Trip Reviews, Ratings and Comments - Trip Review - Di & Chuy #2

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Day 4 • Saturday, February 19

Come downstairs around 9:00am to find Mari making pancakes and the kids jumping up and down saying they want to watch more of the Disney trip tapes. Around 11:00am we head out with mom to do her monthly shopping. We hit Sam’s and Cosco’s to buy stuff for her store, then food shopping at WalMart (this is only the second time I’ve ever been in one!). Finally around 3:00pm we drag ourselves home. Chuy and I go out again and eventually have lunch, but for the life of us, we can’t remember what we did.

We are to meet Mari, Mario, and Moncho at Plaza Las Americas for a movie at 7:30. We shower and don’t even leave the house until then, needless to say we are late. But it doesn’t matter, the movie started at 7:00pm. Now this use to bother me a lot: going off to the movies without checking what time it starts. Chuy’s way is to just show up at the theatre and see whatever comes on next, or just go home if nothing interests you. I’m slowing getting use to this! We decide to go play pool so we drive up Av. Tulum a little was to a small game room just south of Chedraui next to a place I believe is Merenge’s. We are into our third game and getting our butts kicked by Mario and Moncho when in walks an ex-Carlos N Charlies worker with his family. We catch up, then leave the table to them as it is 11:00pm and we have to go to WalMart and get another tres leches cake. It is mom’s birthday tomorrow and we are going over to wake her up at midnight.

The original plan was to hire a mariachi band, but that money was spent fixing the car two days ago. So now the plan is to do the singing ourselves. We get a cake and candles and stop a few blocks from home to pick up Wendy and Jamie. We back Mario’s car to the side of the house and start up the CD player that is in the trunk. Everyone is singing her favorite song (sorry, don’t know the name). We keep singing and singing. FINALLY she comes on onto the terrace wiping sleep from her eyes. We keep singing until she comes downstairs and opens the door. We all pile into the house with the cake and sing. She manages to take a bite of cake without getting her face pushed in but her kids won’t have that. They make her take another bit and Chuy SHOVES her face all the way into the cake! She tells us she didn’t get up right away because she thought we were part of the party down the street!

We all quickly disperse cause we are going to Playa Norte early in the morning for her birthday. We fall into bed around 1:00am.


Day 5 • Sunday, February 20

Up at 7:30am. We are going to Isla Mujeres for mom’s birthday. We are 11: mom, Fernando, Chuy, Moncho (brother), Mari (sister), Mario (Mari’s husband), Alexia and Cristian (Mari and Mario’s kids, 7 & 3), cousins Jamie and Wendy, and myself. We all managed to get into 2 cars. Off to Punta Sam as we are taking one of the cars loaded with soda, food, etc with us to Isla. We get to Sam and it is 9:00am. Typical of them, no one cares about checking ahead as to the schedule of the ferry. One was at 8:00am, next one is at 11:00am. Chuy, Moncho, and I decide to wait for the next ferry. The rest pile into Mario’s car and head down to Puerto Juarez with mom and Fernando flagging down the oncoming bus since they couldn’t fit in the car.

Chuy pulls the car into the “slot” on the right hand side of the parking lot and we get out and go sit in the shade. We are a little hungry now and go check out the little restaurant in the parking lot. We no sooner get in then we leave. Chuy said it didn’t look clean and a couple of the customers were drunk. We make sandwiches out of the back of the trunk (I explain that we are having a tail-gate party). At 10:30 the ferry starts growing larger as it makes it’s way to us, then docks. We are second in line and are in the first row of cars on the ferry. Boy is this thing getting rusty. There used to be a second ferry, but it is docked on Isla. Know one knows if and when it will be repaired. We go up top to video the trip over. We get half way over and are in the middle of all those incredible colors of blue when my eyes tear up. This takes my breath away every time. Chuy asks what’s wrong and I say I’m just so happy to be here and be here with you. Mushy kissing and hugging. We watch Cancun get dumped with rain and say a little prayer that it misses us.

Chuy is hoping that something “horrible” happens so we can get it on film and be on one of those TV video shows. I’m thinking, “I’ve got to disconnect the cable when we return.” We arrive at 11:40am and head to Playa Norte. We don’t go all the way over to where Buhos is, but find them in their usually spot playing soccer. I plop down under a palm tree next to Fernando and pull out the cameras. Alexia and Cristian have dug a hole in the sand near the water and are attempting to fill it with ocean water...with not much success. Every time Cristian goes into the water to fill his bucket, he comes out of the water with his shorts around his ankles and we can’t stop laughing! Back up to the soccer game which is getting fierce. Wendy and Mari have already gotten battle scars and everyone is covered head to toe with sand.

It’s time for a beer break from the game. And of course it starts to rain. We cover everything up, then all go into the ocean to warm up during the rain. Those with beer cover them so the rain won’t get in. Hey, one has their priorities. The rain eventually stops and Mario takes a car load down to the south end of the island where we are going to have lunch. A Mayan dish called thicken chick (I have spelled it as it sounds, no idea how it is really spelled), which is a special way they prepare fish. About an hour later he comes back for the rest of us. Can’t remember the name of where we go, but after a long walk in the sand we arrive. But the service is too slow and we don’t want to wait for the 7:15 car ferry so we decide we will all take the fast ferry to Juarez and Fernando will wait for the 4:15 ferry to Punta Sam. We will all meet up at El Kiosco for dinner.

The ferry is stuffy and there is no more room outside on the front of the boat which is unfortunate since Chuy gets seasick unless he is in fresh air. But he manages, we watch what we have taped that day on the camera to help keep his mind off of the rolling boat. 20 minutes later we all pile out and walk to the restaurant. It is pretty crowded but we manage to push some tables together. The Mexico/Canada Gold Cup soccer game is on and no one is moving--all eyes are glued to the game. We have wonderful grilled fish (whole) and lots of complimentary guacamole and other goodies. Mom knows the workers here so they keep filling up the bowls when they empty. Fernando finally makes it and orders. The others head back leaving Chuy, mom, Fernando, and I. We are there for a total of about 3 hours.

Chuy is suppose to go out tonight with his friend Jose. He calls him when we arrive home. Jose has spent the day at Playa de Carmen and is sunburnt and tired. They agree they will have a “boys night out” on the next trip. We shower and for the 4th day in a row attempt to call my friend Maria. Every time we call her cell phone is either busy or turned off and she does not have voice mail. We finally get her! We agree to meet tomorrow at Los Bisquette’s de Obregon at 2:00.

It’s only 9:30 but we are all exhausted. Chuy is even sunburned! The big joke this trip is that he is constantly being mistaken for a tourist (well, technically he is but...). He has lost all of his color and when he is with me, he is approached in stores by people speaking to him in English. This he does not find funny, but I’m getting a big kick out of it. My poor little gringo!

Ahhhh, to sleep.

Submitted by: di -- diane_lopez-velarde@ibi.com
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