Tuesday, May 08, 2012

nathan of the sea

Apologies for not blogging last night; I tried to blog after everyone else went to bed, but then the internet went down in the house and I couldn't get it to come back up. So if you thought I was dead, fear no more -- I am still alive, at least at 8:30am in Puerto Vallarta, and hope to remain so until my usual blog check-in tonight!

Yesterday was lovely, though; I don't know how it's possible, but the beach/sun/water may have been even more gorgeous yesterday than the two days prior. There had been vague talk of renting a boat to take us snorkeling, but those plans died -- it would be too dramatic to say there was a mutiny of all hands, since I don't think a mutiny can be accomplished through sheer laziness (and there wasn't a cutlass in sight). Instead, we sat around and had a wonderful breakfast (as all the breakfasts have been), and then Lauren and Terry went to the gym while Chandlord, Katrina and I went to the beach club (where our old waitstaff friends were happy to greet us, since they knew we would proceed to drink all day).

Chandlord and Katrina entered a weird vortex of incomprehensibility v. early on, and I was obsessing over Caro and Westbrook (the characters in the super secret novella I'm working on), so I put in my headphones and listened to music while working (which looks nothing like work, since I was just staring at the waves and occasionally making a note in my notebook). When Terry and Lauren came back, we all drank some more (pina coladas for me, and Isidro, my new best friend, makes them dobles), ate some food, slathered on the sunscreen (not well enough as events turned out), and hung out until the desire to have approximately twenty minutes of activity overtook us.

So Terry hung out on the beach chairs (under Isidro's watchful eye) while the rest of us went kayaking. I'd never been kayaking before, but Lauren did crew for awhile in college, so I parasitically got into a two-person kayak with her so I could enjoy all the advantages of kayaking without the death I might have found for myself amongst the rocks. Chandlord and Katrina were each on their own, and we didn't stay out super long; the weather and the water was gorgeous, but we weren't in the mood for a ton of work, and so Lauren and I "threaded the needle" between some giant rock clumps (I felt so proficient) and made it back to the beach. I sunburned my knees in the kayak, which annoyed me; I'd been v. good with sunscreen except for a patch I missed on my shoulder two days earlier, and I even wore a tshirt over my swimsuit to protect it yesterday, so burning my knees felt like an insult.

Post beach club, we came home, showered, had margaritas and guacamole at home (since the margaritas and guacamole made by the chef here are the best I've ever had), and then went to the Four Seasons to have cocktails at one of the bars overlooking the beach. Post-cocktails, we came home and had dinner -- Italian-inspired this time, with a caprese salad, some chicken dish (for me, Katrina, and Terry; Lauren got fish and Chandlord got veg), and a really awesome crustless cheesecake. The chef did an incredible job accommodating all of our various food preferences/allergies on this trip, since all five of us have different restrictions -- but everything the chef and his sous chef made for us was outstanding.

We sat around the table until bedtime, and then I tried to blog, and then I grew frustrated and went to bed. And now you're caught up, and you know I'm alive -- you're welcome. We're potentially going to the beach for a bit this morning, and then we have to leave for the airport at 1:30; I'll be home by sevenish, and then it's a mad dash to pack and get things sorted out before my flight to Iowa leaves tomorrow. Sad, since I could stay in Mexico forever, but I suppose I'll survive. Goodnight!

2 comments:

~Wamp said...

I didn't assume you were dead, I assumed you were right here this whole time playing bass guitar for the Mesopotamians.

Sara said...

@~Wamp - thanks for the vote of confidence. Want to split this piece of gum?