05 Jun Mexico Report from Addie Turner, Pack-n-Go Girl

Mystery of the Thief in the Night, the first book in the Mexico Pack-n-Go Girls series is just out on Amazon. What better way to blog about the launch than to interview eleven-year-old Addie Turner, a true Pack-n-Go Girl, and get her impressions of her recent trip to Mexico. Addie’s dad, Adam Turner, is the illustrator extraordinaire who has illustrated all of the Pack-n-Go books. Addie and Adam joined us on our boat in Mexico earlier this spring. We had the fun of sharing Mexico and sailing with them. Addie very graciously responded to my email questions about the trip. As you’ll see below, she has a delightful flair for description.

Janelle: I know this was your second trip to Mexico. What was different about your trip this time from the first time?

Addie: The first time, I was on a cruise ship high above the tossing waves, going to different hot spots around the west side of Mexico. During this I was able to enjoy the highest of comfort, including an in-ship ice skating ring, famous for its “Circus on Ice” show. I also happened to be six during this vacation.

The second trip was much different. Instead of a cruise ship, we were on Cheyenne, a sailing boat also meant for living on. This was a much more humbling experience, letting us escape from the high-class comforts of a cruise ship, letting us go into places you would never go to on an expensive trip. We were able to see the world in a different way from this position. So many people look over the rarest places of Mexico as if they were looking at a geode, not truly knowing its potential unless you just take a look inside to behold the beauty it contains. You took us to the mountain village where we had the experience with the bull, the runaway making a desperate escape through the thin, cobblestone streets with a cowboy hot on its trail. We saw so many things that would actually mean something in our lives, something wild, not just an artificial photo shoot for travelers.

Janelle: I loved the runaway bull, too, mostly because it didn’t run over us! I’m glad you liked the mountain town, San Sebastian del Oeste. It’s one of our favorites. What was the most memorable part of the whole trip?

Addie: The most memorable part of the trip was seeing the fish in the luminescence twirling beneath the waves and blending with the starlight of a thousand suns, lighting up the darkest part of the night. This place had the most stars lighting up the sky that I have ever seen. The sky was alive with constellations, each owning a different story. I would love to see this event again because in my world, stars rarely ever light up the sky in such a display.

Janelle: What did you learn from the trip?

Addie: I learned that if you take the time to humble yourself, the world will show you things that are pure and natural, things you never pay attention to but really have a meaning beyond what we know. Mexico is alive with such things. Just take the time to humble yourself and see this.

Janelle: What’s your advice for someone who is going to Mexico on vacation?

Addie: Even if things may seem boring, dirty or even cruel on the outside, look deeper into it, and something amazing might happen. For instance, when I was out on Cheyenne, I was ready to go back because the tossing dance of the waves made me seasick. If I had not stood tall (no pun intended) and resisted the surge of the waves, I wouldn’t have seen each miraculous thing that occurred afterward. Stick through it and watch Mexico do its thing.

Janelle: Pretty wise, Addie. Thanks for sharing your impressions!