It's the Height of Summertime

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It must be the top of summer because it has been boiling hot here in Bucerias. That kind of heat where you get out of the shower and even though you use a towel, you just never dry off. The kind of heat where you walk around outside for about ten minutes and then you start to sweat. Not glisten...drip sweat all over. Ronnie and I have been hiding out in the sanctuary of our condo dodging the rays of sun. Even our pool is too hot to swim in. We thought perhaps Rigo, our gardener/pool guy, had the heater on still and when I asked him to turn it off, he smiled and said it was the sun. So much for a refreshing dip.

Something that was very refreshing however, was a visit from my Dad and step mom Carie. We warned them of the intense heat we had been experiencing, but that did not scare them away. At first, they thought we lived in absolute paradise. Close to the beach, a pool and a comfy couch for naps. It took about two days for them to realize what we were warning them about. We would try to play dominoes outside, but then would have to move the game inside. The only time to go swimming was in the early mornings and late at night. While Dad was swimming in the bay, he got bit by something (we think it was a pink with black spots snake). Walking through the markets turned us all into sweaty monsters. They started to understand our desire to return to San Francisco.

Ronnie and I have been lonely here in Bucerias. It has been hard to make friends and the locals rarely remember us as being any different than any other tourist that stop by for a bite to eat. Having the company of two people was a delight.

One of the highlights of their visit was taking a final boat trip around the bay. We started out early in the morning and hopped on a boat in Nuevo Vallarta. We then headed to a place to snorkel. The best part about this was being able to swim through a cave. Sadly, there were not a lot of fish, but to hear bats screech in the cave while swimming through it was amazing. Once we were back on the boat, we saw some dolphins swim by. Dad accidentally drank some water out of the boat's tap faucet and the crew freaked out at him (deservedly so). They made him take a huge shot of tequila to "kill the bugs." The day trip makes you chose if you want to go horseback riding up to a waterfall or relaxing on a beach for the next several hours. Ronnie and I decided to stay on the beach as we had done the horseback riding in February with our friends. Las Animas (the beach we went to) was beautiful. They had everything a tourist could want: para sailing, horseback riding, banana boat rides, wave runners and many beach side restaurants and bars. We picked the closest restaurant and got ourselves a treat. I ordered a Pina Colada, Ronnie had a Pacifico and we split a huge order of cerviche. After our meal, we swam in the water collecting unique rocks for awhile and then took a nap in the shade. We took one more swim before returning to our tour boat. We then picked up Dad and Carie from their beach stop and headed home. Poor Dad had a big scrape on his leg. Apparently, his horse tripped and fell against a rock during their ride. Even with all these misfortunes, Dad loved it.

At first I wasn't thrilled to go on a tour I had already done twice in the past, but taking the time with Ronnie in that little hideaway beach was one of the most memorable things I have done here in Mexico. It really felt like the beginning to the end of our life in Mexico.

We have scheduled our flight back to the United States. When I read old blog posts from a year ago, it truly is amazing all that has happened in one short year. But it feels like it is time for change. I can just feel it in my soul. It is a bittersweet moment in our lives right now.

(PS- Dad survived drinking the tap water on the boat and is A-okay.)

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