Worst Airport Souvenir Ever

That pesky rule requiring I arrive at the airport two hours prior to my international flight when I flew from Puerto Vallarta back to Minneapolis the other week assured that I had plenty of time to browse every single gift shop in the place.

In my browsing, I came across this -- a little ceramic toilet with the words Puerto Vallarta, Mexico painted on it. And a marlin. And a sunshine. What's up with that?

Who would want such a thing? A spring breaker? Maybe?

It seems more of a gag gift than anything else, but it did give me a chuckle.

Saying Goodbye, Dreams Hotel, Nuevo Vallarta

The road trip through Nayarit, Mexico must come to an end.

Before packing up and flying home, we've got one more night. Rooms at the Dreams Hotel in Nuevo Vallarta ensure we're close to the Puerto Vallarta airport.

From my balcony I've got a nice view of the hotel pools (so many!) and the ocean stretching far beyond.

Upon check in, we all discovered a bottle of champagne chilling in a bucket, just waiting for someone to pop the top.

And pop the top we did. Before saying goodbye to one another, the ladies of the press trip gathered round and shared a glass of the bubbly.

It always amazes me how quickly friendships can be formed on the road.

Close proximity and days of shared views, meals and road weariness either create friendships or enemies. And yet, in all my travels, more often than not, friendship is the result.

Just one more thing I love about travel.

Tamarind Margaritas in Punta de Mita, Mexico

This was the longest, most indulgent lunch I've ever experienced!

We stopped at Cafe des Artistes in the Hotel des Artistes, which is in Punta de Mita.

Before any food was served, we toasted our trip with tamarind margaritas. Delicious! The rim was dipped in a chile-salt mix that gave off a perfect bite when combined with the sweet tamarind.

The cocktails were followed by wine (two bottles of Malbec).

And appetizers (cheese plate, salad, lobster bisque).

And a main course (duck, snapper, osso buco).

And dessert (chocolate, sorbet, berries).

And coffee (cappuccino).

All of this was accompanied by long beautiful views of the ocean and lots of laughs.

It lasted three hours and when it was done, even though I don't smoke, I was hard pressed not to light one up when one of the other writers on the trip pulled out a pack.

The entire experience inspired this haiku:

cocktails before lunch

T - R - O - U - B - L - E

I forgot myself

What I won't forget is the wonderful feeling of lightness and shared humanity I felt while dining here.

Gallery Hopping in Sayulita, Mexico

Sayulita is a funky little beach town up the coast from Puerto Vallarta.

It's the sort of place I'd love to spend a few days.

I can picture myself with a room here, lounging on the beach during the day and wandering up and down the thin, cobbled streets in the late afternoon while the sun light lingers still but isn't quite so hot.

The town is home to artists and surfers and gallery owners. We spent a few hours browsing through shops here, but not nearly long enough to satisfy my curiosity.

Instead, my curiosity has been piqued.

There is a gallery that only sells handicrafts made by the Huichol, a tribe native to the area. It is called Galeria Tanana.

It's full of beaded work, greeting cards featuring native art and all sorts of other little trinkets you want to pick up and look at.

And then there are all the other galleries filled with the work of artists living nearby.

Oh, how I would like to return to Sayulita.

Serenity in San Pancho, Mexico

Press trips don't offer much in the way of down time. The pace of travel is pretty quick. Stop here, see this, move on to see something else.

Luckily, I found this small moment of serenity in San Pancho.

San Pancho (which is the nickname for the town of San Francisco) is a small little community that looks out over the Pacific.

It's a place where baby boomers are buying property and building houses. Yet the developers are taking a very sustainable, low-impact point of view about it all.

They are rebuilding the local schools, rehabbing the local polo court (yes, polo), teaching community members how to grow organic crops and putting in a playground built entirely of recycled materials.

I sincerely hope it all goes according to plan as the beach is tranquil and the views are long and I'd really like to come back here some day.

Bucerias, Mexico

I'm not really an all-inclusive sort of girl. It's nice to be pampered at a fancy, beach side hotel, but truthfully I'd rather spend my time exploring and venturing into the country I'm visiting.

I was happy, therefore, when we went beyond the confines of the Puerto Vallarta - Nuevo Vallarta hotel chains and headed just north of them both to the beach city of Bucerias.

Bucerias was certainly geared up for tourism. The streets nearest the beach were filled with booths selling t-shirts and all sorts of tourist knick-knacks and wares. Some restaurants advertised fancy, polished menus.

But Bucerias also felt very real. Elementary aged kids were making their way home from school dressed still in their uniforms. Men were hanging out and playing checkers on the sidewalk. Tamale vendors were doing brisk business in the plaza.

After strolling up and down the thin cobbled Bucerias streets, I left thinking that if I were to return to this area for a beach vacation, perhaps I'd seek out lodging here.

Taming El Tigre in Nuevo Vallarta

One of the great things about being on a press trip is that you get behind-the-scenes treatment.

For example, today I got to pet a real, live, cute and cuddly baby Bengal tiger!

The tiger -- Junior -- lives at the "El Tigre" golf course in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico. He's about a month old right now.

He was rejected by his mother, which is why he now hangs out in the golf course offices.

The golf course's director, Jesus Carmona, has a fondness for tigers and a flair for raising them.

A couple cages on the golf course house adult tigers Carmona rescued from bad situations. When those tigers breed, Carmona tends to the cubs until they are large enough to be transferred to a zoo that can care for them.

So far, about 70 Bengal tigers have been born at El Tigre golf course.

If you go golfing there, you can stop along the way and take a peek at the tigers. Or, if you're vacationing in the Puerto Vallarta-Nuevo Vallarta area, you can head to El Tigre for it's Sunday brunch and then see the tigers once there.

Villa La Estancia in Nuevo Vallarta

I made it.

My plane touched down in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Then I gathered my bags, met my driver and arrived at a hotel north of the city.

I'm staying in the municipality of Nuevo Vallarta at a place called Villa La Estancia.

The hotel is beyond belief. It is absolutely gorgeous. Even though it is nearly almost brand new, it has this old world charm about it. The wood work is a deep, dark hue. The lobby furniture is solid and heavy.

And the service is divine. As soon as I climbed out of the car, a bell hop met me with a cool, scented cloth. Next, I was given a mango smoothie to sip while I signed all the check in paperwork. A fruit plate was delivered to my room while I was still checking out all the closets.

But the best, by far, was that when I came back to my room after dinner, not only was a chocolate tartlette waiting by my pillow, but a secret fairy had slipped into my room and filled up the bathtub with hot bubbles, topped the bubbles with flowers, lit several candles and a relaxing stick of incense!

Bound for Mexico and San Blas

I'm bound for Mexico.

I'm headed there on a press trip for GoNomad. After my journey, I'll be writing a story about what I experienced for the site.

My trip will take me into Puerto Vallarta, but that's not where I'll be staying. After getting my bearings and finding my group, the trip will take me north into the state of Nayarit.

I'm going to be traveling along the coast of that state, in an area called the Riviera Nayarit, and checking out the small beach towns there.

The one I'm most excited about visiting is the city of San Blas.

I'm a fan of the Mexican rock band, Mana. One of my favorite songs by them is called En El Muelle de San Blas.

It's about a woman who says a tearful goodbye to her sailor boyfriend and vows to wait for his return on the pier of San Blas. She waits and waits and waits but he never comes back.

Once, years ago, I remember Googling "San Blas" and discovering that it was a real town on Mexico's Pacific coast. And now I'm off to see it for myself.

To help you get inspired about my trip, you can listen to Mana's San Blas song...