Traveling with my dad

My dad and I recently spent 12 full days together on a road trip across western Mexico.  The last time we spent that much time together, just the two of us, was probably the summer after I graduated from high school.  I’m happy to report that a) my dad loved Mexico, and b) we did not kill each other.  In fact, we had a really great time!  I asked my dad what his favorite things were about Mexico and he said the people, who were so incredibly kind, and the food, which was so incredibly delicious.  Here’s a snapshot of the highlights from our cross-country trip.

We really worked on mastering the art of the selfie during this trip. And everyone told us they could tell that we were obviously related.  

A very nice women in San Miguel offered to take our picture for one non-selfie.

Querétaro

My dad arrived to Querétaro to find me in the midst of my first ever bout of food poisoning in Mexico.  The next morning, he woke up feeling super congested, so we headed out to a local pharmacy to get him some meds.  They had a doctor on site doing free consultations – in English! – so my dad got cures for what ailed him.  

I was thrilled to introduce my dad to my host mom Lilia!  She is the most loving, kind-hearted woman and my dad was so very appreciative for the hospitality and love I received from her family during my stay.  Her husband was unfortunately away, but we got to briefly meet her son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter before heading off to explore parks, museums and plazas in the city.  At one park, three teenage girls approached us and asked if we were tourists. I said yes, and they explained that they had a homework assignment to create brochures about a local festival and the park we were visiting, to share those brochures with tourists, and to then take a photo to document the moment.  My dad loved it and the girls were very grateful to have our help completing their assignment.

With my beloved (and tiny!) host mom, Lilia. 

 Helping some students with their homework. 

Doctor's visit for my dad - with lots of rubber duckies. 

My dad got to witness one of the uber popular clown shows in the street. 

Checking out Los Arcos with Natalie, Brennen and my dad. 

I wasn’t able to eat for the first four days of his visit, but we still met up with some other volunteers for dinner and drinks and my dad got to partake in all the fun.  My friend Natalie knew just the candy store where he could find tamarind and chili flavored treats for my stepmom, and Timoteo immediately helped him expand his Spanish vocabulary.  I woke up that Sunday with a cold, so off we headed to the pharmacy yet again.

San Miguel de Allende

Chances are, you know someone who lives in San Miguel de Allende who is from the US or from Canada, as the town is essentially overrun by extranjeros.  It’s a beautiful city with lots of good restaurants and mercado, beautiful buildings, and several lovely churches and plazas.  I took my dad to explore El Charco del Ingenio, where I returned from the bathroom to find him surrounded by a large group of students.  I was perplexed as to what was going on, especially when he grabbed my arm and said “Thank god you’re here! They’re talking to me in Spanish!”  

Turns out, we had run into the friendliest, most inquisitive group of students who were on a field trip to the park.  They asked us lots of questions and we talked in Spanish and English for about half an hour.  At the end of the visit, they asked if they could be Facebook friends with us, and posed for group photos.  I sadly still couldn’t eat in San Miguel, but I did power up to visit two rooftop restaurants with my dad, including the restaurant at the top of the famous Rosewood hotel, which is definitely worth a visit. 

 My dad with his new best friends. 

My dad on the trail. 

View from the Rosewood. 

View in the mercado. 

Guanajuato

This is one of my favorite places in Mexico and it took the top prize for my dad as well. I found an Airbnb at the end of a short, steep walk up from el centro with a rooftop deck that overlooked the city.  Guanajuato is bursting with color and art, and watching the sunset from a roof is the perfect way to end your day.  I was finally able to eat and enjoyed the best bagel I have had in Mexico (i.e. it was toasted – that’s all it takes to be the best here) before we set off to explore the mercados, Diego Rivera museum, mummy museum and plazas.  

We ran into a religious parade and a thunderstorm, my dad got to experience killing a cockroach, and he got to hear the nightly serenade of barking dogs and crowing roosters.  We also got to visit yet another pharmacy for me to try some new medicines for my worsening cold, and for my dad to get an inhaler and decongestion meds for his crud.  Sleep was hard to come by with both of us hacking all night, but Guanajuato was amazing and should be at the top of your list of places to visit.  

Afternoon parade.

 Overlooking the city before the rain. PS: my dad bought that hat in Querétaro and really, really loves it.

My favorite art shop in town. 

My dad scored an insane amount of points with the game "slug bug" here in Mexico. 

Sunset on the rooftop of our apartment. 

Guadalajara

After a four-hour bus ride, we arrived in the sprawling metropolis of Guadalajara where our cab driver tried very, very hard to get my dad to move to Mexico.  He asked why my stepmom wasn’t with us, taking care of my dad and getting him water (or whatever) he needed, when he needed it.  I tried to explain that in the US culture, things are a little different, but he strongly encouraged my dad to come here and find a new wife, with an offer of free cab rides.  My dad said he was too old for that and I believe the drivers exact words were “that doesn’t matter; you’re not so ugly – we can find you a wife.” 

With my dad’s marriage still intact, we headed out to explore the historic center of Guadalajara and the upscale community of Tlaquepaque.  This area in Jalisco is brimming with art and tequila, and I found lots of great little gifts for family and friends.  I also found the most amazing Airbnb ever which had a city view, big balcony, lovely decorations and a washer and dryer.  We holed up in the peacefulness of that luxurious apartment both nights, washing our clothes and welcoming a response volunteer for a visit as I had carried a package for him from the Querétaro office.

Historic Guadalajara. 

Art in Tlaquepaque

 King Bart. 

Lovely art in a kiosk. 

Colorful Tlaquepaque. 

Our lovely apartment with the best feature of all - a washing machine.

El Campo & Puerto Vallarta

We left Guadalajara on a 6:30 AM bus to my site, and my dad marveled at how many times we stopped on the side of the road to pick people up and drop them off over the course of 5 hours.  We came home to a broken flush valve on my toilet, and all I could think was "thank god my dad is here to fix this for me."  It was really great to show my dad my site and for him to meet my host family, my coworkers and my English class students.  After hearing about the tasty taco stand down the road for months, my dad finally ate tacos with me and my students and agreed that they were worth the wait.  On Sunday night, we went to the town plaza to listen to music and hit up the social event of the week.  Unfortunately, there were two bands playing at once: one band in the main kiosk with an accordion, and another band – with a tuba – playing directly below them.  On the bright side, I found a guy selling chocolate-filled churros which were so good I didn’t even care that I oozed chocolate all over my shirt.

Resting on the hike to the overlook for my town. 

Shrine along our hike. 

 Selfie at the local ruins. 

Eating tacos with some of my English class students. 

After two days of mellowness, we headed out for one day in Puerto Vallarta where we soaked in the hotel pool, lounged in the shade and had lunch and dinner on the beach.  It was super humid in Puerto Vallarta, so although my dad was sad to say goodbye to me, he was very happy to make it to the airport AC!  We were both sick the entire trip, but still managed to log over 73 miles of walking on his phone health app, and to find beauty and joy in every day.   

One last selfie at the ocean. 

Super cool mosaic. 

Art at our hotel. 

Love for the ocean. 

Seahorse at sunset. 

It was a little sad to leave the US after my Christmas visit, but it was way harder having my dad leave me here.  After 2.5 weeks sharing a hotel or house with volunteers and my dad, it was a lonely first night back in my apartment.  Mexico has definitely shined the light on the importance of family and lit a fire in me to be closer to them.  I've got less than a year to go, and that's gonna fly by, so if you've been thinking about Mexico, drop me a line!  Maybe you don’t speak Spanish, maybe you (or I) will be sick your entire visit, and maybe we'll only be able to find un-toasted bagels, but as you can see in the photos above, a good time is guaranteed. :)

PS. My dad thought my apartment here was bigger and nicer than all of my US apartments, except my last Queen Anne apartment, so come on down for some fancy accommodations!