If you’re thinking about going somewhere exotic this vacation, Mazatlan, Mexico is one to put on your traveling list. Going away for a trip is the number one thing that most people do for fun on a big vacation like summer or spring break. It’s also time away from jobs, family and other stressful things that teenagers tend to complain about all the time.
Most teens like to go on big adventures to places they’ve never been before like Paris, Rome, the Bahamas, or other fun places. My family headed to Mazatlan. My parents and I departed from T.F. Green Airport in Warwick, RI and we arrived in NJ.
From there we boarded the next flight to Houston, Tex. for a layover, which is the least relaxing thing to do when a flight isn’t non-stop. When we arrived in Mexico, it was the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen. Mazatlan is definitely a good honeymoon and family spot.
Be sure to bring a sweater on this trip because it was a bit chilly for the first few nights. This year, Mazatlan has had record lows in the sixties or seventies, though usually the weather is in the nineties almost every day.
A translation book is a great carry-on for a foreign trip due to the language barrier. Specific words to know: Si (Yes), Gracias (Thank you), Buenos Dias (Good morning), Buenos Noches (Good night), Buenos Tardes (good afternoon), El Bano, Por Favor (the bathroom, please), Como Estas (How are you?), etc.
If you enjoy being lazy and just hanging out by the beach or tanning by the pool, The Mayan Sea Garden is a resort to look into. The rooms were a bit small but the view from the balcony was huge. It overlooked the entire city, beach and back part of the town. In the evening a man with a flute played Mayan music.
It was the most amazing view I had ever seen and I couldn’t wait to do more exciting things aside from sitting around the room and swimming. Earlier in the week we went on a tour that brought us through the town and into Mazatlan through a large area called The Gold Zone. It’s a tourist attraction where all the cute little restaurants and stores are for major shopping excursions.
Along with food and shopping, people put on shows for the visitors. While we were there, we saw a cliff diver jump over a huge staircase that was at least 20 feet tall. It was very creepy to watch and the anticipation of the outcome drove everyone crazy.
Our driver also took us to a few really expensive jewelry shops with exotic gems such as the Fire Opal. For anyone who may be visiting and looking to purchase items, don’t forget the currency is different.
Pesos are really confusing and we decided to stick with American money. Think of going up to a register to buy an item thinking its $10 but is actually 100 pesos.
After all the excitement of that, we went to a really fancy restaurant called Brasil that was like the Argentinean Grill in Providence. It was very high-quality and there was a lot to choose from.
The waiters just keep bringing it out like no one’s business, and once done, you flip a switch that is red on one side and green on the other. If no food is wanted, it’s flipped to red for stop or if green, the more food is served. That was probably my most favorite restaurant all week.
If in the mood for a fun place to eat with a club-like feel to it, check out Senor Frogs. This restaurant is the number one place to go have fun. Senor Frogs even has workers who walk around wearing hats made out of balloons.
There’s plenty to do there and it was far from boring. For transportation there are cabs in Disney that resemble golf carts because some have no windows.
The saddest part about leaving Mexico was all of the fun things I did and different things I learned while I was there. On the last day my dad took my mom and me to a really fancy restaurant to end our trip. The reason why the place was so fancy was there were little girls going around the restaurant all night handing out flowers for a small price.
The day we left was hard because I had made a lot of friends and the weather was perfect, especially compared to the weather we were expecting upon our arrival.
The plane ride from Mazatlan to Houston wasn’t too bad, just tiring. Once again we stayed over and got up early the next morning to head to New Jersey and then to our final destination of T.F. Green. Although it was a wonderful trip it was really nice to be back home. I enjoyed sleeping in my own bed again and also being able to pick up the phone knowing I could understand the person on the other end.
When you go somewhere like that, you become attached to the culture. The adventure and the experience of learning about a new culture is one reason I love to travel. I think anyone who goes will enjoy just being there and having the chance to say they’ve been to this beautiful place.