Tuesday, January 19, 2010

The Turtle Has Landed!


 (Written on Monday night.)

We landed on Sunday night, in fact – after midnight to us, after ten p.m. Local time – but by the time we got to our hotel by shuttle – we were w-a-y too tired to rent the car and drive it, especially as we had no idea where we were going - it was after midnight even here. We were barely capable of getting up to our room. In the morning, we found out that internet service at the hotel costs $9.95 per day (we're booked in for two weeks!) and I proceeded to have a major panic attack. After some thought, I figured there must be an internet cafe somewhere, and calmed down a little. In the course of the day, I never did see an internet cafe, at least not one advertising itself as such, but when the sun had gone down and we had sorted out the problem of parking our rental car (that costs $10 a day, too – this hotel is very big on charging $10 for this, $10 for that) I overheard something about a nearby cafe where I can go to use the internet for free. I'll happily buy a cup of coffee in the morning in order to have access to the internet, so that's the plan. I'm writing tonight, posting tomorrow. Shades of Mexico.

In fact, we keep being reminded of Mexico. First, there was the swimming pool, which we tried out this morning. It was colder than we expected (the water, not the air temperature, which is pretty well perfect) but once I got used to it, I was reminded of the pool at the tiny RV park where we stayed in Zihuatanejo. I nearly wore that pool out. Then, this evening we were sitting on the balcony, looking out over the surf and down the length of the beach. There's a restaurant that is lit with torches. The last time I saw that was in Zihuatanejo on the night of last year's Super Bowl, when we walked down the beach to the bar that was televising the game on a big screen.



This afternoon, though, we found a place that brought back altogether a different memory. Thirty-two miles north of our resort, we found a state park that looked interesting. We walked along a crowded beach (crowded by Vancouver Island standards, anyway) until we came to a lava outcropping that blocked our progress. The tide was coming up, I had no shoes on, and I was not inclined to clamber over the sharp rocks with camera in hand (and laptop, which I was carrying just in case I found an internet cafe) so I stayed at the outcropping while Robin waded around the rocks and walked to the real end of the beach, another ten minutes or so along. Something about the layout – plus the fact that a little girl had made a sort of camp for herself among the rocks near me – reminded me strongly of a beach we visited in Cornwall, England last year.  I smiled at the memory and practised my Tai Chi on the beach until Robin came back and we headed for the car. As we left the beach, Robin said “This reminds me of someplace else we've been, but I just can't place it.” “Cornwall,” I said. “Yes! Perrenporth!” replied Robin. So it wasn't just me.

I need to back up – for a couple of reasons. The first is to report that the cabin crew on our WestJet flight were just as friendly as their ads promise. One fellow had a standup routine that included a few groaners, but altogether made the dull business of laying out the rules a little more bearable. For instance, he told us that like all West Jet flights, this one was strictly non-smoking. “If you are caught smoking,” he said, “you will be asked to leave the plane immediately.” It did break the tedium. Really it did.

Then came this morning, when we drank the coffee we had made in the room, then headed down to Don the Beachcomber (the hotel restaurant) for breakfast. Robin went for the buffet, but I ordered a short stack of pancakes.

(This calls for a paragraph of its own. Read on. You'll understand.)

They were buttermilk pancakes, two of them, topped with macadamia nuts and served with whipped butter and coconut syrup. OMG.

Before we go home, I must go back and order those pancakes again. We've bought our box of Cheerios now to be our everyday breakfast, but at least once more before we go home, I will partake again of that absolutely orgasmic breakfast.

**********************************************


Okay. Catching up now. It's Tuesday morning, and I'm sitting at an outside table at Lava Java. It's noisy here, but the coffee is good, the internet is free, and in between words, I'm gazing out across the road at the Pacific. The sky is overcast today, at least so far. Danny, the cab driver who drove us back to the airport yesterday (so we could pick up our rental car) said that twenty years ago, when he moved here from the Philippines, the sky was always clear in the morning, but the mountain has been producing more and more steam, so now there is always haze over the mountain. Today, I suspect there's more than volcanic activity going on. We might even get some rain. Meanwhile, the breeze is deliciously cool, still quite comfortable for shorts and sandals. It's time for me to meet Robin back at our room. We've decided to have breakfast at Don the Beachcomber's again this morning. I should have brought some bigger clothes. ;>)

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Sounds wonderful--I love all your writing, but there's something quite special about the way you write when you're traveling. Enjoyed this a lot.

Karen said...

Oh, to be gazing out at the Pacific! Is this written in green?

Enjoy!!

Marty C said...

Thanks for the brief respite from the gloomy day that hovers just outside my window.

Blog Archive