We're Home

We made it to Cancún without incident. Took all the right turns. We wanted to fill the car up before we returned it because they charge you a premium price if they have to do it. Señor B thinks they charge double what it is at the pump but we couldn't find a gas station to save our souls. We drove around a bit but we didn't want to get too far away. There was a major traffic jam on the road going out of Cancún. We overheard someone saying there was some kind of protest. Señor B had thought about going towards Playa del Carmen to find a station but we were concerned about not being able to get back because of the jam. I told him we should just suck it up...that paying an extra charge for gas was worth not getting lost and not missing our flight. So that's what we did.

We had lunch at TGIFriday's. The meal was tasty and there was a lot of food on the plate but we had gotten so used to the low prices in Progreso that we had a bit of sticker shock when we got the bill. Add to that the fact that airport food is more expensive anyways. Our 2 cokes and hamburgers with fries came to 336 pesos or just over $27 US.

Our flight was on time and uneventful. We had to clear customs in Toronto which meant we had to claim our luggage and then re-check it. We had time to grab a quick bite and then back onto the plane. Again, our flight was on time and uneventful. No funny or can-you-believe-that stories to relate.

We arrived to our home airport shortly after 11pm. Temp was about -11C but there was a strong north wind blowing. A bitter wind that will chill you to the bone even if you haven't just arrived from the tropics.

It's a long drive home from the airport so we stayed in a hotel for the night. It was a new one for us so we drove around a bit until we found it. By the time we went to bed it was almost 2am Méxican time. We'd been up since 6am so we were beat. The room was chilly and the continental breakfast wasn't anything to write home about. When we mentioned, at check-out, that the thermostat didn't work and the room was cold (the room was only 18C this morning) we thought we'd get a break on the price but we didn't. I'm not sure that we'll stay there again. Yes, we could have mentioned it last night but it wasn't until we were in bed that we realized how chilly the room was. When you first come in out of the cold, everything seems warm. Who knows how long it would have taken a maintenance guy to come and we were so tired, we didn't feel like changing rooms at this point, so we just sucked it up.

Señor B got lost leaving the town. We normally stay in another one that's close by so he wasn't quite sure which road we needed. But, as always, he figured it out. High winds with blowing snow wasn't a very pleasant welcome back to Canada and makes driving slow and difficult. But we made it home, safe and sound shortly before 1pm.

Suitcases have been unpacked (I'm so sick of dragging those things around) and laundry is on the go. Phone calls to the kids to say we're home and to catch up on the news.

I went uptown to pick up a few groceries. Half a century of winters etches the chill in one's memory. Even though we just got home and the weather was decent when we left, the wind and cold were so familiar that it felt as though we'd been dealing with winter for a spell, instead of less than 24 hours.

Supper tonight is good old fashioned comfort food...homemade beef barley soup from a large batch I'd made a while back and froze portions. It was so nice to not have to cook after 2 very busy days. It's bubbling on the stove right now and smells divine.

Came home to some sad news. YD works with the daughter of an aquaintance of mine. This daughter and her younger sister were out driving and got hit by a drunk driver. The younger sister was killed. The funeral is tomorrow. According to YD these 2 girls don't drink, at all. Why does it always seem to be the innocent who are killed by drunk driving? Why can't it ever be the drunk driver? Not that I wish for anyone to die but the irony is so unjust and unfair. Poor little girl. Gone at 15. A family has been shattered and dumba$$ will probably only get 3 years.

Our Last Day Here

Today was another day at home. After breakfast, we decided to go down to the beach. The ungroomed one that's only a 2 minute walk from the condo. We don't give a rat's rump about the tourist beach. Señor B tried snorkelling but he said the water was pretty cloudy. We met the couple that is renting the condo next to ours. Nice people. He teaches over the internet, so he can be down here and still make an income. Sounds like a great plan!

When we got back I cleaned the place up, did laundry and packed whatever items I didn't need for today and tomorrow morning. After lunch Señor B made a coke/beer run because we had people coming over to watch the Grey Cup. Then we headed down to the pool for one last sun soaking. Too bad the sun didn't know our plans. As soon as we got down there, it went behind the clouds and stayed there.

Our company, D & S, came over around 5pm. I don't understand football and have a general dislike of most sports so I didn't enjoy it as much as everyone else did but it was still nice to hang out with D & S. I was embarrassed that I could only offer snacks and not a real meal. We told them we were leaving tomorrow morning so our fridge was pretty empty. They completely understood. Still, it goes against how I was raised and it was uncomfortable for me.

We were cheering for the Rough Riders. Alas, they lost.

S checked out my new bedroom furniture and loves the headboard. She might get one the same. She took me up to her place to see if I thought it would match the wood in the room she wants to put it in. Me?! Gawd! I have no eye for that sort of thing. That's one of the reasons why I wanted L to help me pick things out. Anyways, the headboard is almost the same colour as the wood in her room so I think it'll work.

She showed me the paintings she had done by a gentleman from Mérida (I think) and they're gorgeous. When I'm ready to put paintings up I may get in touch with him.

I can't believe how quickly 3 weeks have gone. I'm so not ready to face the cold and the snow. Señor B and I were saying how, a week ago, we'd been laughing at the girls because they had to go home and we got to stay. Yeah. Who's laughing now...lol. The good news is that, when we get home, it won't be -30C like it was for the girls.

One thing I'm not going to miss, though, is the constant stickiness of my skin. I just never feel clean. I shower the sunscreen off but it always feels like I'm still coated in it. Give me that dry prairie air. I know how to deal with that and I feel clean after my shower.

I hope I haven't bored everyone to tears with my postings and I hope that I've provided some useful tidbits for anyone coming to México. Between now and our next trip down, I'll be putting up some pics and explaining some things further. Don't expect daily posts, though. Our holiday wasn't exciting enough for me to be able to add 300+ posts...lol.

Hasta luego, México.