Mexico 2016
My wife, daughter and I flew off to Guadalajara on
December 16 for the wedding of The Hotelier’s son. Things did not start out great at SFO due to
heavy rains. We were not able to make
our connecting flight in Phoenix and we got separated. I got a first-class seat on a
Phoenix/Guadalajara flight while the ladies had to go to Phoenix/Dallas/Guadalajara. It’s funny how these things work out.
I ran into the groom and family in the hotel lobby and it
was hugs all around. Our village is one of
the most prolific groups of huggers extant, as I’ve mentioned before. Sonny Boy 1 was there as well, fresh off his
early morning flight out of BWI. He made
sure to tell me to switch his room from his credit card to mine. I let him think I did so but he is in for a
big surprise on his next statement. I
used my flawless Spanish while checking in until the young lady behind the desk
decided it would all be easier if she spoke English.
The wife and daughter got in a few hours after me and we
all hit the hay for the big event the next day.
We met up with the crew at breakfast, which was included in the
bill. It was quite an impressive
spread. SB1 got his fill, which is a
task, but they discouraged his request for a to go container.
We were transported via a very comfortable air
conditioned bus to the church, which was having several weddings that day. It
was a little smaller than most churches I’ve been in, which lent more intimacy
to the event. The bride was beautiful
and my wife snapped a great picture of the groom being led up to the altar by
his parents. They were locked arm in arm
but I suppressed the thought that he was being dragged up there.
The groom’s family had English speaking parts but the
rest of the ceremony was in Spanish. I
was able to pick out a lot of words, catching “amor” several times, as is
fitting. Afterward we traveled about 45
minutes out of town to a gorgeous setting in the foothills, with an expanse of
lawn and scenic pond. They were handing
out a daquiri type drink but when we suspected there was no booze in it, we
switched over to beer. They paced the
serving of alcohol, which was a very wise decision since we had many hours
ahead of us.
The meal served on the veranda was delectable and there
was big display of desserts, which the four-year-old son of the wedding planner
was constantly raiding. He was still
running around when I left about 10pm.
After dinner is when things really came alive. The DJ was cranking it up, almost everyone
except me was dancing, and the tequila began to flow, including shots from a
bandolier. It was during this time that
I was stunned by a comment from one of the guests, so stunned that I feel
compelled to give him a blog name.
He is the brother-in-law of the Hotelier and his
wife. I had met him only once previously,
on a New Year’s Eve, shortly after he and his significant other had migrated to
the Bay Area from Chicago. We had briefly
discussed my blog and I gave him the link at that time. At the reception, he said something to the
effect of “I have not read your blog recently but I enjoyed it”. I fell over and they gave me a bandolier shot
to help me recover. This couple joined us later in Puerto Vallarta for a few
days and we really enjoyed their company.
So, until I come up with a better name, or they stop reading my blog, I’m
going to call them the G and L Fun Club.
The next day we were treated to a tour of an artisanal community
called Tlaquepaque. It pained me to hear
the gringos massacre the name, but I handled it. I bought a belt and a straw hat and the wife
got some cool pottery, which survived the trip home. We had lunch at El Abajeño, about forty of us
at two long tables. When they brought
out bowls with liquid and fruit floating in it, we weren’t sure if this was to
clean our hands, but when they passed around the tequila to pour into it, we
were glad we had decided to refrain from washing up. The food was outstanding, several different
grilled meats, refritos and super fresh tortillas.
After the
Guadalajara segment of the program, it was off to Puerto Vallarta with the
families of #1 and the Hotelier. It was
a quick 26-minute flight, after which the group was accosted by the taxi
people. #1 and I made the mistake of talking with different purveyors. When mine won out, he said he’d get a vehicle
for all 14 of us. A radio conversation
ensued. I could not understand the
dispatcher, but could tell from her tone that a 14-passenger vehicle was not in
the cards. We got two vans at an
established price. The one I was in had
a cranky driver that did not like that established price, but he was
outnumbered. When I tipped him, he was
unhappy with the amount. Since I’m a
softie, I doubled it to send him on his dyspeptic way.
We got
settled in quickly, with the Hotelier crew in one condo and the rest of us in
another. We did some shopping and established “the book”, in which #1 kept a
tab of shared expenses that would allow us to square things at the end of the
trip. #1 comes from a long line of accountants and expertly kept the “book of 2”
and “book of 3”, the former just for our condo.
I’d like to tell the Hotelier right here and now that a check for $100
is in the mail to him. I hope he buys
that.
Our first
dinner was at Gaby’s in the downtown area. We dined al fresco, with the
Cadillac margaritas flowing freely. This
was not your crappola margarita comprised of slush and a half shot of
tequila. These were the real deal, and
the food was good to boot. If my blog notes are correct, which is a big if, we
paid $450 for 16 people, which included two drinks for most. The dollar goes far down there.
Other
events included a PV tour with Juan Manuel and a cooking class with Rosie. Rosie took us through the markets and then
off to her house to make chips, salsas, tamales and chicken mole. We all loved it and chowed down
heartily. We highly recommend it.
We ate out
most nights, but generally had a cocktail hour at home. We had a big margarita night with me in
charge. My recipe is what you would call
fuerte. These were made with Controy vs.
Cointreau but that did not make much of a difference. We were joined by the G and L Fun Club that
night as well as our Gaby’s dinner before they had to head back to the states.
The six
remaining superannuated adults had a fine meal at La Leche on a subsequent
evening. We threw the kids a few pesos
and told them to fend for themselves. La
Leche was a major treat, a foodie worthy joint just a few blocks from our
condos. The wait staff and food were fabulous
and we had a chance to meet the chef.
The
crew enjoyed a Christmas brunch and dinner at our place. My wife and daughter did a bang up job on the
brunch and #1 knocked out dinner with a minor assist from me. We let the kids
do clean up. There was no tree but
several handmade paper ornaments a couple piñatas, which remained intact. Hopefully the cleaning ladies can pass them
off to their kids.
Our
last meal was at Joe Jack’s Fish Shack.
Since we are knuckleheads, we went down there with 14 people without a reservation,
but they accommodated us all. We had one
main table with a couple satellites for the young lovers. SB1 got a few
recommendations for primo tequila, along with a couple samples, from our
waiter. The boy later got four different
bottles for a buddy. He managed to get
back to DC with all unscathed. This meal was quite good as well. The wife and I had been there during our 2012
trip so that is what we were expecting.
All
good things must end so we headed to the aeropuerto Tuesday. The trip home was much smoother than the
journey there. Now it is back to work
for many of us, but we’ll tuck this one in the memory bank as one of our best
adventures.
Feliz
Año Nuevo
posted by DJ @ 8:55 AM
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