Ok, I've obviously been home for a while (since November 21st to be exact), but have managed to procrastinate updating my blog until now. Part two of the Mexican Adventure story starts NOW!
The scary taxi ride to our second resort (the "Princess Grand Riviera Maya") surprisingly resulted in no fatalities of anyone of us in or outside of the taxi. The Princess seemed about 200 times better than the "Grand Sirenis Riviera Maya" we left far behind, though that might just have been due to the absolute horrors we experienced at that last resort. The gentleman at the desk was friendly enough and we got to our room. Was it perfect? No. Was it Mexican perfect? Yes. This means it was as good as anyone can reasonably expect from any room at any resort in Mexico as I have now learned. We had a balcony with a decent view. I think Nicole has posted pics on her Facebook page for those interested in what sayings tell me I can only do in 1,000 words (little do they know I would do it in no less than 1,500!) We asked about internet and were told there was a fee and it could only be accessed from the lobby either from their own lobby PCs or our own laptops wirelessly. The rates were varied but came in 30 minutes, 24 hours, or 7 days. There was virtually no difference between 30 minutes and 24 hours, but a large jump to 7 days. Given that we were only going to be at this resort for 5 1/2 days we opted to go with the 24 hours a couple of times during our stay to keep things affordable. Funny story! We were told by more than one hotel employee the internet could only be accessed from the lobby. I have this brilliant wife who says "Why don't we try it from the room anyways?" I go on a rant about how there is no way any Wi-Fi routers they have feet up in the lobby could possibly reach our room which was quite a distance (a good 10 minute walk) from the lobby. So what happens? It works! Not only that we loaded up their own hotel's website which advertises extra pay features including "Internet available in the rooms and some areas". Go figure. Nicole +20 points, desk clerk -10 points. This newfound ability to browse the web from our room turned out to be a curse dressed up as a blessing as Nicole decided to research our new resort and look up some reviews to see how good/bad the rest of our trip might be.
Turns out this Princess resort might be known to some of you. Remember that news story about a year back where some people (including some Canadians) died in an explosion at a resort in Mexico? How much do you want to bet it was the same one we were staying at now? If you bet against a "yes" you are a terrible gambler and a terribly unintelligent person I'm sorry to say (I mean why would I ask unless it was the exact same place?) Feel free to have a look at what the resort looks like after some gas escapes and then explodes:
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/894364--mexico-resort-partly-closed-after-blast
Remember my wife Nicole "the worrier" O'Leary Sontag? Remember how in the last blog I told you she was worried about every aspect of the trip and specifically how it might put my health in danger? For some reason this newfound "nugget" of information did little-to-nothing to relieve any of her stress. In fact, she became more worried and stressed (if you can believe that?!?) Yes, I'm using a ton of sarcasm here in case it isn't coming across in these rather bland black letters (that will become white once I publish this post). This only added to our dislike for WestJet Vacations, given that we asked the rep specifically about both resorts we were given as options to transfer to (and what some pros and cons might be of each). I get that they don't want to advertise the fact the place exploded almost one year prior, however an "oh by the way..." would have been nice.
Aside from that the trip was fairly enjoyable. The food was 50/50 good/bad. The buffet was the latter of the 50's, while the à la carte restaurants were fantastic. We got to choose six à la cartes, which given our 6 night stay meant one for every dinner. We chose Oriental, Sushi, Grill (think cows and chickens), Temppanyaki (think Ichiban), Mexican, and finally Swiss (Fondu). Oddly enough the Oriental was by far the best while the Mexican came in a bottom of the list last.
Going to an "all inclusive" Mexican resort was obviously a fantastic idea given that I cannot drink (due to pills that affect my liver), should not ingest too much sugar (given the anaerobic cell functioning going on in the cancer cells in my brain), and should avoid direct sunlight (due to one of the medications I am on, and possibly some other reasons I cannot recall). I enjoyed many free waters and wore special sunscreen so thick people should have been calling me "Casper". I literally could "lather up" in the morning, go swimming in the ocean, swim in the pool, shower off in the afternoon, and still have adequate sun protection for the rest of the day. The water would bead off of me. I was wondering if going into the ocean might cause the locals to think Moses was near by however the effects were not quite so dramatic. The purpose of the trip was merely to find some sort of "rest and relaxation" away from the cold, away from Winnipeg, away from the hospital visits, and away from the stress. Thankfully we visited no hospitals while in Me-hi-co, and it was relatively warm the whole time we were there, the stress never does seem to go away. I did manage to enjoy the last several days at the resort and I think there is a chance Nicole herself did enjoy brief moments of SRSL (slightly reduced stress levels), though you would have to ask her.
Nonetheless we are back in Winnipeg now and facing all of the wonderful stresses (stressors) we are used to, which ironically brings some sort of comfort in and of itself. Hope you all have a good day/week/month/year and such and update you when I have more to say. Oh, and... CHEERS!!!
--
Tom
PS: I'm not proofreading this one, so bonus points to all who can find and point out any spelling/grammatical errors.
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