Tag Archives: #Mexico

Mexican Celebrations

The Day of the Dead displays were still on the Malecon when my husband Will and I arrived in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on November 15th. Plaster and papier mâché skulls, altars, and Catrinas lined the ocean boardwalk, remnants of Nov 2nd’s Dia de los Muertos – the day many Mexicans honour their deceased relatives and friends with celebrations, parades, and visits to gravesites. The Malecon’s most impressive display was the elegantly dressed skeleton lady standing 74 feet 4.9 inches tall. Last year the Guiness Book of Records declared her the tallest Catrina in the World. In 2023 she returned in a new outfit that shimmered in the breezes. At night a loudspeaker piped her voice to the Malecon crowd, “I am the most beautiful woman in Puerto Vallarta.”

Monday November 20th was Revolution Day, a national holiday in Mexico. Will and I got curbside seats for the parade, which features school groups dressed in traditional costumes, often in the colours of the Mexican flag – green, white, and red. The parade moves in a stop and start style as the groups stop to perform dances and acrobatics for the crowd. We really enjoyed the first few acts, but then ten, fifteen, twenty minutes passed. The children gathered in shady spots to wait. By then we were getting hot and retreated to our hotel pool.

Mexico doesn’t celebrate Thanksgiving, but restaurants offer US Thanksgiving dinners for tourists. Will and I treated ourselves to a buffet Thanksgiving meal at a beachfront hotel.

Before dinner, we worked up an appetite with a Malecon walk and discovered that our Giant Lady had been dismantled. Her head and bones awaited pickup the following day.

Before we left downtown Puerto Vallarta for our relaxing beach week, stores and hotels were setting up displays for Christmas, another festive time of year in Mexico. 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Feliz Navidad y Prospero Ano!

Happy New Year!

I hope you’ve had a happy and healthy holiday season. Mine was quiet this year. For the first time ever, Will and I were on our own. We still went through our usual rituals — decorating the house, baking gingerbread cookies, buying presents, filling stockings. We also did lots of Skyping and Zooming with family and friends, which almost felt like the real thing.

Knowing this quiet period lay ahead, we got in some excitement before Christmas, with an almost four week holiday in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Highlights were beaches, pools, daily sunshine and highs of 30 degrees Celsius, numerous walks, delicious fresh fruits, restaurant meals with great food and ocean views, and visits with a friend who lives there year-round and Will’s sister, who joined us for one of the weeks. Mexico’s relatively low number of COVID-19 cases, strict protocols, and outdoor lifestyle made us feel comfortable there.

We returned to Calgary on December 16th, in the midst of a snowstorm and plunging temperatures. At the airport, I was randomly selected for my second PCR test in three days. The tests were set up by the airport exit. The administrators all wore parkas because the outside doors constantly opened, letting in freezing air. At home, I had to isolate for a couple of days while waiting for the test result (negative). This wasn’t a hardship when there was unpacking and laundry to do, it was cold outside, and I now had an excuse to send Will on all our errands.

The cold temperatures persisted through much of the holidays and show no sign of letting up. Will and I had talked of rejoining our fitness centre after the holidays, but Omicron is now making this unwise. This prompted me to finally look up Zumba classes on Youtube. I found a Christmas-themed one I like. This week, I’ve tried to get the 30 minute workout in most days, and sometimes twice. I plan to look up a new program each week. Continuing with online Zumba is my New Year’s Resolution.

Best wishes to you for a happy and healthy 2022.