I'm wondering if anyone else feels 'dazed and confused' after they've spent a length of time in Mexico (or any foreign culture) and then returned home? Or is it just me?
After my last trip to Isla Mujeres in May, I logically knew THIS was my backyard
But I kept waking up in the morning thinking THIS was just beyond the wall.
I woke up the morning after I got home thinking how wonderful it was that the ocean was right in my backyard, but I was a little concerned about whether it would eventually erode my house?
My most classic 'dazed and confused' moment came after a month long stay on Isla in 2006. The day after arriving home, we decided to make a run to the Costco in Issaquah since we were low on supplies. Once in the store, I realized I needed to hit the john. So I told my husband to take the cart and I'd meet him. I scurried off to relieve the bladder. Once I entered the hallway where the bathrooms were, I just remember looking at the two doors and being totally confused. No Damas and Caballeros? I looked again at the stick figures and they were making no sense whatsoever. Hmmmm. I decided on the door to my right. Once in the stall, I heard some growling noises from the person next door and decided to make it quick! Looking down, I remember thinking what UGLY shoes that woman has on! Must be a man-woman! I quickly did my business and scrambled over to wash my hands. Suddenly, an Asian man crossed my line of vision in the mirror. What the hell? Finally, that small projector bulb in my brain turned on! Oh my God! As I scurried towards the door with my wet hands, I saw the urinals on a wall behind the door. And a man was standing there looking at me in the mirror. I threw on my sunglasses and ran to find my husband in the store, hoping not to be recognized by any of the offended males. LOL
After other visits to Mexico, I've dreamed Spanish in my sleep for several nights after getting back home (and I really don't SPEAK Spanish). And then there's the look you get when you're constantly saying 'Gracias' to people back in the U.S.! (Especially the Hispanic U.S. Custom's employee at DFW!)
For some of you who read my blog when it was on Isla Travelers, you might remember our trip to Cabo San Lucas last December. In that trip report, I basically had to edit my comments because it was a company award trip. It's the internet and you never know who might come across it! Well, Craig doesn't work there anymore, so I can now tell the story. The reason I've titled this Survivor is because the entire trip felt like a test. A test to see who could take the cold showers and not complain, catch the biggest fish, drink the most alcohol (I flunked that one!), not freak out when suspended over a 450 foot canyon hanging by a strap, etc... That last one probably got your attention, but you'll have to wait for Part II for that story!
This wasn't our first rodeo. Over the years, we'd been on many company sponsored award trips. Usually to fairly nice hotels (Southhampton Princess in Bermuda, nice resorts in San Diego and Scottsdale, etc...). So we thought we knew the drill. The owners of this company were known for their frugality, so we knew the hotel wouldn't be luxurious. But since it was early December and basically the lowest of low season when few people travel, we figured they'd spring for a good deal on a decent hotel with a view of the beach and some amenities.
Welcome to the 'colorful' Siesta Suites in old downtown Cabo San Lucas.
Let's just say it's listed on Trip Advisor as being a hotel popular with fishermen. It was a funky small hotel with exterior room entrances, no elevator, two minutes of hot water a day (so no hot water), the hardest double bed I've ever slept on in Mexico (picture prison mattress on concrete slab), and questionable A/C. The reason I say questionable is that we actually didn't find the unit until the day we left. It was hidden underneath a nook table in the kitchen area. We slept with windows open choking in those Mexican exhaust fumes and the varied noise in the downtown area -- a cacaphony of roosters and rock bands. I'd wake up in the morning and cough like a 90-year old smoker. Not to mention our bodies actually HURT from sleeping on that hard bed! But we were fortunate that our room didn't have any extra smells. Some of the 'award' winners were choking on sewer fumes. With my expertise on low-rent digs in Mexico, I was able to cover the shower drains and block most of it for them. Our room had the Pentecostal Church complex directly below, so we had our own issues. Mainly tambourines and hellfire! He he he.
We were fine with the room situation because we've stayed in some pretty funky places on Isla, but we did have a GOOD laugh several times a day at how some of our fellow 'award winners' were reacting to their luxurious new digs. The last night we were there, we kept waking up in the middle of the night thinking we were hearing the sound of the surf. We couldn't figure it out because we were literally miles from any beach where waves would break. When we woke up the next morning, we noticed they'd demolished a two-story building across the street overnight. So we were sleeping to the comforting sound of waves of crashing rubble (and sucking the dust into our lungs)!
I had a lot of fun exploring the downtown area with the camera! Cabo has more of an urban feel in the downtown area as opposed to a village atmosphere, but it still has a quaint look in areas.
The food situation gave me an all new appreciation for the great food we eat on Isla Mujeres! On Isla, most dinners usually have some nice crisp cooked vegetables on the plate, but the group meals here were a vegetable-free zone. I'm sure there are great restaurants in Cabo, but basically, the dinners took place somewhere else! So breakfast became the treat of the day since we were on our own and could control where we ate that meal. Pancho's around the corner from the hotel served a great fruit plate, French toast, eggs, etc... And it was a very colorful place to dine!
Well, enough for the first installment. We'll get to the 'testing' part in Part II. By the way, the reason I chose Hotel California for the music is because the iconic hotel is located in Todos Santos, north of Cabo San Lucas. That was the one daytrip I wanted to be sure to take while in Cabo, but it was not to be!
