Vacation. Traveling. Sometimes you’d think that this is what work is for, what life is all about.
I grew up fascinated with the idea of travel. My family did some traveling especially during Holy Week. And although we did not go to far away lands, we did yearly local sojourns – Laguna, Bicol, Baguio, Zambales, Dagupan, Quezon, Batangas and Cebu. Now that I have my own family I wish to do the same. Last year we went ( Faye, who was 4 months heavy with Kareena, and Rakesh. We were joined by Trygve, Jocelyn, JB and their son, Lance) to Plantation Bay in Cebu and because we are not going home this year, I decided to look for alternative destinations. I had 3 places in mind – Canada, Hawaii and Mexico. Vancouver, I was told, is rainy in December. Hawaii was too expensive. I zeroed in on two resort towns in Mexico, Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta. I found a good deal in Expedia so we set out on December 11.
They say that there are two types of people who travel – The Traveler and the Tourist. The former explores, goes on adventures, threads on the paths less taken, and gets his hands, feet and palate dirty. The Tourist gets pampered, goes to spas and relaxes, threads lazily on the beaten and paved path, indulges in life’s luxuries and extravagance. On this trip, we played the tourist. I was very much looking forward to a much needed r & r. We also had the kids in tow. Young as they are, 5-month old Kareena and 3-year old Rakesh allowed for limited mobility. We simply relished the thought of surrendering to the superficial luxuries of the resort.
The 3-hour flight was pretty much uneventful, although, as expected, the pre-boarding and arrival had its challenges and frustrations. I must admit, it is not easy juggling 2 kids, 2 luggage, and 2 bags between 4 hands. Inspired by the Amazing Race, I kept in mind that although there will surely be tiring and stressful scenarios, there will be the opportunity to bond and to build wonderful memories. The chance to have collective fun is invaluable.
We were too tired the first day to jump into the pools of the Westin Regina resort so we took a leisurely stroll to the nearby marina area. The marina boardwalk is lined with quaint shops and restaurants. We wanted to try authentic (we hoped) Mexican dishes so we went to Las Palomas. The special of the day sign outside, Mahi-mahi in Tequila sauce, lured as in. Faye ordered that and I ordered the Mexican platter featuring a skirt steak with a variety of Mexican side dishes. They also served chips with a very tasty tuna with jalapeno dip. With a full stomach and aching legs, we went back to our room. I then went to the balcony to sit down and enjoy my partial ocean view.
Side note: My relatively cheap hotel package kept me at the second floor with only a partial ocean view. Westin offered to upgrade me to a full ocean view room for $30 more a night. I decided to keep my money and my partial view. I told myself that I was a minute away from the beach and I can simply walk there to partake in the ocean’s full spectacle and splendor.
The next several mornings were devoted to swimming. The Westin Regina had 4 pools one of which is a kiddie pool with a maximum depth of only 2 feet. Rakesh felt very brave and at ease there. He went around the pool pretending he can swim and dive. Kareena splashed in the water, too. And while the rest of the guests were trying to position themselves to receive the most of the sun’s rays, we were under the shades of the palm and coconut trees; spreading sun-block lotion while the rest were spraying sun-tans.
There are things to do in PV other than lounging by the beach or the pools. They have canopy tours, whale watching tours, cultural shows and water sports. Again because of limited mobility, we chose to go on a food trip instead. We had Mahi-mahi cooked in 4 different Mexican ways. We had Mexican adobo, Mexican pizza, Mexican omelette and Mexican grilled steak. The food was so good that it will surely be remembered and missed.
It was a pretty good vacation, all in all. The Westin is very nice. The layout and the grounds were very appealing. The resort is clean and well maintained and our room spacious and wonderful. The weather was close to perfect and the people, both locals and guests, were amiable. Maybe next time we can be travelers and I can try that canopy walk.
As we flew back on our late afternoon flight back to LA, we noticed that the moon, full and silvery bright, was parallel to our right and the sun, full and in dull orange, was setting parallel to our left. We were flying smoothly between two heavenly bodies in that awesome twilight – the exact zone I want to be caught in. I leaned back, closed my eyes and continued my Mexico dreamin.
