mexico, i love you...

crap. i love mexico. i mean, what's not to love? it's so hot even my knees sweat. so, plunge into the playa... that'll cool you right off. done. it's totally reasonable to wear a bathing suit as an undergarment at all times. no mascara needed, ever. i could easily exist here for quite a long time.

but, i really should learn spanish. it's embarrassing actually. i'm putting it on my list. take spanish.

our first evening here, when we still stunk of airplane, airport and sweaty customs lines behind the russian gymnastics team (??????) (who did not have the proper paperwork, 'cause they were having a helluva time getting into mexico), we ate at a small cantina called le petite paris. neither one of us could figure out why. there was nothing remotely parisian or french about the joint at all. we stumbled in because of an unannounced downpour.

a gentleman resembling napoleon bonaparte (in garb only) was sitting at an outside table. (maybe this was the french connection?) the drink menu had a photo of napoleon tucked away in the specials category. only, it was labeled as jack sparrow's specials. jack sparrow is not french. totally bizarre, but really, we just needed a beer and some chips.

today i watched a lighting storm over cozumel, the island that lies 10 kilometers east of playa del carmen. i sat in 83 degree sun, while i heard thunder and watched lightning in the distance. shit. get it now? i asked jordan if we could move here... he hasn't responded yet. but, he generally doesn't when i ask him things like can we move to mexico/vienna/geneva/london/anywherebuthere, etc...

i also intend to eat my weight in ceviche while i'm here... adiós amigos.

seriously. do not drink the water...

vacation is hard.

it's been a lot of sunning by the pools and the playa, walking around town to find coffee, fruit and sunscreen, trying on bathing suits and eating great dinners accompanied by copious amounts of margaritas or cervezas. yep. that pretty much sums it up.

hannah and i are asked on a daily basis if we are friends? that's code for lesbians in traditional catholic mexican culture... just in case that wasn't abundantly clear already. where are the boys? huh? two single ladies??? we tell them the boys are at home doing the laundry and this generally makes the waitstaff laugh their heads off, as they have, unknowingly, crept closer and closer to our table to hear the answer.

this is usually followed by shots of tequila, on the house. ooff.

yesterday, i made another new friend. cristobal. he's lovely, though he listens to crap club-house-dance-electronica-diskotecka music that makes my eyes cross. he does, however, make the most delightful juice-smoothie concoction i have ever had. orange/mango/guava/mint juice. throw it in the blender with some ice and voilà... wait, ummm... is that ice from filtered water...??? but, i can't bring myself to ask the question, as i will not be that kind of american in mexico. it is what it is... and we'll just have to wait and see...

good news friends. if it was tap water, i've got a digestion system made of steel. back to sunning by the pools.

¡olé!

mexico, mangos, microsleep and mario...

ohmygawd. i just ate the most delicious mango i have ever tasted in my entire life. and let's be clear, i love mangos something fierce.

i'm on vacation.

hannah and i are staying in a condo near the ocean in a town that is roughly 70 kilometers south of cancun on the yucatan peninsula. y'all, this shit is perfect.

we arrived last night and took a cab from the airport in cancun to our place in playa del carmen. our cab driver was falling asleep at the wheel. seriously.

we were driving awfully slow... and before i realized what was happening, i thought, shit... am i going to be on an episode of kidnapped abroad? (i know, i know, i'm sorry. but, i can't lie to you. the thought did cross my mind...) you see, señor taxista woud slow down at the strangest moments (like cars broken down on the side of the road and dimly lit dirt road turn offs), in addition to when he stayed awake long enough to carefully navigate our nine-passenger van over the erratically placed rumble strips, muy bueno, el capitán!

i caught a glimpse of his eyes in the rear-view mirror and realized that he was actually taking six-and-a-half second microsleeps! just long enough to lose traction on the gas pedal. great news! we would not be kidnapped... merely whiplashed or minorly concussed if his naps became more frequent... eh.

i also have a new friend. his name is mario. we met at the infiniti pool. he and nineteen of his closest friends are here from mexico city on a bachelor party weekend and invited me to come with him tomorrow on a boat to celebrate mexican independence day! (i politely declined.)

we discovered we both love soccer and he thinks that most things about my life are awesome! i think that's awesome. he also told me that layla is his favorite name in the whole world. and that he's loved every girl he's ever met named layla... well, layla and candace, that is. i laughed very hard and very loud.

i think it's time for a dip in the plunge pool before we head out to find some comida. ¡hasta luego. te amo.