My dad is 94 years old. As a matter of fact, he turned that ripe old age while in the hospital in early December for treatment of a case of pneumonia. It was because of that hospital stay that I found myself flying back from sunny and warm Mexico, wondering how my wardrobe of tank tops, shorts and flip flops was going to fare in wintry New York. My father’s a tough guy and he’s a wonder for his age – he only gave up playing golf (always walking nine holes a couple times a week) a few years ago because he had outlived all his playing partners. He’d been hospitalized before in order to have a pacemaker implanted – my brother and I only received the notice of this procedure after dad had returned home and was already back working in the garden and mowing the lawn with his old push mower. Mom stuck the news of his health issue in between talk of the weather and the current state of the Yankees season (two of her favorite topics). But battling pneumonia, and a subsequent episode of heart arrhythmia, took its toll and he and mom needed a little help around the house until he could get back on his feet. I’m happy to report, after three weeks of separation from Heather, who had to make the best of a lonely holiday season nearly three thousand miles away, I’m back in Mexico and we’ve resumed our winter travels.

While I was gone, Heather spent most of her time in Zipolite, a small town on the Oaxacan coast. She first stayed there just after I left Mexico for New York, sticking to our plan we had made back in November. After five days there she continued on to Huatulco, just down the coast, but quickly returned to charming and friendly ‘Zip’, not enjoying the vibe of busy and noisy Huatulco. A friend had introduced her to two couples spending the winter in Zipolite, and the prospect of having company through the holidays was appealing. She was right about Zipolite – the scenery was beautiful, sunsets spectacular, food delicious and the vibe was relaxed, low-key and welcoming. The cobblestoned ‘main’ street, which runs behind the beach, came alive at night as restaurants set up their tables on the curb, stalls appeared offering ice cream and other snacks, and artists displayed their handicrafts. There were plenty of dining options right on the beach as well, offering the added spectacle of the setting sun and crashing waves. We were tempted to ditch the plan at this point – settling into friendly Zipolite seemed like the right thing to do. But it was high season and rooms were scarce, and nonrefundable flights and accommodations for our next leg meant we would be moving on.

Our next stop would be the tourist mecca of Puerta Vallarta, further north in Jalisco state. Since we were flying into ‘PV’ in order to visit some beaches north and south of there, we thought we’d spend three nights and see the sights. We weren’t expecting much – a fairly large city and tourist hordes aren’t our cup of tea, but we scored a decent hotel room just two blocks from the beach and some online research and friend’s recommendations told us that there were good dining options just steps away. I must say – we were pleasantly surprised by the city: the wide malecon fronting the bay was a pleasure to walk, we caught a brass band concert in one of the parks, a profusion of murals added color to the streetscape and the food was outstanding. Our first night we dined on fresh snapper served over white beans with fennel and a lemon sauce; while waiting in line at one of the city’s most popular taco joints we met a local family who invited us to join their table where we had the best tacos pastor EVER, along with great conversation; and our final night we met up with some old friends (they’re spending the winter in PV) for yet more tacos and beer. We could have stayed longer, but felt like we had experienced the best town had to offer and we were ready to head to our next destination, which would offer a complete change of pace from the bustling city.

Note: After this post went out Heather reminded me of one teeny-tiny omission in my description of Zipolite: this beach is the only officially-sanctioned nude beach in Mexico. Something to be considered if you’re thinking of visiting. Don’t know how I overlooked this. Some things can never be unseen.