My version of Eat Pray Love is Playa Comida Amor

Late afternoons, Friday and Saturday nights, and weekends were reserved for beach time, sunsets, long walks (ahem, 10,000 steps), leisurely dinners, exploring, and well, as the title of blog states, love. ❤️ About a half mile from where I was staying, but still well within the neighborhood that is known as Zona Romántica (the Romantic Zone, or officially Emiliano Zapata neighborhood), there was a park. It is one of the most unique parks to which I have ever been. You know Park Güell, by Antonio Gaudí, in Barcelona? More unique than that! This one in PV has the most beautiful mosaic benches. Have a look- can you guess which one is my favorite?   Although I'm a sucker for hearts (because, you know, love! 🤣), I really appreciate the detail on the "Day of the Dead" La Catrina [fourth from the top] with the roses on her hat. I absolutely love hats, so maybe that is why this one speaks to me!? I also really like the one that looks like a sofa from the 1970s. There is also this...

 I know most of you have been on pins and needles waiting for this third blog post about none other than ... Amor. I mean, who doesn't love reading about love!? 😍 But before you all get excited and giddy and are shoveling in the popcorn while sitting at the edge of your seats, and expect me to spill ALL the Playa Comida Amor beans three posts in, settle in to your comfy spot on the couch and take this journey with me. I promise it will be worth it. (Because, you know, ... love. 😂) As a solo female traveler (Are you one too?? See the QR code at the end of the blog post to visit the "Solo Women Travelers" Facebook group for inspiration!), feeling safe when I'm traveling alone is a top priority. I have been to 30 countries, and my perception of safety in PV ranks right up there with that in Stockholm, Strasbourg, Hong Kong, and Kyoto. While exploring this enchanting Mexican city, I ran across some beautiful messaging (Jan, I know you'll notice the butterflies! 🦋):...

I arrived in Puerto Vallarta (PV, now that we're on a first-name basis) on a Saturday afternoon, on the only direct flight on United out of Newark. Flew 4 hour and 45 minutes and landed in ... Heaven.  After setting down my stuff at the AirBnb , I headed in the direction of the beach. La Playa. I just wanted to soak in the sun and the culture and, of course, the cuisine. In order to make the most out of my time here and truly savor every moment, I wanted to be intentional about the following three things: watching the sun set every night, walking 10,000 steps a day, and never eating at the same restaurant twice.  For lunch that day, I chose El Señor Frog’s restaurant on the beach. I wanted to let my mom know that I had arrived safely so while chilling at a beachfront table, I called her on WhatsApp video. She was so excited that she wanted me to call my aunt in Poland and add her to the video call. So there we were- three Polish women on WhatsApp video, in three different cou...

Holaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. Welcome to my blog! So excited you are here. Thank you for being interested in my adventure. Unlike most stories, I'm not going to start at the beginning. I'm going to start at the end. My feet landed back on American soil on Friday the 6th. I had been away for 8 weeks, doing my version of Eat Pray Love. My friend Diane said it was the "Dorothy in Mexico" version of "Emily in Paris". I always love coming back to the US after a long time away. My favorite part? When the immigration officer says, "Welcome home." I have Global Entry but yesterday at the airport, I stood in the wrong line and when I got to the cute immigration officer, he asked me, "If you have Global Entry, why did you wait in line?" I told him I thought the kiosks were out of service because they were roped off in a weird way, and then laughed and asked him if he could make sure to say ...