Returning Home

A week ago, flying home was the furthest thing from my mind, and now here we are sitting in the airport, waiting to board our flight to Ciudad de Mexico, thence to Nueva York.

Where did the time go?!?

I discovered (or rather, confirmed) a couple of things about myself during this trip:

1. The mere presence of a gaggle of (for want of a better term) "Chelsea boys" is enough to make me break out in hives. Apparently that's literally true, since I actually did break out in hives on the first day of "Latin Fever."
   
   
2. I am terrible at haggling with vendors in the Mercado de Artisans, and had to be rescued by ChickenKurry, who saved me tons of pesos. Apparently he has experience in haggling with the vendors of India, where a negotiation isn't considered complete until someone's either popped a vocal cord from screaming at another party or suffered myocardial infarction from the stress of having been out-negotiated.
   
   By comparison, he notes, "This is easy."
   
   
3. Sun screen with an SPF rating of 55 is a bit of an overkill, and my tan suffers accordingly. Interestingly, however, I think it was the spray-on SPF 30 that I bought as a substitute that actually caused the aforementioned hive outbreak. Who knew those things were delivered with an alcohol base?!? Stingy! And refreshing at the same time. Until, of course, you break out in hives.
   
   
4. I wouldn't have a great deal of trouble giving up the fast-paced good life in New York city for the slower-paced life in Puerto Vallarta. I spent pretty much the entire trip scheming to find a way to stay here permanently. I've met managers of canopy-tour companies, photographers who make their living snapping photos of tourists flying through the trees, people who've opened their own restaurants. All sorts of people just give up the life north of the border and just decide to stay.
   
   Aside from the fact that I enjoy making a crazy city-dweller's wage, I think the only thing keeping me from just doing it would be the fact that The Pants couldn't do anything even remotely related to acting there.