Koh Lipe, Thailand

Koh Lipe, Thailand
Family vacation to Thailand 2015/2016

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Mexico Trip ~~ part 1

 
I was on hands and knees in my bathroom floor scrubbing it with some strange adrinaline rush. I could not stop! I was doing it with gusto and drive! I wish I could always have that kind of drive while house cleaning.
"Andrea" Nubun peeked in the bathroom holding a crying Coco. "Enough cleaning now it is time to go."
I stared at him for just a second. Wow. Could he repeat that? He loves a clean house and I never thought the day exsisted that he would declare enough cleaning! He must be excited too!
I ran out and started my last minute packing, sippy cup? Check. Video camera? Check. Shoes? Gotta get shoes. My head was pounding, but not in pain, it was in glorious anticipation! The last time I was this excited I got married the next day.
It was dark and we all piled into our SUV and headed to DFW airport. We almost got there too late thanks to the parking place for our car, but it was not a close enough call to kill my joy. We all piled out of our car and got ready to get into the shuttle headed to the airport.
We put Evie and Jasmine's cute little pink back packs on them and rushed off. There was a sweet little voice behind us.
"Daddy! Hold me!" And that was what Jasmine did for the rest of the trip. When we put her down to walk on her own she froze in panic.
Walking into that plane was very exciting! It was the first time in 4 years and the first time for two of our little ones, to even ride one. My heart was beating out of my chest, for we were going to my home town, the place that stole a giant piece of my heart so many years ago, and never gave it back.
It was not long before I was sound asleep with Colleen and Nubun was cuddling with our other two little girls. After all it was midnight. They woke us up once to fill out paper work, then when we arrived they told us that Oooops that was the wrong paper work so we had to fill it out again. We were the very last ones off the plane, since Nubun had to fill out 5 different ones for each of us.
We stepped off that plane and a gush of pretty cold air hit my cheek. I was wearing Colleen and holding the hands of Evie and Jasmine. I breathed in deeply, trying to calm myself so I could concentrate. We walked into the Toluca airport, which to me resembled an over grown mechanic shop with marble floors.
I loved it.
Then Nubun ran back to the plane, to get his camera he forgot.
We showed our passports when we left the plane, when we went through the check point thingy, when we picked up our luggage and even when we exchanged our American dollars to Mexican pesos. They required our passport to exchange $50! They even took pictures of our passports! Really? I still shake my head with the oddness of that.
We walked out and tagged down an airport taxi. The driver told me how much it was and helped me with our luggage and we started walking towards the taxi cab. I turned around to see Nubun still standing there. Oops! I forgot to translate.
We arrived at the hotel around 3am, it was a beautiful hotel!
Night time

 In the morning
   The gardens were amazing even in the dark. It took them about an hour to check us in because we were prepaid with a voucher thingy they were not familiar with.
  We were tired, all the girls were tired but Nubun and I kept sneaking glances at each other and smiling. We were on vacation! He didn't have to wake up and go to work the next day and I didnt have to wake up and cook and clean! Who needs sleep in paradise anyway?
Ok. So some people do need sleep even in vacation bliss.
 

  We got everybody to sleep around 4:30 and 4 and a half hours later we were eating the most amazing breakfast in the Hotel resturant. The waiters were quite helpful, they stood around and watched you like a hawk in alert for any need. Nubun took off his jacket and our waiter was there in a flash taking it from him and putting it on a dainty little silver coat hanger that came out of nowhere.
  I ate, and ate and ate some more, love buffets!
 
  We walked around the mall for a couple of hours and watched this 4D ride thing, where they forgot to give us our 3D glasses. Um. yeah.
  Back at the hotel, we packed our stuff and headed on over to the bus station. I went from line to line asking around where and when the bus to Cuernavaca was. Ah! I found one.
 "It leaves in 15 minutes."
Perfect! How long is the ride to Cuernavaca?
 "An hour and a half."
No restrooms? For an hour and a half? I would just have to tough it out.
  I did my last minute bathroom stop. What a high security place! I had to go through these steel bars, after paying my 4 peso fee, then going through a little 8 year old security boy.
  "Did you pay your fee?"
  "Yes. That is why I am in here. The bars do not move until you put 4 pesos in it."
  "You did not pay. Go back and pay."
  "I did too pay!" I argued with him.
  "No you didn't. It is the 4 pesos."
  My bus was leaving in less than 5 minutes and I was stuck argueing with a kid. He never did believe me so I just scooted pass him, pass another set of steel bars and and went along my merry old way.
   We piled into the bus, all 5 of us. It wasn't a very impressive bus, and I was starting to understand what 'de segunda' meant. Second class.
   Thirty minutes later we were still in Toluca, sitting in stinky traffic. No airconditioner so half the windows were open. The air comming in was nice and freshly baked car fumes. Ugh! I didn't know what was worse, smelling those traffic fumes or not breathing at all.
  The smell wasn't bad enough as it was so somebody in this lovely bus popped out some finger nail polish and started painting their toes. My nose was pretty offened that day.
  An hour passed by and they stopped at a little town on the way and picked up some travlers along the way. I stopped one and asked how far away was Cuernavaca. My bladder was taking a nasty punishment, poor thang.
  "About an hour and a half."
What!! I screamed in my head!  It has already been an hour and a half of driving!
  So about an hour and 2 more hick towns later I asked another pasenger how far away Cuernavaca was.
   "An hour and a half."
  Do what? huh! What!? No bathrooms, no bathroom stops!? Anybody that knows me well, knows how much of a misery I was in at that time. It could have been worse, I mean we had no problem with the girls, whatsoever. Evie and Jasmine just played with their iPads and Coco just slept the whole way, and the scenery was top knotch! Stunning beautiful! (So Nubun told me, I was seeing yellow).


  We arrived at the bus station, 4 hours later, I pratically floated through all steel bars and little boys. I was never so happy to see a toilet bowl, even without a seat or water.
   We were planning on taking the next bus to Chilpancingo but it didn't leave till 10pm so instead we decided to spend the night there in Cuernavaca.
  We were blessed that there was a tacos al pastor stand in front of our hotel so we boought 20, ambitious appetites we had there!

  The next day we were homeward bound! Chilpancingo here we come!