My inauguration to the wide wonderful world of travel happened in the early 1950’s, when as a wee infant I traveled with my family by plane to New York. Since I was so young at the time, I have no recollection of the trip. They tell me I cried a lot and was restless on the plane – I guess I was enjoying myself.

Flash forward to December 1973. After grinding it out for over 4 years as a student at
UC Berkeley, I finally received my degree - an A.B. in Zoology. As many freshly minted college graduates are prone to do, I decided to see the world (or at least part of the world) before plunging headlong into a career. So with my diploma in hand, I took off to Mexico on a three-week adventure shortly before Christmas. Taking to the air the first time since I was an infant (see above), I flew on Hughes Air West from San Francisco to Puerto Vallarta, the beach resort that Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor made famous with the filming of Night of the Iguana. I remember the flight on Hughes Air Worst(sic) being rather perilous - the plane had some serious mechanical problems and we were forced to make an emergency stop (and change of planes) at the Phoenix Airport. That was very scary.

I had a rather remarkable week of cavorting and partying in Puerto Vallarta - excerpts include too many coco locos, a one night drinking binge at Carlos O’Brien’s (a popular gringo watering hole) with the tour escort and running into a college roommate from my senior year who was vacationing in PV with his father and brother. What a coincidence that was! Leaving Puerto Vallarta, I traveled by bus all the way to Merida in the Yucatan Peninsula with stops en route in Guadalajara, Mexico City and Villahermosa. This long road journey was highlighted by meeting (and trying to romance) a beautiful Mexican girl by the name of Yazmin Villa - niece of the famous Mexican bandit and rebel, Pancho Villa - at a bar in Mexico City’s famous Zona Rosa, a bonafide travel nightmare in Villahermosa and a memorable excursion to Chichen Itza in the Yucatan, the largest Mayan archaeological site in Mesoamerica. I still remember climbing up the steep stairs to the very top of the Temple of the Sun as well as the many tour buses in the parking lot.

Before long my three weeks were up and my vacation was coming to an end. But I went out with a real bang - flying from Merida to Mexico City on Mexicana Airlines, with a bottle of Tequila and Kahlua in hand, I made myself (as well as some other passengers) some real potent cocktails; and in Mexico City, I tried to rendezvous with the beautiful Mexican senorita, Ms. Villa, but that didn’t turn out too well.

Returning to San Francisco, I proceeded to pursue my career. Little did I know at the time, this trip to Mexico was the start of my career. A traveler was born!

To be continued…

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