#17: Go Somewhere that is Not Ontario

Alright, so...teecchnicallly I did this when I went to Buffalo on a shopping trip. But...that doesn’t really count. Buffalo is pretty much in my backyard. Different flag, yes, weird accents, yes, but it’s not really what I was going for here with #17.

But, I just got home from a vacation in the Mayan Riviera, so I guess I can consider #17 double checked. Money well spent. I’ve actually been to Mexico several times now – yes I am spoiled – and it is always pretty awesome. This time, I went for a week with my sister, and we stayed at an all-inclusive resort called the Gran Bahia Principe Coba.

The place is lovely, but it bothers me so much that there is no 'd' at the end of 'Gran'. WHY YOU DO THIS TO ME?!? 

This place was huge, and of course, very gorgeous. Tropical plants and palm trees everywhere, colourful birds, gigantic iguanas soaking up the sun...the only drawback of the scenery was that it was full of humans. Like excessively full - it was actually hard to find a spot to sit some days.  

Outside of the human feeding area 

I do like travelling and exploring new places, but I’ll be honest – this trip was purely for relaxation purposes. No touring, no adventures, no discovering the local town. Instead we agreed that our only plans for this vacation were to sleep, eat, drink, and lay by the pool. By day 5, we pretty much had this rigorous schedule down pat – I warn you, the following may make you jealous/appalled by our gluttony:

9am – Go to buffet for breakfast. Eat croissants with jam, cantaloupe, bacon, cheese, pancake, donut, coffee, & OJ.  Feign laughter at the waiters' daily joke asking if we want tequila with breakfast  (they made this joke every single day - sometimes the waiter made the joke multiple times in the same sitting. One day we should have said yes to tequila with our pancakes just to see what would happen...)  

10am – Stake out a spot by the pool. Fruitlessly apply sunscreen.

12am – Choose a tropical drink to try at the pool bar. These included a Miami Vice, Blue Hawaiian, Strawberry Daiquiri, ‘Atardecer Tropical’ and ‘Fuzzy Navle/Fussy Navel’ (the menus could never quite get it right but I respect how few craps they gave about spelling.) 

By the pool with our easy breezy beach hair

2pm – Go to buffet for lunch. Eat ice cream, chicken fingers, mashed potatoes, bread, jicama sticks*, more cantaloupe, cheese, pizza, rice, salad, pasta, fries, and hot dogs. Return to pool.

4:30pm – Back to room. Tend to sunburn. Watch TV, nap, or read.

7pm – Go to buffet for dinner. Eat more chicken fingers, potatoes, bread, jicama sticks, cantaloupe, meat, pizza, rice, brownies, crepes, etc. Try not to think of the gluttony guy in Se7en.

9pm – Hang out in lobby to use the WiFi and play Candy Crush. Consume beverages.  

Drinking a 'Mayan Coffee' 

11pm – More tv, reading, and sleep.

Pretty incredible, eh? So it wasn’t a big cultural experience, but man it was so nice just to have nothing to do for a whole week. And I got a new hat. 

Hanging out with my reptile friend. Can you spot him? 

*Jicama is one of the most addictive vegetables ever and I can only find it in Mexico. It's a root like carrot or potato, but it's light, sweet, and crunchy like a really excellent apple. And it's fun to say 'jicama sticks' (sounds like hick-ama. I think. Actually I never heard anyone pronounce it I'm just going by what I learned in Spanish class about j's...)