Addendum to: Muchas gracias Mexico. ¡Estoy satisfecho!

Here's the deal: If you read my blog about the wonders of authentic Mexican food be ye warned that it may have side effects! I will spare all of you the details but know this: You may experience unhealthy bowel movements for the next several weeks after enjoying a succulent Mexican taco al pastor. The FCC won't even let me include pictures to accompany this adventure! You should all be thankful for that! I don't want anyone coming back and blaming me for recommending the glories of Mexican food!

Muchas gracias Mexico. ¡Estoy satisfecho!

Do you remember those Herbal Essence shampoo commercial? You know, the one with the girl in the shower making a ruckus. That is precisely the experience I have when I eat authentic, down to the corn tortilla, Mexican food. My mouth has peaked multiple times in one sitting and innumerous times in one day. Bursts of complimenting flavors are introduced into my mouth simultaneously creating a rare, and yet, very profound eating experience.

I must admit, it has been great to have a friend to find the right restaurants and tell me what to order. Otherwise, I may have had a totally different experience altering my perception completely. We didn't have to look hard for our first meal upon arriving in Mexico. The friends we were staying with happened to have a lot of family in town for the week. It seems to me for any Mexican family gathering there is food, beer, tequila, and a damn good time. Immediately we were taken care of. I don't everything that was in that first meal but I had my first taste of food heaven. I was served a bowl of rice and a bowl of a meat concoction with potatoes, tomatoes, and a sort of saucy soupy mix. On the side were tortillas and pico de gallo. Poor description but love at first taste is meaningless to the outsider. Later that night I had a fresh mango. O-mazing! Now I have had mango before but not this fresh and not this tasty. Sprinkle a little tajin on the fruit and wow more flavor than one untrained mouth can handle! And the mangos are cheap! And that was only the beginning…

Now I could go through each days eating itinerary but that would be nearly as painful for the ready as if I were to describe every juicy kiss in a passionate romance. Let me just say this: The tacos are better in Mexico, the fruit is better in Mexico, the seafood is amazing in Mexico horchatas and tortas make an excellent combination, not to mention the cheese crepes (I forget what they are called) are a perfect combination of sweet and salty, and the Doritos are the best I have ever had. A little more about the Doritos: We stopped at a gas station during one of our many mini-excursions and Doritos were just calling my name, as they often do. I picked up a big of nacho cheese Doritos expecting the normal goodness of nacho cheese Doritos. But boy were my taste buds in for a surprise…one bite and…bam!...I was shocked with a taste I was not familiar with. These were not the Doritos I knew and loved. These were something far better, far tastier, and far more satisfying! The cheese was cheesier, the chip crispier, and to top it off they threw in not a hint, but an explosion of chilies and spices. Honestly, I think I barely scrapped the surface of what Mexico has to offer food lovers.

In closing let me say this: I love food and it's apparent. I have always enjoyed what I have known to be Mexican food. So much so my friends and I decided to tour every Mexican restaurant in Cedar City, which had nearly twenty Mexican restaurants at the time. Not an amazing feat but tasty feat, nonetheless. Overall, however, we found these restaurants to be strikingly similar on the menus and on the taste buds. Casa Don Miguel stood out as the sure winner. But I have moved on from Cedar City and now I'm scared to go back to eating what America calls Mexican food. Hell, most Mexicans have no idea what a chimichanga is! My point is this: If anybody knows where an authentic Mexican food joint in Salt Lake is I would love to join your secret society, so please fill me in!

Por último, muchas gracias Mexico. ¡Estoy satisfecho!

¡No llores por mí, Puerto Rico!

¡No llores por mí, Puerto Rico! Don't cry for me Puerto Rico!

My time here has come to an end. It is sad, and yet, it is time. Puerto Rico has offered me more than I ever imagined. I managed to find adventure and joy in so many aspects of life here from Puerto Rican cuisine to Puerto Rican transportation. And although mofongo is not my favorite dish I am still intrigued by the staple plantains (essentially a large banana) has become here and in so many forms! To swim with sharks and turtles and sting rays freely was a breathtaking experience. I even managed to snap a picture of one of the turtles! The visually stimulating architecture of Old San Juan took me back in time and yet I was quickly brought back to reality with a hug from a stinky homeless man that became an imbedded part of my memory of Old San Juan. I will leave here with stories to pass on to grandchildren should they ever come. For instance, the time I managed to find myself in a crack house in a ghetto in Fajardo with a crackwhore prostitute and ended up hitch hiking home after several hours of wandering around a scary neighborhood where they rarely saw gringos with little to no Spanish. (And mom if you happen to read this no I did not do drugs and no to anything else you might wonder about this peculiar situation). As Puerto Rico strived and continues to strive to find its identity between its Spanish and Caribbean roots and its United States ownership I managed to find a piece of mine. Along the way I learned a lot about myself, like I need a lot more surfing lessons, for example, and I can effectively manage and run a store and produce positive results. Above all, my love and need to travel has grown. Not to mention I finally decided on a major while I was here: Parks, Recreation, and Tourism with an emphasis in Adventure and Outdoor Programming. Although I am sad to leave the sun, the beaches, and the ocean I look forward to summer in Utah and finishing school (sometime before I'm 30...I hope!).

Before I actually do make it home to the Beehive State I have a couple of stops to make. First stop: Cancun, Mexico. This time, however, it is not for the sandy beaches. I am drawn to the ancient Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza and Tulum. I am sure, nonetheless, that I will spend at least a little time on the beach. And thanks to a friend of my friend and co-manager here in Puerto Rico Devin we have a couch to sleep on (or at least a piece of the floor)! The anticipation for Cancun is driving me mad! Adventure awaits…

True to my nature, after Mexico I am still not ready to return to my home state. For some reason several of my friends, and a brother, have migrated to the Phoenix area of Arizona with their families. It would only be right for me to stop there on my way home. It is on the way, and it would be a shame to just fly over it. Furthermore, if I am to remain my niece’s favorite uncle I need to bring her gifts from Puerto Rico!


So to my friends in Puerto Rico: Thank you for the wonderful fun, joy, smiles, and memories you created for me while I was with you (that last phrase is credited to Del Sol, please don’t sue me!). Thank you for sharing your culture with me and trying to teach me Spanish (I’m sorry I was a bad student!). I will miss all of you! And to my future friends in Mexico: Thank you for giving me this opportunity to visit and giving me somewhere to hang my hat for a couple of nights. Financially it probably would not be possible without you. So thank you. To my friends and family in Arizona: I look forward to seeing all of you soon. I wish I could stay longer but responsibilities lay waiting. And don’t worry Jaylee I will come bearing gifts! Finally to my friends and family back at home: I thought about many of you often. Your friendships and love is something I missed. It really becomes a part of a person and one longs for it as I did. Eight months turned out to be five and I couldn’t be happier. To my recollection I have never had a dull summer in Utah. Anyone that wants to go hiking, camping, fishing, biking, backpacking, swimming, canoeing, cliff diving, or just want to have fun DO NOT HESITATE TO CALL. I will do my best to find a job that allows me enough freedom to go play with you. It is not too typical for me to get bogged down with work so I will drop anything I can to take that roadtrip, throw that evening BBQ, or take that midnight swim, you name it. I am going to have an awesome summer, so please join me! I will be waiting for your call!

Have I said too much?

There's nothing more I can think of to say to you.

But all you have to do is look at me to know

That every word is true

New Twist to Old Blogs

Unfortunately (or should I say fortunately?) I am not a seasoned blogger and as of right now I have nothing to blog about. Rather than leaving my blog page bare and dull I decided to follow the example of my longtime hero, Uncle Rico, and reminisce on how awesome I was in the past. And unlike Uncle Rico, I am no longer cool with my adventures coming to an end for the time being. With no further ado, read and reread above (or is it below?) my old blogs accompanied by pictures!

First Blogspot blog

I credit the setting up of this blog to Nathan Hansen who said my Facebook blog was unacceptable. So here it is. Let's see if it'll ever get used. Enjoy!