At the end of 2017, after more than three years trying to get divorced, I became a single woman. A divorcee ( very Liz Taylor sounding, isn’t it?). It was a long, painful process. Knowing that the day was coming up, that my life was changing permanently, I decided to give myself the gift of time and travel. I started the year right! I planned to be away from home for the better part of the winter months: in the past January and February had proven to be rough months for me living alone. So I put together an itinerary that had business, recreation and family visits. Yippee!
The bookends of my tour were Social Media Conferences, one in New York and one in San Diego. In between, I would celebrate my birthday and my son’s birthday, I would attend a knitting convention and I would visit with other family members and my other two children. I added some leisure, with the challenge that I had to try new things along the way. some of my travels have been on my own and some with friends. And it’s not over yet. I still have a couple of weeks left of my amazing journey. It has been a blast. Here are some of the highlights below.
Sea Kayaking in Puerta Vallarta. We did it! It’s a little hard on your back but still fun. It was the most beautiful day and the water was cool and the air was warm and I loved it. This island is so pristine that we didn’t even dock the boat there: we just entered the water from the rear of the boat. Lots of people snorkeled, some did scuba, but we decided to stay above water if we could manage that!
I have wanted to try paddleboarding for a while, but I was not prepared to squeeze my big self into a wetsuit in front of all the young people on the boat that day, so I opted to stay on my knees: the water was pretty chilly. Still, I can say I have done that and I liked it and would try it again for sure. It is not easy!
Tom and Don Tootle were too chicken to let their horses gallop, but I did it. Probably not doing it again, though. I don’t think my bladder could take it. I think all three of us were proud of ourselves for riding and we were ready for a cerveza when it was over. It was beautiful at the top of the canyon. Very rocky terrain so it was extra brave of us to make the five-mile ride, don’t you think.
I never thought I would like taking a hot air balloon ride but I did. It is so serene with just the sound of the fire. It gave us the opportunity to get the lay of the land in San Miguel and to see the surrounding areas.
Probably my favorite activity that we did was to learn to make tamales with Marilau at her traditional cooking school. We learned about the flour that is only found in Mexico that she buys at the Grinder (not the dating app). It has a very soft texture, not at all like the corn flour that we use in the states. And, we made a couple of salsas that were mouth watering and added a side dish of poblanos. So fun. I think I might try it when I get home. We grilled onions and tomatillos for a verde salsa. As Marilau says, “Mexican’s do not dip, they spoon.”
I made this tamale my self. Love the traditional plate. I stopped at htree but honestly, I think I could have doubled that, they were so fresh and good.
No matter which direction you turn, you will see a church in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. It keeps me from getting lost: I don’t have to look at a map, I just have to look up and get myself back to La Parroquia.
There are so many topiary gardens around SMA. Even full-size trees are manicured to within an inch of their lives. Really beautiful. This one is on the grounds of a hotel.
It’s time to move on to the next leg of my adventure so I will keep you posted.
