greetings from mexico.

I'm writing this from my third-floor balcony (is it balconette when it's the size of a bistro table, or is balconette just a bra?), allowing the 70-degree morning temperature thaw out bones from another might sleeping in what I can only call "perfect tropical climate ice-cold air conditioning." from here, there's a peek of the ocean, coastline, and surrounding mountains. I'm here with c. and our dear friend Justin, this being c & my first time in PV and j's third, it feels only right to be here together. it's been a while since I've stayed put anywhere for a whole week, and never choose tropical/beach/relaxing holidays, but I'm nothing if not open to trying new things.

two decades living near the gulf coast, and never had I ventured south of Miami. how strange to be here now, after a year abroad and considering the current political climate (of course, shadowed by horrific and unconscionable violence at the border this weekend, though no one here is even talking about it, perhaps for fear of breaking the seal of vacation paradise with the real world). being here is immediately familiar; Mexican culture is & has always been part of America.

there are birds everywhere. I'm distracted by the sight of such variety of them: white-winged doves that perch in palm trees, the ooooowheeee! call of yet-unidentified long-nosed black birds (editor's note: the great-tailed grackle), the incredible wingspan of cranes and/or herons that circle the coastline--so large that from far away they look prehistoric. a few afternoons ago, while swimming in our rooftop salt-water pool, a swarm of swifts flew above, individually dipping down to skim the water for a drink. attempting motionlessness, I submerged my body as they came closer and closer to me to quench their thirst. several came down quickly, chaotically, each with their tiny beaks agape, ready to drink, mouths more like the hooked jaws of fish than birds, and I thought, how perfect.

the zona romántica's primary tourist is gay men, out in swarms that rival only south beach or p-town. on our street alone, there are multiple gay bars with events 7-days-a-week; it feels like gay bourbon street, and I suppose it kind of is. at reina's bar, there's a nail polish and makeup vanity area and 2-for-1 beers for 37 pesos. at flamingo's, the VJ plays exclusively female-led pop tracks that haven't been on the radio in the US for years. so far, my stop in PV has been la noche: a 3-story open air terrace bar with one of the most industrious drag performers I've ever seen: super wendy.

a few nights ago, we hiked up the hillside to gringo gulch, to have dinner in the former home of Liz Taylor and Richard Burton (two neighboring houses, connected by a bridge, so named "reconciliation bridge" because of their many fights and reconciliations). we looked out on PV from the outdoor dining terrace of casa Kimberly and ate deliciously. there was, of course, an incredible mariachi band.

all said, visiting here hasn't been without doses of reality: for example, i was advised against riding the bus or walking alone at night. given that public transit and solitude are two of my favorite travel experiences, I was disappointed, but trusted those who have been here multiple times over my own optimism. and of course, upon arrival, it began to make sense: the alien-green buses barreling down narrow streets like something out of tank girl, and we were told of cops "shaking down" solo travelers for their pesos after dark.

yesterday, we did a day trip to yelapa, a 45-minute (moderately terrifying) water taxi from PV to a remote jungle-y part of Jalisco. honestly, I don't know what the fuck I was thinking, but after 6+ days in the same tiny tourist town, I thought a change of scenery would be welcomed. "you should go to yelapa, it's beautiful!" they said. "I've gone for years, loved it!" said another person whose opinions I'll never trust again. when we arrived, a guide took us through a trail through the core part of the village, where we met dogs and pigs and kittens and heard roosters and sampled moonshine out of tiny clay shot glasses; where we "hiked" to a jungle waterfall and yes, it was beautiful. but then we were marooned, so to speak, at a tourist trap beach-side cafe, implied as the only permissible place to be before our water taxi would return. we experienced rival iguana-handlers, near-food poisoning, low-key heat exhaustion, and total apathy and boredom (because none of us brought books/notebooks/swimsuits; I think we thought we'd be, uh, walking around a village and/or the jungle??). instead, we morosely drank multiple pacifico beers. we stopped talking to one another. time Literally Stood Still. I went for two beach walks, met more dogs and collected rocks, and my mind raced with the thoughts of instagram influencers actually believing #beachlife was a good way to spend hours or days or weeks of their fleeting lives. I fantasized about the New York City skyline. the three of us somehow intuitively knew that we each teetered on a narrow boundary between this-is-hell and what-if-we-get-stranded-here. I feel so grateful to know and care for humans in my life to be able to navigate such peril, and still come through to the other side.

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tonight is our last night in PV, and I think we're all a little sunburnt and ready to come home, but the trip has been relaxing and beautiful. I have eaten my bodyweight in tacos. I can rank Mexican beers by my personal preference (tecate light in a bottle with lime being my favorite).
napkin notes "on mexico" that I wanted to cover but will just leave here as a fragmented list, instead:

1. de nada

2. electrolit

3. nightswimming

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unrelated to travel, I've been working on a series of tiny letters:
-things I like/recommend
-year in review / best of 2018
-(hardest to write) 5-year anniversary of my scooter wreck

because I'm leaning into this platform in lieu of so many others, I'm also kinda curious what you would want to read about in future tinyletters. got a topic? question? thing you're wondering? AMA and I'll either reply to just you, or expand out for a future tinyletter in 2019.

thanks for reading & being.
xo
rhienna