Highlights from Mexico, Part 1

We had far too many adventures during our week in Puerto Vallarta to fit them all into one blog post (one anyone would want to read, at least), so here's just a taste, with more to come.

The second day, we ate breakfast at the hotel restaurant which is outdoors and lovely. You get to watch the palm trees swaying and see the birds flitting around the lawn and trees. And you get to watch them very stealthily fly into the open air restaurant, steal packets of Splenda from the tables and then take them back to a nearby tree branch where they skillfully tear them open and stick their beaks in to get the sugar-like goodness inside. I don't know if they realize there is no nutritional value in the sugar substitute. I wish I could explain it to them.On Ericmas (day four), we spent most of the day lounging by the pool watching children play, fight, cry, be soothed, and repeat the cycle.

Per his request, I ordered Eric a large drink served in a coconut and mentioned to the server that it was his birthday. They made the drink extra strong (it was a Coco very Loco) and it took Eric several hours, literally, to drink it without getting himself in big trouble.

We sat there relaxing, enjoying the pool scene when suddenly small white granules rained down on us from the tree above. We sat there for a moment, both of us covered in this sand-like white substance, wondering what child was throwing sand on us, when we realized: it was Splenda. I licked a few granules off my arm and sure enough, we'd just been innocent bystanders in a crafty bird's afternoon snack.

The server came by again later with a twinkle in his eye, asked what Eric's name was and then disappeared with a wink only to return not too much later with a piece of chocolate cake on a plate decorated to say Feliz Cumpleanos "Eric". We don't know why they put his name in quotes- maybe they didn't think it was his real name?