Hazy Summers in Mexico

Where it truly felt like summer vacation.

Hey Travelers,

I have had some fond summer memories lately…here, come with me.

Photo by Braden Collum on Unsplash.

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The tiny shells and gravel crunched under our feet. We wound our way through the campground and down the beach. The sun - relentless and hot. A gringa like me needed a ton of sunblock or else I would be toast.

We walked the beach until we got to town. We walked the back streets until we couldn’t quite remember which way to turn. We greeted everyone as we passed, “Buenos dias”. We kept walking.

Which way…which way…”Donde esta la panaderia?”

A passerby would always give us directions to the bakery we couldn’t quite find. It was up the hill.

Mexican bakeries are glorious. The conchas, orejas, and the sweet breads. I loved going there and trying something new every day. It was one of my favorite parts of the trip. The baked goods are sweet but not too sweet. Honey shines as a glaze. The sugar crunches between your teeth.

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We would travel to Mexico a lot as kids. Growing up in southern Arizona made it an easy place to go. We would camp. As we got older our parents rented a house on the beach. The best part about it was roaming the town and meeting other kids. We would be out all day. Our parents knew where we were generally but they didn’t worry too much. We would always end up back at the house come lunchtime.

10:00am would roll around and the adults already had beers cracked. We could eat chips for breakfast and then go find Mexican pastries. It felt like summer. Truly summer. No one was worried about anything. Okay, my dad was worried about me getting sunburned. I refused sunblock so he would have to threaten me with zinc oxide…you know the white stuff? I finally caved.

Bright paint, large signs, dirt roads. A gigantic sign arched over the road. Bienvenido! it read. I had the hardest time sounding that out in my head. Why was welcome so hard for me to get in Spanish? It just looked intimidating.

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Now that summer is in fact here (I’m still kind of in denial). It has me nostalgic for those summers in Mexico. Flip flops strewn around the house. ‘60s rock hits blasting from some small crappy radio. Sand everywhere.

The only clothes you needed were a swimsuit, a pair of shorts, and a t-shirt. Most restaurants didn’t care if you didn’t have shoes. Waiters would serve you a margarita if you looked 16. Ah, Mexican summers.

Nothing can quite compare.

I am so grateful that I was able to have that experience. My love to travel started there with the warmth of the sun and the generosity of the people.

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And now, 4th of July weekend is here! I hope you get to spend a few days where ever you feel most carefree. Whether it is the beach or the mountains. The desert or the forest. Kick off your shoes and enjoy the long days.

Invite friends over and share some food. Get outta town and try a different view. There are a million ways to enjoy the summer, find yours and go!

Create memories that you can look back on and think, Wow, that’s so cool that we did that.

Until next time.

Peace,

Kit