At breakfast this morning we were discussing something and it gave me an idea for tonight's post. By midday I had forgotten the idea. We tried to retrace our conversations and come back to the idea but alas it was not meant to be. So instead, tonight's post comes to you in the form of a daily diary entry.
January 8, 2016
We are currently on vacation in Mexico with our friends Brooke and Christina. Keith and I have always preferred traveling with friends and have done it like this for many years. Each vacation is different but the premise is always the same, relaxed fun times with people we love.
This morning we met for breakfast and spent an hour laughing and making a lot of noise. On the way to the restaurant we laid towels down on chairs in the pool because this is what you do at a resort. We may have taken an extra chair just in case, I'm not admitting anything. After getting comfortable post breakfast Brooke and I decided to go down to the ocean for a swim, the water being much warmer. We bobbed around chatting and laughing at a guy trying to SUP (stand up paddle board) who just could not seem to stand up. After deciding that we could definitely do this, as first timers, we beckoned to Keith and Christina to come watch us and rented two boards.
I would like to state categorically, and undeniably, that there is NOTHING EASY about stand up paddle boarding. And the waves don't help much. After what felt like two hours but was probably ten minutes I gave up and just floated on top of the board like a walrus, tethered by the ankle to this floating piece of plastic that kept toppling over, through no fault of mine. Keith and Christina had given up after five minutes and laughing loudly returned to their 10am poolside wine. Suddenly we saw a vision coming at us over the horizon. It was a lady on a bigger board. She spoke no English but gestured that we hand over the small board for experienced balancers and took off on it leaving the bigger board floating behind us. And suddenly we weren't that guy we were originally laughing at but transformed into those annoying boarders that floated by us, looking at us flailing in the water as if to say "white man can't balance."
In the end SUP turned out to be fun, even on the waves, and despite the chafed knees and arms from the boards and the sore feet this evening. Plans are underway to repeat the exercise.
We spent the afternoon back at the pool, drinking beer and hanging out. We ventured off the beaten path to a local restaurant for amazing tacos and burritos, and beer. Late afternoon was enjoyed in Brooke and Christina's room with a bottle of champagne. A picture may have been posted on Facebook of us all on our phones but despite what it looks like we were actually playing eachother our favourite songs and YouTube videos. Yes, we were indoors when it was sunny out, and yes we seemed to be focused on our hardware but in actually fact we were interacting as much as always.
We walked in to 5th Avenue Playa del Carmen for dinner. The little town has developed so much more since the last time we were here but is still so charming. Today saw the start of the annual BPM festival, orinally conceived as an industry event for "Bartenders, Promoters, Managers" but since becoming one if the biggest gatherings of DJs, producers and electronic music fans. Around 35,000 people descend on the area and the town was abuzz tonight. The festival lasts ten days.
After dinner we sat at a bar. We are yet to run out of conversation, and tomorrow is sure to be a similar repeat of today. It feels really good to be able to get away, with people you love, and with whom you are able to relax and have fun.
And laugh.
A lot.
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