My Trip to Zihuatanejo

Well I just got back from an incredible trip to Zihuatanejo - a quaint little fishing village turned tourist destination in Mexico. It's the 3rd time that I've been there in my life, and for good reason. It is a wonderful little town located on a perfectly crafted bay on the Pacific Ocean and is host to some of the nicest little restaurants, boutique hotels, and mexican shops.

All in all, it's a great place to relax. That was truly the purpose of my trip. I've had an amazing year with lots of exciting things happen in my business and personal life. But believe you me, it was time for a little R & R.

Also, my girlfriend Amy had never been so I wanted her to experience Zihua's beauty and charm. Needless to say, she loved it as well and we are seriously making plans to go back for a longer period of time in 2008.

Don't worry, I'll still be running Total Wellness Consulting and creating more great fitness an nutrition programs for you but this time from a more inspiring location.

One the things that I enjoy about destinations like Zihua is that you truly get to enjoy some of the freshest and most delicious food on the planet. One day we were walking through town when I saw a guy unloading a box of papayas. These weren't your ordinary papayas - I'm talking massive, watermelon-size papayas. So I asked him (in spanish of course) "How much for a papaya?" He looked at me with a puzzled look and responded "Diez pesos" (ten pesos or $1!).

As you can imagine we bought one. In retrospect we should have bought the entire crate because I've never had a papaya with such great taste and deep red colour - and it was local!

Each morning I took advantage of the locally grown fruit at breakfast. Some of the best papaya, banana, pineapple, and lime you could imagine!

Much to our delight most restaurants (ideally located right on the beach) served coconut water - one of nature's most exquisite drinks. The best part is that they served it directly in the coconut itself. Once the drink would be finished the server would then ask if we wanted the young coconut's meat cut up to eat. Our answer - of course!

In Eating for Energy I talk quite extensively about the health benefits of the coconut. Unfortunately, unless you live under a palm tree fresh young coconuts can be hard to come by. So you can be sure that I got my fill was I down there!

Here is a picture which nicely reflects how I spent most of my time - relaxing in the sun.

Eventhough relaxation was priority #1 for me, we still made a point of enjoying many of the local sporting activities. We went sea kayaking, snorkelling, sailing, did lots of surfing, and Amy got to go parasailing!

Overall, it was trip that was well needed and thoroughly enjoyed! I would like to say in closing that Mexico (at least where we were) is unfairly judged for its food. So many people warn you about the food, etc...

But I've been to Mexico 4 times and I must say that I've had some of the most incredible food of my life - without the after effects (if you know what I mean). But as always it's important to ensure the water that you drink is bottled and that the restaurants you eat in are clean and make a priority of using top quality ingredients.

If you want to get away and are tired of the typical "all inclusive" tourist spots (ie. cancun, acapulco, etc...) like I am, then Zihuatanejo is your spot. It's inexpensive, charming, and a wonderful spot to get away.

Yuri