Wednesday - Our cooking class at Gaby's

 Greg had spent hours researching things to do in PV, and he was so excited to sign us up for a cooking class with Chef Julio at Gaby's Restaurant. We were slightly late, and I almost left my phone in the taxi, and the poor driver had to yell at us to pay him - we thought they would put it on our room tab. Oops! But, we made it just in time, so all was well.

There was one other couple in the class with us, and they both spoke spanish, so there was a lot of commentary I missed. But, that was fine, because it turned out Greg wasn't understanding everything either :). 

Gaby's Restaurant is located in "Old Town," so we started our cooking class by walking a few blocks to get fresh ingredients. The little markets were so cute! Chef Julio said that during COVID everything was shut down and businesses had to close. It was crazy to imagine the streets like that!

We got fresh vegetables, smoked marlin at a butcher, and got fresh masa from a local tortilla shop. Everything smelled amazing and I couldn't believe how clean everything was. I was learning the Mexican people take pride in their establishments and work hard to keep them clean. They even mop the sidewalks out front of their stores each morning and evening. Plus, there was rarely trash on the ground. 

Crossing this bridge brings you "officially" into Old Town. And it was a legit swinging bridge. I looked like a drunken sailor trying to get across.

Corn is soaked in lime, then sent through a processor where it is then pressed into masa/tortilla's. The lime makes it so water or salt doesn't need to be added. 

So funny story: Chefo Julio liked to drink - just walking around buying the ingredients for our class, he picked up 1-2 drinks. We were walking past a particular door when he stopped, got excited, and went in because "this store is rarely open this early." He went in, grabbed a cup, and brought it out. He explained it as a cactus drink and handed the cup around for everyone to try some. True to Mexico fashion, everyone ignored COVID and took a sip. Greg took a sip, made a face, then handed the cup to me. Right when I took a sip and tasted got the yeasty aftertaste, I knew what it was. But, I let Greg google it to find out. The drink we tried is below. Yes, I laughed hysterically the rest of the day. Welcome to Mexico, Greggy!

I was roasted the Chili's to make Chili Relleno's. 

Greg chopped the cucumbers and squeezed limes for one of the salsa's.

I'm pretty sure if I had a rooftop kitchen, I would cook all day too.

Showing me how to stuff my Chili Relleno's with the cheese. Then, I whipped egg yolks and whites to then fry them. They were delicious!

My mouth is still watering just looking at this food. It was so yummy! Chef Julio put his phone in a bowl to project his music. Genius!

Making tortilla's. I need one of these presses.

There was SO much food! Of course my stomach chose to shrink this day so I couldn't finish everything. The food we made was: Chili Relleno's, Fresh Guacamole, Pineapple Salsa, Green Sauce, Cactus Salsa, Salsa Ranchera, and more I'm sure I forgot to list. 

Afterwards, we headed back down to the boardwalk to do some more sightseeing. PV really is a beautiful place!

We decided it was time to call and check on the girls. They were having the times of their lives with Grandma and Grandpa. They were in good hands.

We sat on this corner and admired the mural while waiting for our Uber. The cobbles of Old Town made for some bumpy rides.

We made it back to our hotel to relax in the pool and swim in the ocean. I'm pretty sure we didn't eat until 10:00 PM, which is when we discovered Santo's Taco's just down the street from our room. It was so good and we continued to eat there multiple times. I'm pretty sure we also got Gelato. 

I love US!