Like a warm hug from an old friend, you are always welcomed back to San Pancho, no matter how much time has passed.

Cobblestone streets, colorful flags, bustling cafes on every corner. It has an international presence, attracting people from all over the globe.

Surfers, artists, musicians, doctors, engineers, hippies, bienvenidos a todos; there is something for everyone.

As luck would have it, we arrived during the annual 3 day music festival! Two stages take over the main plaza, offering a full line up of amazing talent each evening.

Locals and tourists flock in together, bringing chairs, blankets, picnics to hangout and enjoy the show!

Food and goods vendors line the perimeter, selling everything from woven blankets to South American Alfajores (stuffed with dulce de leche) to a booth selling ‘vegan sushi’… (I told you there was something for everyone 😉 )

It was an awesome way to kick off our time there together.

Rewind 20 years, I was lucky to call this place home. My family gave me an amazing, unique experience that has changed my life forever. We moved as a family; my parents enrolling all the girls into the towns public school, la secundaria. (And my younger brother into the elementary school).

I was 13 and didn’t know a word of Spanish (okay… maybe helado (ice cream), dinero (money) and baño (bathroom).

Shy as a kid, it was the best thing that ever happened to me. There were no ‘cliques’ there, everyone was included, any quinceañera, fiesta, everyone was invited and had a good time. It was the most loving, inclusive, beautiful culture to be introduced to. Nicknames weren’t mean, they were affectionate.

Friday nights, a truck unloaded foose-ball table soccer games in the plaza where we’d play for hours with our school mates for a few pesos.

Saturday nights were the DISCOS, where the town gathered to dance the night away… where we secretly had our first ‘wine coolers’ …. Dad smelled right through that mint gum …

Sunday’s were fresh pozole…

There was the stand by the hospital that sold the best burritos, Los Delfines for the best tacos … Angela’s for the famous chicken tortilla soup…

Days were spent on the beach, running through town, ranchera music and laughter filling the streets. Special friendships were made that would last forever…

It wasn’t just friendships, they gave me the gift of language and showed me a wonderful way of life. Drawing pictures and writing words – el flor, flower. It was body language and gestures…Somehow making plans and always showing up.

Moving so many times over the years, it’s one of the few places that truly feels like home, a place that I couldn’t wait to introduce to my partner in crime…

Sensory overload, it was hard to make up my mind on what we should do… so we just tried to do and eat everything haha!

It is a foodie haven… we indulged… Dolce Amore Italian food, tortas, burritos, licuados served in cactus glasses, craft beers, cafe lattes, empanadas, jugos verdes, carne asada, pastas…

The beach, jungle, surfing, a few late nights with friends, giggling and sharing old stories. It was such a special stay with J and my sweet amigos. We stayed four nights and could have easily remained for the rest of our time off…

Our finale dinner was at the Ola Rica (a family favorite restaurant). I know the owners well and we hugged, recognizing each other after all these years. They spoiled us with more drinks… we left SO FULL, I felt like a hard boiled egg.

It’s so hard to say good bye to San Pancho, so I just “hasta luego”… hasta la próxima vez que puedo volver, back into those welcoming arms. Querido San Pancho.