Posts Tagged ‘mexico’
six days of relax »
Wednesday, January 7th, 2009
Friday the twenty-sixth, I found myself watching the sun set over a different country. This (here’s some redundancy for the threes of you regular readers) was a first. It was strange, magnificent and similar to anywhere else.
The resort is wicked (snaps in the usual places). The rooms are set in separate buildings, white concrete with clay roofs, with a pool, jacuzzi, dining, bar area in the center. I spent a lot of time there.
We hung around with Girlfriend’s aunt and her family the first two nights (our trips overlapped). We walked around the property during the day, taking snaps. We found out how to get to Wal-Mart, wandered into some abandoned near-houses (peso devaluation, divestment, hurricane) and chilled.
Saturday we had lunch at Gardenias, a local dive with the best tacos I’ve ever eaten (sans-cheese no less). Monday we hit the marina (too many too-eager merchants of too much junk), Lover’s Beach (touches both the Pacific and the Gulf of Mexico) and resort row (called the main beach but only about 300 square yards isn’t associated with a bar or hotel).
Monday night we stayed in with some wine. Tuesday night we went to Cabo Wabo to watch old people rip rug to Sammy Hagar and Toby Keith (way more awesome than it sounds). Wednesday was New Years and I spent it on the beach watching two members of Idle Eyes in their new band, wearing a sweater and jeans, drinking Mexican beer.
Thursday we were supposed to leave, which you all know already.
how to cast a shadow over six days in paradise… »
Monday, January 5th, 2009
… add two days in US Airways aero-hell.
I’ll get to the scrotum tearing awesome that is the bulk of my trip a bit later. Today, let me rehash things more fresh on my neurons.
Our flight was set to leave Thursday afternoon, for transfer in Phoenix to Milwaukee. Instead, seven hours was spent waiting on a broken plane (while two other flights took off on schedule) before we were shipped to a family-oriented, Hilton-Express-style all-inclusive with orders to return Friday.
There was an impressively terrible Latin dance show, some unfortunate buffet-style dining and a bunch of tweens that probably popped their first pube over the scantily clad, talent-free dancers. The experience was almost hilarious enough to make the destroyed plans, hectic schedule and lack of worthwhile customer service worth it. (Almost.)
Friday, we arrived at the airport about 8am. We waited until about eleven, took off, and landed. We talked to a few personnel, learned no one below some guy (named Chet in a dark office, taking hits off a 20oz Mountain Dew, offering vouchers on whims) has any actual power and found out there was nothing “they” could do but for $20 in meal vouchers.
Girlfriend and I wandered about the Phoenix airport (Chili’s!), made overdue phone calls and played on their free interweb. For seven hours. After another hour delay (with an awesome bump to first class) we ended up back in Milwaukee about 1.30am.
The experience was what I imagine being scalped is like. I can only hope Girlfriend’s strongly (and well) worded email reaches someone at US Airways (Chet?) to compensate our frustration.
Again, more on the holiday break (a week late) in coming days.
obligatory hiatus announcement »
Wednesday, December 24th, 2008
Some of you aren’t avid blog readers. Some of you are. Those that are realize everyone’s tossing out apologetic posts about taking breaks for the family or holidays or travel or what have you. Fuck that.
I refuse to even sprinkle apology into a post. I’m two (snow and cold filled) days from my first international trip and the eighty-degree sun that comes with it. I won’t be held back or even hypothetically guilty for enjoying myself.
You should be around family, friends and attractive in-laws who are just close enough to the blood line to make a relationship difficult (sigh). You shouldn’t be reading this. (Granted, I totally dig that you’re reading this at all but this is not the time.)
Come back on the fifth (or so) for the usual nonsensical nonsense. Did you read Monday’s post? That was dry-humping topical. I’ll strive to avoid that upon my return.
To repeat, this is not an apology. This is me telling you I’m going to take my break and you should too. On that note, here’s a bit of pathetic everyone will sling at you in the coming days if they won’t see you within two weeks.
See you next year!! (Ha. Ha. Yawn.)
worldly self: documented »
Thursday, November 13th, 2008
As mentioned Tuesday, I’m (soon to be) an international male. How is one supposed to document such a thing with a P&S FujiFilm Z1? Answer: You can’t.
So my hands were tied. I had no choice. I was practically inches away from having my fingers broken one by one if I resisted (metaphorically). At the end of my rope, painted into a corner and without alternatives, I bought a new camera.
Canon PowerShot SX10 IS
Those of you following ‘Quick Thoughts’ should know but for the rest, it’s this gorgeous piece of mmmm. 20x zoom, 10mpx and ability to zoom while recording a video should do. Prepare for unbelievably breathtaking (read: near-quality) snaps of oceanscapes, international cities and others that will stimulate your vicarious living.
I don’t mean to rub it in (maybe a little). But going from two trips to the nation’s taint, Los Angeles, within two years to Mexico and Australia within two months is a big deal. For me. Maybe not so much for you.
give a man a passport… »
Tuesday, November 11th, 2008
And he’ll question his tethers to his faltering homeland. Teach a man to travel and he’ll spend all his money getting the hell out of that homeland as much as fucking possible. (Isn’t that how it goes? I was never one for readings from the Book; twas too abstract and fanciful for my tastes.)
As much as I love it here compared to, say, Uganda, it’s no secret I have some issues with my nation of residence (see: previous post). Add to that, Girlfriend has an itch for travel as contagious as the Herp and Youngest Sister studying out in Australia. (Elitist!) The result?
Sunday, Girlfriend and I booked a trip down to Cabo San Lucas betwixt the holidays. At the end of January, we (with the addition of Younger Sister and friend) are headed to Sydney. Last night we even looked at pricing for a trips to San Francisco and the east coast (involving DC, Delaware and Charlotte).
My experience with travel is limited but now I’m very much addicted. Previously, there were family road trips (Yellowstone, St. Louis, Orlando, etc.), a school trip to DC and a couple dips in LA. In fact, I may enjoy the planning of trips a little too much.
I can only assume I’ll come back to February with all of my skepticism, rational ideals and assumptions shot to shit. I’ll probably be patriotic to the point of tattooing a flag lapel pin to my chest. Because, and this is just me presupposing as inexperienced, foreign soil must be poisonous and horrifying.
I imagine I’ll see why a single payer option for health care fosters puppy kidnapping. Or how diplomacy crushes the innocence of toddlers. Or how economic responsibility leads to domestic carpet bombings and rampant illegal drug use among tweens. Or how gay marriage sparks infertility and manifests demon beasts who maul pregnant woman.
If anything, maybe I’ll see that we’re (the most powerful and richest country on earth, supposedly) implementing some of the world’s better ideas. Because if we aren’t, we must look like a bunch of arrogant fucks.
Man, I can’t wait to have some perspective and to be metaphorically beaten to tears by my worldly self.