Club Med - Playa Blanca 1982

  Mexico, Mexico
Saturday, April 10, 1982

Flying.......not my favourite thing. So it was just my luck to have a pilot who gets his kicks out of playing with the passengers. "Grand Canyon on the left" he bellows over the speaker........and a surprising number of people jump up and look out the window, including me. Suddenly he tips the plane way to the left. I hear him laughing over the speaker as he levels the plane and just when I think everything is back to normal he tips the plane way to the right. Another chuckle is heard and I sit back down, strap myself in and wonder how I'll ever lose this fear of flying with pilots like that at the controls.

We arrive in Puerto Vallarta, grab our luggage and board a bus. A very old bus with a picture of praying hands above the driver. I didn't think much of it until we were careening down the road, passing other vehicles around corners with the wall of a cliff on one side and the drop of a cliff on the other and it was impossible to see any cars coming. I knew at that moment why there were praying hands at the front of the bus for all to see.

It was a 2 hour drive to the Playa Blanca Club Med resort and poverty was everywhere. I felt guilty when we turned into a lush green paradise, leaving behind a whole other world on the other side of the gates. My guilt quickly vanished and for the next 10 days, I had the time of my life. I don't think I ever laughed so much before.

Near the end of the trip we signed up for a romantic activity............horseback riding on the beach at sunset and you had to be an experienced rider to go. I lied and said I was......after all......I wasn't going to miss that for anything. I mounted the horse and the guide asked if my stirrups were at the right length for me. I had no idea if they were but I said yes anyways. Off we went.......up some hills and down some hills......all in a row.....me being at the end of that row and my husband Geoff on the horse in front of me. We eventually made it to the dirt road that would take us to the beach. The horses started to trot and I quickly learned my stirrups were way too low and I couldn't lift myself up off the back of the horse so I could end this jarring, bumpy ride I was experiencing. A bunch of Mexican men were walking along the side and stopped to wave to everyone. Suddenly their waves became quite boisterous and hoots and hollers soon followed. I couldn't understand what all the excitement was about until my husband turned around and took one look at me and started laughing hysterically. I looked down and the tube top I was wearing was down around my waist and my breasts were flapping in the wind bringing great joy to the mexican men on the side of the road. I quickly grabbed hold and pulled it up, my cheeks redder than the sunset we were about to see.