What Happens in Tampico....

....stays in Tampico! That is, unless I decide to publish it on my blog which I am obviously doing! I just returned this week from a 4 day adventure in Tampico, Mexico. Though I was there under the guise of "medical training", I must confess that I had a heck of a lot of fun on my Mexican adventure!

So, where is Tampico, you ask? At least, that was MY first question. Well, it is on the Gulf coast in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas and serves as one of the main ports of the country. Apparently, back in the day, it was a tourist destination just like Cancun and Cozumel are today. But, when the oil refineries came, the tourist moved south and left the beautiful beaches empty. Enough about the city. Our group of about 15 met at the airport in Houston and made our way to Tampico. We checked into the Camino Real Hotel, which appeared to be the nicest hotel in the city (see picture below taken from my balcony). It took about 20 minutes before the group was at the bar, ready to partake in some of Mexico's finest.....tequila! I believe Don Julio was the tequila of choice, as we sipped drinks, ate seafood, and got to know everyone. And, I learned a very important Mexican custom...sipping straight tequila with a chaser of sangrita, a tomato/orange juice drink. I would have never guessed that was palatable, but I was pleasantly surprised. After about 4 of those, I was ready to hit the sack and prepare for my endoscopic training.

After 2 intense days of endoscopy, the evenings were our times to venture out and see the city with our host physician and his family. We had an Italian food extravaganza (in Mexico no less) at this wonderful restaurant called La Dolce Vita near the airport. Meals were European style, starting about 9pm and lasting several hours. But, the food was excellent. Though I was exhausted after doing the first day of cases, I was still convinced by a group of doctors to go out after dinner and have more tequila. We toasted the technology that brought us to Mexico, while
drinking more of the tequila/sangrita combination. After a few of those, I was ready to discuss my observation that most of the physicians in my profession are essentially nerds. The group disagreed, and a few have set out on a mission to introduce me to some "cool" doctors.

The second day, we had a fresh seafood fest at a restaurant located on Miramar beach, a 20 minute drive from our hotel. I was able to bask in the sun on the beach, which was almost desolate. The sand was white and the water blue. I rolled up the capris and went into the water, which happened to be quite warm. Below are a few pics of the beach and part of our group taking an afternoon siesta:

Luckily I was able to make it back to Dallas without Montezuma striking revenge. That was rather surprising given that I partook in all the local cuisine and beverages with the exception of bottled water. I suppose my good karma is coming back!