feliz año nuevo

Ay dios mio! I never meant to let this much time pass before posting, but calendar 2007 hasn't exactly gone the way I intended.
The short explanation: Mexico got the best of me. I came back from Puerto Vallarta with the classic gringo complaint, a stomach flu that kept me holed up in the apartment all weekend and cursing a certain smiling Señora who sold us delicious (but apparently deadly) tacos on the street. Of course, I have no proof that the tacos made me sick — it really could have been anything — but her tantalizing puerco was the one thing I ate that my BF did not, and he didn't get sick, so there.
But I also don't want to give the wrong impression about Vallarta. The city thoroughly charmed the both of us. The BF declared it his "best vacation ever." Granted, he's known for his hyperbole and low standards, so take that as you will.

Our days were spent sipping $3 margaritas on Playa Los Muertos, the default gay playground, which was about as gay as it gets. I was troubled by the name, which literally translates into "beach of the dead," not exactly a welcoming omen. I asked a couple of natives why it was so named, but they never seemed to understand my question. The beach was also slammed with boys most days, and because of the close proximity of chairs and sunbathers on towels was also one of the most social beaches I've ever visited. Nothing like the sandy snobs we endured on Fire Island all summer.

I also had no idea what we were getting ourselves into in terms of lodging. We'd booked our hotel — actually an apartment — without seeing any advance photos, so I went in expecting a tin shack with wild chickens on the floor. The real thing was therefore a pleasant surprise, clean but basic and way more spacious than any of us could've hoped.
By the end of the trip, we'd met cliques of friends from all over: Seattle, San Francisco, D.C.. Seems they all meet up annually in Vallarta, some groups coming for eight or nine years in a row. I have a feeling we'll be back there with them next año nuevo.
Back in the States, and with lots of time on my hands during my recovery, I finally figured out why the beach is named "Los Muertos." According to this site, it had to do with a bloody battle between silver and gold smugglers, after which the beach was strewn with bodies. A fight over jewelry: How gay is that?