Day Nine - Tulum

B here. So it's the end of day nine and D is semi-passed out at the moment. Too much Thai Lounge for her, and it's good to let her know I can still out drink her. ;)

Today started out getting up at 7:30 and heading to breakfast at Momonohana. The last 8 days it has been extremely windy. There has been a steady 20-30mph wind coming off the ocean every day. This has been a very good thing because it kept you cool when it was 90 degrees and it kept all manner of flying bugs away. This morning, no wind. It was calm and soooo hot. We then got on a bus and and headed for Tulum. Tulum is an ancient Mayan city about 30 min south of where we are. It was "discovered"in the '70s and was an bunch of ruins that was overgrown by the jungle. It's 600 meters by 300 meters and housed about 200 people in it's heyday. It's an important archeological site and has been 50% restored. A couple of cool features are that on april 29 the sun rises at 6:30am and shines thru this little stone table looking thing. And then on the summer soltice, June 21, the sun shines thru a hole in the wall of another building. Fascinating, huh? Oh, and I mentioned no wind. It was dripping sweat hot here. D will post pictures of our trip here when she's sobered up.

The most interesting thing for me about the Mayan is their calendar and knowledge of astronomy. Did you know that the Mayan calendar begins in 3041 BC and is 100% accurate right up until it ends on December 23, 2012? What the heck is going to happen that day? There are a lot of theories (just google that day), one of them being that we will cross over the galactic equator and the north and south poles will reverse. Another is that all 9 planets will be in alignment. Another is that the world will end. Happy thoughts, everyone.

We then headed back towards the hotel and did the obligatory stop at the roadside jyp joint for all your souvenir needs. The looked the freakin bus so we couldn't get back on until the stop was over. Spending no money, we got back on the bus, headed home and got back at 2pm. Swimsuits on, lotion up and out to the pool.

We were in the pool from 2 until 4. It clouded up (the first time since we got here) and actually got chilly. We headed back to the room. D wanted to use the jacuzzi. We did, and apparently when it drained it must have leaked into the room below. Not our problem. Bwahahaha.

Ate dinner at the Argentine steak house. D ate salad and appetizers, I had a ribeye. It's was OK except for one tough part on the top. Cut it all off and I was good to go. Ended the evening with a trip to the Thai Lounge again. I did the tour of Mexico Tequila shot tasting cycle. No Cuervo, thank you very much. 1800 - ick. Sauza, pretty good. Don Julio respisado - good. Don Julio blanco - The WINNER!

My total for the day:
1 Corona - $2 in Tulum. Made my gut burn.
4 Mohitos
4 Tequila shots
1 Tornado

D:
1 Tornado
1 Boom Boom Tequila shot
2 Shitty Cough medicine shots
1 Mohito
1 Peach Liquor/ Cranberry juice drink
1/2 Jack and Pepsi

Tomorrow is a stress free relaxing day for me. D wants to get up and do yoga at 8, work out at 9, do the sauna at 10. Wake me up when you're back.

Mexico Day Six, Seven and Eight

Six through Eight went by in a blur. Day Six, Thursday, I tried hard to make it to the cross current class and Salsa. Okay, I lied, I didn't try at all. Thursday was a quick sun bathing by the pool in the morning followed by a nice steam room in the free spa. I then took a 3 hours siesta. Boy was I tired. I don't know what happened. Poor B had to entertain himself. For dinner, we went to the Oriental Place - Momonohana. Right. . . what does that mean in Japanese? I read the Japanese/Chinese characters and it said Jumping Flower. The sushi was okay. We didn't order from the entree section at all. We ordered all sashimi. There was only tuna and salmon. The eel was missing the BBQ sauce. I asked for masago. He insisted that it was salmon roe. I insisted that masago was flying fish roe. Regardless, I ordered items that were not on the menu. Poor bugger. I told him it was bad to have an Asian in an Asian restaurant.

We didn't have much to drink. I had a scuba diving on Friday so I had to cut back on drinking. I had 1 drink that was close to Port. Brian had 1 beer and 4 Mojitos.

Brian Total: 5. Cumulative 30
1 Beer
4 Mojitos

Dorothy Total 1. Cumulative 18
1 Port (moonshine)

Day Seven:

We wake up early for the "early diving" trip. I get to Momonohana for breakfast. I know it will be a long day diving at Cozumel even though I am assured we will be back by 1:30 PM. Whatever. I pack my salmon crossiants and some bread w/ cheese and meats. I also bag some green grapes and a pear. I know better than to go diving w/o food inbetween dives. At 8:15 am we are off to Playa del Carmen to meet at Senior Frog's for Aqua World. We are supposed to meet the guide at 9:30 AM. We get there at 8:35. We waste time for a while. I am not thrilled, but I am going with the flow. B would be proud. At 10 AM we finally get on the bloody ferry to get to Cozumel. From there we have to take another boat to where Aqua World has its shop. We don't get to the dive site until after noon! BLOODY HELL. What kind of a freaking morning dive is this? The dive master gives us the intro about the dive site. "Buenos Dias!" I yell back, "Buenos Tartas!" He looks at his watch and I answer, "Yup, it's after noon. Vamos!!!" (Getting a project manager off the schedule is a bad thing, especially a drill sergent like myself.)

We finally get into the bloody water. The Wall dive wasn't bad. Saw a turtle and a HUGE eel that was purple and green. Never seen one like that before. The second dive was pretty shallow. The dive master made a mistake. He said we are to come up at 700 PSI or 40 minutes. He should have said 700 PSI or 40 minutes, which ever comes FIRST. The current dive was pretty strong. I was pushed almost into a nurse shark. We saw a HUGE lobster that had to be about 10 lbs. I also saw a Ray and some baby spotted drum. The green eel that was pointed out was also quite amazing. The dive master tried to get me out of the water at 40 minutes. I was having nothing to do with that. He said 700 PSI. I was still at 2000 PSI when he said to go up. He finally got pissed and made me get out of the water at 1400 PSI. I still had 700 to go! That would have lasted me at least another 25 minutes in the 40 ft shallow water.

All in all, it was fun going diving which Chuck and Kerri. Diving with an ex-Navy seal is fun. Especially when he tells me he was born in '58 and I exclaim, "You are as old as my Dad!" (Which is totally untrue. My dad is younger. Just kidding. . .)

Back to the hotel, it is freaking 6 PM. I am not thrilled. I get to the room and B is waiting. I shower and tell him about the trip. We are then off to el Greco, the Mediterranean restaurant. I loved it. B didn't like it. He had a steak that was medium rare but was like a shoe sole. I had a great oyster mushroom appetizer. I loved it so much that I asked for a second one. The duck was fabulous! Loved it. Dessert was disappointing cuz I thought I was going to get coffee ice cream. I got coconut instead. Yuck.

Went to see Jose at the Thai Lounge. There was a very puffed up guy we dubbed "Lex Luther". What an arrogant prick. I had 2 moonshine specials and B had 4 Mojitos.

Brian Total 10 Cumulative 40
5 Margaratas
5 Mojitos

Dorothy total 2 Cumulative 20

Day 8 - Hump day. Only 6 more days left! :(
We spent the day at the pool. Finally we can tolerate sun again. Well, at least B can. I am burnt and peeling. I look like a molting lizard. Quite gross. I end up going to the free spa again. Since no one was there, I went sans clothing. I didn't know that you had to go avec clothing. Oh well. I happily enjoyed the steam room, ice shower and the sauna. I intend to go back tomorrow.

The afternoon was fun w/ Karen, Kerri and Rhonda. Rhonda was quite into the cups. We had fun joking about Chuck. B turned more brown. I shedded more. Dinner was at the Italian place. The food was okay. The service was amazing. Our server was the best. He noticed I didn't like my entree and immediately asked what I liked. He brought me stuff that was not on the menu. Geez. I am so demanding. Poor bugger. We tipped him well.

We went to the Thai lounge again. Saw our good buddies Bob and Gypsy. They are a HOOT from South Carolina. Love them. We went to the Andromeda to watch Chuck sing. He did the Beatles song, "Hey Jude". He was pretty good. We were hoping to get him in a dress and watch him sing "It's raining men." The dance club was not fun for us. The music was okay. The Karaoke was bad. I got into an argument with a guy from NY. Go figure. He kept talking about me loud enough so I went to him and was right into his face. I was ready to beat the shit out of him. He wanted to argue w/ B but backed off and apologized. Still, I was roaring to go. I wanted to knee him then give him an upper cut to the face and then knee him again and then slam my elbow right into the back of his neck and then give him a good left and right hook. B held me back. Bummer. I really wanted to hurt the little mo-fo. I really wanted to stamp down and crush his you know what underneath my foot. Never piss off a 150 lb Chinese woman. She'll hurt you!

We back to the Thai lounge and finished off the evening w/ Jose the best bartender.

Brian Total 16 Cumulative 56
9 Margaratas
5 Mojitos
1 shot of Frangelica
1 shot of something nasty

Dorothy Total 8 Cummulative 28
1 Strawberry Daquiri
5 Mojitos
1 shot of Frangelica
1 shot of something nasty
Tomorrow - TULUM!

Mexico Night Five

Wednesday night is the Fire Show. I figured that it wouldn't be too much since it is just a resort with some very corny shows so far. So we went late. BIG mistake. Next week, we go early and sit up front! There was one woman there that was CALIENTA! Holy cow was she hot. Her outfit showed off her amazing abs. She wore a back mask over her lower part of the face. The guys were all very hot. They had amazing bodies and boy were they good with fire. The other female did a ring of fire as a hoola hoop! WTF! I was completely amazed. I got a few pictures that were okay. Take a look.

Mexico Day Five

We went on the 90 minute not "time share" tour. We put our timer on and let them know that I had only 90 minutes because I did have something scheduled at 10 AM which was true. So at 8:25 AM we showed up at the designated spot and off we went. Our guide was Raul. He was a very lovely gentleman in a suit who was so very sweet. He was very personable and if I had the money, I would have done it. The deal was 2 free weeks, 2 weeks at $1750 and 2 free airline tixs. This would also include a spa voucher for $500. We would have to purchase 50 weeks as a member for $6000. It really wasn't bad at all. We just couldn't afford it at this time. Especially since we have our vacations planned out for the next 3 years. Brian hates being locked into something. And I hate not getting a good deal. I explained that I was the stingy one who has issues spending money. I felt we spent a lot coming here but it was the most we could afford since we are short on funds.

Raul was very surprised at our price. We spent $4600 for the all inclusive 2 weeks. This included all the food and drinks and unlimited tours. Our plane tixs were only $300 each since we booked in July of 07. Our rate was actually better than what some of the members could get. I read the fine print for the free massage that members receive. It is only a 25 minute massage. With knots like mine, 25 minutes is nothing. I need at least 90 minutes. Generally at home, I go for 120 minutes, semi-monthly.

True to Raul's word, we were in and out in 1 hour and 19 minutes. They knew we wouldn't purchase. They were still very gracious and nice. We received the abbreviated tour since we had been on the premises for a while. Here are some of the pictures.

We once again spent the day indoors to allow for healing. I worked out on the tread mill for 35 minutes. Then I stretched and did some biceps/triceps/back and lats. I completed by 11 AM which was when the fitball class started. I figured it would be kind of easy like the Yoga class from yesterday. NO it was NOT. I thought 1/2 way through the class that it was a big mistake. I barely got through the class. This is now two days in a row I have exercised for 2 hours or more. Yesterday, I swam about 1.5 miles for a bit over an hour. Then I went to Yoga.

Tomorrow, I hope to make it to the salsa cardio class and the cross current training. Salsa is at noon to 1. Water workout is 2 to 3. If I go to Yoga again, it is from 4-5. We'll see how much I can do in one day. Plus it will be our first day back into the water.

Brian Drink total: 3 Cumulative: 25

3 Margaritas

Dorothy Drink total: 0 Cumulative: 17

Mexico Day Three and Four

Day three was a wash. Looks like Day four will be a wash too. We got BURNED!? What Asian gets burned in the sun? Bloody hell it hurts. I don't like being burned. I haven't ever been burned like this before. I even used the 50 SPF. I applied it a couple times in a day. Apparently the sun is much stronger here in April than in November. I look like a freaking lobster. And of course, I have NO aloe Vera. I am pretty irritated. Poor Brian's feet got burned and they swelled up. WTF?

Well, it's to the indoor pool and total cover up. Since I haven't been really burned before, I had to look up the ways to fix it on the web. Thank god for the computer and the Internet. We are badly burned enough that it is difficult to move around. We had to cancel our trip to Ex-Balam and Valloid. Very annoying. I have to reschedule for next week. Thank goodness we have a 2 week vacation.

Couldn't even get out of bed this morning. Yesterday was worst. We did soak in the tub w/ the jets since the web said water absorption through baths would help. I have been drinking water a lot and avoiding alcohol until I get rid of this freaking pink skin. I look horrible in pink.

Dinner last night was okay. We went to La Hacienda. The lamb I ordered tasted like beef brisket. I didn't like it so much. Brian enjoyed his meal. Apparently, the guacamole that came with the fresh chips was very tasty. Tasted a bit greasy and gross to me. He said it was soooo yummy and fresh. I just nodded and tried not to gag. Guess I still don't like avocados.

We stopped in the Thai Lounge where there are beds. Yup, there are beds for people to lay in. I'll have pictures uploaded later on it. We did lay in one to have pictures taken. I just remember the last time I went to a club which had beds in it. When I wanted to lay in one for a picture, my friends jerked me back up and asked, "Do you really want to lay in that? You do know we are here during gay night, right? And with black sheets, you can't really tell if it is clean or not. You don't know if that damp spot is from a spilled drink or not." From that point on, I have been pretty leery of sitting in beds in a club.

Anyhow, not much drinking went on for Day 3.

Brian Total 3 Cumulative 21
1 Beer
2 Moijito

Dorothy total 2 Cumulative 12
1 Chocolate Martini
1 Moijito

Drinking for Day 4.

Brian Total 1 Cumulative 22
1 Beer

Dorothy total 5 Cumulative 17
4 Tres Coronas (some kind of moonshine port)
1 FooFoo red drink with lots of vodka

Mexico Day two

Woke up this morning feeling like I slept the entire morning way. It was only 8:30 AM. We were out by the pool by 8:45. We decided to go to the South end and work our way up. We never made it up to the North. We found a great location where we could be in the water on a lounge chair. We staked out the place with our towels, shoes and magazines. I was extremely territorial. No one was going to get my spot! There were many open places. We are not sure why they say that there is no where to sit. It was dead until about 10 AM when more people showed up. (The pool bar opened.)

We met a huge gaggle of women from Iowa. They were all 50 and celebrating their birthdays together. They were wild and fun women. The stories they told of their time a the bars in Playa del Carmen were great. One woman received a lap dance from 2 boys at the same time. They were in their early 20s and they felt this 50 year old up and stuck their faces and body all over her. She was excited to tell us that they felt her boobs and stuck their face and you know what right in her crotch. Yes, apparently you can get drunk before noon.

The two that we spent quite a bit of time talking to were Chuck and Karen. Chuck is a Sicilian/Italian guy living in Wisconsin. He is originally from Chicago. Karen is Irish German. Chuck is the cook at his restaurant. Karen is the bartender. They are a hoot! Chuck is ex-navy seal. Yummy. I knew I should have brought my dive log and my dive computer, just in case! Darnit! At least I have my dive card. He has convinced me to go diving with him and his buddy Kerri this week @ Cozumel. Brian will stay with Karen and Carey's gf Rhonda at the hotel. I can hardly wait. It will probably be expensive since my regulator is at home too. ARRGH! I kept looking at them and thinking, hmm, should I? I guess I should have.

We finally left the pool @ 5 PM. I totally forgot to take the first day picture of before the sun. Now it is a bit too late. I am still going to take a picture, but it isn't the same. I discovered that early in the morning, the iguana are all out and about. They let you get really close too. I will be taking pictures tomorrow.

The birds are nasty and crazy here. The seagulls and these loud screaming black birds will fight you over your food. MINE! MINE! MINE! They steal food off your plate and dive bomb you. While there were lots of activities at the pool - volleyball, games, singing and trivia, Brian and I ignored them all in favour of relaxing by the pool. It was very soothing. Brian is completely relaxed now. I am slowly unwinding. I am still wound pretty tight. I try to relax with my magazines. I brought 12 lbs of magazines ~ 24 of them . I am determined to get through every one of them. I will save 2 for the plane ride home. Which leaves me with 22 of them. I read 1 on the plane and got rid of it. That leaves me with 21. If I average about 2 magazines a day, I will finish them all off. I already read 2 today ~ 19 left. I read the Sept 2007 PMI and the February 2008 HR. I hope to be caught up with all my PMI and SHRM ones by the time I leave.

For dining, we did not eat breakfast. We slipped into Mundaco for coffee and juice. Lunch was cheese burgers and nachos. Nothing that good. We drank a bit. I was easier on the alcohol. Brian pounded them. They have Don Guillo Tequila? I don't know how to spell it. Brian had Margaritas all day.

Brian Drinks Total 11 Cumulative 18
11 Margaritas

Dorothy Drinks Total 7 Cumulative 10
4 Strawberry Daiquiris
2 Khaluha and Franagelica
1 Mocha ice with Franangelica

Day One in Mexico

We arrived safe and sound. We started off the day very well. The limo picked us up ahead of schedule. We went through security w/o a hitch. Getting on the plane from DTW to Cleveland was easy. We pushed from the gate early! We get to the runway - bad news - Cleveland airport had shut down. No incoming or outgoing traffic. This was due to fog. The pilot said he would give us an update in 1 hour! We would miss our connection. I start to get irritated. Brian prayed that I didn't lose my temper. If only Continental didn't change our 6 AM flight to a 7 AM flight, giving us a 45 minute layover instead of a 1 hours and 45 minute layover. Fortunately, the entire plane is trying to get to the Cancun flight.

We land into Cleveland at 8:35. I think, drat, even if the connecting plane is delayed and we can get there in time, what about our luggage? I have Brian take off and run towards the gate. I had a gate side check in so I plodded along behind him. We get there at 9 AM. The plane's door is still open and we make it onto the plane. The others trying to get to Cancun on our flight have also made it and they see their luggage. Brian is relieved and believes are luggage is fine too.

We depart when people finally understand that they have to be seated before the flight can take off. Bloody inexperienced travellers. The flight attendants were so patient and nice. "Ma'am, ma'am, please take your seat so we can leave. Sir, please sit down and buckle up. Yes Sir, you do need to have your seat belt fastened." I wanted to say, "Get your ass in the chair and buckle up now." The plane ride was long and uneventful. We took the long way to avoid bad weather. The pilot kept saying there was turbulence. It was nothing. Some people were still freaked out by little movements. Wimps.

Going through customs was super fast. There was NO wait and the guy checking our passports was Speedy Gonzalez. We were through in less than 1 minute. Picking up our luggage was easy too. The only part that slowed us down was Brian pushing the button and it turned Red. He then had to have his bags searched.

We went by all the time share folks and found our ride to the hotel. Franco the driver was loco. There were 3 other couples on the van with us. They were dropped off first to Rio Tequila ~ Playa del Carmen. We arrived at Aventura Spa Palace around 2:30 PM Mexico time. They haven't gone through Daylight savings yet so they were 2 hours behind EDT.

Check in was easy and we got the room Brian wanted. We are in the middle, on the second floor. The room has a great ocean side view. We also have the hammock he wants. The place is newly remodeled with the electronic safe and a flat screen TV. The shower is amazing. The fridge was fully stocked and the best part was the alcohol dispenser.

Our tally for Drinks so far today:

Brian - Total 7

1 DosXX

4 Miami Vices (Pina Colada and Strawberry Daiquiri)

1 Rum and Coke

1 Margarita

Dorothy - Total 3

1 Mojito

1 Strawberry daiquiri

1 Screwdriver (Terrible, wanted a Fuzzy Navel and got it confused)

We spent the afternoon and evening exploring the property. took forever, but I finally found the 25 meter pool. It was disappointing. It was no lap pool. The Yoga hut was pretty nifty. The obstacle course was a joke. The lagoon was very nice. I was amazed at how nice the water was and how many little fish were swimming around.

We had lunch and dinner at the same place. I will have to write more about it later in a dining post. We wanted to make it to the Thai lounge ~ martini bar. Too bad I was tired. I wanted to use the jacuzzi tub, but ended up crashing.

So far, the Resort has lived up to its hype. Tomorrow, it's pool exploration.

And we are off to Mexico!

Hello good people stuck in dreary Midwestern weather. For those who are in the Southern states, bllppttt. It was cold in Michigan today. I had hoped to have a relaxing day getting my last items packed, my personal financials in order, clean the house, cross check my packing inventory spreadsheet and then go to bed. Unfortunately, the day did not pan out that way. Lots of hot issues on the day that I am not supposed to be working. Fortunately, most of them were sent off to the appropriate parties or they were resolved by me. Lost 6 hours of my day.

Good news, 1 more sleep until Mexico! I am so excited. I could say that I was so excited that I couldn't sleep but that would be a lie. I can't wait to get all my to do list done so that I can sleep. I am so tired. Then off we go tomorrow morning. The cab better not be late, or they are going to have a bad day too.

I am nervous about the 45 minute layover in Cleveland. Darn airlines switching our times and flights so that we have a connection that is barely feasible. I checked with Dee F. and Jose who both indicated that the 45 minutes would be fine for my luggage. For me . . it would be another story. I am praying for a good and smooth ride.

The best news of the day was my acceptance email from University of Michigan. I will be starting my MBA this fall. We'll see how long it takes. The next updates will either be an angry rant from the airport or a happy gleeful one in Mexico. Let's all hope for the latter situation. As anyone who knows me . . . angry me is a very difficult me to be around.

Golden Lamb

Went to the Golden Lamb in Lebanon KY. For some reason I thought I was still in OH. The food was more meat and potatoes. Not my style. I had the leg of lamb which did not come as a leg of lamb. It came as slices of lamb meat. It was kind of odd. It wasn't bad. I would rate it a 3 out of 5 stars. The salad I chose based upon my lunch partner's suggestion was quite good. It was a cottage cheese salad with a ring o pineapple topped with a celery seed dressing. I was surprised how tasty it was.

The restaurant was also a bed and breakfast. They were very proud that 12 US presidents have stayed there. They have presidential rooms roped off and on display. I didn't look at all the rooms. What I saw, I really didn't want to stay in. The only one that looked nice from the 4 I saw was Bush's room. I kept feeling like I was in an old western movie. There were "antique" items in cabinets and book cases everywhere. Many of the figurines were in the shape of . . . you guessed it, a lamb. I almost felt a bit claustrophobic because I was afraid that I would bump into something fragile. Fortunately, I knocked nothing over.

The main point of the lunch was to go by the Exotica store across the street. No, it wasn't a stripper club. It was a jewelry store. It was crammed full of unique jewelry. The jewelry wasn't really my style because there were no dragons. I did see a very lovely dolphin toe ring. The find of the day was my silver band necklace that my dragon/phoenix slide on to. It was reasonably priced @ $40. I bought it with glee.

I had a lovely chat with my lunch date on the drive there and back. We have similar tastes and view points. It was wonderful to get out of the office and have a relaxing meal away. Hope to meet up w/ my lunch date again in the future.

Returning back to the office earlier than planned, I still decided to stay late. Got back to the Hyatt late and forced myself to work out. I hate running. I got on the bloody treadmill and jogged (wogged) more than I speed walked. Afterwards, I wanted to go to the corner market. Unfortunately it was CLOSED! They closed at 7 pm. They had a lot of alcohol in there. So next time, I know to stop there on the way back from work. I did pass by a store I had no idea was there. I can't believe I never saw it. It is store made popular by L. Flint.

Yup, the notorious Mr. Flint. They card you to get in! Who carries their id around all the time? I didn't expect to find a store like this literally right next to the hotel. I don't know how many times I have gone down this street and NEVER seen it. I don't know how I could have missed it. Oh well. Saved for another adventure. 4 more nights until Mexico!