Every month, X-Teamers gather together in a hackerhouse in an exotic location to work, explore, and get to know each other. Last August, X-Teamers from around the world flew to my country, Mexico. I took on the monumental task (and pleasure) of organizing the trip and making sure X-Teamers had a great time.
After some heavy searching, date changes, and budget adjustments, I found an awesome place in Puerto Vallarta, a resort town along the Pacific Ocean in the state of Jalisco. With its cobblestone streets and colonial-era buildings, Puerto Vallarta offers both a more traditional side of Mexico, while also having no lack of services or amenities.
More specifically, we stayed in Puerto Vallarta's Romantic Zone, south of downtown Puerto Vallarta. Our house was called Casa Guacamole, a magnificent three-story, five-bedroom house built in typical Mexican style. The house was nestled up a hill that always provided a great workout when we'd had a delicious meal in town and wanted to walk back.
Every day, we woke up in Casa Guacamole to a wonderful breakfast that Erika and Carolina, our resident pamperers, had prepared for us. They made some mean Huevos Rancheros, Chilaquiles, and Chorizo. The rest of the morning was mostly spent getting work done and getting to know each other. After work, we went straight for the pool to relax and grab a few beers.
August actually isn't the best time to be in Puerto Vallarta, because it's incredibly hot. But we did get to experience many awesome, short-lived thunderstorms in the evening that cooled down the air and formed the pleasant backdrop for our "family" dinners and drinks in our open-air dining room.
Yes, much of what we did centered around food. What can I say? Mexican food! Everybody tried traditional Mexican dishes, from the ubiquitous tacos to the lesser-known, but equally good Chiles en Nogada. The ever-present spiciness of Mexican food was both a challenge and a source of fun and laughter for our group. At the end of the trip, everyone wanted to take bottles of hot sauce back home.
On our off-days, we traveled to the numerous beaches that dot the landscape of the Pacific jungle. Our most memorable outing was when we rented a boat to go snorkeling and fishing. We also visited an island to have lunch there.
Additionally, we went horseback riding, took ATVs through the jungle, and zip-lined our way down mountain slopes. Suffice to say there was plenty of adventure!
It was amazing organizing the X-Outpost: Mexico. We had a blast together and became good friends in the process. While I'm sure I'll have many more adventures with X-Team, this was one to remember.