Dos Gringos Locos

Well, we’re up bright and early and just about to hit the road to Edmonton for a couple of days before we FINALLY fly out. Just one stop to my parents house and a stop to gas up and we should be out of Hay River by 9:30 a.m. if all goes well. ETA for Edmonton somewhere around 9:30 p.m. give or take. Let’s hope this drive goes smoothly and quickly…

Leanne

I finally think the bags are packed…now we just have to weigh them! Yikes! They certainly FEEL heavy…have to find the scale and do the whole ‘stand on it with the bag in hand’ accurate weighing, lol. We got up fairly early this morning, partly due to not being able to sleep from the excitement, partly from the fact we had to get up and start the beef tongue in the slow cooker for the Mexican Dinner Party we’re attending. Scott found a recipe for apparently authentic beef tongue tacos – it takes eight hours! You slow cook the tongue with a bunch of other ingredients until it’s so tender it can be shredded, then serve on a tortilla. We’re also making rice with beans, fresh homemade salsa, and a Tex-Mex style dip. Other people are bringing enchiladas, fajitas, and other ‘typical’ Mexican fare. Our ‘piece de resistance’ is frozen strawberry margaritas…I know, not totally Mexican, but who cares, they’re delicious!

Work was, as I guessed it, a gong show yesterday. Fridays typically are, but I think this one was even more so because I was dying to get out of there! I had so much left to do at home. So after having dinner at my parents house to celebrate my dad’s 54th birthday we came back and I started with the laundry and the finishing touches on the packing. Scott started getting the laptop and iPod ready. We’re taking his Dell down with us and using the iPod’s 80 GB storage for our photos. Hopefully we’ll be able to upload photos everyday and find time to write posts of our ‘adventures’. Apparently the Luna Blue Hotel does have wireless internet but it doesn’t work in all of the rooms, but does work in all the outside areas and in the lobby, so we’re going to try it from the hammock on our balcony. Yep, that sounds nice…lazing in a hammock after a long day of fun in the sun, and still managing to get my internet fix! lol Anyone who knows me knows I have a slight dependency on Facebook and e-mail, but hopefully this trip will wean me off it a little more.

Dinner party starts at seven o’clock so we have to finish off the menu and head out. I know it’s going to be a fun night (it always is with our dinner party friends) but it won’t be too late of a night. We have to get up early for the long drive to Edmonton and then actually find our way around the city!

Leanne

Oh Dear God, I just got back from having my legs waxed and all I gotta say is OOOWWWWW! The things us girls do! So right now I’m sitting here typing this while every inch of both lower legs is screaming and turning redder by the minute…all for the sake of not having to shave while on vacation! And the worst part is that I will still likely have to shave some stray hairs that weren’t quite long enough for the wax to grab, so what was the point really?! At least I’ll have mostly smooth legs for most of the trip…one less thing to worry about, I guess.

I have most things clued up at work so tomorrow will just be a few last minute things and hopefully not too stressful…but it is a Friday and Fridays are super busy at work usually, so it’s likely going to end up being a gong show  . When five o’clock rolls around, though, I’m outta there and my holidays begin. Have to pick up groceries for the dinner party we’re going to on Saturday and put the finishing touches on the luggage and we’re pulling out of Hay River on Sunday morning en route to Edmonton for a couple of days before we fly out…nothing is going to stop me! (could that be considered jinxing myself, maybe?! lol)

E-mailed the owners of the hotel (Luna Blue) asking a few questions/advice and Tony and Cheri promptly responded with great suggestions and we’re really looking forward to meeting them. We’ve heard such great reviews from guide books, to Internet sites, to other travellers in the various online forums we’ve been ‘lurking’ in…all overwhelmingly positive about this hotel and the owners! I know we’ve made a great choice. What I know even more is how lucky we are that we cancelled our original booking with Conquest Vacations back in January to an AI (all-inclusive) and booked our own flight and hotel…especially since Conquest Vacations just went belly-up and declared bankruptcy stranding thousands of people…but not us!!!

Just five more days…

Leanne

Finally down to the one week mark and things are starting to get hectic (as if they weren’t before?! lol). I’ve been trying to clue up files at work so there’s not a huge mess while I’m gone (due to me being unorganized or something), and also so I don’t end up with stuff just piling up while I’m gone. I do not want to think about insurance while I’m in Mexico! Scott has been training his co-workers in his weekly ‘routine’ as well. Monday is deadline day at the paper and everything must be edited, laid out, and sent to the printer (not that he does this exclusively on his own (he is part of a team) but his job is pretty important and specific). Tuesdays he gets everything ready for the website and e-mail subscribers so that everything goes live for Wednesday’s paper. There’s no one to cover the studio photos, except for passport photos, so hopefully it doesn’t get too busy. This is one trip where his co-workers will NOT be able to reach him to do something (unlike the last trip with time spent in an internet cafe e-mailing step-by-step instructions) .

After a loooonnngggg  day at work I went tanning quickly before heading to my parents for turkey soup (leftovers from Easter dinner). My sister wanted me to go to a movie with her so we left Scott to his video games for a few hours and caught ‘Confessions of a Shopaholic’ – it’s been out forever elsewhere in the civilized world, but it takes about 2 months for ‘new’ release to play in our cinema. Hilarious, and oh so true. Finally convinced my sister to come over to my house to go through my luggage and help me ‘edit’ so the bag doesn’t weigh 500 pounds and contain a gazillion pairs of sandals. We got it down to 5 pairs of sandals (well, 4 + 1 pair of sneaker shoe thingys from Sketchers) and she fit my clothes in neatly after taking out a few things (like half)! Now there’s room for my toiletry bag and donations. Luckily I can still fit a few things in Scott’s bag – ’cause he’s a boy and, let’s face it, they don’t pack much! lol

Got some kinda potentially sucky news today from one of the tours we booked (to Chichen Itza). They need a minimum of 6 people to go, but so far it’s just us that booked for the day (they only go on Friday’s). They said not to worry too much because a lot of people don’t book until a day or two before (so there’s still hope), but if they don’t meet the minimum it looks like we’re gonna have to take another tour – one of those God-awful ‘cattle drive tours’ where there’s 50 people crammed on a huge bus and led hurriedly through the sites and stopping at other tourist traps. Great. Anyways, I guess I shouldn’t worry too much yet…but that’s just me, that’s what I do.

We did do a bit more ‘research’ on tours, and I think we’ll try this one called Formula 1 Offshore Explorer. It’s basically a high-speed boat tour that brings you to a secluded cove for snorkeling and sightseeing at a small ruin and just hanging out on the beach before going for a typical lunch at a local restaurant. I think it was the ruins that really sold me; that, and the fact they offer snorkeling instruction which, for me, is the perfect idea (since I’ve never actually snorkelled before). And it looks like we’ve also decided that instead of going to Cozumel for the day (as a day trip) we’ll go to Isla Mujeres instead and rent a golf cart to explore the island since it’s so small. We’ll somehow have to fit this in between Tulum, Coba, Chichen Itza, and the boat tour! lol We must be insane!

How am I ever gonna get through this week?! Aaahhhhh

Leanne

Ocho dias until Playa!!! Time is certainly ticking down and I’ve become more and more ‘obsessed’ with feeding my ‘information addiction’ on the playa.info forum, reading as many posts as I can and asking lots more questions…I just wanna make sure we make the most of our time and don’t miss out on the best parts! So sue me! I think Scott is really starting to feel the restlessness as well. Just four more work days, a dinner party at a friends house on Saturday (Mexican-themed nonetheless), a 12 hour drive to Edmonton, a day of shopping in Edmonton, and then we finally fly out on Tuesday. Sounds simple enough. But, oh, the wait is giving me a bad stomach.

Leanne

It’s Easter Sunday which means we only have nine days until we fly out to Playa! Actually, one week from today we will be driving to Edmonton for a little pre-trip shopping. Pretty much got the bags packed last night, though I’m going to have my sister, Jenelle, over sometime this week to put her finishing touches on it…this girl can pack bags like no one else! lol She can fit what I have in two suitcases likely into one AND have it all neat and tidy! I also have to narrow down the shoes! That may sound like I’m this high-maintenance woman who has to take a million shoes or whatever, but I do need various pairs of sandals for different things. For example: one pair of water sandals, one pair of dressier leather sandals, a couple different pairs of flip flops, and a pair of sneakers for when we’re climbing around all the Mayan ruins. I don’t think that’s too much! Trouble is, I now have 13 different pairs of sandals/shoes/sneakers laid out in front of my luggage that I have to narrow down to those few chosen pairs! lol On top of that, I have to find room for the various donations we’re bringing for Angel Notion and the Peanut Pet Shelter, and still leave room to fit the toiletry bag! It’s starting to get out of control! lol Anyways, we’re off to my parents house in a little while for Easter Dinner.

Leanne

Well, here we are with ten days to go until we’re finally in Playa. These will likely be the ten longest days of my life, lol. Going to pick up the last Sears package today and hopefully everything fits…then we can really start the packing (it’s all just thrown on top of the suitcase at present).

E-mailed Yucatreks last night to ask about the Chichen Itza tour and they promptly responded, so we’ve booked for Friday April 24th. Had to put 20% down and the balance is due when they pick us up at the hotel. We’ve heard really great things about this company and Chichen Itza has been something I’ve wanted to do my entire life! Scott was there in 2005 (when you could still climb the pyramids) so I guess he’s going to have to do it again! lol The tour starts at 7:30 in the morning so we can beat the crowds…and the heat! Small van with less people means more comfortable experience, and the guide is supposed be great! It comprises of a full tour of the site, then off to swim in a cenote, then tour a local village called Vallodolid where we have an authentic Mayan meal and do some shopping – maybe even stop by the local prison to buy some handmade hammocks! lol Finally drive through some more Mayan villages before arriving back at the hotel around 7:30 in the evening. A long day, but I’m absolutely positive it will be the experience of a lifetime!

We’re also planning on visiting a few more Mayan sites, like Tulum and Coba, but I think we’re going to try to do these on our own. We’ve been talking to people who said that it’s very easy to take a local bus to the site, do your own tour taking your time, and catch the bus back…all for really cheap. Tulum is very near where we’re staying and it’s smaller, so I think this will lend itself well to a self-guided tour. If we get there early enough it should leave enough time for us to head to Coba in the same day and do some exploring there.  We also want to try to get to Akumal for some snorkeling with the turtles. I’ve never snorkeled before but they say this is a great place for beginners because the bay is sheltered and shallow. Trouble is we only really have five full days in Playa to try to get everything in and we also want a few days to relax and explore around the city itself…so we’re gonna be pushing it to fit everything in without burning ourselves out. And it’s mainly my fault because I’ve never been there before and I don’t want to miss anything! Scott would be more than content to sit around and veg for the entire vacation I think…but I’m not going all that way and not see the ‘real’ Mexico.

Anyways, we’re off shortly into town to run a few errands and hopefully I can fit in some tanning…

Leanne

I’m enjoying my first day off for the Easter long weekend…even slept in past 10 and it was NICE. Finally felt like it was time to get up and shower and ‘do something’. Still trying to figure out what that ‘something’ is, lol. After reading some posts on the playa.info forum I have started putting together a list of things to bring down with us to donate to Angel Notion and the Peanut Pet Shelter.

Angel Notion is an organization that gives medical care to people in the Playa area that can’t afford it and they desperately need things like 81mg aspirin, bandages and the like. The Peanut Pet Shelter is a no-kill animal shelter in Playa that saves hundreds of animals and helps find them ‘forever homes’. I’ve already donated a little to them in the form of buying a calendar they made, as well as some beer cozies (they go on the bottle or can to keep them cool)…but they are also in need of things like flea medication, pet food, collars, etc. It’s all stuff that we can get here relatively cheap and takes up little room in the suitcase. And I figure if we can do it, we should! One of the ladies on the playa.info forum suggested we could bring stuff for Angel Notion to the Peep Meet on April 25th and she can collect it up to make sure it gets to where it needs to go. We’re also going to try to help out at the pet shelter when we’re there…maybe at the Free Beer Work Party (basically by helping out you get free beer…good deal!). So the vacation is not going to be just a mindless week filled with overindulgence of alcohol and sun, we will actually be helping out the community a little as well

Leanne

So here we are, with less than two weeks left before we arrive in Mexico. As you can well imagine, the anticipation level is getting quite high.

I got a great surprise at work today when my boss told me I’d be getting a raise and they’re going to make it retroactive to January 1, so I’ll be getting an extra bunch of cash on my next paycheque – just in time for the trip!

Anyways, being in especially good spirits today, I went searching for a nice video of Playa on Vimeo to help me get in the mood. This one fit the bill quite nicely.

Watch it in HD for full effect.

Edit: I’m having trouble embedding it here for some reason. See it here instead.

Re-edit: Okay, after watching it through it gets pretty lame after the first 30 seconds, but you get the idea…

Only 12 days left…

Adios,

Scott

Just back from the dentist where I had some work done. The right side of my face is completely numb from my bottom lip to my eye, including my right nostril…and when I try to lick my lips it feels (and no doubt looks) ridiculous! I decided to get the work done well before the trip so I have time to heal, but most especially so I don’t end up at a Mexican dentists office with a toothache (or worse)! While I’m sure they have some great practitioners of dental medicine, I, for one, do not want to test that out on my vacation if I can help it. Just waiting to pick up Scott from work so we can get ready to go out with friends for wings at a local pub, though I’m not sure how many wings I’ll be eating in this state, lol. Haven’t gone tanning since Saturday (I’ve been tired), but I’ll definitely be going tomorrow after work and for sure this Saturday as well. I really only have next week left…just enough time to get a little ‘glow’ before we leave. I’m also getting my legs waxed for the first time next week, so I hope the technician doesn’t rip off the little bit of colour I do have! lol Well, I better head out to pick up Scott.

Leanne