I remember it was nighttime when our plane arrived in Puerta Vallarta, Mexico. My little sister, Lauren and I had been fast asleep when our mom nudged us awake and told us to look out the window. “We’re here.”
The name of the resort we stayed at was Paradise Village. Our room was amazing. It had a unique Mayan theme to it, with beautifully decorated tiles everywhere. I remember spending lots of time on our deck looking out at the ocean and the brilliant sherbet-colored sunsets that painted the sky.
As with most family trips that we take, we always love to start by exploring the pool area. Boy was this pool amazing. The shallow end had a wading area with rocks, where little Lauren played. The best part was the alligator waterslides there. While we were swimming, we noticed some boys who seemed to spring up to the surface from out of nowhere. We thought this was a little odd, but we didn’t give it a second thought. I also loved eating the fresh coconuts that they’d give us at the pool.
One of the most memorable events of the trip was a dinner we had at the resort. It was sort of like a Mexican barbecue outside, where you’d pick your meat and a man would cook it right in front of you. As we ate our dinner, a group of Mexican dancers took to the floor, dressed in brilliantly patterned and brightly colored costumes. A live band played the music and I found myself mesmerized by the lively dancing and cultural tunes. Lauren and I also got to try riding a mechanical bull, with a large crowd cheering us on.
If we weren’t at the pool every day, we might go to the ocean, or to the small zoo that was on the resort. At the beach we bought some beautiful jewelry from a lady. We didn’t have money at the time, but she let us pick them out anyway and said we could pay her back later, something they’d never do in the States. When we went to the zoo, a monkey reached through the bars and snatched Lauren’s favorite toy, Po. We got Po back though, and we were laughing about it for days.
On our last day in Mexico, my dad and I were swimming in the pool in the deep end when once again we saw two guys swim up from out of nowhere. We were crawling along the side of the slide when my dad felt his foot slip. “Maybe that’s where all those guys were coming from…underneath the slide,” my dad said. He decided he’d go first and see if it was safe. After a little while, he came back up and told me I had to come see this. I held my breath and swam through a little tunnel. I came up and we were in a large cavern. There were some rocks I could barely stand on. My dad and I were amazed. The light from the pool reflected off the ceiling, shadows dancing above us. We had found a “secret cave”!
This was a trip that I will remember the rest of my life. It’s good to travel every once in a while because you get to experience different cultures and explore new and exciting places. I hope that someday I can come back to Mexico and that I can travel more often. My goal in life is to become a missionary nurse where I can travel around the world helping people.
Dear Reader: This page may contain affiliate links which may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Our independent journalism is not influenced by any advertiser or commercial initiative unless it is clearly marked as sponsored content. As travel products change, please be sure to reconfirm all details and stay up to date with current events to ensure a safe and successful trip.
