Visiting Utah’s National Parks – Dolly Travels

Visiting Utah's National Parks - Dolly Travels

Visiting Utah’s National Parks

Days are flying by as we’re visiting Utah’s National Parks, and each day is packed with visions of beauty, rugged country, incredible rock formations. I am running out of adjectives to describe this marvelous southern Utah country.

On Sunday, we visited Bryce Canyon, which has been my favorite National Park so far, due to the colorful, magnificent rock structures. As you can see, by the dark clouds above the canyon, soon it began to rain. It rained hard for about 15 minutes, let up enough that we could take a walk on a short trail, then when it started to rain again, we drove to a different point.

We left the park not long after I took this picture, due to the rain. If I ever get a chance, i will visit this park again. The next day, we headed toward Capitol Reef National Park. Along the way, we traveled through an area with another slot canyon, not as long as the one we visited a few days previously, but impressive, nonetheless.

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The Grand Canyon and Southern Utah – Dolly Travels

The Grand Canyon and Southern Utah - Dolly Travels

It has been so long since I have really traveled, I am quite excited about this trip. I flew to Boise, met my grandson, Patrick, and his girlfriend, Kiri at their home. On Wednesday, we started our long road trip, primarily to see the National Parks in Utah.

We arrived in the lovely town of Kanab, Utah in the evening. We stayed in little cabins.

Kanab’s primary industry is tourism. But it is an old town, with several historic brick buildings, pretty parks and lots of trees. The air is so clear. I fell in love with the town and really liked the people we met.

The next morning, we drove over the border into Arizona, then drove to the North Rim of Grand Canyon. I was delighted to finally get to visit the landmark. It has been on my bucket list for years.

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Back in Friendly Puerto Vallarta – Dolly Travels

Friendly Puerto Vallarta - Dolly Travels

Yes, I have been in Mexico for 4 days already, but I seem to have succumbed to the leisurely life, therefore, the dearth of communication from me. As usual, in March, here in friendly Puerto Vallarta, the weather is very agreeable, not quite balmy, but temperatures range in the high 70’s, with breezes off the Bay of Banderas. So yes, it is shorts and t-shirt weather.

Life is good. I am happy to be here in Puerto Vallarta, my second home away from home. Since I cannot be in Italy right now, this city is a favorite place for me to stay. It is warm, comfortable, friendly and the pace of living has slowed considerably.

Relaxing in Friendly Puerto Vallarta

I like to go for walks early in the morning, before it gets too humid. That has not been a problem, yet, but this morning, as I neared the finish of a three-mile walk, my back was hurting me. So I stopped at one of the many spas along the Marina and got a 30-minute back massage. Prices are so reasonable here. My massage cost me about the equivalent of $17 USD, so I know that will be a more frequent stop along the way. First, Starbucks, then further along, a massage. Hard to beat that combination!!

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When a Travel Writer Can’t Travel – Dolly Travels

Dolly Travels

This past year I have not kept in touch with all of you, my friends, like I should have done. My excuse is that I am a travel writer and since I have not been traveling, I really did not have anything much to write about. Today, though, I want to say Hello again and recap some of my favorite memories of travel.

If you have followed my blog for the past eleven years, you will know that every year since 2008, I have gone to Italy for extended periods of time. Italy is my favorite country and I truly have gone through withdrawal, not having gone there this past year. I have learned so much about the country and its marvelous people in the travels I have done there, as I travel independently and as Rick Steves says, I try to become a temporary local.

In 2014, I was conducting tours of Italy for some of my friends. Florence was our home base, but as you can see, my friends and I covered quite a bit of the country. One of my favorite things to do in Florence was go to the mercati. This is inside Mercato Centrale. My friends and I would buy fruit and vegetables in season, choosing what caught our eyes on any particular day. From the butcher, we would select meat to go with our vegetables. Then we would go back to our apartments and cook. Everyone helped and we truly enjoyed our meals at home. It was so good to come back to our apartment after a day of sightseeing and make a homemade dinner.

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Rothenburg and Munich – Dolly Travels

Rothenburg and Munich - Dolly Travels

Today we have to leave lively Munich and fly home. What a marvelous trip this has been.

As I told you on Thursday, eight of us left the ship in Nürnberg, boarded a bus bound for Munich. When we left the ship, we were greeted with snow on the ground all around us. However, although there were big grey clouds overhead, we did not get any snow. There was plenty of the stuff on the meadows and fields as we drove to Rothenburg.

Once we got to that little town, there was still snow on the roofs and some on the ground. I was so happy that we got to visit Rothenburg, as it is the ultimate Christmas village.

By Dolly – Full Story at the Dolly Travels

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Bologna – Dolly Travels

Bologna

Good morning, well, buongiorno from Firenze, as it is really early afternoon.

Yes!! Now I am truly back in my second home. However, Susan and I had a delightful 2 days in Bologna. Since we arrived there on Sunday, so many points of interest were closed. We did not want to visit museums, anyway. Bologna is a lovely place to walk.

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Greetings From Italia – Dolly Travels

Greetings From Italia - Dolly Travels

The first two days we were in Italy, we spent in Venice. Venice is lovely, as always. We were very tired when we finally got to our hotel on Wednesday. We had to spend some time just finding the hotel. Nothing is easy to find in that city, as the streets wind around small canals. We crossed many bridges, and just when we found the street, it came to a dead end. It did take up again on the other side of a small canal. You would think I would be used to getting lost in Venice, as I have done that so many times.

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Cinque Terre – Dolly Travels

I promised I would write about Cinque Terre, the five villages on the Ligurian coast that are part of the Italian Riviera. Susan and I spent three lovely days in Vernazza, the fourth of the five cities. We were so busy having fun, I neglected to write while we were there. Now, as we wait for a train that will take us back to Florence, I find I have time to write.

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Another Beautiful Day in Puerto Vallarta – Dolly Travels

Puerto Vallarta - Dolly

Hola!

I know. I did not put the upside-down exclamation point at the beginning, as I should have done. Nevertheless, I want to write another post, and tell you more about this lovely city.

On Saturday, I went downtown to the weekly open market. There were many things to see and do. The market was busy, crowded, for apparently, many of the ex-pat locals get together at the market; I heard English spoken more than Spanish, and I just knew those people were not ordinary tourists, like me.

As so often happens at markets, some of the merchants do not have their own stall… Some have to wear their merchandise on their head.

I did not investigate the vegan taco/hamburger stand. It just did not sound right to me. It must seem right to others, though, for the stand was quite busy.

Later, I walked along the Malecon, starting at the southern end and walked back toward the Centro, near the Cathedral.

It certainly was a day to be in or close to the water.

Back in my own neighborhood, which is at the far northern end of Puerto Vallarta, by the Marina, I found some interesting sights that I probably would not see back home.

First, I saw two different versions of food trucks. I have made a habit of going for an early morning walk every day. This enterprising man was doing a booming business, every day. His customers were locals, I believe.

Yesterday, I left the marina and walked into an older neighborhood just a couple of blocks away. Another food truck was there. The man was a genius. He was standing at the tail gate of his truck. He had a griddle to his left, a pot of beans to his right, and a work station right in front of him. He was cutting up a piece of meat that just came off of some unseen pot, and he was chopping it up for tacos or burritos. He was doing a booming business, with customers coming out of the nearby shops, waiting for their breakfast. I stayed away, but the aroma from that truck certainly was enticing.

Many of the workers on the construction sites and other businesses nearby do not have their own transportation. Hotel workers receive bus fare from the employer, or some, like the Westin, run their own employee vans. Others, as these men below, just get into the back of a pick up truck.

Today, I am going to go back to town, and hopefully, walk the entire length of the Malecon, up and back, for there is just something about that two mile stretch of walkway along the seashore that keeps calling me back.

Then, this afternoon, I will relax under a palapa, sip a refreshing tropical drink, and end another happy day.

My goal for the afternoon…relaxing on the beach.

I will say, “Adios” for now. I will be back soon.

Dolly

San Sebastián del Oeste – Dolly Travels

San Sebastián del Oeste

!Hola!

I think I am finally getting the hang of this Spanish language. I know how to ask for someone to fix the sink. I can order food and drink, get a taxi…hmm. That is about it. An older man, a helper at Walmart, asked me today why I didn’t speak Spanish. I told him I was working on it, but he shook his head and declared I should have done that years ago. I don’t know why he felt that way, but I told him I would keep trying, but he shook his head again, as if to declare me hopeless. Oh, well. My new phrase today, direct from my language translator, is: ¿Alquiera en busca una cerveza? Is anyone up for a beer?

Today is a lovely day: a bit breezy, but the sun is shining, and all is well in Puerto Vallarta.

This morning I walked to Walmart. I can see that complex from where I sit, but to get there, one has to go around the marinas, past the Naval Base, then take your life in your hands to cross the busy boulevard. I didn’t trust the policeman who kept telling me to go, when trucks and buses were coming around the corner aiming for me. I waited until some locals crossed, then I went with them. Whew! Adventure looms everywhere.

Today is going to be a relaxing day for me. I have an appointment at a spa later this afternoon for manicure, pedicure, 50 minute massage and a facial for a cost of approximately $55. We will see how that turns out.

Yesterday, I took a tour up to an old town far up in the Sierra Madre, reported to be the oldest town in this area. San Sebastián del Oeste was established in 1605, and flourished due to silver mining. After that, gold was discovered up there, so mining for those minerals, plus lead, made San Sebastián a busy place, with the population in 1900 being around 20,000 persons. Now, there are fewer than 1,000 residents. The town is kept clean and pretty, as it is considered one of the “Pueblos Majicos”, due to its history. The town receives a subsidy from the Mexican government to keep it historically correct, including the thick adobe walls of the buildings, and red tile roofs and the architecture. The streets are made of rock: big rocks, little rocks, all cemented together in an uneven hodge podge, it seemed to me. There are sidewalks for about half of the town. I had to laugh, as we saw cars proceeding down the street, slowly bumping up and down. Not that it was needed, for the cars could not go very fast, but the speed bump on one of the side streets was constructed of a heavy rope thrown across the street. It had obviously been there a long time, for it was pretty well enmeshed into the rocks of the street.

Before we got to San Sebastián, which, by the way, is a two-hour drive from Puerto Vallarta, we made three stops. Our guide told us that the first paved roads to that town were constructed in the 1960’s. Up till then, the only roads were dirt. Can you imagine, in the silver and gold mining days, goods and people had to be transported from Puerto Vallarta, where they arrived by ship. The primary means of transport, then, was by pack mule. The journey took two days.

Our first stop, about and hour from PV, was at a store called El Puente de Krystal, which I assume refers to the bridge over a huge ravine beside the store. I was happy that we stopped there, for Frank and I had visited that place on a tour a few years ago.

We watched a woman making home made tortillas from the masa de maiz. She had a big bowl of that lovely dough under the cloth beside her. When someone wanted a taco, she pulled off a ball of dough, pressed it into a tortilla, threw it onto the wood-fired stove top, let it cook until it puffed up, then she picked it up, turned it over. When it was done to her satisfaction, she pulled the tortilla off the grill, put it onto a small plate, then handed it to the customer. There were bowls of retried beans, pico de gallo, guacamole, shredded cheese and salsa prepared. The customer made his taco to his or her preference. I had two of the delicious tacos, for a cost of $1 each.

Our next stop was at a tequila factory, of course. Jalisco, the Mexican state we are in, is the birthplace of tequila, so on any tour, one ends up at a tasting of that beverage.

This place was very simple, with techniques for making tequila going back generations of this same family. They use pure blue agave, the leaves and the root, to begin the process.

I took tiny tastes of tequila, but I am not a connoisseur; others said it was very good.

Next, we visited a coffee farm. There, I did taste the product, and it was delicious. The coffee farm had been established over 100 years ago. There was a woman called Maria, who had been the mother of 21 children, who started the farm with her husband. She outlived him, so she continued the farm and coffee production. Her next-to-youngest son now runs the business, and he is getting up in years, also. Maria, by the way, lived to be 85 years old. I cannot even fathom having a baby almost every year, as she did, beginning with the first child when she was 15 years old, and her youngest, when she was 46. Holy moley! And then she ran the farm, which is about 20 acres, I believe.

We were given a lesson on coffee growing, harvesting, roasting. I also learned that this is an organic farm. An interesting side note is the farm uses natural pesticide: a mixture of oil, garlic and serrano pepper. Hmm. Sounds a lot like the recipe for shrimp ajillo I told you about in an earlier post, except the pepper or chile is different. I might try that on my plants at home and see if it will keep the squirrels away.

Our guide took us to a very nice restaurant in San Sebastián. It was tastefully decorated, and the food was scrumptious. We were served chicken mole, cheese quesadillas, shredded beef for tacos, rice and beans. I could see the cook making tortillas in the kitchen, and cooking them as needed.

We ended our tour in the town square, after visiting the church of San Sebastián.

All in all, it was a pleasurable day. After all that walking on the rocky streets, and listening to Mario tell us all the cultural information, we were a tired group that headed back to Puerto Vallarta. I was grateful to Mario, our guide, for in his real life, he is a history teacher. He gave us so much very good information, both on the history of Mexico and this area in particular, but he expanded more on the anthropological and sociological aspects of Mexico. I felt it was a very worthwhile trip, for me.

By the time I got back to the resort, though, my feet and my brain were tired. I settled into my room for a nap before I ventured out for dinner.

I stayed at the resort for dinner and was treated to a lovely sunset.

So, adios from Puerto Vallarta, until next time. This is, indeed, a restful place.

–Dolly

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