Take me away..

La Manzanilla, Mexico

Or you could call it paradise.

I miss Mexico, so very much. And not the 5-star resort, unnaturally blue chlorine filled swimming pools, white linen towels, servers hand-delivering you faux margaritas, views of the Pacific Ocean from a hotel balcony Mexico. No, that is not real Mexico. I mean a small town, better yet village, deeply hidden in the deserted country side, hundreds of miles away from any sort of city. Where there are more Spanish families working hard for a dollar than tourists. I spent two weeks in La Manzanilla in April, and it was all of those things. It was fabulous.

As cliche as it sounds, it really is escaping reality.  Everything is so different and fresh, and not in a luxurious way. I loved that I had no cell-phone, no laptop, no way of really communicating with peers and family back home. Well, I may have not loved it at first, but hey, it takes a while to wind-down when you go on vacation.

I learned new things about a culture I had only read and heard about by word of mouth. I met people my age that were born and raised in the village, and they had a completely different outlook on life than I could ever imagine having. Here I was, escaping from my life in San Francisco, telling them about how stressful life in the city and working full-time can be.. And here they were, staring at me, hanging on my every word. So completely envious of my life and craving a full-time job. I wish these people were still in my life.

I also met a guy.. A man, really. A hard working server at the fanciest restaurant the village had to offer, and extremely good looking. I'm not one for Spanish men, so that's saying something. Dealing with the recent ending of a year and a half relationship, he reminded me what it feels like to  have those butterflies in your stomach, to have fun. His restaurant was right on the beach, and I would sneak off down by the water to catch his eye, clearly prompting him to be equally as sneaky and come steal a kiss. It was totally a movie fairy-tale.

That little romance ended when I found out he was married, and had two children. He was only 24, how was I to know? At least the memory will be there to look back on.. and smile about.

Moral of the story, I am in desperate need of another vacation. I want to escape from my reality, only to enter a whole new world with all new people in it.

And probably to make-out with a total stranger on the beach again; feet in the water, hands in the hair.