Ola: Family Road Trip

We're back! We took a road trip, flying 3,000 miles to Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula for a family celebration of life. It is my new opinion that none of us celebrate enough, hence this trip. Apparently this is the safe part of Mexico without the drug trafickers and terrorists because we are all safe and sound with only some itchy sunburns to show for it. Actually I have the itchy sunburn and Kate has an amazing tan. It's as if someone just poured chocolate over her entire body. Gorgeous.

But while I do so love to travel, getting there ain't such fun these days. I remember the old, oh so old slogan that Dinah Shore used to sing, See the USA in Chevrolet.....well there are times when I would really like to hope in the car and drive rather than getting up at 4:30 am to get dressed, walk the dog, in order to be able to get a taxi to the airport so that we arrive by 6 am to check in for an 8:30 am flight. However our direct flight on Mexicana Air was much nicer than our return flight on American Airlines which occasioned a serious letter of complaint to them.

But lets move along with the good stuff. After a 3 1/2 hour flight we arrived at the Cancun airport at about 1 pm -- hot and humid with swirling cab drivers, touts and generally clueless tourists including us -- and at the end of what seemed like an endless bus trip we arrived at our hotel just in time to hit the pool and explore the hotel which was one of 4 on an enormous piece of property. Devine. I say. The hotels are all owned by a Spanish hotel chain which meant that most of the guests were also spanish and gave it a wonderfully foreign feel. No families from Brooklyn for the most part and incredibly nice and polite staff who spoke Spanish and then english which gave us all a chance to try out my non existent spanish. In fact this was something I do recommend because Mexico has a sense of place and culture. Far different than the hotel we went to in the Dominican Republic a couple of years ago which seemed more like an airport to me. I could have been anywhere in the world with palm trees.

We quickly discovered Loas Roccas, a salt water swimming pool which seemed more like an infinity pool with a wonderful view of the ocean. That was it for me. Apparently it is the trend in hotels for adults, not just at Disney, to have the pools no deeper than 4 to 5 feet. Which makes for a warm puddle in the afternoon but wonderfully cool swimming in the morning. I would often forget to read and just stare into space. That's my idea of a vacation activity.

We got Kate squared away with the Teen Club and there really were Teens there so that was a win win. But I was certainly aware that Kate was talking to me in that way that teenagers perfect: Oh My god, No way....She expressed disbeleif that I could actually find my way around the property and get from lobby to restaurant back to our room and swimming pools. So who am I to disagree with superior knowledge? It's easier to let her sound authoritative.

We swam, and Kate and Arnie were in 7th heaven when they discovered a black jack set up in the hotel during the evening. So fun to watch both of them concentrate so hard on winning a bottle of TEquilla. It's also good for Kate's math to become a junior card counter ad one night they let her play. No money changes hands in these inclusive resorts so the play is just with chips. Not like braving the tables in Las Vegas where they would have thrown her out.

My takeway from more than 5 days of indolence was the wonderful sun, gracious hotel staff, amazing Mexican mangoes which taste like they have been creamed and yet again the importance of vacation. We also saw a crocodile which lived at the hotel, too.

My first day back at work I ran into a Mexican trio panhandling on the subway which was was an omen, I'm sure.