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Well… now seems like a good time to start telling the story about my 2 weeks in Mexico --I’m at the airport right now and my flight has been delayed 4 hours so I’ve got a little time on my hands.  It’s been a long day already and it’s only 3 oclock…. woke up very early after having gone out late and had to ride a bus through the hills of Mexico for 5 hours to get from the resort to Vallarta.  On the way there I had to get out and ponder revisiting my drinks and food from the night before but today went a little better (on the way there I was in a little car with Dany –the musical director from the resort and his girlfriend Karina, they had taken me out for an authentic Vallarta party the day I got there and needless to say my stomach was not doing so well the next day… 

I guess that brings me to the beginning, might as well start there… 

...so I flew in to Puerto Vallarta 2 weeks ago --I was originally supposed to fly in to Manzanillo (the city where the resort is) but there were some ‘issues’ with my flight (ie they forgot to book it and when they finally did it was sold-out), so I had to fly in to Vallarta which actually ended up being really great because I got to stay with a Mexican family (Karina’s Aunt’s house).  We hit the town before though and went along the strip, stopping at several different bars and enjoying several rounds of tequila and such.  I think the highlight was the tequila pushers who went around pouring shots down your throat and then shook your head and chest while blasting a whistle in your face…

   I quickly realized that I was going to have to improve on my Spanish because there was not a lot of English flying around.  Fortunately my French proved very helpful…So we went out all night despite the fact that I had been up at 6 in the morning in Toronto and despite the fact that we had to get up the next morning at 6 in order to get Karina and her friend to work on time in Manzanillo.  We all spent the night on the second floor of the house (everything is open-air there, very different, really refreshing), they gave me the bed and everyone else slept on the floor ---I felt somewhat guilty but there was no discussion.  We got up the next morning and headed on our way to Manzanillo. As I said earlier, my stomach was already weak to begin with after my Mexican 'inauguration' the night before, so the extremely winding, bumpy, hilly roads really didn’t help.  About an hour in Karina gave me this pill (which I was assuming/hoping was some kind of Gravol and it worked pretty well, I was alright from then on).  We had enough time to stop in for a quick breakfast at Karina’s godparents’ house, about 2 hours along the way (we had fresh eggs, quesadillas, tomatoes, yum….)  Then we continued on our journey at a somewhat alarming speed but I still managed to keep dozing off (despite the very regular ‘topes’ which means ‘speedbump’ --- they’re EVERYWHERE in Mexico and sometimes you forget that they’re there... I hit my head pretty hard on a few occasions…)  We made it to Manzanillo just in time for them to get to work and I got to the hotel, eager to find out where I would be living (I was supposed to be staying at the hotel for the whole 2 weeks but there was a little confusion again and the hotel was sold-out so there was no room for me…. so… they put me up in this apartment about 10 minutes away.  It was pretty barren with absolutely nothing in it but a bed, no hot water, no anything, but it was going to be my home for the next week or so.  And let’s be honest here, I wasn’t in the best of spirits when I saw the place, in fact I was pretty frustrated  (I wasn’t getting paid to play at the hotel, the deal was that I get a free flight, stay at the hotel and all-inclusive wristband and that I play 2 hours a night and can sell CD’s.  If I wasn’t getting the hotel room, it felt like I was being ripped-off (especially if you had just seen the hotel, it was gorgeous! I really wanted to be there!)  anyway, no dice for the first week so I had to cab it over to the hotel at nights with all my equipment and walk over during the days when I didn’t have to bring my stuff (the walk was pretty gorgeous I must admit, all along the beach…). 

You know… I could keep going on about the little frustrations along the way but I think I’ve dwelled on them enough at this point, time to tell you about all the fun I had! 

So my day to day was basically get up (usually in the early afternoon ---I was never in bed before 5 am) make my way over to the restaurant, eat some great food and then make my way to the pool with my book (Bob Dylan’s ‘Chronicles’) my journal, my sunblock (30 spf –the Mexicans ridiculed me constantly)  and wait for the waiter to come offer a drink (which they always did)  So I’d sip Pina Coladas, read and swim for a few hours everyday and then have to get ready for the shows.  I played at 2 different spots on the resort.  One was this huge ‘festival-style’ outdoor stage in a place called the ‘budha garden’.  I played there for an hour most nights around 7-8 while the guests ate their dinner.  I’d then either have the rest of the night off or I’d have a show in the lobby (2-45 minute sets).  The lobby area was really nice with a bunch of tables and chairs set-up and a full-service bar for the patrons.  I think the lobby shows were definitely my favorite, especially the second set (10 oclock-ish) because it actually felt like a show.  Everyone was looking for something to do between dinner time and before going out to the clubs so I’d get a lot of eager listeners who’d come to the lobby.  I played almost all original music (with the occasional cover ---I learned several covers over my time there as a guest would request something and then I’d learn it and play it the next night.  Some covers I played: “High and Dry” Radiohead, “Time after Time” Cyndi Lauper, “I’ll be” Edwin Mcain”, “Wonderful Tonight” Clapton, “Paper Moon” Nat king Cole, ---whatever they wanted, I tried to learn it.  Seeing as there was a high Mexican population on the resort, I also learned a Spanish song called “Que Porque Te Quiero”.  It was definitely the runaway hit with the locals (they would often erupt in cheers when I started playing it and sing wholeheartedly throughout.  Then they’d yell ‘Autres Autres!’ which means encore, and I would have to sheepishly inform them that it was the only Spanish song I’d learned so far (one night they just made me do it twice!).  I’ll have to play it at the New Year’s show… 

The greatest part about the gigs was that I was joined every night by Danny Depoe, the musical director at the resort, fellow Torontonian and ridiculously talented trumpet player.  He had a wonderful sensitivity and sensibility to his playing, he really knew when to turn it up and especially when to hold back.  He improvised along with all my tunes right from my very first set, and by the end of the 2 weeks we had a really tight show going, complete with random jams and even a choreographed fade-out on ‘Lazy Sunday’  (that song was a big hit at the resort too, I hadn’t really played it in a really long time, thought it was kind of retired, but I dusted it off in one of my first sets and I guess the theme worked well for the circumstances).  The other favorite was ‘Pictures’; the trumpet added a LOT to that tune and repeat audiences kept requesting it.  Speaking of the audience, I brought 60 CD’s with me and I sold them ALL before my last set!  People were really good to me and so supportive.  I got many an invite to dinner, etc. and made some great new friends from all over the place, especially Vancouver (lots of people from Vancouver there…)  Hopefully I’ll be seeing them on the National tour in Feb/march. 

--So, pool by day, shows at night and THEN, the good times really began… 

Every single night Danny and I went somewhere till the wee hours of the morning.  Some places were more questionable than others….  Highlights were this beachside ‘shack’ type place called ‘Bora’s’ that had live bands most nights.   You could get a giant Michelada (2 bottles of bear poured into a big cup, mixed with lime juice and sea-salt for 2 bucks).  There was this great rock band that Danny was friends with and they called me up to play with them anytime I was at the bar.  In fact, any time Danny and I were somewhere a band was playing, we inevitably ended up on stage.  Highlights were definitely ‘All Along the Watchtower’ and ‘High and Dry’. Not to jump the gun but last night, my final night, I was saying my goodbyes and the band called me up for one more ‘All along the Watchtower’ (despite the fact that my voice was fried, I was somewhere slightly away from sober and I had a pretty nasty head cold).  Anyway, it was wonderfully fun and a great way to end the trip (AND, during the solo section, I actually went over to the guitarist and played the left hand of the solo while he did the right…probably the most rock and roll move I’ve ever done!) 

We also went to many different dance clubs, although fortunately they’re not generally the big monster tourist-filled things that you see in the more touristy areas of Mexico. Most places were pretty authentic and I got to meet a lot of great locals. 

I’m trying to think what else happened (I’m actually home now trying to finish this, I had to get on the plane and have been working like mad since I got home…).  I guess to close things off, here’s a list of highlights:

-sleeping in someone’s home in Puerto Vallarta

-having breakfast at Karina’s home in Manzanillo

-swimming and body surfing in the Pacific ocean

-eating ‘ceviche’ (raw fish cooked in lime juice and mixed with other good

things) on the beach, made by Karina –it was soooo good!

-driving through the hills of Mexico (despite my upset stomach)

- meeting people from all over the place

-ordering room service many nights at 5 am…

-learning and performing a Spanish tune and then seeing the reaction from the locals!

-tequila and sangrita (they sip tequila there…because it’s so much better!)

-rockin’ out with local bands in the wee hours of the night

-going to a bar that they then filled up with foam (?)

-getting 8 beers in a bucket for $10

-learning many Spanish sentences like ‘donde esta el bagno’ (where is the bathroom?)

-having drinks physically poured down my throat, almost against my will

-eating at the ‘Carioca’ restaurant, right on the water

-sitting around listening to a group of 5 very drunk Mexican guys sing Mexican tunes with all their heart on my guitar

-actually getting a request for one of my originals!

-seeing freakin HUGE cockroaches

-being challenged to arm wrestles with the locals (I actually did win the match!)

-dealing with what I liked to call ‘random acts of bacon’ ---for some reason the cooks at the resort loved to put bacon in EVERYTHING.  Me being a vegetarian, found that a little difficult…  I’m not kidding, they really do put bacon in everything, and they’re sneaky about it too.  See the picture?! It clearly says ‘green beans’.  Well open it up and there are green beans…+ pounds of bacon!  Sneaky sneaky sneaky…

-drinking beer in the car…

-drinking beer out of a straw

-serenading patrons at their tables after the show

-going to the local taco joint ‘Tacon Madres’ for ‘Camaron tacos ---shrimp tacos!’ really really greasy, but really really good (and bacon free!)

 Well, the pictures will hopefully give a better sense of things, that’s all I’ve got for now… the real world is once again calling and I have to go to work in the morning…..  hope you’re all doing really well, can’t wait to see you at New year’s or on the national tour in feb/marchl!  Take care, PEter