A los mercados!

Sunday we ventured out to several cities to see browse their markets. It was fun to see all the little shops set up and see what everyone was selling.

My mom found the Bucerias market that was actually geared towards the locals rather than the tourists and they were selling everything from cereal, to electronics, to toys, to clothes, and pretty much anything else you can think of.

They even had a snow cone cart, but instead of a machine, the guy had a big block of ice that he scraped with his scoop to make the snow cone. Que interesante!

We met some Huichol indians who were wearing their traditional clothes. And yes, I am taller than both of them and 99% of the people in Mexico.

We got to see one of the guys making the art...

And his cute little daughter posed for me. :)

We then headed to the market at La Cruz. It was on the marina and so it had a beautiful backdrop of the ocean. Definitely more upscale and touristy, but it was a gorgeous setting for a market.

Basket weavers made their baskets right in front of us...

Lots of little trinkets to buy...

A fresh El Dorado (Mahi Mahi) caught that day...

Fresh fish on display...

After a long day at the markets, we returned home to enjoy a drink on the balcony.

Day 3 was definitely a success!

Day 2 - La Cruz, Punta de Mita, & Sayulita

On Friday, we went to La Cruz, a city about 20 minutes north to have breakfast at Jardin del Pulpo (The Octopus Garden). We went there because some well known flemenco guitar players were playing there for breakfast. There were two guitar players and one bass player and they made beautiful music together.

At the restaurant, there was a display of the art of the Huichol indians. They make intricate designs with beads and thread to create colorful figurines and pictures. And each design they make has a story attached to it.

We then headed to a small surf town called Punta de Mita.

We found some hammocks for a little siesta...

And my dad almost decided to change careers to become the next big lucha libre...

We then headed to Sayulita, a town further to the north. I found my favorite shop, la fruteria. :)

And we found jackfruit! A fruit that Sam and I had tasted in Bali but I had never seen elsewhere. We got to see how they picked out the edible part of the fruit from the big shell. They were selling it out of the back of a truck. Funny how different it is in Mexico...

Then we ate fish tacos at this taco shop off the main street and they were seriously the best fish tacos I have ever had. Grilled mahi mahi or el dorado...

We walked around and got to see more of the mexican art...

And even got to see some iguanas that lived in the trees in Sayulita! Can you find the one in this picture? We ended up spotting three of them, but it wasn't easy. They definitely do a good job of blending in to their environment.

That night we went to dinner in Bucerias and enjoyed a beautiful sunset on the beach.

Bienvenidos a Mexico!

Well it was a short flight to Puerto Vallarta, only 2 hours and 20 minutes from San Diego. My parents met me at the airport and we took the bus to Bucerias, a small town about 20 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta. We're staying in a condo right on the beach in Bucerias.

Here is a picture from our balcony...

We cracked a cerveza and enjoyed some guac and chips on our balcony while my parents told me about all their adventures in Mexico so far, including my dad being stung by a mantarraya (manta ray)! We then walked along the beach towards the main part of town for dinner, enjoying the incredible views of the coastline.

We had dinner at my parent's favorite restaurant in Bucerias, Los Pericos. They basically knew everyone who worked there because they had been there 5 times already! They introduced me to the owner, Pedro, and the waiter that always served them, Bernardo. I ordered the shrimp fajitas and then I understood why they kept coming back to this restaurant, they were the best fajitas I've ever had. Mmmm delicioso. I guess mexican food does taste better in Mexico. :) After dinner we walked around the town a little bit. Bucerias is very cute. It's definitely got that third world feel, but if you can get past that, it's very charming.

Looking foward to doing some more exploring tomorrow!