Dinner was a buffet, and you all know how I love me a buffet. A slightly fancier buffet than I'm used to, but a buffet nonetheless. And thus the gluttony continued. The after dinner entertainment was provided by Atomic Improv, and I gotta say I'm impressed by Autopro's choice. I was kinda expecting some boring speechifying, and there was a little, but thankfully not much. Atomic Improv was really quite good, especially considering they probably had no idea what most of the people in the audience really did for a living. After that there was a DJ and, once the Burnaby boss' wife had enough to drink, some dancing. I'm not sure how Glen managed to get out of dancing with her, 'cause she kept threatening to drag him out on the dance floor, but he did. Perhaps it was the look of terror in his eyes. Glen's not the best dancer, so I guess it's really all for the better, anyway.Brunch the next morning was lovely. Another buffet. You know how they say most people gain weight on vacation? Well it's true. Especially if you start said vacation off with a couple buffets. And then began the marathon of travelling. I'm going to try and make this short, 'cause really all it ended up being was a string of airports, buses and cars that eventually landed us at our resort on the Yucatan in Mexico. So here goes: Bus to the airport in Edmonton, ride back to my sister's place, dinner with the family, ride back to the airport, flight to Toronto, flight to Cancun, bus ride to the resort in the Mayan Riviera. We left Jasper just before noon on Sunday, and arrived at our resort in Mexico somewhere around 5 pm Monday. We didn't shower in that time, nor did we get to sleep anywhere other than on an airplane. By the time we reached the hotel, all we wanted to do was shower and go to bed. Which, if you throw in dinner, was exactly what we did.
Snorkeling came next on the tour. Now's my chance to tell you about the cenotes. They're caves all over the Yucatan-there are tons of them-that are for the most part filled with freshwater. Apparently they're part of an underground river system that dumps into the ocean. Inside the caves stalactites and stalagmites-my apologies if the terminology is wrong, I can mever seem to get those ones right-have formed. And because the water's crystal clear you can see everything. They had laid lights in this one so we could see and didn't all need our own lights. It's actually kindof a treat to swim in fresh water when you're so used to the salty ocean or chloriney swimming pool. You get out and you don't stink or feel gross from what you were just swimming in. In fact, you feel cleaner. It's awesome. Anyways, we swam around in this funky and very cool cave for a bit. At this point Glen and I were very happy we'd invested in a waterproof camera, as we got to bring it along with us and get pictures of all the funky stuff in there.From the cenote we went to Akumal beach and into the salty ocean for some more snorkeling. This time, unlike the relatively lifeless cenote, there were fish, corals, sea turtles and stingrays. It was all very cool and colorful. My sister was flabbergasted by it all. She had managed to borrow a set of prescription goggles from her mother-in-law and could actually see the fish and what was going on under the water, and she didn't really shut up about it for the rest of the week. Normall this would annoy me, but because I also really enjoy snorkeling, it was quite enjoyable to be with someone experiencing it for the first time. Now we have to get her scuba diving and really blow her mind.
Thursday we went to the Tulum ruins, which are touted as the last real Mayan city. They were pretty cool, though we didn't really get to spend much time there because we were only on a half-day tour. Thursday was also my Dad's 60th birthday, so we all went for dinner together and sang him happy birthday and took a lot of pictures. That night I had planned to take everyone to the Coco Bongo, which is a club in Playa del Carmen that I've been told is a really fun place to go. Well, when the grown-ups found out that it didn't even open until 10 pm they opted out. So it was left to the youngsters to party it up. It really was quite the spectacle, and we all had a good time. Though it might've been better had our waiter been a bit quicker with the drinks. 2 drinks delivered to us in 3 hours does not make for a drunken Sara. But it was really fun to watch the insanity.
The next day we slept late because we didn't get back until almost 4 am, and Glen and I promptly rolled out of bed to catch our shuttle to Puerto Aventuras for our first caribbean scuba adventure. It was incredible! The water was warm, the fish were amazing and so colorful, and our divemaster was great! And the diving was easy once we rolled off the boat. In Vancouver I'd had such trouble trying to sink, and there was the bulky drysuit to contend with, and the water was freezing, and we didn't really know what we were doing. But in the Caribbean? It was like our thin wetsuits were a second skin, our BCD's and air tanks weren't even there, and it felt like we knew exactly what we were doing. It was relaxing, mellow and very fun just floating along with the current looking at all the fish swimming by. By far one of the best experinces I've had in the ocean to date.
This brings us to Saturday. Saturday morning we went swimming with the dolphins. Yes, I know. Sara you are truly a hypocrite. And I agree with you, I am. For the information of the uninformed, I am not a fan of the dolphin. I think they're overrated and overexposed. But I went because everyone else was going and I got to do it for free. That's pretty much the only reason. My sister thought the whole experience was amazing and was very nonplussed that I did not agree with her. To qualify, I did kinda enjoy it. It is a bit trippy to have actual physical contact with another intelligent species that is so different from oneself. That said, I had the same problem I do at most aquariums, museums, and the like. I kept thinking that this would be so much better if the dolphins were actually in the ocean where they're supposed to be, instead of performing inane tricks for tourists so they can have a treat. Thus continues humanity's need to dominate and supplicate any species it comes into contact with. Now, if they'd told me the dolphins were rescued from some terrible fate and were unable to be released back into the wild, then I wouldn't have had much problem enjoying myself. But they never told us that, making me believe that the dolphins were trapped and transported to these tiny tanks simply so some enterprising Mexican can make money off stupid tourists. Now you know why I had trouble enjoying myself. I'll stop ranting now.
Saturday afternoon Glen and I went scuba diving in a cenote. Chac-Mool, to be exact. There is one very important thing to consider when diving in the cenotes. They are caves. So unlike in the ocean, you've got a bottom, but you've also got an overhead. So you've gotta have pretty good control of your buoyancy or you could crack your head-or worse, your regualtor-on a rock and possibly cause some serious damage. That said, Glen and I are beginner divers and had absolutely no business going into a cenote with scuba gear on. But we figured we woudn't be back anytime soon, and this might be our only chance. So we decided to take it slow and be very, very careful. We made it out alive without any major mishaps. It was an interesting dive, but the major problem I had was that I can sometimes get a little claustrophobic. I was all right, but something about having rock on top and bottom with no air source anywhere in between was a little uncomfortable. Worth trying, though.
Sunday we had reserved for shopping, and possibly some general laziness, as it was our last full day. We caught the shuttle into Playa del Carmen and went a little souvenir crazy. Jana and I miraculously managed to reign ourselves in relatively well, and we didn't break the bank too badly. Every store pretty much has the same stuff, the only difference is how much the owner will bargain the price down with you. Glen and Jonathan had a little fun with that in a jewelery store. It's even more fun to watch when there's a language barrier. The one thing I did notice is that they didn't really offer a lot of higher quality souvenirs. Most of it was quite cheap and generic looking, and nothing really stood out as particularly unique or special. But when the whole town is pretty much based on tourism, I guess they can do that. This was the day Glen and I got to try genuine Mexican street meat. And it was excellent! $2 bought us 2 decent sized pork tacos that were wicked spicy but incredibly delicious, and right off a little cart in the street where the vendor spoke no English at all. It's not saying much for the resort food, but that was literally the best meal we had the whole time we were there.
The next day we had to leave. It was quite a relief to get the resort's wristband off, though Glen was developing Stockholm syndrome and wanted to stay. On the way to the bus I dropped the camera, effectively killing the screen. So much for shockproof. Luckily it's still under warranty, and it happened on the last day of the trip. None of our pictures were lost, by the way, it was just that the screen stopped working. At the airport we bought some tequila that we had tried the day before at the duty free. However, on the first flight, Glen managed to chip the bottle and the entire 750 mL container leaked it's contents all over Glen's backpack. It was a sad, sad day for us, as it was really, really good tequila. Plus we stank up the entire plane with the smell. My nostrils burned for 3 hours. Though I'm sure the flight attendants had a good laugh at our expense after the flight. Such a waste. But one must not cry over spilled tequila. Or not too much, anyways.
We made it back to Vancouver in one piece, and we really did have an excellent time. Though next time I think we need to go for 2 weeks. That's be just about right, I think, because I've started to discover with the travelling I've done, that you don't really start to relax and properly enjoy yourself until about 5 days into the vacation. So 2 weeks is about perfect, really. I'm really glad we got to go, because it meant that I got to spend some time with my Dad, who I don't see mearly enough of. And I got to hang with my Aunt and Uncle who I haven't had a conversation with in nearly 5 years. And my sister, who is always a good time. Well, when you get 2 Damgaards together, let's be honest, it's definitely gonna be a good time.
So, what have I neglected to say thus far that still needs saying? Ah, yes.
The food and the booze. Oh, the all-inclusive resort. What have we been missing? It feels really strange to walk into a restaraunt and walk out without paying. It feels even weirder to go to the coffee bar in the lobby and get whatever you want because you don't have to pay for it. Normally you'd have to weigh your hunger with your cheapness and decide if you were actually hungry enough to pay for something to eat. But at an all-inclusive resort? Dig in, my friend! It's all free! It's awesome. And the drinks! I've never had so many pina coladas and daquiris in my life! And it's not like they watered them down, either. Full strength, my friends. Jana and I got on a bit of a mojito kick and had one almost every day. Though I'm not sure Jana finished any of the ones he ordered. Not nearly as good as Aunty Cyn's, but defintely still drinkable.
Hello. You say goodbye, and I say hello...or ohla, as it were. While in the resort, every single person that worked there, no matter who they were, would say ohla to you as they passed. It took me telling Jana and Jonathan what it was they were saying and what it meant for them to figure out what was going on. At first we all thought that they were just being really friendly, and enjoying their jobs, and being cheerful as you passed. But by the end of the week we were convinced that it's a requirement of the resort that they say ohla to every guest they see as they pass them. While I'm not necessarily opposed to this rule, when you realize that it is, in fact, a requirement of their job, it takes the joy out of it. It's not quite as special when you know they have to do it. I'd really just rather have them say ohla when they're actually in a good mood and want to say it rather than being forced to. Oh, and in the restaraunts when you say thank you, they responded "it's a pleasure". Well, thanks for trying, but it's your job and I know it's not really a pleasure that you have to wait on me hand and foot and cater to the whim of every snobby tourist that walks in. I'd really rather you just said "you're welcome", or de nada (sorta the spanish equivalent of you're welcome), than faking it.
Tipping. At our resort, we were told that we didn't have to tip. That was supposedly all taken care of when we paid for our rooms. That said, we found that tipping really went a long, long way when it came to service. At one point, Aunty Penny tipped a guy $1 US to take us to a restaraunt on the other side of the resort on his golf cart. He looked so happy to do it that she even found him afterwards and he gave us a ride back. We were lost as to what a good tip really was, given that $1 US was equivalent to 11-12 pesos. We heard things like the masseuses in the resort made $5/day, and that was actually a good wage there. Jonathan found something online that said the average Mexican can feed their family for 400 pesos/month. That's like, $36. So I guess giving a guy a $1 tip really is pretty generous if that's the case. So did that mean that when we were tipping our tour guides $5 US that we were basically doubling their daily pay? It was really quite confusing. Especially since a lot of the tour guides said that they didn't get paid, and that they lived solely off tips. It's hard to know what to do in that situation. But the guy at the front desk of our hotel said that a fair tip for a tour guide was about 40 pesos, so that's what we went with. Though they could've been swearing at us in Spansh for being cheap bastards and there's no way we would've known it.
I really did enjoy Mexico, and the experience of being at an all-inclusive resort was pretty cool. Though I will say that the resort was really quite isolated. It's not like you could just leave and go shopping in town. You'd have to take a shuttle for that. And even then, they take down your wristband number at the gate of the resort, so they know you've left. Big Brother was watching. I'm more used to having the freedom to go wherever I want fairly easily, even when travelling. So while I did enjoy the resort and not having to pay for every single thing I ate or drank, next time I think I'd prefer the relative freedom of a hostel or hotel where I can leave and wander fairly easily without having to take a cab or a shuttle to get there. Which also affected the nightlife, really. At the hotel, once dinner was finished, there wasn't really much to do. Sure, they had entertainment, like magic shows and fire demonstrations and stuff, but none of it was particularly exciting. And the day we spent in Playa del Carmen reminded me of how I like just wandering around on the street at night, people watching or looking for something to do.
So that was what I am now referring to as the "Snow to Scuba Tour" of 2010. It was a pretty good time, I gotta say. Now, what shenanigans can I get into in the next few months?
