Viva Mexico - Zolo Ma cheese mo

“Deep down I’m very superficial.” - Ava Gardner

While traveling, I’m always riveted by the sights, sounds, weather, and experiences of wherever I am and part of that includes people watching. Or people watching me. At least that’s what I thought was going on.

Let me set the stage. Groom and my traveling companion to Mexico, the person who made it possible for us to go by receiving a week’s stay at a resort as a business-related incentive, and used his accumulated airline miles to get us there, is nicknamed Zolo. For those of you haven’t heard this part yet, he misread my handwriting and interpreted the date of 2010 as Z0l0 and he’s been known as Z0L0 ever since.

To say Zolo is a character would be underselling things. For those of you who have met him, you know what I mean. He’s got a booming voice, a white beard and his personality is larger-than-life. He often wears patchwork pants and whether he’s being compared to Santa Claus, Popeye or a Sea Cap’n, people gravitate to him like a magnet.

Now, I know he’s friendly and very popular here in our town, we can’t go anywhere without people calling out his name and saying hello, but quite honestly, I didn’t know how his style was going to be received within a different culture.

Ha! No need to worry.

Let me take us back to the beach, on our first full day there, when the three of us went sightseeing in Puerto Vallarta. We’re sauntering along the boardwalk with the ocean on one side and interesting shops lining the other. I’m trying to take it all in, including the people.

I can’t help but notice how many smiles I’m getting. As I walk by I take note of all the staring and friends punching each other on the shoulder to get their attention and pointing my way. Well, why not? I’m looking not so bad, I’ve got on a nice outfit, oversized sunglasses, I’m feeling so happy and excited to be there, why shouldn’t folks notice the beaming American girl?

After quite a bit of this, I wave to the next group of people who are smiling at me. But they don’t wave back. And that’s when it hit me. Nobody was looking at me. All that attention was going straight to our 63-year old friend! Then I started laughing, relieved nobody knew what going through my head.

I asked Zolo if he realized he was causing a stir and as soon as he looked up and realized it, men and women came out of the woodwork to talk to him and have their photo taken with “the rock star.”

We sat down at a beach front restaurant and hadn’t even ordered water yet when one woman came up to him and told him how darling he was and they started chatting and exchanged email information. While we were in class one day, he went on a “jungle tour” and by the end of it, a woman had slipped him a napkin with her contact info on it.

Oh, my goodness, he danced and flirted his way through Mexico. They loved him down there.

And on a related note, today is Groundhog’s day. Rumor has it Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow so predictions for an early spring are in the air. This is good news, considering all the snow blanketing much of the country. A week from today, the three of us are supposed to be in New York for Fashion Week and to celebrate my birthday. Hmmm, will those patch pants end up on the catwalk?