Punta Mita, Mexico

Unfortunately our trip coincided with spring break, so many areas were ridiculous. When we arrived there were a million people all trying to get through customs and there was no organization to anything, we were just herded into a giant room. I guess there was a mix-up due to the time change that occured during the night, so Mexico wasn't expecting some flights so early. Or so they said.

After two hours standing around we finally made it on our way. I was very impressed with our tour company who had buses with flowers and cool scented towels to cool ourselves off and freshen up a bit. I thought that was such a nice touch. The bus ride to Punta Mita was a little long (probably about 45 minutes), but after we arrived I would not have wanted to be anywhere else in the world. They had more fresh towels and juice in the lobby and even little gift packages for the kids with toy dolls and treats. Beyond the welcome, the resort was absoloutely breathtaking. Four Seasons owns about 18 miles (if my memory serves) of coastline on the peninsula of the Bay of Banderas near Puerto Vallarta. The grounds are pristine to say the least. They have falcons to keep the seagulls away, and iguanas to keep the bugs down. Every room has some kind of amazing view, and the resort is made of of many different smaller buildings surrounded by beautiful gardens and sculptures. There are golf carts buzzing around to take you anywhere you want to go, so you don't even have to walk if you don't want to. It is the definition of paradise. I have never in my life, been to a resort so incredible. Our room was huge and it had a huge patio with two lounge chairs and a table and chairs which was tucked behind tropical foliage that screened us from the 90 degree lazy river that surrounded our building (the oasis bldg.). The devil is in the details and they mastered every detail. There was probably over a hundred dollars worth of L'Occitane (french) soaps, lotions, bath fizzies, and after sun ointment in the bathroom. I heard they even stocked rooms for the children with tiny bathrobes and slippers. Seriously amazing! Unlike many high end resorts who discourage children, they totally embrace them! They had a kids for all seasons club, with activities going all day, the restaurants had special buffets designed just for kids and little boat seating areas. Our kids would have loved it. The pools were so warm and beautiful. They just melted into the ocean.

The only bad thing I could say about it was that the food was VERY expensive, but I guess considering the surroundings it was to be expected. The breakfast buffet was seriously $50 a person. Chris and I shared a salad with grilled fish for lunch with two diet cokes and that was also $50.

After a quick dip in the lazy river we got ready for the welcome reception down by the pool. And like everything else it was just gorgeous. There's an area they have set up between the beaches on the penninsula overlooking the ocean that is just breathtaking. They had a Mariachi band, japanese lanterns strung around and torches. And the food was unbelievable, seriously all you could eat grilled lobster tail, and desserts to die for. What a way to set the tone for Mexico! The staff even provided shawls during dinner for the evening breeze! We got to sit with the CEO and his wife for dinner, so it was fun to get to know them a little better. Then after dinner we got in our bathing suits to hit the hot tub. We went to the main pool by the beach and talked to a few of the other agents and their wives, but we didn't want to stay out too late since we had an early tour in the morning.

The second day we went to swim with the dolphins. I was totally unsure of what to expect, and thought I would be a little nervous swimming around such powerful creatures (especially after the killer whale incident at Seaworld). But I didn't get scared a bit, the dolphins are so gentle and obedient. The trainer even said that they stopped doing one trick with the dolphins and participants because it required a lot of strength for a person to accomplish it and if they couldn't do it the dolphins felt so badly for they person that it made them feel like they had failed. I thought that just really showed what sensitive animals they are. They felt so rubbery I was surprised, I just expected them to feel slimy like a fish, but they don't at all. We got to pet them, ride on their back, on their tummy, and then two of them would come up and give you a "kiss" on each cheek. It was really such an awesome experience, and easy to see how people can come to love those animals so much. We got some guacamole, salsa, and chips there that were to die for. I usually hate fresh salsa, but it was sooo good. It had alot of lime and cucumber in it, where usually fresh salsa is way to oniony for me.

We went back to the resort and decided to hang out at the beach and soak in some sun. The first day was kinda cloudy, so It was great to have a nice sunny day. We found some lounge chairs on the upper beach and considered going on one of the resorts complimentary sailing lessons, but our fish salad we had just ordered was taking too long, so we ended up staying. I was so glad that we didn't go. Because we could see the group that was leaving on boats and all of the sudden we heard screaming. Not oh crap screaming, but

blood curdling screams of terror. One boat was

trying to tow another off the beach and a big wave came up and capsized it about 20-30 ft. from shore. It had about 20 people in it 4 of which were children, and no-one was wearing life jackets. We were close by so Chris went running to go help (since he was a lifeguard and competitive swimmer). He actually ended up saving a young girl whose mother could not keep her daughter and herself afloat to save her daughter. I'm getting all emotional remembering it all. It was sooo scary. I was just standing on the beach watching as they got everyone up on the beach just praying that they managed to get everyone out from under the boat. One little boy was just in total shock. They helped him up on the beach and he walked for a few feet and then just collapsed on the beach sobbing. Oh my gosh it was so hard to watch. Just thinking about how I would feel as a mother. And to think that we were so close to actually having been on the boat. I was so proud of Chris for helping that little girl. It was really cute afterward they had a chance to get everyone calmed down the little girl and her mother came over to thank Chris, It just made me so proud of him. I mean there were tons of people there to help, and someone would have gotten her if Chris didn't but It was so cool to know he was there to help her when she needed it. Definitely will be a memory I will never forget. I can still remember those screams, that kind of terror just gets seared into your brain for good.

Another highlight of the trip was doing the zip lines through the jungle. It was such a blast. The guides were so helpful and professional, you didn't feel scared at all. Although they thought it was hilarious to dunk the girls in the river on rapelling descents. It is definitely a view of the jungle that can be achieved in no other way. We actually rode mules up to the top of the mountain, and then took the zip lines down. It was way fun.

After the company part of the trip, we decided to rent out a few rooms in a bed and breakfast in Boca de Tomatlan. It was farther from the touristy area of Puerto Vallarta, a much more authentic experience. Although "authentic" also means less shielded from the realities of life for many families in Mexico. Not far from our B&B there were trails leading into the jungle where families lived in home with bare dirt floors, with no indoor plumbing. Our hostess was so great, she has done so much to improve the lives of those in this little village, and offered excellent advice on the best places to eat, snorkel, and hike. The Casa La Ventana was perfect for us. It had two rooms with an adjoining kitchen and covered patio, that canbe combined into one space. We got to cook up some delicious breakfast burritos and take the very "authentic" bus into town. It could not have been a more dramatic change from the Punta Mita resort. About all the bus was lacking was live poultry to give the hollywood effect of such public transportation in south america. A far cry from the uniformed golf cart chauffers we had gotten accustomed to. The city was something we didn't want to miss, although I definitely preferred the outskirts. It was more crowded and dirty, but we did pick up some really great pewter pieces, and souveniers. There was some type of festival going on that night so we were able to see some neat costumes and bands.

The next day was heaven, Evette and I scheduled 1 hour full body masages. Our hostess set up the appointment with a wonderful masseuse from Holland. It was so relaxing, she set up the table on the outdoor patio. The beautiful view of the jungle and bay, with a warm breeze was the perfect setting for relaxation. The boys took a hike to a secret beach that was just amazing. We only saw pictures, but it seemed like something out of a fairytale. They said there was literally litte golden flecks in the sand that made the beach just sparkle, and they had the entire area to themselves to snorkel.

The next day we had arranged to have one of the tour guides who assisted us in Punta Mita take us to a little village in the mountains called San Sebastian. We toured the city parks, cathedral and the city jail and then went to a wonderful little restaurant for lunch. Very authentic mexican food that was wonderful. Homemade tortillas, who knew refried beans could be so good.

Dove Mountain: Tucson

I know that I whined intensely over this part of the trip, but It did have plenty of highlights and I left with an new love of the desert! Who knew it could actually be very beautiful. I was a little bummed when I found out that this years leadership trip was actually supposed to be in Rio de Janeiro, before the disastrous market. But I can certainly see the wisdom of scaling back this year during such tumultous and uncertain times, as when they were announcing the trip over a year and a half ago. With all of the irresponsible actions of corporations, ridiculous bonuses, and corporate bailouts. We did not want to be under ridicule although the company DID NOT recieve a dime of bailout money. It does make me grateful that Chris works for such a financially conservative company even though underwriting can be exasperating at times.

Anyways moving right along, we took an arduous 2 hour bus ride to get to Dove Mountain I guess it is a popular PGA resort, but as we are not golfers we did not set foot on the course. The room was beautiful and the property was in such a beautiful area. Almost completely cocooned in a round little valley surrounded by hills covered in Suguaro cactus (the huge cylindrical type) and red rocks. Although I had never stayed in a Ritz Carlton some agents were a bit surprised that it wasn't fancier, but I thought it was very well done in a rustic sort of way. Their service, restaurants and pool were amazing! The had the infinity type pool and big huge fire bowls for the evenings. The shower had double shower heads and a huge deep tub with a flatscreen in the bathroom. The bed was so comfortable, I didn't even miss my bed at home (definitely a first for a hotel room). It had four huge down pillows, a down comforter and a down mattress topper, It felt like sleeping on a cloud!

It was freezing cold the first day and a half we were there. I was dying at the welcome reception, it was sooo cold. They had a poolside southwestern BBQ buffet. The food was to die for, but if you weren't sitting by a fire or a propane heater, it was freezing. Nevertheless, they had a great live band, and it was fun to catch up with old friends and make new ones.

The next day was the business session so even though it was cold I guess it was good to get that part over with on a day you would rather not be outside anyways. Chris went to that, while I hung out in the hotel room reading a book. Then the formal night was the same evening, which was indoors thankfully. It's always fun to have an excuse to dress up in fancy clothes for a night. Motherhood is less than glamourous, and it helps you feel pretty again. The theme of the night was kind of hollywood, so we came in on a red carpet complete with Paparazzi (event staff with camera's) and formal portraits. Then we all went in for the awards ceremony. Chris didn't get an award this year, due to a high loss ratio. It's aways frustrating to see him go unrecognized for situations out of his control, esecially when agents writing half the business he had written got awards. Although it was kind of fun anyways, because the company had just announced that Chris was agent of the month (nationwide) for the month of February so he still got some recognition for his hard work. Dinner was fantastic: filet mignon with halibut, salad, and a fabulous warm chocolate cake, and salted gelato with a swirled toffee crisp on top, followed up by chocolate truffles and petit fours. It's amazing after all the food we ate I only gained a pound and a half, the whole trip. We always get our fill of diet soda on these trips while the alcohol is free flowing, so at least we save on calories there! It was so fun to catch up with people that we haven't seen since the previous year though and we stayed up till the wee hours of the morning talking.

The next day we went on a 4x4 desert jeep tour. Which was actually really great. Our driver George, was a true cowboy. It was pretty funny to see all the drivers with cowboy hats, wranglers, cowboy boots, holsters (with guns, or knives), and the whole 9. We learned a ton about the catus plants, and wildlife and got a lot of pictures of desert plants. One of the guides even gave us a cactus "skeleton" of the Cholla plant (found on private land, wo we couldn't get fined). So we brought it home for the boys who love that kind of stuff. The rest of the day it had finally warmed up, so we headed over to the pool to soak in the sun. I started reading "Wicked" which was pretty lame, the book is sooo vulgar, and slow moving with a horrible plot, I would never recommend it. Although I hear the play is wonderful. Chris had fun with the boys on the water slide, and we had a delicious lunch at the Turquesa pool restaurant, drunken chicken enchiladas.

The only down side of the whole things was the fact that we were so isolated. We couldn't really go anywhere since it was still about 45 miles from Tucson and when we tried to get a rental car it was $200 just for Enterprise to deliver the car to the hotel, so we opted to stay put, and save our money for Mexico. They ran a bus into Tuscon for dinner so we went to the Firebirds restaurant and to Frost for gelato afterwards. The shops at La Encantada mall were awesome, but 95% of them were closed by the time we finished dinner, so we just window shopped for a bit.

The next day was P1 circuit racing. It was pretty much glorified go-karts, but I guess it is the only one like it right now in the U.S. They were alot of fun, but the event staff forgot to mention that we all needed to wear long sleeved shirts and pants, so we all had to rotate using the tracks limited racing suits, which made a 2 hour activity more like 4 hours. I didn't break any records, but it still was pretty fun, you can go sooo fast around the corners it was crazy. Our friend Steve and his son go a bit too close and he rolled his cart, tearing his racing suit to shreds. but fortunately he only got minor road rash.

We headed back over to the pool afterwards and had some really yummy sandwiches and Yucca fries (real cactus roots fried like french fries). Then we got all dressed up for the Hoffman ranch. The company bought us all cowboy hats and bandanas. So believe it or not I actually wore western attire, and didn't melt into a puddle of shame and embarrasment. Although it will be the first and last time for such an event to occur! Hoffman ranch was amazing! It was an incredible Southwestern style catttle ranch that was on the market at the time for a cool $40 million. The property was amazing if you're into that type of motif. They had about 6 HUGE BBQ grills that grilled up steaks and ribs that would've impressed the flintstones. The amount of meat was just ridiculous. They had a western band and plenty of line dancing, which I managed to refrain from participating in. I do have some semblance of self-respect to maintain. (I don't mean to offend anyone with my aversion to all things western, I just have terrible, stressful memories of losing our farm as a child, and even worse memories of cruel, foul, prejudice, and proud to be ignorant "cowboys" in the small town I went to high school in. (So needless to say western anything makes my skin crawl.) But we did have fun just watching a big screen they set up of pictures the photographer had taken over the last couple of days. a truly awesome way to top off the Tucson trip!

Then we had to board the bus again at 5:30 a.m. to catch our flight to Puerto Vallarta. The hotel was so awesome though, they actually packed us a a breakfast to go in little coolers we got to keep. Talk about awesome service!

Then bright and early the next morning (5:30 a.m.) We were on the bus heading back to Phoenix to catch our flight to MEXICO!

Coming Soon

Well I've been purposefully not writing about our upcoming trip because to be honest I'm facing my demons on this one. The southwest to be honest is not one of my favorite places to be, or think about. Cowboys and Indians is not my cup of tea. After trips like China, Italy, Greece, New Zealand, Bora Bora, Who on earth came up with Tuscon? Yes I said Tuscon. Supposedly they are spending more on this trip than last years, but seriously I'm not gettin it. It's supposed to be a great resort if you're golfers, but we are not. So I guess I'll try to give Tuscon a chance, they better have a great pool. Hopefuly they have good Mexican food. Fortunately the President's conference is in Punta Mita Mexico, so at least we're getting out of the country, and I've never been anywhere nice in Mexico. I'm just not even counting Tijiuana, . But it is very near Puerta Vallarta, so I am excited about that one.

What I am ecstatic about however, is that they just announced the 2011 trip! Watching the video about it almost had me in tears literally. I am that excited. The leadership conference is in Montreaux Switzerland, and the Presidents is by Lake Como in Italy! I now have an excuse to really work on my French, and get back to Italy! We didn't have time to get to Milan last time, and I really wanted to go. Lake Como isn't far from there so we will finally get the chance. Then before Switzerland, I have been dying to get back to Paris, and Chris has never been so we may stop there or Munich in Germany. Chris has already kicked off the year to a great start, so it should be pretty easy for him to make both trips next year! So wish us luck, I'll really cry if he doesn't make it!