Goodbye George

Our vacation in Mexico continued to thrill me, especially swimming in the warm ocean water with my grandson.  The waves were large and reminiscent of Scarborough on a day before a hurricane.  Using the tube which I had used to float down the “lazy river” at the resort, I bobbed up and down in the ocean waves, appreciating that the fun was had naturally, not in the man made wave pool. Alejandro appeared to enjoy my company, and swam around me using the full-face snorkeling equipment brought from home. The joy must have shown on my face because I was grinning from ear to ear, except for the times when the waves were so large salt water interfered with my smile.

 The resort was full of families who had come down during school vacation. Because of COVID, masks were required in common areas, such as restaurants, without a mask, there would be no dining.  One evening as the seven of us made our way to the chosen restaurant, somewhat disheveled after dressing quickly from swimming, my son-in-law, Jason passed out the masks and found it to be one short.  Frantic, hungry, and wanting to comply, he searched around for a substitute, and found himself wearing the baby’s bonnet as a mask.  With the exception of the ruffling around the edges, it made a fine replacement, much to the amusement of the dining room staff and the other patrons.  No one objected, and a fine dinner was had by all.

Room service was readily available if one was still hungry. Ordering a few plates of cheese and crackers became a nightly ritual for us. Although we did eat a few watching television, most of the crackers were saved for George, the beautifully hued peacock that climbed onto our porch every morning acting as an alarm clock.  Hubby would jump up when he heard his screech and throw on his clothes.  Soft mumblings could then be heard as Hubby would gently feed the bird.  They seemed enamored with each other, which was very sweet.

The trip ended with a conspiratory meal to plan our next vacation.  It was only by arranging another retreat in the future that we could leave with optimism in our hearts.  We also made a list of the things that we needed to bring:

Snorkeling equipment was essential, and was greatly enjoyed by all.  Prior to coming, I had been shopping at Job Lot and threw a few tubes in my cart.  Hubby made fun of me…of COURSE they would have tubes and I didn’t need to bring any! He showed me pictures of the resort with people happily floating down the lazy river atop all the same tubes.  This was a decision I regretted not following my instinct.  There were so many people at the resort that they did NOT have free tubes available.  The tubes they DID have, they sold for $35 to $50 each, just regular tubes, nothing fancy. Several hundred dollars was spent on six tubes. Next time, Hubby suggested bringing a magic marker to write names on these very valuable items.

We all brought lots of sunscreen, and advise anyone going to a tropical location that if he/she thinks they have enough sunscreen, they don’t.  Double the amount brought prevents having to pay $25 for a bottle at the resort.

Similarly, bring a medicine kit with Dramamine, Benadryl, Tylenol, Band-Aids, and antiseptic.  To obtain any of these items at the resort, one must pay for them to be delivered from the drug store five miles away. 

A few, last suggestions: hats to block the sun, sunglasses and sunglass straps are recommended, as are water toys and balls, (also in the $35 range to purchase.) A small travel clock would work well as there are no clocks anywhere on the resort. I also made a mental note to print up a map of the resort prior to arriving.  For some reason, they did not have any there and we spent the first few days wandering around aimlessly.

Leaving the resort was bittersweet.  We had an amazing family vacation, and planned another one in the future.  Hubby wrote down our room number so he could ask for it the next time we go, hoping to be able to see George again.