Argentina

When we decided to do family Christmas in Mexico, we knew we wanted beach, but we didn´t want anything too touristy. Out of sheer dumb luck we decided on Sayulita (about 24 km north of Puerto Vallarta) because a family we met in Mexico 5 years ago happened to mention it as a place they like to go. Turns out, they were right. Sayulita is an amazing little Mexican town that has the perfect blend of tourist infrastructure with Mexican culture and charm. Unlike large touristsy areas, Mexican families and tourists are living side by side and shopping together in the local fruit stands and fish markets. While there is some ¨Hey Gringo, fishing trip/ jet ski" kind of pitches on a daily basis, it's not nearly as annoying or persistent as other places I have been. People are also willing to tolerate less than perfect Spanish, rather than jumping directly into English. The Sayulita beach faces north and is a little curved lagoon that is beautiful.  Map for reference: Life ...

Arriving into Guadalajara was a little sketch as I had told my airBnB host that I would arrive at 8:30 pm, but after a few flight delays and inefficient customs, I was through the airport at 11 pm in a new city. Not ideal conditions for an arrival and a circumstance I almost always try to avoid. Luckily, my host had patiently waited and I was checked-in at 11:30 pm. After the rest of the familia arrived the next morning, we went to the centro historico de guadalajara. Our 20 minute taxi ride cost us 60 pesos, or 5 dollars. The first most obvious thing about Guadalajara is that there are no gringo tourists. Literally, walking around the most touristy part of the city where they have those open top double-decker buses, aka tourist ground zero, and not a gringo to be seen. Besides us of course. Despite our best efforts, there is simply no way for four gringos with heights of 5'10, 5'11, 6'2, and 6'3 to blend in. We even were asked to stand in a few family pictures for nove...