As we crossed the border the summer of 1997, my nine-year old daughter, Ashley was detained. A stranger in a strange land, she was now surrounded by short, dark men that talked funny. She immediately donned a solemn face and pleads for my assistance. Her practical jokes suddenly stopped and tears formed.

My brow too, began to sweat as the border patrol studied the paperwork carefully. One very serious officer looked up from the papers and stated matter of fact, "Usted no puede pasar de contrabando animales en nuestro pas. Se ha vacunado este animal? No vemos ningn papel aqu para el mono. Tendremos que ponerlo en cuarentena. Dmelo." (You can't smuggle animals into our country. Has this animal been vaccinated? We see no papers. We will have to put him in quarantine. Give him to me.)

As the other man reached for the monkey saying, "Podra separar enfermedad," (It could spread disease.) Ashley's tears fell. She insisted on taking her stuffed monkey with us on the trip. I saw nothing out of the ordinary about it so I agreed.

I possessed a lack of faculty with Spanish conjugation. By inflection and body language I thought this was their way of welcoming three Americans into the country. But, I couldn't be sure just yet. We had some very challenging moments the past several years. This incident was posing another I didn't know quite what to do with.

Travel agents will tell you that if you are traveling as a single adult with children you must carry not only their birth certificates, but also a travel document or letter signed by the absent parent. Children cannot travel with only one parent without the permission of the other acting as proof they have not been kidnapped. I wondered how I was going to get around that impossibility?

An old Maltese proverb came to mind, "A mother becomes a liar and a thief for the love of her children". I was divorced from the girls' father. Besides the fact he had passed away a couple of years before. Since he was married to someone else, well, I didn't possess a death certificate. So, I forged his name to the travel documents with a bogus letter letting them travel with only one parent.

I really didn't have any answers just yet for my daughter's dilemna, much less my own. I thought we would be jailed or put back on the plane for the states. My youngest daughter's generally thick skin she wore around me quickly peeled away. She hung onto the monkey for her life. Suddenly, the two officers began to laugh, noting that we were really confused.

I was relieved. We were allowed to step foot in Puerto Vallarta. It was July. My oldest daughter just turned fifteen. We had never gone on vacation together. This was her birthday present. It just had to be better, didn't it?

After we said thank you and good-bye we got in our shuttle to the hotel. The girls immediately took off to the beach. We had a lot to pack into our three-day all-inclusive stay. Including airfare, it was a bargain at a hundred dollars a day. The Meza del Mar is an old, expansive and beautiful hotel with whitewashed walls and Spanish tile roof. See this site for more information about Club Meza del Mar; http://www.vallartashores.com/mezadelmar/

With the girls off I sat down to a beer under the nearest palapa.

We are not the only ones who experience challenges. Yolanda, only nineteen, raising three children braided hair in the courtyard of Meza del Mar for fourteen dollars. I always wanted to see what I would like with a Bo Derek 10 hairstyle, and I wanted to help Yolanda out. The next day we three girls were Bo One, Bo Two, and Bo Three.

Ashley monkeyed around for hours in the pool with a friend named Cynthia from Monterrey, Mexico. No language barrier exists during amiable play.

The next day our threesome took off on an all-day cruise. Best yet, it was only $55.00 USD and the offer was sold right in the hotel. An all inclusive, free food, all the Corona I could drink, dancing on the deck, lively conversation with University students wanting to come to the U.S., and I hung out with a recently married couple from Denver. The couple was two men. They were on their honeymoon.

Jose, our taxi driver drove wildly to the dock that day. He drove 70km in downtown traffic, not stopping at lights and only slowing for signs, frantically changing lanes and oblivious to the fear it might cause tourists. I didn't have proper Mexican currency or any change. He was shockingly kind to say, Just leave it with Juan, the concierge at Mesa del Mar with my name on it and he will get it to me." I was flabbergasted.

We headed to Yelapa at the end of the peninsula south of Majoya Mismaloya. Ashley and I attempted to snorkel, but failed. Alyssian was, I swear a mile away from the ship and in the current of the engines as she returned to the ship. She loved it and thrilled at the many tropical fish. The boat motored to shore and we followed a mountain trail to a caf on top. The girls wasted no time climbing the falls, while I sat drinking more Corona.

We saw many iguanas on the way. If locals hold them be prepared to pay for a photo if you take one. Horseback rides were readily available for $20.00, and on the way back Ashley did. She threw a fit when she was tired of walking. One witness felt sorry for her and allowed her to ride down the mountain for free. She was a happy camper. Well, so was I. Being a brat in Ashleys case has paid off on many occasions. There were many memorable moments.

Another memorable was our walk to town and back from the hotel. Being in a strange place and having two daughters made me cautious and protective. Ashley wanted to run off by herself, but I kept her under tow regardless. We were actually being stalked. I stopped a policeman on the corner dressed from head-to-toe in white duds with a trusty steed at his side. It's odd that body language and hand signals work so well when you don't speak the language. The officer didn't indicate he spoke English. Although I could not voice my concern in an audible way, the girls and I were not followed after that.

On the way back to the hotel it rained. It was a warm and heavy downfall. Local hospitality was terrific. Three times we were motioned to come in out of the rain, but we were having too much fun. One extremely funny fellow met us on the bridge about three blocks from our room. As we approached he scurried across ahead of us. As we passed him, his back went up against the wall of the bridge abutment and his claws reached for the sky, as if to say, "I surrender." Have you ever seen a crab do that? It was priceless. I've only seen crabs in grocery stores and crab pots, but I can't say that anymore. We were drenched and laughed ourselves silly as we continued the walk.

For More Information: http://www.vallartashores.com/mezadelmar/
http://www.virtualvallarta.com/vallarta/information/definitions/yelapa.html