Scooting around a Mexican resort

I am basking in the Mexican sun as I write this, albeit safely sitting under a bamboo umbrella to avoid getting a sunburn.  Watching people from my seat is quite entertaining, with people of all sizes and nationalities, and all levels of modesty, prancing before me on the hot cement surrounding the pool. A bathing suit wearing Muslim family includes a mother dressed head to toe in a burkini, eliminating the need for all of that sunblock. An abundance of women wear skimpy bikini tops along with bikini bottoms that expose their buttocks, with some bottoms amazingly firm and taut and others a little lumpier. As is their custom, many European men wear very skimpy bikini bottoms, including the elderly men. However, mostly it is a huge variety of people and bathing suits of various fits, sizes, colors, and shapes. I feel comfortable in my super-sized black bathing suit.

Also with us in Mexico are my children Marie and Steven, along with his daughter, Rosie, and his very soon to be wife, who will be getting married at the end of the week. Francis has flown in from California to be the best man.  The pools here are awesome, and Francis, Rosie, Marie, and I love to frolic in the water with me wearing a big, floppy hat, lots of sunscreen and sunglasses.  (When putting on the sunscreen, I couldn’t help but envy the woman in the burkini who only had to do her face and hands.) We float on big inner tubes in one of the main pools, lounge down the lazy river, swim under bridges and waterfalls, and sit on the stools of the swim up bar.  It was there that I learned about frozen mango margaritas, a recommended drink. Not a big drinker, this delightful drink had never before passed my lips. I learned that too many delicious mango margaritas can make one a little drunk.

We also enjoy swimming in the ocean, where the waves are impressively large. We keep our inner tubes around our waists and excitedly ride the waves up and down. Rosie is careful to keep her feet off the ground, as she is terrified that she might accidentally step on a crab, or a lobster and they would bite her toe off.

The lavish dinner spread spreads at this all-inclusive resort surpasses all expectations with an array of delicacies, from succulent lobster tails served with an extra cup of butter, (my FAVORITE) to classic Beef Wellington. The vast selection of fruits includes some exotic varieties I had never eaten before, mango, papaya, guava, pitaya, mamey sapote, prickly pear and cherimoya, and will never eat again as most of them were bitter and unpleasant. There’s also a dedicated section for assorted breads and rolls, a huge salad bar stocked with unique toppings and vegetables, and a tempting array of mini desserts. Naturally, I indulged too much, adding a few more inches to my already ample waist.

Hubby makes sure to bring dinner rolls back to the hotel room to feed his new best friend, a large male peacock he named Sam who is waiting for him every morning on our first-floor balcony.  We had been to this resort two years ago with my daughter’s family and he had made friends with another peacock, which he insists is the same one. It is heartwarming that this big, older guy delights in his special relationship with this bird. He wants to come back again next year to see him again.

The one thing I enjoy the most is riding around on my Air Wheels.  It is the carry-on suitcase that turns into a scooter at the flip of a switch.  Sitting on top of it, with my feet comfortably perched on the footrest and hands at the steering handle, I zip around the resort like a manic race car driver. I generally wear my bathing suit and a large, black tentish cover-up that flows around me like a witches’ outfit as they ride on their brooms. Everywhere I go, people look and stare. Some people laugh, a lot of people ask me where I purchased it, (Amazon), and many people want to borrow it.  It does have its drawbacks…it is good on a smooth, flat surface, but does not do hills, both up and down, very safely.  One day, I was headed to our sitting spot near the pool, with 4 beach towels around my neck, and two very large tubes in my arms.  As I went up the incline to get to the pool, the scooter petered out a few inches from the top. “Oh!  Oh!” I thought as it started to fall over sideways.  Fortunately, the two tubes broke my fall, and I burst into laughter as people came running over to help. 

We have been having great fun, and Stevens wedding is tomorrow. I am sure it will be full of many new topics for next week’s column!