Punta De Mita – a trip of many emotions

So two years ago, I took a job with a company as an independent writer for their social media. I learned the ins and outs of content creation on different platforms while practicing my creativity through words. How cool, right? I loved my job with Tiny Home Tours and was sad to resign, but I knew it would be best for my family and our future travels. Plus, after writing 30 hours a week, unfortunately, this blog was put to the side. Luckily, my talented husband is an incredible videographer that captured those years through the camera AND we’ve created a family-friendly(ish) YouTube channel! It’s called Their Happy Trails.

If you’d rather watch an entertaining episode of this post, we have a 13-minute video of it on our YouTube. Click here!

Our first family stop out of the United States was Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. We’ve soaked in the sun, eaten delicious (and not-so-delicious) food, and explored the city’s vibrant culture—more on that in a later post.

An exciting part of our trip was when we accidentally stumbled upon a huge annual festival in Punta De Mita! It was an incredible experience for all of us.

I went for a morning walk to find us coffee, and there it was, a line of trucks, boats on trailers, and homemade floats lined up along an old city street. In my broken but mistakenly confident Spanish, I asked a local what was happening. Little did we know, we were in for a big surprise! He said, “It (never said what “it” was) starts at 9 am in the Plaza.” Ok then, off to the Plaza we go!

As we got closer, there was a big crowd of people. We could hear the authentic music of guitars, horns, and accordions, which caused Shanti to dance her way up the path. Oh, how I love this kid!

It was a huge annual festival celebrating the local heritage specific to this city. They take so much pride in their area and and we were thrilled to have stumbled upon it.

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While exploring Punta De Mita, we met a family traveling on a bus! You guys, a Skoolie! For those of you that don’t know, Our family lived the bus life for 3 years! We recently sold our second rig to start these travels. See our last home on wheels and the amazing journey it took us on by heading over to our YouTube.

I was not expecting the rush of emotions to see an international family in a DIY tiny home just hanging out in this little surf town. They had driven there from Maine! They were so friendly and welcoming that I felt we had known them for years, especially the awesome momma of the all-boy crew. They showed us around and told us about their adventures. We were so inspired by their stories that we joined them multiple times, once for nighttime tacos, a few surf days, and of course, the crazy parade.

Matt got to surf while we all walked the long beach to La Lancha, and when I say long, I mean 4 miles roundtrip! Matt had his surfboard, so naturally, I assumed Id be the one carrying Shanti for most of the journey. Nope! This energy ball ran the whole way there and skipped the entire way back (and also slept for 12 hours that night).

Ok, total scene change. Matt, Shanti, and I were walking the streets one afternoon, and out of nowhere, like, thin air, this baby chick came chirping up to us. Way too young to be away from its momma but healthy enough to want comfort. It had clearly lost its way and, due to Shanti’s adoring snuggles, soon thought we were its family.

It was heartbreaking, but we knew we couldn’t keep the chick. We had to let it go, but we all fell in love with this little thing! It was an essential lesson for Shanti; she learned about the circle of life and how to let go of things we love. Confession, I secretly kept looking for it in the following days, hoping to get one more day with our adopted pet.

The images below were daddy telling her we had to say goodbye. Both of their expressions are on point with emotions.

Overall, it was an incredible trip. I can’t wait to see what the rest of our journey has in store for us. Shanti may remember some, if any, of these times, but I hope the overall energy of the experience will be seeded in her life’s journey.

Next up, more of Mexico!