Cold oatmeal with pecans, sun flower seeds, amaranth, banana, apple, raisins and cinnamon. Avena Susy. That is what sat before me looking so delectable and healthy last Sunday morning at a fun little eatery called 100% Natural in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. And yet all I could do was stare at it. I was in the evil clutches of food poisoning. I was hungry, nauseous, sweaty and had the worst stomach and intestinal cramps of my life. Whats worse was that nothing was moving, if you get my drift. I'd spend some quality time with the toilet without making any sort of real conversation. It was awful. I was rescued by a friend who had charcoal and laxatives. Thanks Mindy! If I'm ever at 100% Natural again, I'll order the same thing, and will actually be able to eat it.
That was the only real bad experience that I had while out of the country. The resort we stayed at was called Hotel Friendly. It did indeed live up to its name. The staff was always hard at work. I was amazed by and full of appreciation for them. Every shift, there were people cleaning (!). The lobby and common area floor was constantly swept, mopped, buffed, ect. The staff who cleaned the rooms went as far as to move furniture to clean underneath and left flowers on the bed. It was so nice to feel clean. It's important you know.
The city itself is nestled in and below mountains that roll into the ocean. Temperature wise it is still summer down there, which made me incredibly grateful for the wind. It was humid, but not the unbearably stuffy kind that I know. The sun is just brutally hot until it sets over the ocean. I witnessed most of the sunsets from my spot in the Infinity Pool, drink in hand. So rad. I felt like a queen.
We went on an all day excursion to Marietta Island, which is about an hour off the mainland. The island itself is a safe haven for birds and wildlife, and protected by the government. There are man made caves all over the island from military exercises many years ago. The water was too high to explore them the day we went. Major bummer. We did snorkel though, and that was probably the coolest thing I've ever gotten to do at a Feast. We were free to explore this huge, yet microscopic space of the planet. The water was so clear and unpolluted. I saw straight to the bottom. Sea grass and rocks and creatures everywhere. I swam through giant rock formations and schools of brightly colored fish that were swimming works of art. I held a sea urchin. I chickened out when it came time to hold an octopus though. I felt like it would suck my fingers off or try to eat my hand. No thank you. Much love to the octopi population though.
After snorkeling we were boated to a private beach. I would have liked to just stay there. Build a hut. Live off the land for the rest of my life. Eat some cactus. I was surrounded by my favorite color. Every shade of aqua imaginable. Splishing and splashing. We crawled into a very small cave, talked with some crabs. They were quite happy with their lives.
Other days we spent time exploring the downtown as well. Parts of the city are lovely. Cool architecture, street art, old buildings, a rickety old wooden bridge. I got to haggle my way to a really lovely purse, similar to one that my Dana-cakes got me in Guatemala. Never pay what they ask for in Mexican markets. They usually tell you double what its worth. Start really low, but don't be stingy. You're still paying less than you would in the states. These people have very little in comparison to the luxury we live in.
The zoo in PV is worth every peso. You buy bags of food, and can feed 90% of the animals they have there. I fed an ostrich. This is a big deal. Now I want to ride one.
I plan on making a different post about the spiritual lessons I learned while at the Feast. In closing however, I can't even comprehend how blessed I am, through no doing of my own. I work hard, God works harder. He chooses to bless me, and to forget that, would surely mean calamity.
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