The Alaroni Big Trip: Hanging with my sister Jane in Punta de Mita, Mexico

After what my sister Jane said has been an interminable wait since the start of our trip last June, we're finally all together at Jane's seaside house and art studio in Punta de Mita, Mexico. Jane lives down a a non-discript dirt road in house that has it's own private beach and which she's transformed into a beautiful studio where she shows her artwork (mobiles made from driftwood, beautiful mirrors, natural jewelry, handmade furniture and much more).

Since we've arrives she's had us laughing with stories of her past few years in Mexico, and much to my chagrin, has kept Maya and Mira laughing about 'Papa childhood stories', which they can't get enough of.

We're here for a couple of weeks and are taking things easy. The girls start the day doing their schoolwork while I go for a run. This is followed by a late breakfast then talk about what to do for the day. For example, today we didn't get out of the house until after 12 and took a drive to see a village where Jane and her husband Chris used to live until a year ago called Los Demarcos. Unfortunately, Chris in the US right now so we won't get to see him on this trip. Nadia has also traveled to Akumal so it's an all Maroni affair in Punta de Mita.

Yesterday we also had a late start and went surfing in the afternoon followed by a trip to resort down the beach from Jane's house. The place is way out of our price range so we only walked the premises after getting permission at the front desk and left after 30 minutes. The place is huge but it was empty.

A couple of days ago we took a boat trip to some islands offshore. I brought my fishing gear in hopes of trolling a bit on the way out to the islands but the captains refused due to his lack of a fishing permit. Of course, on the way out to the islands there were fish jumping everywhere while I looked at my unused rod and gear sitting in the bottom of the boat. Sometimes life can be cruel. Fortunately, today in Los Demarcos, Jane found her old friend who has a small boat and he's agreed to take me out fishing on Monday. This worldwide trip has been almost a complete bust for fishing so I hope to redeem myself a bit in Mexico and Hawaii by bringing in some fish.

Cheers, Rob