Mexico - But Avocado Is A Good Fat

When asked where I’ve traveled, I’m always a little embarrassed that Mexico does not appear on the list. How could I have never been to Mexico? It’s so close!

Traveling across the country in a car with my dog (I don’t have a dog), and dropping below the Texas border into Mexico on whim is how I always imagined I’d get to Mexico…but this never happened.

What did happen was my boyfriend’s parents gave us (me, the boy, his brother and his wife) their time share!!! When someone gives you a vacation, you take it! (Thanks H. and E.)

We went to Acapulco, Mexico – glamorous beach town of the Hollywood jetset in the 50's; large resort city for tourists and locals today. It's that place in Mexico you win trips to if you play The Price Is Right. So many unfulfilled dreams!

Don't judge. Everyone does it, including the locals. We went to Walmart to stock up on groceries for the week since we had a kitchen in our room. Produce was so cheap. And a stack of 50 or so tortillas was 50 cents. That's just pennies apiece, if you're counting!

Walmart has a huge, self-serve pastry section where you walk around the aisles of sweets (yep, aisles!) with tongs and a tray, grabbing everything you want. The boy found me all giddy-like in the aisles and proceeded to put some of the pastries on my platter back on the shelves. I pleaded that it was unsanitary and against the rules (there are no rules). I'd buy a lot more pastries at home if I didn't have to ask someone behind a counter to get what I wanted. Maybe it's better we keep the system we have of keeping pastries behind glass.Our first meal out was at a corner taqueria in Zocalo, the central, older section of Acapulco. My vegetarian tacos where a pile of cheese studded with mushrooms, peppers, tomatoes, corn, and jicama. The open air venue with views out to the busy and noisy street was the best part.

I'm particularly fond of the complimentary bowls of spicy pickled vegetables many restaurants set down on the table along with the various salsas and condiments.

The boy loves ceviche (Peruvian ceviche with its strong lime flavors, to be exact), and gave the ceviche in Acapulco a couple of tries. The ceviche in Acapulco is a tomato-based, gazpacho-like ceviche. Great in hot weather.

Wanna know where all the VW Bugs have gone? They're in Mexico serving out the rest of their long lives as taxis. Five people crammed in a taxi is fun! There are larger taxis, too. There are actually tons of taxis. Do not fear; you will never be stranded anywhere in Mexico.There are also a ton of independently run buses painted, decorated, and lit-up per the driver's fancy (cartoon characters and neon lights are popular) that will also take you places. Our taxi adventures ranged from $25 (airport rip-off and shortest trip we took) to $10 (toe-curling, speeding taxi). The bus cost us 45 cents per person and took us on our longest ride of the vacation out to Pie de La Cuesta.Pie de la Cuesta is a small, uncrowded beach town just outside of Acapulco, bordered by the ocean on one side of the street and a lake on the other side of the street. Pie de la Cuesta has no high-rise resorts – only tiny hotels and bungalows. If I were to return for vacation to the Acapulco area, I'd stay in Pie de la Cuesta.

The sun also sets over the ocean at Pie de la Cuesta (the Acapulco bay does not face west). Above is our Mexican spread eaten on the beach at sunset in Pie de la Cuesta.

See the dish in the lower left corner? Those are sopes – a round, thick, fried dough topped with refried beans and cheese. They remind me of little Mexican pizzas. I've never had them before, and they turned out to be one of my favorite foods of the trip!

And, really, how could I not order that drink to enjoy the sunset?

I really wanted to take home this beach dog! He's the perfect size for me. And he looks like Maisy Mouse!

Lots of homeless dogs in Mexico! But they're so well behaved and so much wiser than American dogs. No begging whatsoever. They can navigate traffic, and interact with the world peacefully. I just imagine letting a psycho, hyperactive, pampered American dog loose in Mexico and watching the Mexican dogs laugh on the inside and calmly walk away from the immaturity.

Another Mexican spread. Vegetarian options at most places serving Mexican food mean cheese – cheese tacos, cheese enchiladas, cheese quesadillas, chile rellenos stuffed with cheese, bean and cheese sopes, etc. Mexican food also means fried. All good and delicious, but not every day! The fruit for breakfast did not negate the unhealthy diet I ate this past week. There's a reason why the Mexican diet is not on the list cultural diets proven to boost longevity and health.

Just like many trips abroad where cheese must be relied on to sustain my vegetarian diet, I'm calling a moratorium on cheese consumption. For a few days, at least!

Nice vacation. Nice to be back.