The Brown Klan

MEXICO 2008

Saturday, June 28th

A dream comes true & we are going back to Mexico. We got up at 3 AM & were to Lujan's by 4 where Larry & Mahlon awaited to take all 11 of us, Roy, Joy, Brady, Troy, Reggie, Melynda, Sky, Paco, Javi, Don & me to the airport. Joy had made green tie dye shirts and we all wore them, How fun. We got to the airport at 5 and left at 6 so not a lot of time, no time to eat as we left on time & only had 30 min to change in LA but since we knew that we took food to keep us from starving. The changing planes all went well & we were on our way to Mexico. We arrived in Puerto Vallarta on time and got a taxi, two in fact and came to the town of Bucerias, a quiet country town about 30-45 min from the airport. Our Villa is absolutely beautiful, all that the web & pictures said it would be. The kids were in the swimming pool in nothing flat & having SO much fun. We were just getting settled in when Paco fell off the back side of the swimming pool, 8-9 feet. He cut his chin & got a very black & blue eye bruise on his thigh. Joy got to him first as Roy & Javi were in the pool. I took Javi & we stayed out of the way & the First Aid began. Joy had brought the Melaluca First Aid kit & they were able to bandage his chin, had of we been home stitches would have been done. After he was taken care of he & Granddad took a nap with ice on his eye, don't think Granddad actually napped but was watching Paco. We are SO thankful that he didn't land on the back of his head, it could have been so much worse & we are praising God for sparing his little life. After that ordeal we were all starved, we put Paco in the stroller as his leg hurt too bad to walk, Javi in the backpack & found a very good meal for 70 pesos for the 11 of us. Eventually we all were in bed after a very long, busy & eventful day.

Sunday, June 29th

We got up to a beautiful day & about 11 we went to Sweet Things to eat. We all had the special, bacon, eggs, hash browns & pancakes. It was very good, a little place ran by a Canadian family who has been in Mexico for 7 years. We came back to the Villa & about 2 Joy & I rode the bus to the Wal-Mart in P.V. It took about 30 minutes to get there & cost 10 pesos each. We found groceries to be higher and everything costing more just as in the US. When we got back to the Villa some were reading & some were sleeping. Later we went to find some place to eat that we could afford. We found a place definitely for tourists but very affordable, we ate for 92 pesos, on the way back we walked by the ocean. We could see the ocean where we ate & watched the kids on boogie boards. Eventually everyone was wet, I only got my feet wet, but the kids & Roy went swimming & had a great time. The little boys had a lot of fun to & were soaked as well. Since we missed church this morning, Don had church tonight & at the close he had each one of us tell something we appreciated about the person on our left. It proved to be a very meaningful service for our family.

Monday, June 30th

We got up & had coffee, yogurt, cereal, avocado on toast, is a real treat. We all caught a bus to PV, this trip was a learning experience J The big boys did their thing & the rest of us ate lunch for 5.50 pesos each, soup, main dish special, custard & drink refills, most of the places, you didn't get refills. After lunch Don, Joy & the little boys caught a bus back to our Villa. I went with the girls & Roy, we went to several places we were at 3 years ago. It was ever so hot. We had a Starbucks before we met the boys on the Malecon. We walked forever before we caught a bus back to our Villa so we wouldn't have to change buses & be charged another 10 pesos. The traffic was awful & it took us an hour & 20 minutes to get to our Villa. Don & the little boys were in the pool & we are all starved as its past dinner time. We went to the same place we did last night, their special for Monday night is all the Shrimp & Fish you can eat for 170 pesos, all the guys but Troy had that, again some of us split, another good meal. It was dark & late when we got back to the Villa. All of us were tired after another busy day & so much walking. I walked a blister on my right foot.

Tuesday, July 1st

Well, today I'm officially retired-no more checks from Flahiff Funeral Chapel, no more Blue Cross & no more wondering how busy I will be on Monday mornings. It's a very strange feeling to have so many Saturdays.

Roy made us coffee, wow what a life. Don & Roy walked after cinnamon rolls to the place called Sweet Things, where we ate the first day, very, very good & compare to US prices so were spendy. We all got ready for a fun time at the ocean. We are about 2 blocks away and can hear the ocean from our Villa. Everyone had fun, the Villa has beach umbrellas, chairs, towels & what we need for a fun time in the sand. After a while Don & I brought Javi back to the Villa for lunch a nap. When they got back Joy & I walked to the town of Bucerias, about 6-10 blocks from our Villa & after we scouted it out, with the family we went back for dinner. She gave each kid our allowance for dinner & if anyone wanted more then the pesos given, they could pay the difference. They got to really experience Mexico. The four of us & the little boys ate a Pizza place, the Pizza was good but the limeade was watered down. We met up with the kids later & they had fun eating what they wanted. We all had ice cream & it seemed like a long walk back to our Villa. Again, everyone was tired.

Wednesday, July 2nd

Roy made our coffee again about 7:30, we were up & around. I helped Roy with breakfast of mango, papaya & avocado on toast, juice was available too. Don, Roy & Joy went & got our rental Suburban, it looks just like the Lujans except its blue. Its big enough for all of us, just because there is no seat belt or car seat laws. Don & I held Javi in the front & Paco was some where behind. When they got back we ate breakfast, then we loaded up & went up the coast to a nice, very nice beach that the rental guy told us about. The kids had so much fun. Reggie dug a hole about 8-10 inches deep & 2x3 feet. My, little Javi had fun in that hole, he thought it was "his" hole & he was entertained for a long time. We got back to the Villa & the guys went to Meson Bay for all you could eat meat dinner. They said it was really good, the rest of us went to the El Centro where we had gone the night before & had Tacos on the street. The big boys went surfing & said there were waves 14-16 feet high. They had a good time. After another busy day, everyone is tired & in the AM we are going to the Jungle.

Thursday, July 3rd

We got up early & got around to go to the Jungle. The place where we rented the car gave us directions to get there & off we went. We went back toward PV but turned off the main road before we got to PV. We went by a few little towns then we wound up hill all the way to San Sebastian, a mining town that used to have 4,000 people in it, now there are only 600. We stopped at a coffee plantation & we all tried & bought some coffee. We later learned it was a very good price & wished we had bought more. The lady there, Rosa, told us where to eat lunch. We had an authentic lunch for 350 pesos for all of us! It was very good & almost everything is served with rice & beans, so something for little Javi to eat. We looked at the church, amazing how beautiful the churches are with such primitive ways to build them. All the streets were stone & cement walls of rocks, buildings of stone & adobe, which they still use today. It was a quaint town that just went on & on, with little rock pathways going off the main street to more little houses, all connected together. We drove on up to the mines, it was a one lane dirt road with no way to meet another car, finally the road stopped & everyone but little Javi & I walked to the mines. They were gone about an hour, it was oh so quiet, green & a little brook that I could hear. To be honest I was glad to see them & decided that I am not the most brave soul that I thought I was!! I was glad to see them return & we started back home. We had seen a lot of plants growing on the hillside, in neat well maintained rows. We had wondered what they were, they resembled a big alvera plant. We had stopped at a Tequila Factory, still on our way up to San Sebastian & he told us to stop on our way back for a tour, as he had a tour bus that had just arrived. We stopped on our way back, clean bathrooms, for 5 pesos, J, & had our tour, to learn that the plants were Aguava plants to make Tequila. It takes 8 years for the plant to mature then it is harvested, it's a large pineapple, looking plant, cooked then the pulp is put into a vat, made from a carved out tree, then a guy smashes the pulp stuff to a thick pulpy mixture then put in big barrels to ferment, then ran through the still until ready for bottling.

We came back to Las Palmas, a town that we had rode the bus to when we were here 3 years ago. It looked the same, we found the place we ate lunch at, the funeral chapel looked just the same. We came on back to Bucerias & ate at a Pollo (chicken) place near our Villa. The boys loved it, to be honest I have eaten better chicken. J Don, Javi & I came back to the Villa, the rest went for ice cream. Don & Javi got in the pool, then I took Javi upstairs for bed. Roy, Joy & the big boys went surfing. Joy said it wasn't fun to her, waves way too high. Pretty soon everyone was home & in bed by 10:30. It was the end of another wonderful day.

Friday, July 4th

We are on the down side of our vacation. Roy made us coffee, some after 7. I have the wash going, nice washing facility here in the garage, Don is on his 2nd big book, think he & Reggie could be doing a reading contest. J After lunch the big boys went to PV on the bus, Joy & Roy took a drive up the coast, Don & Paco took a nap, Javi had his nap so the girls, Javi & I walked to Bucerias to look & shop. The girls doing some shopping, that Melynda is quite the little bargainer & the girls got some nice gifts. We had ice cream & it was ever SO hot. When we got back we were all on the patio, Javi had been in the little outside shower cooling off & playing when something hit the cement right by us. I thought it was a coconut but instead it was an iguana. Boy, did the girls scream & Paco got way back, it was about 2 feet long, we watched it go in the bushes in our yard, then Don saw a smaller one go across our drive way. What fun, then Don took the girls & Paco to the beach, about 2 blocks away, Javi & I took a much needed nap. When everyone was home we went to Bucerias to eat. When they were back from the beach & Roy & Joy were home we went to Bucerias for dinner, we had the best dinner we've had at Durango's, according to Don & me. We had the Mexican plate, Joy & I split, the girls split the same thing, Roy got a Shrimp Cocktail & he said it was very good & the Limonada wasn't watered down! What a great meal. When we got back to the house the boys had been home as there were 3 big sombreros on the couch. They had gone to eat, they were to have been home from PV by 10 & we were glad they were home early. They had a great time & showed us their purchases. This is still July 4th & at bedtime God showed us some real fireworks. We had a lightening storm like the Midwest. Joy came down to check on Paco & he decided to go to their room, he has NEVER liked thunder. It was the end of another wonderful day.

Saturday, July 5th

We have been gone a week. The time has gone by fast, today Don's Daddy would be 100 years old. After a real storm last night it looks like it will be a beautiful day. We ate breakfast at the Villa & were out the door by 10. We went to Costco & ate lunch after shopping. This is a brand new store opening in March of this year. When we mention the places we have been that are in the US, it is NOT the same, in name only, although we had hot dogs & drink, they were 190 pesos ($1.90), $1.50 at home. From there we went to Mismaloya, a little town with a nice beach where there are snorkeling boats, strange thing, Brady recognized a gal from Bucerias that they had bought things from. She sells at Mismaloya in the AM, Bucerias at night. Anyhow her brother runs some boats so we got teamed up with him. Our boat guy was young & very good, especially with Paco. Little Javi wanted in the water too, he had fun & the fish were beautiful. He fed them bread so they came to the top - Paco helped with the feeding, too. I got a little queasy sitting in the boat jostling around & Don got more so from the boat fumes. He slept all the way back to the Villa & was feeling good enough to eat. J We ate at taco stands in Bucerias & came home to our Villa to get ready for a big day tomorrow.

Sunday, July 6th

I'm up early to take my Fasamax & get the wash going. Roy has made coffee again for us, they have the grinder in their kitchen. We are headed to PV for breakfast at a hotel that has a good special that we can afford J Breakfast was really good, a Mexican one, I had some kind of fried tortillas, little bite size that reminded me of hash browns, scrambled eggs, coffee & fresh squeezed orange juice, very good. Church is at 10, bilingual, at the big Catholic Church, Our Lady of Guadalupe, for whatever reason, I couldn't hear as well as last time, the organ music was beautiful. After church we all went different ways to look or shop, or both. We met back up at 1 for lunch. Troy got a good deal on a nice guitar & Brady got a harmonica. After lunch we went different ways again, I got a few gifts. It started to rain & OH MY did it rain, the streets are so narrow & everything is built on a hill, I bet the water was 2 ft deep that we forged in PV, we got our selves back to Bucerias where it hardly rained at all. We ate at a good Taco place where we could go in & sit down & there we got rice & beans with our Tacos. We got back to the Villa & everyone was tired after such a busy day.

Monday, July 7th

We woke up to a down pour this AM that changed our plans or at least some of them. Today is our niece, Kandae's birthday. She is 4 months older then Larry, we blinked our eyes & these kids grew up. Don, Roy & Javi took Joy & me to PV to do some fun things. They let us out & they wanted to check out Home Depot to see how the prices compare with ID, they found things to be extremely high, Don does not know how those people live there. Roy took Don & Javi back to the Villa for lunch & a nap, Roy picked up the kids & came to PV to get Joy & me so we could all finish up our last day of shopping. It rained all day, some of the time very hard. We waded the streets in ankle deep water, we ate pizza in the car before we started our shopping. We got back to the Villa about 7:30 to get Don & little Javi for dinner. We were all nearly starved & went into Bucerias to eat. The place we were going to eat at was closed so we found another one that proved to have really good food & the waiter was great, they had birds there & he got 2 birds that would sit on your finger, the kids thought that was great. It was a fun last night in Mexico. The rain had stopped about dinner time so that was nice. We got back to the Villa & Paco went to sleep in Dons arms watching TV, he was more then worn out after his busy, busy day.

Tuesday, July 8th

10 days are gone & its time to pack our stuff, Roy & Joy shipped a little home but we got all ours in bags, not over 50 lbs & we didn't have to pay the 15 bucks a bag that we thought we would have to pay. We left for the airport & stopped at a Taco place where we could go "in" & sit down, there we had lamb Tacos & they were very good. We all had a touch of the Montezuma Revenge so on the entire trip, where ever we went Imodium & TP was among the necessities. J Maybe Sky was the only one who escaped, Brady said she didn't eat enough of anything to make a problem. We got to the airport, Don & Roy took the rental car back while we waited in line an hour & a half to get checked in. We again all had our green shirts on which proved to be very helpful more then once, but as we were checked through, somehow, Reggie didn't get a ticket, so Roy & Reggie rushed back to the gal who issued our tickets, she remembered the green shirts, whipped out a ticket & they were back in nothing flat, a very good thing as the plane left a half hour early, I guess in Mexico you can do anything!! We, all got on, seated, they closed the door & we left. I've had a wonderful 10 days & Don enjoyed this trip more then the last time we were here. A vacation is a vacation & now its time to go home & get back to work. What does that mean to a retired gal, I will find out. J

The plane was late leaving Phoenix but when we got to Boise there was Larry & Mahlon waiting at the inside gate for us. They looked happy to see us & for sure we were happy to see them. I'm reminded again & again of how blessed Don & I are to have such a wonderful family.