Week 47: Turtles and Turkey
- elenalilamartin
- Nov 28, 2023
- 5 min read
Updated: Dec 2, 2023
Week 47: November 19-November 25th, 2023
Ever since the pandemic, my family’s Thanksgivings have been a bit haphazardly put together. There is nothing wrong with this, and it’s unavoidable, but family traditions change and grow over time. I’m still getting used to it. The holidays can be emotional and logistical nightmares, but they always end up okay. I’ve missed the big, get-together holidays and being sent to the kids table to eat, but I’ve also enjoyed experiencing new things and creating new traditions.
This year, we did the whole Thanksgiving thing way differently. My sister planned to spend it with her in-laws in Long Beach. So, at the generous invitation of my wonderful uncles, my parents and I traveled down to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico (PV). I am so lucky because I have two sets of gay uncles. Each of my parents have a gay best friend from college, and I will be the first to say, they make great uncles! Especially when we get to spend Thanksgiving together.
My uncle Joel and his husband Sage have a great condo in Puerto Vallarta. We stopped there briefly, and then ventured 2.5 hours north to their amazing villa at Playa Las Tortugas (PLT). Their villa is part of a property that is beautifully maintained by great staff. There are 14 different villas, some are part-time rentals, all with direct access to an incredible beach.
The huge draw for this trip, apart from a much needed vacation and use of my PTO, was the chance to see baby turtles hatching. Literally just steps from my uncles’ villa, every year, Olive Ridley turtles come to the beach and lay their eggs. The PLT property has 14 different villas, a pool and more, but it ALSO hosts a turtle rescue center! The people working at this rescue center drive up and down the beach, collecting turtle eggs and bringing them back to hatch safely, without the threat of raccoons or hawks.
Each evening, around 5pm, someone would come out onto the beach, holding a big styrofoam cooler box full of 100 baby turtles. They would draw a line in the sand, and just dump the turtles out. It was not a graceful entry onto the beach for these turtles. Some would land upside down, or facing the wrong way, and we would help them make their way to the ocean. Their little bodies seemed so fragile. They were faced with so much adversity. Even the smallest waves pushed their efforts back tenfold as they struggled toward existence.
We worried that the regular timing of the turtle release meant the predators had caught on to their schedule. Even if the turtles made it to the ocean, there were probably fish lined up just waiting to claim their dinner. It was a brutal battle for survival. The turtles survived hatching with the help of the rescue center, had just escaped being prey for birds, and now faced the perilous journey into the ocean.
Nature is brutal and hardcore, but it’s the circle of life. Apparently, about only 1 in every 1000 turtles lives, which means their odds are not great, but with the help of the rescue center, their odds get a little better. The ones that make it return to the exact same beach, years later, to continue this cycle. Nature may be brutal, sure, but it’s also incredible.
This was the first time we have had a Thanksgiving in Mexico. It was unreal, from the soft sand and warm water at the beach, to the flora and fauna being so different from San Diego, to the turtle rescue and yummy turkey dinner we got to enjoy.
Throughout the trip, my uncle introduced us to the concept of “cowboy cooking,” which means finding substitute ingredients for recipes and just making it happen! The food for our Thanksgiving table turned out great, even with strange substitutions. We put together a great meal and were able to serve Thanksgiving staples like turkey, mashed potatoes, and gravy. My feelings about the questionable origin of Thanksgiving don’t need to take away from the gratitude I feel about the life I have. I don’t think we need a special day of the year to express our gratitude, because we can do that year round, but it is nice to have a reminder.
One major, major drawback for me on the trip were the bugs. These tiny little bugs, called “No-see-ums,” were even more troublesome than mosquitos. I have always been a target for bugs, (my blood must be delicious or something) but these ones absolutely ravaged me. After just the first night, I counted over 34 bites on my right arm alone. I probably have over 200 now. I look like I have the measles or chicken pox, or something. The itchiness is pretty unbearable without some type of hydrocortisone cream. I’m worried I’ll scar, since I scar very easily, and be polka-dotted for life. It’s all part of the experience, though, so I’m not too upset.
Along with turtle rescue, our adventures included morning beach clean ups, nighttime strolls, and taking the inflatable kayak/swimming across to the little town on the other side of the estuary, where the river met the ocean. It was faster to swim across than to drive, because PLT is so secluded. There is a long stretch of a 11km bumpy dirt road, about 40 minds of being a bobble head in the back seat of my uncles Jeep, to get to the main road. We traveled across during low tide, and despite my legs getting cut up on some rocks, I made it across safely just by swimming.
The little town on the other side of the estuary is called Platanitos. It is where my uncles frequently go for a little more civilization when they are staying at their PLT villa. We ventured over for half a day and ate at a beachfront restaurant. It was fun to watch the Mexican tourists enjoy a Sunday beach day with their families. There were a bunch of kids washing their hair with sand and burying each other at the beach. It’s funny to see the similarities between all cultures when kids are faced with the opportunity to play at the in the sand. Regardless of culture, everyone seems to want to dig deep holes at the beach, collect shells, or splash in the waves. It must just be part of the human experience.
Being the youngest of the group (by about 30 years, I might add!) was tough, but had its charms. I had no one to talk shop with (‘shop” being general pop culture news and memes I’ve found online), but I brought iOS knowledge and a much needed tech savviness to the table. I helped everyone get access to a shared Photos album, which was a hit. I think everyone also appreciated my willingness to help cook and clean. I loved talking to my uncles and my aunts and I hope they enjoyed chatting with me too. I got some great advice on my career from each of them, and I am forever grateful for that.
This was an unforgettable Thanksgiving holiday, and an even more incredible experience seeing the beauty and harsh reality of nature. Playa Las Tortugas, Mexico is an incredible place, and I feel really lucky to have been able to experience this with my family.
I hope to come back to Puerto Vallarta eventually and experience the city more. The club scene seems insane, and shopping is calling!
I could go on for pages about this trip, but I'm too exhausted, itchy, and busy thinking about turtles!
See you next week.
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