We just got back from a great vacation with friends. Back to reality! We went to Bahia for a week and stayed at Praia do Forte. It is a very nice beach an hour north of Salvador. We stayed at Iberostar Praia do Forte. If anyone has a chance to stay at an all inclusive, please try this chain. It was wonderful. Our hardest decision each day was: do we go to the beach or do we go to the pool? But like every vacation, it had to end. We had some interesting vacation happenings though.
Interesting thought that came out of vacation: Why did we figure out how to put a man on the moon before we figured out that putting wheels on luggage was a good thing?
Interesting comment that came out of vacation: The guys: The longer we are here the more behind I get at work. The ladies: The longer we are here the more behind my maid gets at home!
Let's see. Okay, we get there and the next day or there abouts there is a strike of hotel workers. Now strikes in Brazil only last one or two days. So not really a problem. But there was definitely a lack of employees available to bring us drinks. But by the weekend, no problems. Then I get a rash on my neck. From the sun? From the lotion? I don't know, but I could not stay in the sun very long for the rest of the trip. It is difficult to go to a beach vacation and have to sit under an umbrella for 5 days! And you know what? I am tired! It was hard work not doing anything for a week.
Oh and a really funny story. We were at the beach, and the beach attendant brought me over an umbrella because of my rash, of course. I am laying there on my belly with my book on the sand. I am so engrossed in the book that the attendant has to catch my attention. He points to my book and smiles and I look down and there is a sand crab right next to my hand. I scream like there's a spider on my lap. The crab runs a little away and stares me down. I must be on his beach condo or something. Then the other people around me come over to take a picture of him. He is really mad now and circling watching all of us. So then he decides to charge me. Yes, a crab the size of a hot dog bun charges me. I try to shoo him away. He does not listen so I take off my visor to shoo him. He latches onto my visor. I scream. He flies and lands on my lap. I scream and jump up. He lands under Javier's chair. Everyone around me is laughing. I don't think it is funny. He tries at me again. I scream again and the attendant comes and traps him to take him away. I had a headache after that.
Let's see what else. Oh yes, the guys played golf 4 times and were attacked by angry birds each day. Apparently there are a bunch of birds that have migrated from the south to this golf course. They live in the ground and they are about the size of a pheasant. There were 6 adult birds protecting about 4 babies from golfers. Then there are government protected plants that live along the course. They are a type of cactus that, if you rub up against them, it is VERY BAD. The guys did not know this the first day because, well, the strike. But the second time they were walking through the brush looking for a lost ball a course employee told them about the plants and to be careful. Thank you for the forewarning! Oh and then the last day of golf some employees tell the guys that they had to move an anaconda from one golf "pool" to another so no worries. An anaconda? Really? No worries? Thanks guys, you are the best!
The kids had fun too. We all played pool games and poolside bingo. They really liked that they could get all the food and drinks they wanted. Javier's eczema around his eyes tanned, then peeled so his face is patchy. Kimberly's kids now have neon greenish hair from the pool chemicals that gallons of tomato juice will be needed to remove. Ian, well my poor Ian. He got stung from a jelly fish, which apparently were all over the ocean. It hurt really bad. Especially when I had to put vinegar on it to get rid of the sting. Well that stung more. Then I only had an adult Benadryl, which I gave him just in case, and he slept for about 3 hours.
Oh and here is a lesson he learned the next day. Listen better to mommy. Why? Well it was almost dinner time and he had nothing to eat in a while, but we were leaving in a few minutes. Well, here is the conversation:
"Mom, can I have a capuccino?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Because I said so."
"But I want one.'
"I don't care."
Well he took only the I don't care part. He did not hear the rest. Now a capuccino on an empty stomach is not the best in the world. But here they add chocolate to capuccinos. Usually delicious. But wait. So he drinks his capuccino and eats a few peanuts. We leave for dinner. We get to the restaurant and he feels sick, like he is going to throw up. We tell him to just sit down and relax and drink some water. Bad idea. After I come back with my food he gets up from the table. Ricardo warns me (he was smart enough to sit on the other side of the table in the middle where it is hard to get out). Ian at this point is trying to hold the puke in. I rush him to the bathroom and the sound of his vomiting echoes throughout the cavernous bathroom. Now I do not do well with puke. The smell really gets me. So I am on the outside of the stall, he is throwing up all the capuccino and peanuts and a mom comes in to change her son. We share a commiserating look and I help Ian clean up. He was fine after that. But at this point I am thinking it is going to be a long time before I have peanut M&Ms. Because that is what it smelled like.
And to top the whole trip off, after waiting for our luggage for 45 minutes to get taken off the plane, we head home. We are driving down the highway when all of a sudden a CRAZY driver in a truck, like a 15ft. white U-haul flies by, weaving through traffic, texting, you name it. But following this maniac are 3 armed escorts. One pick-up and two little Ford Escort types. And they are flying and weaving with this guy. Who cares who else is on the road? At one point the crazy truck gets next to us and yes the driver is looking at his iPhone texting, no lie, and weaving around in the lanes, and just really asking to get into an accident. The armed escorts pull up next to us and in the back facing the traffic are guys with machine guns. The windows are open, for convenience sake?, and they look really scary. Ricardo decided to speed up and pass them to get away.
We really did have a great time though. We are back to reality and school and work. Of course today I got back into my routine: grocery store, phone calls, and a Starbucks. Man, life is tough.
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