Clever country

At the moment we must catch the sunshine as soon as we can.
Looking at the satellite pictures there's a big cloud right over Cancun so we know it's not going to shift in a couple of hours.


I feel a bit like at home, were it not for the difference in temperature, where literally everyone sprawls outdoor as soon as they can see a ray of sun. So it is here today...
Sitting on our terrace we wait for the sun to come out from behind a cloud to run by the pool and then run back 20 mins later when buckets of water are chucked down on us.


"What is the point in running back and forth from the room Dona?" Asks my long suffering husband who instead supports the school of thought that, since you're getting wet anyway, you might as well keep inside the pool.

And he may be right... the pool has a swim up bar (so typical in all inclusive resorts!) a restaurant built right on the edge of it, steps at different levels so you can decide how much of you is actually getting wet, a sheltered area for when it does rain and a proper section with chairs, Jacuzzis and cabañas for when the sun does come out.

I frown... "You know I get cold if I spend too much time in the water!" I try to explain...
Stuart laughs, he knows!


So I'm off to spend some time at the Spa which is covered and I leave hubby sitting at the swim up bar with friends thinking that besides the ruins and swimming with the dolphins this set-up is the reason why people come on holiday here.
Good weather, free drinks and food, amazing service (needs tipping however!)
And tipping makes the world go around, for sure it does in tourist destinations and it's while I ponder tipping that I realise that I have all the money in my bag and Stuart is left at the bar without any.

So I run back trying not to slip on the wet tiles (what a show if I did!) and tell him that I have the pesos and ask where does he want me to leave them
He chuckles and tells me he actually has taken the money from my bag.
"What? And where is it?" I ask
"In my pocket!" says he, like if it was the most natural thing to say... which it would hadn't it been that he was sitting in the pool.
"Eh?!?" is all I manage to answer back
And then he realises what is going through my brain and says "Oh, don't worry, the money is waterproof!"

So I stand there, a bit dumbfounded but not even that much.
Someone who likes logic like me cannot fail to appreciate the fact that, in a place where tipping is everything, they made it easy for those sitting at the swim up bar not to find an excuse for not carrying money on them or if the consumption of alcohol becomes too high and one forgets having money in the trunks pockets it would still be good for tipping after all...


What a clever country!

The Coffee House

This resort we're at in Cancun is awesome.... It even has a coffee house!
And though really you may not be tempted by a hot coffee when it's 32 degree C outside, the decor must be seen.

For those in the UK it resembles a lot to what you would find walking into a Costa Coffee, for those around the world imagine a Starbucks but with better coffee and dark red, warm tones and very comfortable large sofas.

The walls are tinted maroon and different size framed pictures of coffe mugs, coffee ads and coffee beans hang around.
There is a marble counter sitting on dark wood cabinets and a display of pastries and sandwiches that makes your mouth water just by thinking about it.

Walking past and looking in you feel a warm fuzz feeling growing inside.
This coffee house should be in a montain chalet somewhere in a ski resort, certainly not in Mexico!

This morning In went in... finally!

The sky outside dark with threatening clouds, the sea breeze feeling more like the one preceding a thunderstorm than the gentle refreshing breeze I'm used to find here, so I give into temptation and walk in looking for a nice latte and maybe some cream on top, just as an extra treat.

I look at the display, choose a fruit tart (amazing, by the way!) order my latte and sit down to wait. If the coffee is to compare with the tart it must be to die for.
I sit patiently, smile on my face thinking that a cool morning in Mexico actually has some positive sides and wondering if a latte in Cancun is the same as a latte in Edinburgh

5 minutes pass and still nothing...

Since I am the only guest in there I start wondering what can take someone so long to make a simple skinny latte and spray some whipped cream on... anyway, I wait.
After 5 more minutes the guy working behind the corner comes over and asks me to repeat the order again, I do... he looks a bit puzzled...

Ok I think, maybe latte means just milk like in Italy so I repeat again what I want, but this time I do it in Spanish and explain that I do want milk and coffee together. I even go to the extent of explaining that he can put the hot milk in before the coffee, and then add the foam at the end.

Suddenly his eyes light up, he has a eureka moment, takes my hand and asks me to follow him behind the counter just around the corner where I am presented with something that if I hadn't been gifted with the self control I possess this would have sent me down on the floor laughing like a maniac!

In front of me stands a coffee machine! But not a Costa/Starbucks-super-spaceship-mega-coffee-machine, it's more like a vending machine type of coffee machine, with small buttons telling me what will come up in my plastic cup and how much sugar will be added.
I smile, trying not to look suspicious, and point at the "cafe con leche" button.

I decide to pass on the whipped cream just in case the poor guy feels obliged to take me around the other corner and possibly introduce me to a cow needing to be milked or something...

Now I understand why this coffee house is in Mexico and not in the Colorado mountains...
Nonetheless, I am grateful for a warming cup since I'm cold and actually, the vending machine coffee ended up being quite good
:-)

Meet Pablo...

I have written about this on my Facebook status but not everyone can read that and it's such a funny story that it is calling to be told... so here it is...

6.15am is the time I get down to the pool since the day we arrived here in Cancun.
It may sound like awfully early in the morning but honestly, it's the same as 12.15pm in the UK so it's not so bad, actually, it's a heck of a lay in!

So, 6.15am I pick up the pool bag that I packed the night before with sunscreen, sunglasses, a bottle of water, room key and a book and make my way down trying not to wake up hubby.

The main reason why I do it is to get the best place by the pool, where it's sunny throughout the day and quite close to the bar (for hubby's sake!) and also to get one of the few floating mats that are available. They disappear pretty soon so I make a point of being there early to get it.

So early in the morning there is nobody around, the sunrise is gorgeous, rays of light breaking through the clouds and birds chirping with sounds I had never heard before.
So early I keep on napping on the pool chair and hear conversations between staff members... the few that are already working... That's how I met Pablo, the pool man.

I heard someone calling him one day while I was half asleep, that's how I know that his name is Pablo.
He is always there when I arrive.
Pablo cleans the pool, that's the only thing he does... all day long!
He uses a kind of machine when it's early and nobody is yet in the water and then later, once the sun is high and actually being in the water sounds like a wonderful relief from the liquid gold he goes in and, armed with a sponge and bucket, he scrapes all the walls down to get rid of the suntan lotion that plasters itself on the tiles... all day long!

I look at Pablo and think he looks pretty content with his job, he always smiles, a very funny crooked smile. He doesn't say much, not sure if it's because he's shy or because he thinks the only thing I can say in Spanish is "Hola Pablo", I have never really figured it out...
But we have formed a really cool bond that goes like this, every morning at 6.15am

"Buenos dias senora!"
"Hola Pablo"
"Cafe?"
"Oh... gracias Pablo!"

And that's about it... Pablo disappears and, though I honestly doubt that his duties include being my butler in the morning, he does it.
I tried to tip him a couple of times for such dedication to customer service but he refused and then looked so embarrassed that I gave up... I just smile and thank him profusely. That seems to do the trick.

Throughout the day he passes by my chair, nods and says "Senora" kind of acknowleging the fact that I'm there... "Pablo" I answer, kind of doing the same.

And so it went, day after day after day of my holiday...
Till 2 days ago when Pablo handed me my coffee coming from the left side of my pool chair rather than from the right as he usually does.
This new position allowed me to see something and made me freeze.
WHAT?!? How did I not see this before???

I looked at him and, after having turned of a funny shade of red with shame I asked him in Spanish "Is your name Rafael?!?"
He looked around like somebody caught with the hands in the cookie jar and nodded.
Just that... Not an explanation of why in the world he let me call him Pablo for 11 days without ever correcting me!
And what did I end up doing? I broke out in the loudest laughter you have ever heard, thinking what a Muppet I was and this melted "Pablo" too and he started smiling, and then a bit wider, until when he ended up bent in hysterics as well with me and in broken English he told me "I like Pablo"

So after we finished our fit of laughter he went his own way, back to scrub the side of the pool

And this morning it went again...
"Buenos dias senora!"
"Hola Pablo"
"Cafe?"
"Oh... gracias Pablo!"

Both of us still laughing... guess it will be "Pablo" forever now!

Wonderful creation

Today is sunny and warm, like all the previous days of our holiday here in Mexico.

Today I have spent about 8 hours by the pool soaking up some rays and thinking about how blessed I am, like all the previous days of our holiday here in Mexico.

Today I have decided to leave my husband enjoy our new friends and come up to the room on my own to nap a bit and read a beautiful book I managed to rummage in the pool butler's trolley.
So I did and, after about an hour of reading I closed the book, sighed and looked ahead staring right at the ocean and thinking this is heaven.

Heaven, what a beautiful word this is!

And I found myself wondering how is Heaven going to be... The Bible tells me something about it but I also know that eyes have not seen and ears have not heard of the wonders waiting for us there... So it's only human to try and guess...

Ocean? There must be an ocean...
Sand? Light? Wind? Animals? How much different is it going to be from what we are used to know here?

This is probably one of the best holidays I've ever had and it's so special... the feeling that this was created for us to enjoy, the new friends we have met, the things we are so glad to experience, the laughter we're delighted to share and all the memories we're making to keep us warm when we'll be back in our country.

How is Heaven going to be than? Knowing that friends will be forever, that memories will never fade, that God will really be "at hand" and we'll enjoy not only his creation but Him as well.

A bit pointless at this point in time to play the guessing game and though it's fun it certainly doesn't give me any answers.

The only thing that's sure is that Heaven is going to be amazing, though we can't comprehend to which extent now, and that this wonderful creation is just a little taste of the future that's lovingly laid ahead for us... How exciting!!!

Buenas noches señorita!

... which, for those who don't speak Spanish, means 'good evening miss'...
We have been here in Cancun for almost a week now and last night was the 1st night I was out on my own.
By "out" I mean at the restaurant in the resort and by "alone" I mean husbandless...
Because Stuart has this AMAZING ability to get sick every single time we go on a long holiday together. He did it in Maldives, in the Red Sea, in Mexico last year and this year again!!!
He has an evil cold... not quite the flu like the other times, but since we are in Mexico, sending him around the resort with the sniffles would equal to sending him into immediate quarantine with this swine flu business...
So, while I was sitting in the room whim him praying the bug wouldn't spread over to my side and hoping my dear husband wasn't bound to turn into bacon soon, he told me to go and enjoy the evening rather than sit bored in our suite.

At first I didn't want to but then I got quite hungry (being vegetarian in Mexico is a curse!) and the room service does't really offer anything for 'my kind of people' other than a salad so, won over by the idea of the massive evening buffet, I left promising to be back soon.

In these past days people have developed a healthy respect for Stuart, they nod when he passes by (6ft2' husband is hard not to notice close to little me), they greet us and it's quite obvious that he is the head of the family and he's in charge even if I am the one speaking Spanish.
But last night it was quite different and I had fun making some considerations on how things change when some constants become variables...


First of all it was the smile of the host at the restaurant - Buenas noches señorita!
"Hello" I said and proceeded to explain that my husband wasn't going to join me for dinner as he wasn't feeling very well (that would make me a Mrs by the way, not a Miss as they insist in calling me!)
His smile enlarged even more (if at all possible) while he escorted me to my table.
Immediately I had 2 waiters by my side
Two? - I thought... Why two? when we never seen more than one every 10 minutes...
But then, it was a lonely señorita having dinner... that's why!
Don't take me wrong, the resort's service is outstanding, not a single bad word can be said about it, pure luxury, but last night any kind of expectation was super exceeded.

The buffet wasn't a buffet anymore, I got taken any kind of vegetarian food there was on offer and asked about a million times if I wished anything extra cooked especially for me by the chef
I decided to see what would happen if I pushed it a bit and in perfect local language asked if it was possible to have an omelette and palm hearts... not the easiest to find...
I thought the waiters were going to burst with excitement at my request and sure enough I got my weird order in less than 5 minutes, piping hot on the table...
I thanked everyone for their kindness, left a nice tip (well deserved I have to say!) and moved on to a little barefoot walk by the pools.
You should see this place, is as exciting in the evening lit by candles as it is in the day by the sun.

Everyone talked to me - Buenas noches señorita - and I always smiled allowing a few kind words for all the pool guys busy preparing the place for another busy day tomorrow.
All quite taken aback that I spoke their language (the majority of guests here are Americans and apparently they rarely speak it) and fascinated by my long flight from the UK and an unsually lengthy stay of two weeks comparede to the average 1 week one.

I got offered drinks, tales of Mayan gods, a few words on tides and the sand level of the beach and then finally I made it back to the room but not before meeting the lady who turns down the room at night who gave me a beautiful bright smile and greeted me with a "Buenas noches señora Kane" and, despite all the attention I got during the evening, her greeting was what made me feel sooo good!

A good night out?

It's friday night (or more Saturday very early morning) and I can't sleep...
So I looked out the window and saw two guys and a girl staggering home after a night out in the town... NOT a pretty sight!

Since when I live here in Scotland I am trying to understand what makes a person go out on a lovely evening looking like a human and then show up back home in the middle of the night (or there about...) looking more like a slug than a person.

What is the appeal of spending loads of money on alcohol to then see it all going down the drain (and I do literally mean DOWN THE DRAIN) a few hours later.

I'm sure this post may elicit some offended responses from some of my friends but this is my place to express my opinions so I don't really care...

Call it different culture, call it different generation but I honestly can't grasp the fascination with pubs and nightclubs. I love dancing, I honestly do and if I could find a club which plays the kind of music I like at a decent volume (because my ears do work still quite well and anything over 90 decibels is annoying!), with decent people around (I don't like to be looked at like if I were a walking burger!) and which served possibly a couple of alcoholic drinks tops per person (because as I said, I don't understand the "getting pissed" fascination) I'd love to go...
But seen the habits around here I would most probably be one of the very few customers there... and I do still wonder why...

I'm not pointing the finger but yes, I am being a bit judgemental about it.

Because I strictly avoid many places I would maybe like just because people go there to get wasted and, though I am not imposing what I wouldn't do on others, I find it unnerving when they try to do that to me. Some people on alcohol get violent and that's not my cup of tea.

Whoever says that alcohol makes you forget things is not telling the truth... it makes hard to remember what you have done the night before but while you're doing it you're honestly conscious of what you are doing, alcohol just takes away the inhibition... Often that's not a good thing because if one wouldn't "normally" do it than you can bet that on most occasions it shouldn't be done!

"It" being whatever!

Don't take me wrong, I do sometimes enjoy a glass of wine, I can always find some good thing to celebrate, but a glass of wine is not 15 pints of beer gulped down in a ridiculously minimal amount of time.

And again, I understand the special occasion, that's fine, but does the ritual have to be repeated every weekend or even worse every second night?

And why a good dinner, a walk and a movie don't cut it anymore? Or has it ever happened up here that a good dinner and a movie were thought of as "a good night oot"?

I don't get it (yes I AM thick!) and I don't see the appeal of girls waking down the road back home looking like trash, speaking even worse, guys who can barely stand and stop puking at every street corner.

£100 for a "good" night out? Thanks but I'd rather be a £15-cheap-date with popcorn at a sci-fi movie... At least escaping from reality on a spaceship is a bit more grand than vomiting when I get home... if I can hold it till there...

Slip, Slop, Slap

Slip- Slop- Slap is the name of a health campaign in Australia exhorting people to "slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen and slap on a hat".
Well, no better way to greet these past days of glorious weather we had in Scotland.
I did welcome my brother with a certain degree of apprehension as for him, coming from Italy, the weather here is never good enough...
This weekend however it surpassed our wildest expectations gifting us of the chance for a open air BBQ

and an unlikely trip to the beach including being able to put our feet in the water...


Quite an occasion, especially considering that the weather was pretty miserable in Italy and Dani escaped the rain to come here and get suntanned, beyond belief!
We used the days to relax, laze about in the sun and do a bit of sightseeing. Edinburgh is stunning in the sun! :-)

A few rays of sun and Scottish people go crazy. Guys walking around town shirtless and well, let's face it, some of them, proudly sporting a hefty beer belly that really didn't need to be shown but I guess it's all part of summer as we know it up here.

Every little green patch of town covered in people sunbathing, some red as lobsters, some white as the moon but all with a big smile on their face.

So I am not sure if "Slip- Slop- Slap" will work up here as well...
Certainly we tend to "slip" shirts OFF and hats are usually not "slopped" on since we just got rid of them after a long winter but maybe "slapping" on the sunscreen is the one advise Scottish people will take.
Wasn't that the title of a song saying "If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it"?...

Maybe we should listen!