Mexico: a lazy recap

I'm back from Mexico and one of the first things I did upon returning was tell all my knitter friends what a fabulous time I had. Instead of explaining everything again, I'm going to be a lazy blogger and just cut, copy and paste what I told them. Enjoy!

P.S. I posted this in a thread called THREAD OF HAPPINESS

"i had the greatest time in mexico. i got to see my good friends get married. i caught up with people i haven’t seen since college. i got to zipline. i rode in a jeep through the jungle. i saw really old things in tulum. i ran into the beach with dominic and it was so wonderful and warm and clear, with no sharks in sight. i got to relearn spanish. i bought vanilla and drank my favorite sipping chocolate that i just can’t ever find in america. i ate tripe and cheek and drooled and then pissed myself that our taco dinner cost less than $5. i laughed. i caught up on so much sleep that i’m totally renewed. out of 5 rounds of gin, i totally kicked dominic’s ass in 4 of those rounds (granted i’ve been playing since i was a baby, but still i was happy about this). i took yoga classes every day in a beautiful semi-outdoor studio with lots of spanish people and sweat my ass off - literally. i napped in a hammock. i wore a bathing suit for breakfast, lunch and dinner. i didn’t turn on anything for 6 days. i saw a little girl pee in the sand. i drank margaritas and wine and mojitos. i watched a soccer game and actually enjoyed the whole thing with a bunch of mexicans and americans who decided to live in mexico. i gave my boyfriend lots of kisses. i got a tan. i didn’t want to come home. i was (and am) very, very happy."

And away we goooooooo

Trying to remember everything is so hard. Especially when there were so many highlights. Here’s what my brain is retaining after a week-long vacation with the one and only, Dominic.

-After driving a few hours, we were both starving and the town Dominic turned into was my personal Hell. Every single “restaurant” was a fast food chain. I picked Subway, had my shitty sandwich and restarted my no fast food calendar (I had gone 6 years until this day).

-I wore jeans with a jean jacket.

-We bumped into someone after a hike, while waiting for the bathroom, who happens to live 2 blocks away from us. The t-shirt she was wearing tipped Dominic off and we realized how small this world really is.

-After a freak thunderstorm that derailed our original dinner plans (all of Moab was out of power) we drove 30 minutes along the Colorado River during sunset. This ride was unbelievable and ended with a family of deer grazing near the restaurant.

-Running every morning with just me, my ipod and the canyons as my view.

-Making my own cairn (little rock formations that act as trail guides).

-Driving to Arizona was pretty spectacular, except I got sick and drank so much tea that our pit stops nearly doubled. One of the stops included an Indian jeweler on the side of the highway who told us that where we were marked where Forrest Gump stopped running. We looked again, nodded in agreement, took pictures and truly felt like we on some great American road trip.

-Our Native American tour guide led us through Antelope Canyon, took our cameras straight from our hands, took a picture and would show us all, saying, “This is a beautiful picture. See. It’s beautiful. Isn’t that beautiful?” He was pretty awesome.

-Horseshoe Bend. Go. Now.

-Grilled the ranger at Glen Canyon Dam to find out what Dams are. I’m still not quite sure.

-Then, grilled burgers we bought in Moab. Elk burgers to be exact.

-Saw rocks that looked like Toadstools and plants that looked edible, but Dominic wouldn’t let me eat them.

-Drove by the Neon Graveyard. Forgot my camera and kept on driving.

-Played lots of pinball machines at the Pinball Hall of Fame. Dominic and I tied for best pinballer.

-Got massages together in Vegas and the ladies just couldn’t get enough of Dominic. Grrr!

-Sat in a Jacuzzi, sweated in a steam room and sauna and covered my eyes with cucumbers for 3 whole hours!

-Saw Ka (or what I kept calling, Ka Kaw). Glad I finally got a Circus O’Lay out of my system. Now I never have to do that again.

-Had some fine dining sushi where the wasabi cost $10! This was okay by me, since we had been eating our breakfast and lunch from our groceries for 5 days straight. We were allowed to splurge on green glob at this point.

-Gambled for a total of an hour and only lost $20 at Paigow. I’m so not a risk taker.

So there you have it. I could actually write a book about this trip. We did so damn much and saw even more! This year is already booked up, but I’m hoping next year we’ll go to New Mexico or Alaska with the same road trip mentality. We already have a Pacific Coast Highway roadtrip in the works and I’m already itching to plan it, even if it is a year away.

Here’s to happy adventures and a beautiful summer!

Planes, Trains, Automobiles and an Arm Wrestling Competition!

Looking back, I can't believe how much we did in a small amount of time and even with all the traveling I was pretty relaxed for most of our trip to Montana.

-We took a 14 hour train ride from Seattle to Whitefish, Montana. To some this would be hell, but I LOVED it. I got to knit, stretch out, try to figure out if the married guy talking to the gay co-worker he just "happened" to bump into were actually involved or not, watch the Cascades pass us by and wake up to Montana in the wee morning. Minus the ache in my neck I couldn't have been happier.

-At Heidi's house we couldn't tell if her Mom loved us, hated us or just didn't care because there were so many people in the house that we might've just blended in. They were so great for letting us stay with them, I love anyone who can handle that many hungry people in one weekend. There were burgers, pancakes, sausages, eggs, biscuits and even fresh herbal tea for when my stomach wasn't feeling great after a cheeseburger (not hers by the way).

-At Eureka, the not so great weather we had in Belize seemed to follow us in Montana. Dominic and I didn't mind at all. It wasn't raining so I was happy! Bill almost got killed by some black powder shooters because he was gathering sage (since I didn't want to buy any). On my first run of the trip, I almost tripped over an elk carcass and then ran back to show the boys what I found. We watched people throw knives at targets, I discovered new ways to use a dutch oven, Dominic enjoyed meat on a stick, I found the only yarn store in town that was connected to a brisket shop, thus making all the yarn smell like meat, I caught up on my napping, played a game called Pigs and won, and yes, I entered an Arm Wrestling Competition (and lost). Heidi took the 3rd place trophy prize and all I got was an awesome sleeveless t-shirt. If anything, that is what I'll remember most of this trip. We also went to a rodeo, inhaled so much smoke from the bar that if I get lung cancer I will surely blame Montana, we witnessed a Mud Bog where big cars try to drive through the mud and looked at lots of expensive quilts. Eureka definitely has that small town charm, complete with cowboy hats, no stop lights and people stopping to ask me if I needed a ride because it looked like I was running from something instead of doing something the TV calls "exercise".

-After Mud Bogging and thanking Heidi's folks for their sweet hospitality, Bill, Heidi, Dominic and I were off in the car to our next destination: The Hidden Moose Lodge. We didn't complain one bit when we were upgraded with rooms that had jacuzzi tubs and Aveda products! In fact, I think I took 3 baths in the span of 2 days. This was the relaxing part of the trip and I'm pretty sure Dominic and I could just live there. With home cooked breakfast every morning, fire places, free wine and even a DVD library, we were in heaven. Having friends just a few doors down was pretty nice too. We had a grand meal, got drunk, watched movies, hiked up and up and up and up, took pictures of pretty mountains, skipped rocks on pretty lakes, saw lots of deer, ate "sushi", got lost, shopped at a Trading Post, discovered that almost everything in Glacier National Park is closed in April, hiked some more and got massages in our room!

-Flying back was interesting. I knew we'd have to be on a little plane, but figured since it's only for an hour it shouldn't be too bad. I was wrong. Ugh. This was scarier than any flight I've ever been on, and I've been on my fair share of scary roller coaster flights. Since the winds were strong in Montana and there were about 30 people on the plane, I was already a bit nervous. Then when the flight attendant asked Dominic and I to move to the back because apparently the plane needed to be top heavy, well that just increased my nerves. I'm usually very good when it comes to flying. If there's turbulence I just keep reading my book or knit or whatever until the shakes pass. But this flight immediately shook something fierce. Because we were in the back I think the shakiness only felt worse for us. When I saw that Dominic was scared too, I was practically trembling. The whole plane seemed more like a wonky paper plane that has no clear direction. We were trying to do a crossword puzzle to get through the whole mess, but I couldn't even write and Dominic was clearly not paying attention to the words in front of us. It was so bad that this was the first time I felt like I needed the barf bag. When we landed I was the freaky lady who kissed the ground. I still couldn't speak for a good 10 minutes after we landed. I was just in shock, hands shaking, just wanting to get home, even though where we just left was so pretty and beautiful. Next time we'll take the train back.

Oh yeah, I forgot I turned 30.

So that happened. I had a great day, followed by a few days in friggin' Belize, followed by a day at an Asian spa. Here are all the highlights:

-I actually went to work on my big day and then quickly left.
-The maid came! And she was good! And fast! And not at all annoying like the last one!
-Dominic came home with pretty flowers and a pop-up card he made himself. The card said the nicest, personal things inside and concluded with my present.
-He gave me a day at the Asian spa, Olympus in Tacoma. More of that in a later bullet point.
-We went to Tilth for dinner, had the most amazing (organic and locally grown foods) dinner. It was romantic and sweet and plentiful.
-Then we ate our cupcakes we previously picked out at Trophy, for dessert. Equally awesome, especially when you've had 2 glasses of great wine.
-A few hours later we left for Belize!
-We arrived tired, excited and hungry.
-We entered this little hut village, complete with hot water, no tv (!), breakfast/lunch/5-course dinner (fresh juices every day that were so mouth-watering delicious i think i drank 20 mangos in 2 days) and toucans that greeted us each morning.
-Walked over a bridge held together by 500 year old, rotted wood and rope that was more like yarn.
-Canoed through caves where we saw bats, baby skulls and pottery from a time lost. Our guide was named Lion.
-We then bumped into Lion the next day at a Prison Arts and Crafts store, about 2 hours away. Weird, right?
-Took a taxi boat to the most charming island ever.
-Rode bikes, picked our meals out of a bin of lobster and fish, swam with sting rays, snorkeled around the most beautiful fish and even squeezed in a Yoga class at someone's house.
-Made friends with the guest house dog, Paco. He just loved Dominic.
-Discussed living on this island one day, how we could do that and how we could support ourselves. If we don't do this, we'll most likely go back for a Yoga retreat with the yoga lady I met (me) or for a canoe trip that lasts 4 days (dominic).
-Flew home :-(
-Went to Olympus Spa in Tacoma. Inside the spa there are all these rooms for relaxing. There are these dark, hot room where you lay on a blanket that covers salt or sand. Then there's your standard sauna, steam room, hot tubs. Everyone is naked, except for a little pink cap we all wear and showering is a must constantly. I was disappointed at how crowded it was, but relaxed once I got my hour massage and then a body scrub and moisturizer.
-The body scrub is intense. This little Asian women basically wore this loofa gloves and scrubbed the shit out of me. When she asked me how I felt, I said it feels like the most glamorous car wash ever. And it was. You'd think the scrubbing would be harsh, but it was more like someone scratching a bad itch. Complete that with warm water thrown on you every few minutes and there's a body scrub.
-The moisturizing was even better. She first lathered me with olive oil, then warm milk, then honey, then covered my face with honey and aloe vera. It was so sensational. I left feeling like a brand new person - like a 30 year old baby.

And there you have it. My week of birth, belize and feeling like a baby.

So many places, so little time...

I keep thinking about next year's travel plans. I have this "dream" fund that I'm slowly putting money into for a big trip next year. After this trip the "dream" fund might become my "condo/house" fund so it could very well be the last BIG trip for me (when I say big, I mean somewhere outside of the US and for at least 2 weeks - I will still travel at least twice a year if not more, like usual).

I wrote a list down of places I want to check out, and it was basically the world. I need to think smaller at the moment, because by next year I should have about $3500-5000 to spend (for airfare/hotels/food/everything). And honestly, I don't really want to use all that money...

Here's where I need your help. Where should I go? Obviously Austrailia is out, for the ticket price alone. I need a place that's relatively cheap. And preferably not in Europe. Although, I would maybe go to Greece (is that Europe? is that a dumb question?). I mean I don't want to go to Spain or Amersterdam. I've been there. I'm done for awhile.

Here is my wish list, so if any of you have been there or heard amazing things please let me know. If you have an amazing place to add, please tell me. Even if you haven't been there, but always wanted to, tell me. I'm not looking for something crazy. Almost the opposite. I want a place I can just walk around and not feel pressured to do too much. I never remember the museums or the buildings. I do remember the food and if the people were nice. And speaking of people, I kinda don't feel like learning a language either. So if they mostly speak English then that's a big plus for me.

I really want an easy going place, with things to see, but not too many things to see, hiking opportunities, beach opportunities, good food, good people and english speakers at my disposal.

-Turkey
-Istanbul
-Brazil
-Malta
-Greece
-India
-Egypt
-Indonesia
-Thailand
-Morocco
-Tokyo
-South Korea
-Germany
-Argentina

Thank you and god speed.

Mommy and Me

My Mom and I are very different. And this is exemplified when we go on a vacation to NYC. She gets too tired, too old, too hot, too whatever. That's why next year - even though we had a good time, saw her old school, her first apartment, where she met my Dad, saw Sex and the City, Strawberry Fields, ate a great big piece of pizza and even went to a Yankees game before they tear down the stadium - we promised each other to go somewhere more relaxing. Like Maine or Colorado. A place where she doesn't have to walk or do anything at all except maybe get a massage. And that's perfectly fine by me.

With that said, here are some pictures from our trip. Don't get too hot looking at them. It was only 97 degrees when we were there.


She was very excited to show me where she lived. It was cute.



At the Yankees game with Jerry, our gracious host for the week.



The Mom's high school, blocked by a fence to keep people like my Mom from getting back in.



You know when you ask someone where the best black and white cookie may be, and they highly suggest a chain bakery? Well, we didn't realize Zaro's was a chain until we got there and I was just not impressed at all. It was like going to Fridays for a filet mignon. So I tried to erase this little mishap from my mind and went to a place I knew would carry a black and white that would be suitable to my snobby taste buds. Simply put, all I had to do was go to a local Jewish bakery. Duh!



Indeed, it was hot. 95 degrees on this particular day. We would find shelter, though, in the coolest of places like Grand Central Station or the New York Public Library.



This was the one thing I really cared about seeing. Sure, I didn't shed a tear when we saw Sex and the City and my Mom thinks I have no heart at all (actually, I think those were the exact cruel words she used) but just being near the construction of the World Trade Center site made me think about all the times I had gone there when it was there. I loved this place, the sphere that used to be here. I would buy tix here. I would go up top to see the view. I would just sit here all the time. So when I came back, for the first time in about 8 years, I cried like a baby. Because, even if some stupid movie can't get it up for me, it's the real shit that does.



This was something The Mom had to see. I didn't mind, because a) it's right next to Columbia and b) it's right next to my favorite pizza joint!



Which brings me to this perfect picture of the Mom enjoying an extra cheese slice twice the size of her face.



The guy actually forgot to make me pay, and normally I'd just say aha! I got a free meal, but considering my Mom insisted on paying for practically everything on this trip I felt I should splurge the $11 and tell the dude that I NEED to pay.



And this was our bathroom, in Jerry and Fran's apartment that they've lived in for FIFTY YEARS! It hasn't changed one bit.

T-Minus Vegas Baby

That's right. In less than 2 days I'll be in sunny, warm, strip club city! We actually arrive before check in on Wednesday and I've already decided that I want to wear my bathing suit on the plane so I can immediately get into vacation mode the second we land. I figure I'll bore Dominic to death what with me doing baking in the sun (with SPF 45) for hours so he'll get chips and cards and fold and whatever else you do when you play poker.

But really, we have no plan. Our plan is no plan. We have a hotel in Vegas and a bed and breakfast (organic baby) in Utah, for when we go to Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park!

I have yet to hit this part of the U.S. yet and I know while all you youngsters are dreaming about going to Greece and Africa or whatever else is hot these days, you should really consider exploring the good ol' USofA.

Because I for one, can't wait!!

Coming to America

This title is appropriate for 2 reasons. I just got back from Spain a week ago (god, it feel like forever ago now. fucking weird) and I had never seen Coming to America until I put it on my ipod and watched it on the plane on the way to America.

Now that I'm back, I should note some major differences. Some good. Some bad.

1. Smoky
Spain (and Europe really) hasn't followed the non-smoking ban that America is quickly adopting. For instance, you can't really smoke anywhere in Seattle. Not even in some bar patios. They can get pretty strict. In Spain, I smoked a lot so it was good in the sense that I didn't have to go outside every time I wanted one. Bad in the sense that everything fucking reaked. It actually bothered me a lot, hurting my nostrils and making me feel not right sometimes. I thank America for being strict, and realizing how gross this habit is. No one should have to endure all that smoke. It's painful really.

2. PDA
People basically fuck in the streets in Spain. I'd see at least 3 couples necking every time I went on the metro. This is unheard of in America. If you see someone even kissing too much, people will yell at you to get a room. But in Spain everyone loves eachother. They kiss eachother hello and goodbye. Little old men and women still hold eachother's hands as if they are still young love. It's all quite cute, and it's something us Americans should look at. Love is a good thing. It doesn't have to be something that's done in private. If you love someone at that moment, it should be known. Unlike cigarettes, love should be everywhere.

I should note, that on the first few days Jessie told everyone that I wouldn't kiss them on the cheek because I'm not a hugger and I just don't do that. I kept telling her to shut it, because sure I'm not that type of person but I'm also not rude. I have no problem doing those things anymore. I even sometimes go out of my to give people hugs. I'll even go as far as hug my mom when I see her. teehee...

3.Dirt
People really don't give a shit in Spain. Everyone throws their trash on the ground in restaurants their. It makes you wonder if that's how they treat their homes too, because in America I believe our philosophy is "if you wouldn't do that at home, you shouldn't do that here". This really didn't effect me either way.

4.Waitresses
It's known that throughout Europe you'll have to wait to get service, but this is especially true in Spain. 3 hour lunches are very normal, and honestly I think this is the way to go. Too many Americans are in a rush. Everything needs to be done now. Every restaurant is just waiting for us to get up so the next customer can order what you just had. In Spain, everyone is too relaxed to give a shit. You could order a cup of coffee, sit there for 2 hours. Wait another hour for your bill and no one will bother you. It's refreshing. And at the same time, an experience. Which is how food should be treated. If you go out to eat, you're spending extra money for the experience. Not to scarf it down and leave immdiately.

Also, waiters don't get tipped (or very low) so really they have nothing to work for. This could be the reason for the slow service, but really it doesn't matter. It sets the mood for everything and I actually enjoyed it (because I was on vacation).

5.Tourists
It was amazing how some people were just so nice to me, especially since I didn't know their language. In America, if someone doesn't know English instead of trying to help them a lot of people immediately get frustrated and say, "Don't come here if you don't speak our language!" But in Spain, there were a few times I was stuck in sticky situations. Especially this one time, when I had to take a bus to get to the train station. First I didn't know where the bus was, and I kinda mimed that to one lady who actually walked me over to the bus stop (which was like a 5 minute walk). Then, once at the bus, they wouldn't take my large bill and I had nothing else. If I couldn't get on this bus I'd miss my train, which was the last train to leave that day, which would've meant I'd be stuck in a town all on my own. I kinda just looked pathetic for a second at the bus driver, since I didn't know what to say in English or in Spanish. The lady behind me though just said something in Spanish real fast, motioned at me and paid my way in. I offered her my pack of smokes, which she denied, and then kinda told me which stop I wanted to get off on. In a span of 15 minutes 2 women who didn't speak my language and didn't know me at all totally saved my day from what could've ended in tears.

This would've never happened in America.

6. Hot Chocolate
Hands down this is the best thing in the world. They do it much better than us. I might have to go to the Spanish supermarket and stock up on this shit. I'll risk gaining 10 pounds for it. It's that fucking good.

7. The food
There's really no variety and it's really not the best in the world. But it's differet and I'm glad I tried all those damn tapas. If anything, I introduced some shit to Jessie who doesn't cook and only eats at TGIFridays. (hehe)

The one thing that is exactly the same are the boys who you walk past and say things like, "Very Nice" in that Borat kinda voice. Silly Spanish and American Boys.

I'm back and I wish I wasn't...

I really had a good time in Spain/Portugal. Almost too good of a time. I was finally getting used to things, knowing where to go, even getting to know the local coffee place's weird hours. I was getting comfortable not working, eating tapas and drinking the best hot chocolate I'll probably ever have.

I wish I could show you guys pictures right now, but of course my computer sucks and it doesn't look like I'll get replacement until sometime next week. But I can tell you some of the highlights...

1. Seeing Jessie for the first time was fun. Gosh, it really has been forever. When we saw eachother at the airport we immediately started giggling. And from there I smoked one cigarette and then another and another. I don't think I stopped until I landed in America....

2. Portugal. I don't think any of us expected what we got out of Portugal. Especially our accomadations. I thought we'd arrive at some shack with sofas for beds. What we got was this amazing house, enough to fit 8 comfortably. We bbqed something almost everyday. And there were enough lemon and orange trees that we actually picked too many.

3. We took a long walk trying to find a shitty waterfall, which we never made it to because it took us 3 hours to walk 7 kilometers (about 3-4 miles). But it was worth it just to find an old woman coming out of the bushes with her donkey, tales of a sheep herder, passing a strange man who told us to come back to his place after dark and a crossing sign that we weren't sure said bull or cow?

4. Most of the time spent in Portugal consisted of laying out. This was perfect. I didn't want a vacation where I was running around every day, with my head in a map. I wanted to relax, take it easy and maybe spend too much time sleeping. I think I succeeded.

5. This isn't to say we didn't drink, because we did. A lot. We discovered Green Wine, which was so delicious I couldn't get enough. Alcohol was really cheap there. 80 euros (like $1.50) for basically anything. We also used those lemons to good use, and Sheena made something delicious with rum, lemons and sugar.

6. The town was too cute. There wasn't much to it. Pretty churches. Pretty bridges. Pretty little plazas. It was pretty and small. It was basically perfect.

7. On Easter, I got 2 of Jessie's friends to rent a car with me so we could go to Sevilla. This was awesome! Not just awesome because Sevilla is a cool place, but because it was Easter we were greeted with one of the biggest parades there is for this holiday. Everywhere you looked we saw guys, girls and children dressed in outfits that freakishly resemble a Klu Klux Klan outfit. There were black robes, purple robes and blue robes. It was pretty crazy. Oh, and did I mention we accidentally got free lunch + a drink. Really, I think we ran off with the food, but they were too busy to notice anyhow.

8. I fell off a bike on the train tracks. It still kinda hurts. And luckily nothing's broken, but I ran into other problems along the way. I had weird hives on my feet and my shoes caused really awful bruises that forced me not to wear shoes properly for a few days. All these things were minor, and I think all apart of travelling. No one lost a limb, so that's all that matters.

9. Back to Madrid, we kept the drinking tradition on par and included some other things as well to the mix. Jessie's friends were nice enough to just give me what they had. They are fabulous people I tell you.

10. Got to witness a drum circle that I guess happens every Sunday. It's good to know people who actually live in Madrid, because if I was a tourist I wouldn't find this drum circle in any book. Or if it was in a book, it's the type of thing you'd find on Monday and then hit yourself on the head for missing it. It was fun to see 14 year olds getting trashed, smoking hash in a big park and having the police come by every 30 minutes just to keep us all on our toes.

11. I took a train to a place called Segovia. It was nice. I think I only spent a total of 3 hours there, but honestly I just wanted to ride the train and read a little. Spain is pretty beautiful when you see it through a train. I recommend trains to everyone I tell ya.

12. Bought things at a market and at a store. The second day I got there, Jessie and I went to this one shopping district and went to every store. I couldn't find a thing. I just wasn't into it. A week later though I was on a spending binge!

13. I saw shit. I went to a museum (for free) that featured Lichenstein's work. I went to a big castle. I smoked more hash. I went to a pub quiz. I watched CSI for the first time (god, that show fucking sucks). And I spent some quality time with a good friend.

All in all, I had such a great time, and I hope to do it again sooner than later.