narrow tunnel in which anyone much taller then myself would've found trouble venturing through. After emerging from the tunnel we found ourselves just outside the largest pyramids in volume in the world. It took a couple of hours of exploration and lots of stair climbing before we reached the top where there sat a gorgeous catholic church amongst the excavations. And down at the bottom we explored the excavated ruins learning about the history that once lived in said ruins. After some photos we left to grab a bite to eat and then head down to the zocalo of cholula where there was apparently some sort of celebration going on for carnaval in which they were shooting off old rifles and making all sorts of smoke and noise, as well as music, dancing, and a parade. After some ice cream and a little bit of the festivities we left to end a short but fulfilled week.

Carnaval: Veracruz

We decided at the last minute possible that we wanted to go down to Veracruz for the weekend of Carnaval and drove with our friend Ivan thinking it would get us there faster then if we took the busses that were scheduled to leave from Puebla. Turns out we were wrong and it was a relatively bad idea as the boys wouldn't listen to the girls advice and instead decided to keep driving around and continually get lost while we'd looked at the map and knew where it was we were going. But that didn't matter as we got in and found a hotel settling in for the night to prepare for the next day. (As that evening it had rained canceling the many festivities that were to normally take place in the streets of Veracruz.)

The next day we explored the marine life by going to the aquarium in Veracruz where I missed my chance to swim with the sharks by about 40 minutes afterwards we decided to escape the heat by using the swimming pool in the hotel, which is were we spent most of the afternoon. Afterwards we decided it was time to find some food and get ready to go to the parade that was taking place that night in the streets of Veracruz. We stayed for several hours watching the lines of dancers, people in costumes all imitating the traditional Brazilian carnaval. Drums, music, samba dancing, flashy head dresses, floats, and plenty of masks, and alcohol to go around was where we spent our night. Until the next day when we took the long journey back to Puebla to go back to classes leaving the parties behind.