Flying High in the Sky

After a particularly hectic first night, the rest of our vacation went swimmingly.

The food was incredibly delicious and fresh in Zihuatanejo.  The first night, almost everything was closed and we had no clue where we were.  After walking up and down the streets by our condo we stumbled across a cute, candlelit restaurant.  I had the best Caesar salad ever and it was about three dollars.  The piña coladas were delicious, the ice cream was to die for and everything was crazily inexpensive.  It was great.

I was way over-motivated to go running the first few days.  I am way out of shape and practically melted from the humidity and heat so I gave up on that after two runs.  I did enjoy the two I went on though and I did a lot of walking and swimming so same-same (means I basically ran everyday).  The hills were also insane in the area that we were staying in.  They were steep and super-duper long.

One of the hills by our condo. 
Photo Couretsy of: Clarita

The locals in this town were so friendly.  Many of them engaged in conversation with us and would practice their English while we practiced our Spanish.  This one man walked out from the beach as we were turning down this road.  He wasn't wearing any shoes or a shirt and was carrying a fish in his hands as he talked to my sister.  

Each day, my family would walk down the stairs and be on the beach.  We would hang out here all day.  Relaxing in the sun was amazing!  I haven't felt the warm rays of the sun on my skin for months.  We were situated on Zihuatanejo Bay.  This means that there were only little baby waves and the water was extremely warm and clear.

Throughout the week, we went to different beaches along the bay.  Our condo was on La Madera beach, definitely the least touristy and crowded.  The second day we went to Playa Ropa.  This beach was over a very steep hill and a fifteen minute walk from La Madera.  Playa Ropa was large, crowded, and a lot of fun.  This beach is bustling with restaurants, locals, tourists, and a bunch of activities.  A couple days later we ventured to Playa Ropa again and went parasailing.  How cool is that?  Being in the sky, getting pulled by a little boat, and seeing the whole bay was so amazing.

Suiting up

Almost there

Take off

Wahoo! In the air, flying like a bird!  All Photos Courtesy of: Mi madre

On Christmas we took a boat to Las Gatas.  This beach is full of palapa restaurants and has the clearest water.  The waves lap right up against your lounge chair.  The day after this, we went to Ixtapa Island.  Our little taxi boat, just for us, took about an hour to get there.  We tried to fish, had conversations in Spanish with the driver, sat on top of the boat, and had a great time.  In fact, our driver kept asking my sister and I if we had boyfriends, I think he was trying to set us up with his son...  Ixtapa Island was similar to Las Gatas, but the water was much deeper and we could walk to the other side of the island and go snorkeling!

Going to Ixtapa Island.  Photo Courtesy of: Mi madre

There was also this crazy fair going on in the town center.  Every night locals would flock to the basketball court (the center of the town) and listen to this guy sing and do these activities.  There were vendors selling horchata and people selling handmade jewelry.  Every night, for the eight nights we were there, this went on.  They sure know how to party!

As the days went by, it was sad to imagine that we would eventually have to return to the cold mountains of Park City.  I had so much fun eating good food (we went to this amazing Italian restaurant twice), walking everywhere, shopping and getting things for fifty cents, and reading in the hammock for hours.  I read three books while I was there, talk about having free-time!

We experienced a small stroke of serendipity (my favorite word) on our last day in Zihua.  Our friends from California were staying in Ixtapa (the town ten minutes away).  It happened that one of my family members was really sick, so we left him at the condo and taxied over to their hotel.  In Zihua there are not many big hotels, so this was quite different.  The private beach was stunning, with lounge chairs for everyone, crystal-clear water, big waves, and amazing views from the pool.  We all spent hours bobbing up and down in the water catching up.  It was so much fun, all seven kids got along and had a blast.  We even ended up going to dinner with them that night.

This vacation was honestly so amazing.  The views of the bay from almost every building were extraordinary and life was so calm and simple. There are few things better than relaxing by a quiet pool for hours each day and hearing the waves crash as you are trying to fall asleep.  And on top of that, we got to see our friends we hadn't seen in almost a year.

How great is life?

Ciao

Camille

Christmas dinner at La Casa Que Canta.  Photo Courtesy of: our waiter

Me and Clarita.  Photo Courtesy of: Mi madre

Look at those fancy piña coladas on Ixtapa Island!  Yum!! Photo Courtesy of: Mi madre