2022-10-02 Sunday
So my dad and I finish DAL (dead ass last) in our father son golf tournament, the pelican, in the last flight of 16. Granted there are other pairs that had less than 20 so we didn’t finish out of the tournament as DFL. I had a great drive with my driver on the dunes course in a par 5. I went beyond the 200 yard trap. My dad was all grumpy since we had to play the blue tees. We played 1 nine hole match from the white tees and my dad had a better time, but we played a guy who lost his partner so it was not very fair. I managed to drive back without wrecking my car. The new car has been in the shop now for 4 weeks waiting on parts. Lame. I packed up on Sunday and got all my bits and bobs. We left for BJ’s for dinner at 6:45. I had deep fried cheese sticks and a wedge. Niamh had her margarita flatbread and wedge. The fried cheese goes well with Guinness. We drove to SFO airport and arrived at 9pm. We did long term parking. I’m on level three M. We took the infiniti. We got to international terminal and walk around it looking for American. No Bueno. We scooted over to terminal 1. Printed our bag tags for 60 bucks and got our tickets. Went thru TSA and No Bueno. Stood back in line for TSA tickets and went thru the cool line. We had 45 minutes till we boarded so chilled out and then got on the plane. We sat in row 8 just behind first class. No friggen USB plugs.
2022-10-03 Monday
Niamh slept 2 ish hours on our flight. I started a new series and watched it for 3 hours-ish. We landed in DFW terminal C at 5:30am CDT and zombied our way to Terminal D via skyline and 4 stops. It open at 5:30am so we were the first people in for our 4 hour layover. Bags made it to Texas. The lounge was nice. We had fruit and drinks. I had a mimosa since the Bloody Mary was not ready. Bummer. I watched more of my show and Niamh stared at her phone for 3 hours. We left at 8:45am and made our way back to terminal C for our 10:30 flight which starts boarding at 10. Niamh was cold on first flight so we looked at sweatshirts/hoodies and blankets on the way to gate. McDonald’s will not serve chicken nuggets for breakfast. Lame. We got Starbucks instead. We didn’t buy a blanket or hoodie for lame cold one with long hair who forgets how to travel. We sit in row 14 and I watch my show and had two more episodes to go before we land. No custom form to fill out? Weird ok. We go thru customs easy. Then they hand out forms. Of course not on the plane or in line but while waiting for your bags. Sure whatever. The airport is not very big – size of Monterey airport. We get our bags and find the shuttle. We wait. It is hot. We get in the shuttle with people who also board but with margaritas. Oh good. I forgot my small bills. Lame. It takes 30ish minutes to make it to sunscape sabor. They check our names again and let us in past the gate. Niamh notices the unfinished houses, graphiti, and lots of mopeds. It is the same time zone, central and only 2pm. Our room is not ready. We get lunch. There is no veggie option so I get chicken fajitas and a Dos Equis lager. Make that 2 beers. That is the darkest beer they have, so sad they do not have Negro Modelo. We have a room on the beach 2914. We swim in the ocean. The water is warm 84 degrees and there is a pool slightly warmer but not by much if at all. I sign Niamh up for scuba lessons. We have dinner at 5. I had a quesadilla salad explosion which is a bunch of salsa on top of salad with tiny quesadilla quarters. No meat this time yeah! We catch the sunset at 6:30. Back in the room I’m falling asleep while trying to watch the last episode of the imperfects . I fail. As I think I missed a quarter of it. I’m asleep by 8pm.
2022-10-04 Tuesday
Bike riding? Sure. It leaves at 10am so am awake by 8:30 and drag a grumpy Niamh out of bed. We do the buffet. No meat again. On a roll. We make it to the front desk by 9:45 and a smiley young lady makes us fill out a form and pick out two bikes. These are heavy steel beach cruisers with one gear and to break you push backwards on the pedals. We pedal 3 miles with two other dudes to the Villa de Mayan. We get a tour, Niamh makes chocolate, we try tequila. Actually I said no Niamh can taste any, but she sniffed the strawberry taster grabbed it out of my hand and tried it. She did the same with the chocolate one. I liked it so got a bottle. We peddled back and it was noon. Scuba didn’t start till 2. We had lunch. I had veggie fajitas this time, much better. Came back to room changed. Niamh screwed up her top so with much effort fixed it. We met Victor and his buddy off the pier. We did two 40ish foot dives and Niamh did great. I saw a shark. Manta rays. As we were walking back to room she said her ears were bubbling. Oh geez. She should not have to blow so hard to hear air come out of her ears. She is not a cartoon? Not sure what is lost in translation. We will see what happens tomorrow. We got back around 5 and had dinner at 7. There was some sort of bring stuff in and buy it market. I also got cash from and atm that cost me 10 bucks to withdraw. I only got 100 bucks which I exchanged for smaller bills. I then promptly spent 5 dollars on a blue bracelet and 40 on a turtle pendant made out of black coral and abalone shell. The guy asked for 80 and I said 40. He took 40 at the end. It doesn’t melt as he did a lighter test. Not sure but whatever. Back in room by 8 and chatted with the Fiona for 40 minutes. She likes our contractors and they should be nearly done with guest bath when we get back. They had to redo a bit, but it is all good now. I watched a bit of YouTube and a new Netflix series, the IT crowd. It is pretty funny. In bed by 10ish.
2022-10-06 Wednesday
Woke up to someone dragging patio furniture around at 7am. Thanks considerate neighbor. Alarm went off at 8:15 and again dragged Niamh out of bed; such a ray of sunshine in the morning. she had fruit loops for breaky, I had stale bread and a banana. We both had water. I paid the dive guy 30 dollars. I’m not sure we are going to go another day so it should have been 20 bucks. He tried to tell me it was 30 each which is wrong. It is 5 bucks per day per person. We managed to keep our wrist band yesterday, but they cut it off today. We met the boat at 9:30 and was at our first dive site by 10:30 for another 40 minute dive, much too short. We did a Nemo dive. We went out 20 feet and there was the wall that we could dive down. Niamh was blown away. A great dive at 68 feet. Then Niamh did her swim test, and floated for 10 minutes. Passed. We had some food and bananas for lunch then off to our second dive. Niamh keeps wanting to go thru these very small cave bridges but said her head was not hard enough to keep doing it. What did she do? Went thru more tiny rock opening formations. The next was a drift dive and drifted quite a ways between entry and exit. It was a good dive too. We are back by 2 and Niamh just finished her shower. It is 2:30 eh . Had some mango margaritas and beer while Niamh downed 6 pork tacos. That is two meals. I had more veggies fajitas with my drinks. I went back to the room after our late lunch and rested my eyes. I put the alarm on to watch another sunset. It was rough. Then we had a late dinner. Crappy ballpark nachos and chips-n-guacamole. Huh. Ok. Better with beer as they say. I did have a scoop of vanilla which made up for it, and by scoop I mean bowl. Talked again with the Fiona. Apparently lawson is have trouble with his planner in that he does not use it or care. We keep getting notices of late home work. Any who bed by 11 since nothing planned tomorrow
2022-10-06 Thursday
Today is kayak day according to the schedule. So we make our way down and Niamh had her fruit loops and I had an apple and cinnamon bread. We meet the same little girl who did the ‘bike tour’ for the ‘kayak tour’. She is very smiley, bubbly, and shorter than Niamh. She is with another little person who is called Eva. Niamh likes Mones and Eva! The kayak tour was just taking out the kayaks and staying within the bouys. Niamh practiced her Spanish with Mones while kayaking it was pretty good. Niamh went back to room and i went back out and ignored the bouy restriction to kayak about a mile tin the direction of the town; the same direction that we biked. I turned around and made it back unscathed but got the kayak man telling me to stay within the bouys. Uh, ok. We have lunch. I have veggie fajitas and beer and a Caesar Salad. Niamh had a Caesar Salad and then her pork tacos. The ‘salad’ was 3 iceberg lettuce leaves wrapped in a cucumber. The at 2 sorry the boat was late, 2:30, I mean 2:40 Niamh went parasailing. She made a running commentary on the go pro which she took with her. I documented the experience from the boat. She like it and didn’t get wet. We are now read the open water manual for the test of test tomorrow. It is 4:30 so a little bit more reading? I’m having a magi margarita. Not to shabby. The normal margarita on the rocks is awful so am combining the mango which makes the crappy tasting drink better.