J and K Adventures

Sunday, November 18, 2012

The ecstacy and the agony--Saturday, Nov. 17

I (Kathy) woke up at 5:30 to use the bathroom and noticed a gentle light coming through the curtains. I peeked out and saw that the east was beginning to lighten.....sunrise was coming. I have never seen a sunrise over the ocean, at least that I can remember, so I sat down on the balcony in my night to watch. A few people were wandering around on the beach, some were even swimming, and all were waiting for the sun to appear. I felt lucky to have awakened at just that moment. I guess some things are just meant to be. After El Sol made his appearance, I went back to bed and didn't reawaken until almost 9. Ahhhh, I sure do love to sleep in.

Dawn breaks

Sunrise on the sea

More ecstasy.... we spent the entire day around the pool and twice go out to take long swims in the Ocean. The water is just a perfect temp where even chickens like me (Jeff) can jump in without any thought. I am floating effortlessly staring at blue sky with a gentle breeze, warm sun baking my soul and waves breaking on the distant shore lulling me into a near comatose state.

We lay on our chaise lounges reading, napping, chatting, people watching, smoking Cuban cigars and having the wait staff keep us supplied with various munchies. We even get to watch a large Wedding celebration which is staged right in front of us on the beach. This family spares no expense and it is somewhat amazing to see 3 large and I do mean large yachts riding at anchor off the coast and ferrying the folks into shore to enjoy the festivities.

The position of the day

View from the lounge chair

The bride and groom

Yachts ahoy!

Well, I may as well discuss the agony. So here goes, those of faint heart or weak constitution may wish to scroll down. We're in Mexico where there is a different view of what is important. We walk into the local Hooters at 6:45 and ask the head "Hooter" if the Duck game will be on. They have 23 T.V.'s and most of them are turned to Soccer or Ultimate fighting and one is actually turned to the Tennessee game. Well, these folks can spot big spenders when they see them and they escort us to our own area next to the air hockey table (this fact will tie in shortly) and tune 2 T.V.'s to the Ducks. Ahh heaven - Ducks, beer and chicken wings - yeahhh!

J waits for the game to start.

So we are watching and munching and quaffing and young women in tight outfits cruise by on roller skates dropping off treats like Santa does in late December. We begin to realize the temp is about 20 degrees too high, (maybe due to all of the hot women and hot memorabilia that surround us) and Kat is fading and the game is a nail biter. To complete the scene, a Mexican family of 8 sit down in front of us and they could care less about my Ducks or anything important to me such as good manners. They have brought their 4 year old son, (may as well get them started early in objectifying women) who just loves to play air hockey. The teens are dunking a basketball into a hoop while the young one has a constant high pitched whine regarding getting Papi to play him a game. Now I don't want to be rude and a stereotypical Ugly American so I say nothing and do my best in just focusing on what my Ducks are up to. Well, the Ducks end up losing a nail biter, and all of my hopes and dreams of strutting around Cancun in my Duck gear fade to black.

Just after halftime, I (K) give up on the game and the chaotic, noisy scene at Hooters to seek solitude back at the hotel. Imagine my shock when I turn on the TV and find the Ducks on Spanish ESPN! All that Hooters hoopla could have been avoided! I knew Jeff wouldn't leave while the Ducks were still playing, so I hold down the fort and offer a soft shoulder for his dismay when he gets back.

Meanwhile, it IS Saturday night in Cancun and the young and drunken have taken over the streets. An insistent throb of techno music echos down the beach and collides with the equally loud and throbbing sound of the wedding celebration below our room. I could make out "....celebrate good times....." over the din. Finally we give up, close the door to the balcony and I stick in my earplugs and fall asleep in about a minute. Jeff, in mourning for his Duckies, had a more difficult time, but finally joins me in dreamland. Tomorrow.....snorkeling!

Friday, November 16, 2012

Get ready, get set....we be gone! Nov. 14, 2012

'nuff said

Seems every time we plan to get away, life throws an extra large dose of stuff to get done before we can pull out of the driveway. Little stuff like new garage roof, sinus infection, a case of ick in our aquarium which was similar to the Black Plague, leaky gutters and various other issues which tried our souls and sanity. Amazingly, we got it all done and were on the road north by 5:30 P.M.

We mellowed out to a point, but with a 5:30 A.M. flight, it was barely worth going to bed. Alarms functioned, shuttle bus was on time and we found ourselves in the pipeline at 3:45. A long day of travel but we were checking in to the Krystal Hotel at 4:15 and watching an amazing sunset from our balcony at 5:00.

Room with a view

Enough teeth for a Dental convention

A Krystal Sunset

We are talking tropical and I do mean Tropical paradise. Nice room, great view and a staff that falls over itself to meet our every need or wish. We have our white wrist bracelets that signify that anything we want is no charge - it's fun to order off the menu without checking out the right side.

We went to La Muerdo for dinner. It is the 5 star Mexican restaurant next door which is operated by The Krystal. Dinner was amazing - each bite better then the last. Kat loved her stuffed Sea Bass with coriander sauce while my Filet Mignon lit up each and every one of my taste buds. A true dining experience. A great Mariachi band going from table to table, taking requests and rocking the house with their horn section just expanded the experience exponentially.

Now that's a Margarita!

Mariachi gone wild

So many choices,so few meals

Soup that can put a smile on your face

We then took a stroll down the next block where 5 - 6 hot nightclubs vied for every tourists attention out on the strip. A person could find anything and I do mean anything a human could desire. A bit over the top in senses overload. A wonderful day.

Music is big down here

The strip of no shame

Friday, November 16th

We were up and strolled down for breakfast which consists of a 40 yard buffet table with every breakfast food known to mankind. Lot's of Mexican coffee, fruit, scones and everything omelets. We then headed down to the pool which looks out on a crystal blue ocean where boats sail the horizon while children romp in the surf and the sun dazzles your eyes and bakes your brain. Reading, snoozing, swimming, smoking a Cuban Cohiba and dining by the pool pretty well filled up our day.

The position has been assumed

Pool with a view

Hammock Hut

J and his Cuban

We got ourselves cleaned up and took a stroll down another avenue filled with hotels which each trying to out do the last with opulence. We are in a area where we have water surrounding us on three sides. Watching giant pelicans soar overhead and dive for dinner was a treat for the eyes - lots of wow moments. We checked out a few sports bars where we were promised that we would be able to watch Oregon vs Stanford tomorrow - hey, I was worried I would be shut out.

The other side of the penninsula

Giant Pelicans dived for fish

What amazing colors

Loving the sea

You can get ANYTHING in Mexico

We went back to the Krystal where we were given the choice of either a Seafood or Italian buffet. We chose Seafood and were not disappointed. We then went to the cocktail lounge where we shot pool while sipping coffee laced with cognac - yes, we did overindulge. The quartet tuned up and I was struck by how the lead singer resembled my best friend Rob - Mexican Robbo and crew did everything from "What a Wonderful Day" to a "Imagine" to a tribute to Eric Clapton, (my suggestion) Fun to hear Eric with a thick Spanish accent. Meanwhile, the pool area had been transformed into party central where a family had rented the area for their daughters Quincineros - (15th birthday party similar to a confirmation or Bar Mitzvah. A lot of fun watching the festivities.

A very wonderful day!!!!!!!!

A fun looking but very loud party

Monday, October 15, 2012

Beach House October '12

The fall has gone by so quickly. Jeff and I both were soaking up sun, as long as it would last and doing home improvement projects. Of course, the biggest project was the renovation of Max's room into Jeff's mancave. We were both thrilled to have the job done, and especially excited to find a reasonably priced pool table to complete the decor.

Pool Table gets a workout

The man in his cave

Women ARE allowed

We painted the bathroom too

I had reserved the same old wonderful beach house for the weekend of Oct 11-14.......I thought. Turns out when they sent me the contract to sign, I didn't notice that the dates were mistakenly listed for SEPT 11-14. When I realized the error, I called the rental company to confirm my mistake. Our wonderful beach house on Stonefield Beach was already rented for Oct. The poor employee had to listened to my tale of woe. Thank goodness she took pity on me, and applied my rental fee to another house for October. As the weekend approached, the weather forecast was for the first storm of the season to hit the coast on Friday. We had been through nearly the longest stretch of rainless weather in Oregon history, and it was ending the weekend we were going to the coast. Oh well, we were determined to have a great time anyway.

We played hearts, Yahtzee and Boggle (Carol was unbeatable), enjoyed singing and making music, had delicious meals and wonderful desserts, watched the Beavers beat BYU, searched for pumpkin lattes, read lots of magazines, papers and books, and danced, laughed, hugged and partied. And the accommodations were great.