Before we started traveling a year ago, we took Spanish classes from private instructors and a private language school. One of our instructors was Zuri and we chatted with her every week on Skype. Through our classes and our Spanish conversations, we got to know Zuri and she got to know us.

When we arrived in Guadalajara, Mexico we contacted Zuri and arranged to finally meet her in person. Zuri was excited about our visit and so we took a bus to Tepic, Nayarit.

Tepic, 125 miles west of Guadalajara has a population of 330,000 and is the capital of the state of Nayarit. It sits in the middle of some of the most fertile land in Mexico and is only 30 miles from the Pacific coast.

Zuri picked us up from the bus station on Friday afternoon and we went to one of her favorite restaurants, Mariscos Royer’s, for lunch. We sampled some of Tepic’s most notable seafood dishes, tostadas con pulpo (octopus), camarón (shrimp), and cayo de hacha (scallops). We also sampled ceviche de pescado (raw fish). One of our favorite dishes was piña especial, a baked pineapple shell stuffed with a mixture of pineapple, octopus, shrimp, and cheese.

Later in the evening, we met Zuri’s parents and went to one of their favorite restaurants, El Pistolon (The Pistol). Again, we relied on our local guides for recommendations. We feasted on pellizcadas (similar to tostadas with beans, cheese, meat, onions, and peppers) and for dessert, plátano asado (grilled banana with a sweet cream sauce).

On Saturday, we went with Zuri and her partner, Gil, to the beaches of San Blas for a day of eating, drinking, swimming, and relaxing.

San Blas is a coastal area west of Tepic and about 100 miles north of Puerta Vallarta. San Blas is made up of several pueblos and offers many beaches, some popular with visitors and tourists while others are more attractive to the locals. The drive to the beach was beautiful with rolling hills of jungle and fields of bananas, mangos, and corn. As we approached the coastline, there were food stands all along the road selling sweets and various kinds of banana bread, which was made with local bananas and baked right on site. Of course, we had to buy a loaf to try. Delicious.

Before heading to the beach, we made a stop at La Tovara Nayarit, a nature park along a narrow waterway. The park offers boat tours on the waterway and our guide took us 3 miles downstream as we marveled at the natural views and wildlife we found along the way.

This is crocodile country and we saw our fair share of them sunning on the shore or trolling for their next dinner.

After the boat tour, we went to one of Zuri’s favorite beaches. This beach is a mile down a dusty road, with rows of restaurants lining the beach, all offering parking, shade, beachside table and chairs, and of course, great food and drinks.

We were the first to arrive at this restaurant and we spent the rest of the day relaxing and enjoying the fresh-caught seafood served beachside followed by swimming and relaxation

After a full day at the beach, we took a quick trip into the city of San Blas and toured the old Fort of San Blas. The fort sits atop a hill, overlooking the city and port of San Blas. It was established in 1768 to protect the city and port. At that time, this port was one of the most important ports on the Pacific Coast. Now it is a museum and is used for weddings and other important events.

Just before dark, we headed back to our hotel to clean up and relax for the rest of the evening. The next day after another nice lunch with Zuri and her sister, we boarded the bus for Guadalajara.

It was delightful to meet Zuri in person (after a year of Skype Spanish lessons) and we found her and her family to be as wonderful as she is. Not only is she a great teacher but also a great tour guide and friend. Our goal of speaking Spanish has given us the opportunity to meet many new wonderful teachers and friends.