Don't think, just do

Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe. 2.
Originally uploaded by mutbka.

My phone rings today and it's Mel, my Aussie travel agent friend here in Chicago who is - quite by fluke actually - travelling back to Adelaide with me at Christmas with her American fiance.

Mel excitedly mentions an unbeatable offer for a 3-day, all-inclusive trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for only $349 and asked me if I wanted to go. Did I want to go?! So I called Caro straight away, hurriedly explained the deal and without even thinking twice, we booked in and paid up. After all, it's not often that such great ideas present themselves.

And the only catch as far as we can tell has to do with the strictness of the travel dates - leaving 31 August, back on 3 September. No worries for us, because Monday 4 September is the Labor Day long weekend, so it all fit in perfectly. SOLD.

I am so excited about this upcoming trip. Mexico wasn't exactly up there on my must-see destination list, but now I can't stop reading about it online and looking at photo after photo of smiley children, withered old grannies, and old men in enormous sombreros. I'm hooked.

And while Puerto Vallarta may be a touristy town, I'm certain that in the 3 days we'll spend there, Caro and I can mix old-town charm like this Church, with reclining on a deck chair, sipping authentic margaritas. And how!