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| Christmas at ED Maroma |
Just because our lives aren’t enough of a vacation, I
somehow managed to convince Terri that we needed to take a break from it all
and go down to Mexico for a few days (five).
When I proposed this idea in August, she was at first quite
apprehensive but I said it would be a nice way for us to celebrate our 7th
wedding anniversary (7 years? Really?)
which was on August 27th – and with her being in Miami working on
that day, she agreed. The clincher was
when her parents also invited us down to visit with them on their annual trip
down there at the end of November – and so off we went for 5 days – Monday to a
Friday!
But wait a sec. This
is ‘us’ so you know it wasn’t THAT easy right?
As it turns out, Terri forgot to mention this little
excursion to her bosses at beIN – and they scheduled a Christmas greeting
photo/video shoot for the Wednesday we were away….and since EVERYONE that works
on-air was involved, Terri couldn’t NOT be there (after all, she IS the face of
the English side of the channel!). When
she explained this little trip to her bosses, they were sympathetic – but also
said you need to be here for this.
So, they arranged to fly Terri back to Miami for a day
during our trip and then fly her back to Cancun that night….What a life hey?
As we travelled to the airport on the Monday morning, I will
openly admit that I was a little worried.
As any winter traveller will tell you, part of the excitement of going
to a place like Mexico is that it helps lift a dreary spirit out of the
doldrums of winter. It’s an escape from
the snow, the cold, the overly dark mornings and early dark nights (I
originally typed that as Dark Knights – Batty…). However, I live in Miami so my winter
doldrums consist of putting on a sweater when the mercury dips to 75F
(23C). I was genuinely concerned the
appreciation for a place like El Dorado Maroma (EDM) might not be as ‘hearty’
as it once was (imagine me - Jeremy - giddy as a schoolboy the whole ride there
from the Cancun airport ‘Are we there yet?
Are we there yet?’). I was
concerned I’d step onto the beach and be like ‘meh, this ain’t much different
than home.’
Nope. It still kicks
ass.
You see, I think the thing that I appreciate the most – as
most people I’m sure – is just the fact that it is AWAY. As I stepped into the lobby of EDM, I was
greeted by the familiar smell of whatever-that-is-that-smells-so-glorious and
truly felt myself relax. They often
greet you at the door with ‘welcome home’ and it was still wonderful. Then, the fact we got upgraded to an
apartment-style suite again certainly helped.
I’m not sure if it is because we’re such friendly Canadians or the fact
Terri’s parents are frequent visitors to EDM and EDR (El Dorado Royale), but
the last few times we’ve gone, we’ve been given a magnificent upgrade to our
rooms. The last time we were there I was
like ‘we’ll never get this kind of room again’….and I was right…we got one
better!
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| Main bedroom |
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| Living room space |
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| Dining Room/Kitchen area |
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| View from the couch |
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| The patio (and pool) outside our suite |
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| The lounging area outside our suite |
As much as we appreciate it, you
kind of say to yourself ‘I’m never IN this room enough to get the full use out
of it.’ – and really, unless there is a storm day, you’re not inside cooking,
watching TV or just hanging out drinking from the complimentary bottles in your
room. You’re on the beach reading,
sleeping, taking the odd swim to the pool bar and going for various meals and
snacks. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate
the ‘posh’ treatment, I just wonder ya know?
I walk into a room like that and kind of wish for a stormy day (or half
of one) so we are forced to take advantage of the immense space and amenities.
We managed to get to the hotel by 2pm Monday so that means
we were having lunch and on the beach by 3pm.
Terri’s parents met us at the front reception and because we only had
carry-on luggage, it was a quick, easy change to beach wear.
As an aside, can I just say that travelling carry-on only is
a magnificent way to go. If I could get
away with it all the time, I would.
Skipping the baggage carousel and the various smells/attitudes of the
people on your flight puts you in a good mood that much faster. And I’m sure they say the same thing about
us…
Ok, where was I – oh yes, having lunch and then basking on
the beach in the afternoon sun. Maroma
beach is one of the top 10 beaches in the world and seriously, it is the
softest, whitest sand you’ll ever dig your feet into. I often call it ‘cookie dough sand’ because
that’s what it looks like – and I have to fight the urge to reach down and eat
it….No seriously, I do!
One thing we noticed immediately is that the sun drops down
a lot quicker than it does when we visit in February – after all, it IS
December. That was a bit of a
shocker….4pm, start of ‘Friesen Family Happy Hour’ and it’s getting dark. WTF Mexico??
And naturally, first day on the beach – get a little burned and get a
little wasted in the afternoon sun. When
we go in February I have to remember I don’t need to try every drink on the
first day. And of course the worst part
about an afternoon drunk is that when it wears off, you have a headache to
rival anything in modern history – that was me Monday evening. It was an early night – as they all usually
are after spending the day sleeping on the beach (it’s tiring getting rest!).
Monday night’s entertainment though was a circus show. I only point that out because the last time
we saw this circus show was last year at EDR.
It is quite the show, I will tell you.
At EDR though, one of the rings the performers jump up on and do stuff
from wasn’t tied right and fell – with a performer on it – in front of a crowd
of a few hundred. It was scary
actually! Thankfully, the girl on the
ring at the time turned out to be ok – as ok as you can be after falling flat
on your back. We gave her an extra loud
ovation seeing her back in the show and afterwards, Terri’s Mom went and spoke
to her, informing her we were there when she fell last year and are happy to
see she was all right. Apparently, she
hasn’t been back to work for that long and it was obvious her workload was
somewhat ‘lighter’ than the rest – understandable. The crowd here at EDM (a much smaller resort
than EDR) was very appreciative – even if not knowing the history.
Tuesday we spent the day by the pool – and slowed down the
pace of alcohol consumption. There was
still plenty of tequila and Sangrita (if you have NO idea what that is, Google
it and then try it – yummy!) and crushed ice-based drinks. Tuesday night’s dinner was at the Asian
restaurant where I made the brave choice of having Tapenyaki prepared on the
grill right before us (fire SHOW!). For
me, it’s always a brave choice going with Mexican beef because for some reason,
it doesn’t usually treat me very well….(and so it came to pass – more on that
in a sec). It was a delicious meal
though and we had some good laughs – and almost put a couple drinks into the
water feature running down the middle of the table!
Tuesday night’s show was a singer – but Terri ducked out
because she had to be up at 3am to head to the airport at 4am to catch her
6:45am flight (more on that in a sec) so it was just the in-laws and I to see a
pretty decent solo singer. I say
‘decent’ only because of what I experienced Thursday night. Tuesday night I thought this girl was pretty
darn good!
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| Chef whipping up my Tapenyaki - fire SHOW! |
After going back to the room and dealing with ‘Angry Sleeper
Terri’ (she is an ANGRY sleeper people…angry!
Especially when woken up briefly), I slipped into a restful sleep….for a
couple of hours. Then, I became the star
in a new feature called ‘Revenge of the Tapenyaki’. Now, it wasn’t THAT bad - no vomiting or
anything like that – but I had the meat sweats something fierce and just could
not sleep. You know that feeling when
you THINK you may vomit but try your hardest to NOT let it happen? That was me Tuesday night/Wednesday
morning. Now, some of you might say ‘do
it, throw up, you’ll feel better!’ – nah-uh.
I’m like Jerry Seinfeld on the whole vomit subject….I will endure the
most excruciating nausea to make sure THAT doesn’t happen. And I did.
Once Terri vacated on her merry/weary way, I became a Tapenyaki God – at
least I’m assuming so as I spent most of the morning on my porcelain throne
trying to execute a Tapenyaki exit strategy out the back (TMI, I know…but it’s
important you understand the gravity of the situation). I DID manage to get a few hours sleep
throughout the morning and appeared on the beach with Wendy & Jeri in the
early afternoon…and normal food service resumed shortly thereafter – in
moderation.
I don’t know what it is but every time we go to Mexico, it
takes a day or two and then I get the stomach flutters. It’s like there is a little something in
there that keeps nausea right near the fore….I’m NEVER hungry in Mexico like I
am at home. Isn’t it supposed to be the
opposite? I can’t figure out what it is
– if there is a bacterial culture in the food that makes me queasy…I
dunno. The food is DAMN good but I just
can never stomach very much of it (as hard as I might try). I may need to do some research here…
Now, lets get to Terri’s little adventure at the airport on
Wednesday morning. Terri got to her gate
and flight in plenty of time, got boarded on the plane and was then told the
plane had a ‘mechanical issue’.
Perfect. Just what every flier
wants to hear.
‘We’re going to try and get this fixed and get on our way.’
After an hour of waiting, they were then told, ‘Folks, if we
can’t get this sorted out, we’ll have to vacate the plane and cancel the
flight.’
Perfect right? Then
Terri stays in Mexico and comes to the beach right?
Nope, they got the thing fixed and off she went – two hours
and change AFTER she was supposed to leave!
But she got to Miami, did the shoot at beIN and was able to catch an
early flight back to Cancun in time for pre-dinner drinks and then a later
supper – a traditional Mayan meal (it was wonderful!).
Now, I was somewhat down for the count Wednesday. Guess who went down for the count
Thursday? Terri. Though, full credit to her as she fought that
off with everything she had – I’m talking medication here people – and rallied
late in the day to join us for ‘Happy Hour’ drinks and dinner/entertainment.
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| Terri's parents - the In-laws... |
Oh man, Thursday’s entertainment. A few years back, when Terri’s parents were
at EDR I believe, they saw Anael Azan Guevara perform. After her set, they managed to befriend ‘Ana’
(as we now call her) – and her husband and they have remained friends ever
since. Every time they are in Mexico,
they contact Ana and go and see her perform – and we met Ana last year at EDR
to see her perform. Now, I remember Ana
being pretty good – but on THIS Thursday night, she was UNREAL. I’m serious people….I was sitting there and
all that was going through my head was ‘how does this woman NOT have a
recording contract?’. Followed by ‘How
can we get her noticed by someone in the industry?’
She is THAT good.
She did covers of Adele (Rolling in the Deep), Alanis (You
Oughtta Know), Mariah (Hero), Heart (Alone) and AC/DC (Shook Me All Night Long)
– and a few more – and she KILLED them…KILLED them!! She did most of those songs BETTER than the
original artists. I’m pretty sure she
could win ‘American Idol’ in a walk (not that she’d want to – yuck!) but that
gives you a sense of her talent….and she was playing for a crowd of under 25
people!! It was a night I will not soon
forget and I cannot wait to hear her sing again. Best of all – she had a ton of fun! She was dancing and letting people come and
sing with her (and destroying them vocally) – you could tell she just loves it! If anyone reading this has recording industry
connections, there is a diamond in the rough here…Just watch this -
http://youtu.be/CLpyTpn_wz4 - and then
have a peek at some of her other stuff.
Wendy and Jeri call her a 2nd daughter and even
brought Ana and her husband a Canadian Care Package. Ana responded in kind with a bottle of fine
Cuban Rum, cigars (naturally) and chocolates I believe. We all cannot wait to see/hear her again in
February! And she has family in Miami –
right near us - so I’m sure Terri and I will see her again sometime soon!
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| Tequila Jenga - you lose, drink booze! |
With Thursday having such an amazing ending, we REALLY were
not looking forward to Friday – the trip home.
Well, mixed I should say…we got to see the pups so it’s always nice
coming home to that! But when we picked
them up, we quickly discovered that boarding your dogs in Miami is NOT
cheap…Not…One…Bit. They seemed happy and
healthy so we were pleased with that.
Overall, a GREAT trip – shorter for one than for the other –
but nice to see Terri’s parents and we are eagerly awaiting February when Jason
and Jessica join us!
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The pick-up at home was a quick turn-around for little
Jonny. He had surgery scheduled for
Sunday to have his dewclaws removed. Go
back a few blogs and you can read about the fiasco caused by Waldenway in Ste.
Anne. We took the dogs there a few times
in the summer months to have them groomed – but they ‘forgot’ to clip the
dewclaw nails. Jonny’s dewclaws became
inflamed and then infected and we had to have them cut down when we first
arrived in Miami as they had ripped pretty much right off.
Well, with that done, he began chewing on them incessantly
and after a trip to a new vet to discuss, she took a sample and then gave us
some anti-inflammatories and antibiotics to try and calm down the inflammation.
Turns out there were two kinds of vicious bacteria in his
dewclaws and they needed to be completely removed. That was done Sunday night and we had him
back Monday morning – all bandaged up with his cone on!
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| Jonny was grumbling during this photo.. |
And he was ANGRY Jonny too.
Anyone reading this who knows or has met Jonny has likely experienced
his ‘grumbles’ (internal growling)…well, every time we went near him he was
grumbling! He did not want ANY part of
us – those who took him to that place where he had surgery!
He’s doing better now as I write this and is slowly
returning to his old self. Bandages and
sutures come out in a week – just in time to go BACK into boarding for the Xmas
holidays. :(
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That’s all for now but coming up on the Terri & Jeremy
Florida Blog….The Xmas tree goes up!
Terri has her first Adult birthday party (and it WAS very ADULT)…and
Jeremy will take you through Food in America.
Watch for those in the coming weeks.
Cheers!
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