States of Central México

coastal destination, Puerto Vallarta.  

As usual, I packed in way too much to call it a ‘relaxing getaway’ — but I always say that the stresses of travel are better than the best days at work.  It’s a completely different, and totally exciting, kind of stress.  More of an andrenaline rush of non-stop stimulation.  And I love it.

The first leg of this two-trip journey took me to Jalisco’s northern town of Encarnación de Diaz to see its beautiful churches and World Heritage-listed cemetery, before beginning a road trip through the central states of Aguascalientes, Zacatecas, San Luis Potosí, and Guanajuato.  While the famous colonial star of the state of Guanajuato, San Miguel de Allende, was a very memorable place, it was the lively and colorful city of Guanajuato that makes this state one of my favorites.  

The rest of the journey took me through León, Guanajuato’s commercial capital, and many of Jalisco’s gorgeous towns and cities on the way to its capital, Guadalajara, Mexico’s second largest city.  There, I discovered one of my all-time favorite foods, the delicious torta ahogada, and said goodbye to 2012 at one of its trendy discos.

Trip #2 was definitely more relaxing with a few days on the beach in Puerto Vallarta, enjoying margaritas and some amazing food!  Then, of course… a road trip.  This time north to Nayarit, where I fell in love with the small, perfect beach town of Sayulita and stumbled upon what have to be the best fish tacos in the world.  Then, back inland through Nayarit’s capital of Tepic with its beautifully-lit cathedral, past some great ruins and small towns, to the other main destination — Tequila!  After a few obligatory shots of the famous agave drink, and a few more shots (photos, this time) of the UNESCO-listed agave fields surrounding the town, I continued on to Zapopan and Guadalajara (again!), to have another torta ahogada from my favorite place, before heading out to catch my flight home!