Oh, Mexico... (Arrival)

(Finally...Me and Maj toast to the beginning of our vacation)

Arriving in Puerto Vallarta, we are both tired from the day of travelling and anxious and excited to get to our hotel, check in and get this vacation started. As we exit customs, looking for our bus, we somehow find ourselves at a counter talking to someone about what we are going to do in Puerto Vallarta. We tell him we already have plans - we are going to El Eden to zip line over the jungle and we are going on a boat cruise to snorkel. He starts to pull out information on said activities, as well as giving us a bit of the "what's the what" in P.V. While Maj is engaged in this conversation, I am only half listening as I'm really thinking about getting outside for a cigarette. Eventually I can't stand it anymore and say that we will need to come back - I really need a smoke. Oh right, I'm in Mexico. Smoke wherever you want. Another agent makes me an ashtray out of a brochure (I'm not kidding), so I settle in and listen. Actually, he's giving us some good general information while trying to make a deal.

Okay, so the bottom line is that we can have our zip line tour and our boat cruise for $40 each. This is saving us at least $120 each. Along with this fantastic deal, we will get a voucher for a taxi directly to our hotel (instead of having to take the bus, which stops at a few hotels), and we are invited to have brunch and spend the day at some shi shi hotel the following day. You know, just to check it out, so maybe next time we come to Puerto Vallarta we will book there. I'm feeling skeptical - what's the catch? No catch. How long is brunch? He assures us that we'll have a nice brunch for 45 minutes and then maybe spend 45 minutes looking around this fancy hotel. Then we can spend the afternoon by the pool there, no strings attached. "Don't even bring a towel" he says.

Okay, I know, it has TIMESHARE written all over it. But at the time, this is not clicking with either of us. Or maybe only half clicking. We are thinking - good deal for the activities we want to do and why not spend the day at some shi shi hotel pool? We take the deal, give him our money and agree to meet him outside our hotel the following morning, and he will take us to the fancy hotel (Mayan something - I can't remember the name). He is adamant that we not tell anyone at our hotel that we purchased our activities from him (yes, I know, another TIMESHARE sign!) But We're just like, "okay, whatever, let's just get out of here". So, off we go to get our taxi (which was free). Maj is stopped by our tour person and given a package of information which, by the way, upon check in to our room was put in the safe and never looked at again until removal from said safe upon check out. Later that night in bed I realize what we're doing the following day and I say to Maj "It's a timeshare thing." "Yep," she says. AAAGGHH! Oh well. We figure we'll have a nice brunch and it will be nice to spend the day at a fancy pool.

When we get to our hotel and finally check in, we're given a room on the ground floor, which we're not thrilled about, but apparently they are booked full, so we have no choice. Okay. Off to our room. It has one bed. Okay. I am not about to wreck our friendship by making Maj endure the way I sleep. We need two beds. Maj gets on the phone to the front desk. I go outside to smoke. Next door two young guys were walking into their room at the same time as us. I think to myself "I wonder if they have two beds? Maybe they would trade rooms?" So, I knock on their patio, see that they have two beds and ask if they would consider trading rooms. I am laughed at. I mean, LAUGHED AT! Well, okay, but I figure it doesn't hurt to ask!

I report back to Maj my attempt at finding us a different room. She reports that there is nothing the hotel can do tonight, but that we can check tomorrow afternoon. But we aren't going to be here tomorrow - we're going to be brunching and lounging at the other hotel. As we contemplate what to do, our phone rings. Apparently there is a couple who want to change rooms. The woman has asthma and some kind of chemical smell is bothering her in her room. Do we care about a chemical smell? Uh, no. We need two beds. We don't care what the room smells like! So, back to the front desk we go, arrange the switch, and then back to our new room. We can't smell anything. We laugh because we think the guys who were next to us are going to be loud. Despite being on the ground level, we're happy and we unpack and settle in before heading out in search of food. We eat, we relax and have a drink in the Lobby Lounge, we toast to being on vacation and call it a night so we can rise early for our day at the fancy hotel. As you will later find out, we were obviously delirious or delusional or something. But then, it's all part of our P.V. adventure and makes for a good story to tell.

Oh, Mexico... (Departure)

After turning into la grande bitch on my last flight to Mexico, I wanted to ensure that this time I would remain calm, cool and collected. I mean, it's one thing to fly with Dave and know he'll manage me, but I really didn't want to make Maj suffer through any possible mood swing on this flight. We did review what to do "just in case" (I believe her plan was to pretend she wasn't with me) and while she contemplated sitting as far away from me as possible, I assured her that I had what it takes for a happy flight: Drugs. So it was, with my sedating friends Ativan and Seroquel in my bag, that we headed off to YVR on a Saturday morning, so excited we could hardly contain ourselves.

(Here: our non existent line up)
Our departure could not have gone any smoother. Upon arriving at the airport, we picked up our tickets and headed to check in. And it is here that I got to experience being an "Elite" traveller. Which is waaaay better than being a regular traveller. I mean WAAAAAY better. It seems that Maj, with all her travelling, has some sort of "Elite Status" with Air Canada, and this great little card that skips you through line ups and puts you in nice lounges with free stuff. So, we bypassed the regular folk in the long line up and casually sauntered up to the "Elite" counter, sans line up.
Nice! Check in was smooth, until I realized that the DVD player was still in my suitcase, which was already on the conveyor, heading to wherever it goes to be loaded on the plane. Not wanting to risk no TVs on the back of the seats, we really needed that DVD player! The agent told me I was free to get it, so there I was, climbing the conveyor to retrieve said DVD player. Funny yes. But I think it sort of gave away the fact that I am not actually an "Elite" traveller. Oh well. (Above: line for the regular folk)

With our bags checked we hung out for as long as I needed a smoke (I wasn't making the mistake of going through security too early again!). And then it was on to the Air Canada Lounge. Okay, I clearly need to up my travelling status! Free food, free bar, free magazines and newspapers. Instead of sitting at the terminal in some uncomfortable chair, anxiously awaiting for them to call my flight, I'm sitting in a private lounge, in a cozy lounge chair, eating a nice lunch (Italian Wedding Soup - can you believe it??) and enjoying a nice gin and tonic. Did I mention this is all free? I'm sure my overflowing excitement about being there gave away the fact that I didn't really belong there, but that's okay. I intended to enjoy every minute of it. I'm sure Maj thought I was a geek, as she kept her head in a magazine!

Eventually it was time to board our flight and be on our way to Mexico. Woo Hoo!! I am pleased to announce that all went well. I had a TV screen in front of me, I took my drugs, I didn't hear any screaming kids, and I don't think I even noticed how long the flight was. I believe I was "with it" upon our arrival in Mexico. We easily grabbed our bags, which, once again thanks to Maj's "Elite Status" were tagged "Priority" and came off the plane first. We are psyched! We are in Mexico! Our vacation has begun! We breezed through the green light at customs and then... Well, you've heard of timeshares, right?

Up next: Arriving in Puerto Vallarta, including How We Got Roped Into A Timeshare Presentation. Stay tuned...

Oh, Mexico...

(The starring cast: Shelley, Al, Maj, Me, James with supporting character Eric at the end of the table)

Yes, by now as I'm sure you've all heard, I had to go spend another week in Mexico, this time in Puerto Vallarta. So there I was again, only a month after returning from Manzanillo, enjoying the hot sun and accumulating stories for the blog. I like to think I am becoming a travel writer. So really, for all of you who think it is just sick and wrong to travel to Mexico twice within a month, I can assure you it was a working vacation. I certainly wouldn't just hop on down again for the pure pleasure of it! (ya right!)

So before I begin more stories from Mexico, I must introduce the cast of this fun and fabulous vacation... OH, MEXICO, written and partially directly by myself and starring the following:

Me, of course, a.k.a. the Minor (because Al thought the Major and the Minor sounded good together. I think.), but also known very briefly as whatever rank falls below a Major.

Michelle, a.k.a. Maj, (because that's what I call her), a.k.a. Major (because that's her last name and that's what another star, the Colonel, called her)

James, a.k.a. the Private (because we had a little army and he was lowest in the ranks) and a.k.a the new recruit (because I thought he still needed to go through the paces before getting his formal rank).

Al, a.k.a the Colonel (because that's his nickname at home and we liked it)

And last but certainly not least, Shelley, a.k.a. the General because, well, she is married to the Colonel and we all know women are in charge. (Shelley - if I'm spelling your name wrong, you better let me know!)

Supporting roles go to...

Curtis, little brother of James and most known for asking anyone and everyone to do tequila shots, any time of day. Also known for putting on the Curtis Show poolside.

Mark from California, in town for dental work (I am dead serious), and only because he's in this story and unfortunately makes more than just a cameo appearance.

Eric from Saskatoon, who raised the bar from Mark and whom we loved. Why he didn't leave us his info, we are not sure. We assume he was drunk and forgot, because who would not want to leave us their info?

There are other characters whom I am sure I have not mentioned here but will appear as the stories of Oh, Mexico unfold and whose credits would normally run at the end of the movie.

So...sit back, relax, get your drink and check daily for installments of Oh, Mexico, because as James always liked to remind us, "What happens in Mexico doesn't always stay in Mexico."

This and That

Well, it seems to be feast of famine with me and my writing. With my editor hounding me for stories, I am now forced to sit and write something. So, here's a bit of this and that...

I must first write about Dave, as this is something I've been meaning to brag about for awhile. My ever so talented designer guy has executed his first successful advertising campaign for City Square Mall. For those who don't know, this is a funky, little community-feel mall in a heritage building, located near Vancouver General Hospital. In his usual manner of getting work, Dave just reads his emails and checks his messages and there it was in December, a call from City Square Mall. They were looking for a new designer to head up their marketing and advertising and were interested in his work. After initial meetings, putting together a proposal and giving his pitch, he landed the contract. Yes, Dave, who has not had to make a formal advertising pitch like this since he was in school, went in and totally wowed them (as I knew he would). After coming up with some initial concept ideas and looks, (which they loved so much they had difficulty choosing just one!) his first task was to put together advertising and signage for the mall's Emergency Preparedness Fair.
I have become Dave's wordsmith and intern and had much fun brainstorming ideas for the tag line while soaking in the hot tub after a day of skiing. The result.... my tag line "Do You Have What It Takes?" with Dave's photography and all that other graphic design stuff he does on the computer, resulting in signs for the mall, ads in the Georgia Straight, advertising banners on the Clear FM radio station website, and ballots for draw prizes at the mall. VERY COOL! This is just the beginning of Dave's year long contract, which will allow him full creative freedom and the opportunity to expand his advertising portfolio. I'm so excited and proud of him!


Other news in Dave's world...he has been asked to be one of four judges at the Marketing Association for Credit Unions (MACU) Marketing Games and Achievement in Marketing Excellence Awards (AIMEs). I believe he will be judging entries to determine the best marketing campaigns and strategies in the credit union industry. If you want to see his bio (written by his wordsmith and intern - that's me) check out: http://guest.cvent.com/EVENTS/Info/Custom.aspx?cid=17&e=fc6855c6-09a4-468d-bdce-114f33580cae (just copy and paste it into your browser).

I myself had a two week funk (hence no blogging) which I survived. I was once again reminded by my shrink this week that, well, that's just the way it goes. Nothing else can be done to my already complicated cocktail and I just have to ride these times out. I'm now feeling better and so of course, it doesn't seem all that bad. I shall await for some researchers to come up with something better. In the meantime, I shall continue to try to just go with the flow. As always, I'm so grateful to Dave for all his patience and for knowing exactly how to deal with me and sticking to that plan.

I do seem to have exceptional karma at the moment though. Perhaps it is my payback for the times I feel so crappy. First, my brother calls to tell me that he's got us tickets to see City and Colour in May. He paid top price for front row seats and insists I will only pay the ticket price. I am so grateful that me and Dave (brother) have our relationship and that he is so darn good to me! And Helga...my sweet sister in law who I think is completely amazing and am so blessed to have in my life. Last night she informed me that she had purchased me a membership at the Aquarium so that I could take my sweet peanut Markus anytime we wanted to go. Just out of the blue, she does this for me. And then there is Mexico...

Yes, I am hopping on a plane tomorrow with my friend Maj for a week in Puerto Vallarta. Yes, I know it's totally sick. I have been back just over a month and off I go again. But then again, I figure this is my payback for all the times I've had to suffer through the crap of my mood swings. Poor Dave...he is currently in Ontario, where there is snow aplenty. I feel soooooooooo bad for him. NOT! Now it's my turn to be away somewhere hot and tropical while he is at home. Or in Ontario. Ha. Ha. And P.S. - I am stocked with Ativan and Seroquel for my flight, so there shouldn't be any problems. Other than perhaps Maj having to shake me awake when we get there.

So that is a bit of this and that in the world of Ange and Dave. Our year seems to be off to a smashing start, despite my own little dips here and there. Until I return with stories of sunny Mexico...I'm off!