Hotel Xcaret

I've been to the Riviera Maya area several times and have done most of the touristy things..  except going to Xcaret.  It costs over $100 and that just seemed too expensive for an attraction.  However, yesterday, one of the street vendors told me that if I went to a breakfast and listened to a presentation about some kind of vacation club at Hotel Xcaret, I could get two tickets for $50.

Well, I'm a sucker for those kind of deals. Not only am I interested in vacation clubs, but I like getting the incentives...  in this case a free breakfast and the cheaper Xcaret tickets. 

Of course, it did mean having to sit through the usual high-pressure sales pitches.  I've been through enough of these to know that they always keep lowering the price and have all these crazy different options..  but if you buy today, it's only $25K instead of $100K..  Meanwhile they're writing a whole bunch of numbers all over a paper and telling you how much you'll save on vacations...  Then when you say, 'No thanks' they send in the next guy who gives you another pitch and wants to know what will it take to get you to say, 'yes'..

I persevered and, as beautiful as the luxury hotel was, did not end up buying into any of the packages..  Still, Hotel Xcaret was fun to tour!  And when I got back to my more-than-adequate Airbnb right on the beach, I got a luxurious massage for only $30! No need to be in an expensive vacation club to be pampered!

Quinta Avenida

Quinta Avenida (or 5th Avenue) is the main thoroughfare here in Playa del Carmen. The condo I'm staying in for the next two weeks is right on the corner of 5th Avenue and Calle 14.  I mentioned yesterday that this primo location was a big benefit and I absolutely do feel like I'm right in the heart of all the action!

On the downside, music and partying was going on until at least 2am last night! I'm an early-to-bed, early-to-rise kind of gal, and late-night partying has not been my thing for..   well, forever.  I never have been much of a partier..  so while it's exciting to be in the midst of this never-ending party, last night when I heard a sax playing at 2am, I thought...  maybe being in this spot was not such a great idea after all.

I realized this morning that there was still a lot of Dia de Muertas partying going on, so maybe it will be quieter tonight.  I asked one of the street vendors and he told me that since the pandemic things usually quieted down by 10:00 or 11:00. He went on to say, with a wink, that if things got loud tonight he would tell everyone to keep it down.

Other than the late-night partying, though, I love seeing the huge variety of shops, restaurants, and street vendors. Everything is so colorful and festive! 

The weather was beautiful today and I enjoyed getting my 10,000+ steps in by browsing the full length of 5th Avenue and the beautiful beach that runs parallel to 5th Avenue.  All the street vendors want to show you their wares so they are great people to practice my Spanish with (Though they often don't take 'No Gracias' for an answer even though No is the same word in Spanish and English!). But they are very friendly and flirtatious and I love being able to try out my Spanish, even if I am getting it wrong most of the time.

Arriving in Playa del Carmen

 I made it to Mexico! My biggest agenda item while I'm out here: Get out of the cold!  I have a couple of other objectives..  I want to improve my Spanish, enjoy the beach, and assess whether or not this might be a future snowbird destination.

The location of the Airbnb I'm staying at is primo! Right on the corner of the famed 5th Avenue with restaurants and shops galore.  It's also only about a 5 minute walk to the beach, so I plan to enjoy both the beach and 5th Avenue every day that I'm out here.

Today, my goal was to get settled into my Airbnb and stock the kitchen with some groceries. I'm really proud that I took the bus and then figured out how to find my Airbnb. I also walked to the grocery store, stocked the 'fridge with breakfast food for the week and then had an empanada for dinner at a little cafe a block away.

The empanada was only $40 MXN which is about $2 USD! Groceries, as well, were cheaper than the US.

Though it may not seem like I've done much today, getting settled in a new place is usually a big challenge for me..   even in the US! I'm extremely directionally challenged! It's pretty miraculous that I haven't had any problems today.

Almost everywhere I go, I speak a little Spanish, either to ask a question or double-check that I'm doing the right thing. And I've been able to understand the answers! I see a definite improvement in my Spanish compared to the last time I was here.

What worked well today:

• Direct flight from Denver to Cancun - Less than $250 RT and on time flight
• Even going through customs was much faster than usual!
• Comfortable ADO bus easy to catch from Cancun Airport to Playa Del Carmen for about $10 USD
• Beautiful Airbnb walking distance to beach and 5th Avenue
• Was able to walk to a local Walmart and pick up groceries for breakfasts
• Found cute Cafe Corazon for yummy inexpensive dinner
• Warm weather! High's in the 80's, Lows in the 70's
• I didn't get lost!
• People talked to me in Spanish and I kind of understood them!
• Violin music right outside the condo.
• Beautiful view from rooftop!

What could have been better:

• Walmart was possibly the most crowded, loudest grocery store I've ever been in.
• Violin music right outside the condo and it's after 10pm...  Not sure how long it will go on!

Snowbird Season!

October was filled with costume opportunities, beautiful changing leaves, and yummy warm soups. And while I usually dread the cold months that come next, this year I'm fully embracing the beginning of Snowbird Season!

Tomorrow, bright and early, I leave for Mexico! I rewrote the lyrics to Milky Chance's Colorado and got Cathy and Becky to perform it with me!

Yvette: Getting out of Colorado Getting cold demasiado If I don’t go equivocado So today, I say, emocionada (Yeah-yeah, yeah-yeah) I think that you know what I mean (what I mean, what I mean) I want a playa in the scene (in the scene, in the scene) I’ll see places never seen (never seen, never seen) Like a never-ending dream Wanna be living carefree Lounging under a palm tree Out of the cold Out of the cold Warmth is much more pleasing I’ll leave before it’s freezing Out of the cold Becky; I’m getting out of Colorado Heading home and here’s what I know Through the states I will cruzado So today, I’ll say, I drive tomorrow (Yeah-yeah, yeah-yeah) I think that you know what I mean (what I mean, what I mean) I want a golf course in the scene (in the scene, in the scene) Back to where the ground is green (very green, very gree) Like a never-ending dream Wanna be living carefree Lounging under a palm tree Out of the cold Out of the cold Warmth is much more pleasing I’ll leave before it’s freezing Out of the cold Cathy: I’m playing here in Colorado Staying home and here’s what I know I’ll meet a handsome desperado So today, I’ll stay, hike Eldorado (Yeah-yeah, yeah-yeah) Sleepin' in my bedroom while my back gets good and strong(ooh) Next year I’ll be ready to sing quite a different song All: Then we’ll all get out of Colorado Getting cold and here’s what we know Wanna drink amontillado So today, let’s say, we’ll go tomorrow (Yeah-yeah, yeah-yeah) Let’s get out of Colorado

Poker Night

 

Vegas Themed Poker Party

Last night I hosted my first "in-person" party since the pandemic began! Yay! It wasn't a full-blown "Carpe Diem" party where I invite everyone (and end up having way more no-shows than party-goers). Instead this was limited to people who were interested in playing poker. Being Halloween-season, added with my obsessive compulsive costume collection disorder, I encouraged Vegas-themed costumes.  The women were "all in." The men were a little less enthusiastic about the suggestion, but eventually were game.

While hosting a poker party may not seem like much of a stretch goal, in all honesty, hosting any kind of party is one of my hidden insecurities.  Most people would be surprised by this, since I've hosted so many parties and events (mostly virtual parties since Covid), yet still.. for some reason, I always stress about it.

I even stress when planning family get-togethers, like Thanksgiving and Christmas, these days! Between all the challenges of Covid, politics, world events, and past hurt feelings, it's really hard to get back to the care-free pre-Covid good-ol'-days when all I was stressing about was the menu.

As I learned from examining the anxiety I felt from stage fright, most people care more about your mood than they do about the food you serve, the state of your house, or your decorations and costumes.  The best thing to do is to enjoy yourself and your guests.  And that's exactly what I did!

What worked well

* The food. I made a very easy crock-pot sweet potato chili and even though I said it was optional, everyone brought a lot of other delicious goodies!  All the food was binge-worthy, but Tina's apple pie undoubtedly got the most raves. That pie is ready to win awards! I think Tina needs to open up a new pie bakery!

* The diversity of players. One of my "stresses" about parties is having people who don't know each other mix with one another and worrying they might feel guarded. In this case, we had a variety of skill-levels when it came to poker and so we did a couple of practice hands up front. There was a $10 buy-in, so not a lot of risk, and it turns out Mary, who was one of the relative newbies, came in 2nd place winning $25!  It was also good to see my new housemate, Tom, join in, even though he was new.  We ended up having 8 players - 4 women and 4 men!

* The costumes. As I said, I'm a costume freak, and it just so turned out that I had this Alice-in-Wonderland sexy cocktail girl costume adorned with playing-card symbols in my stash.  Totally in theme!  It seemed a bit age-inappropriate, but, hey, when has that ever stopped me? (My taste is usually more Elementary-School Fairy Princess like costumes, so at least I'm moving up to the High-School-Slutty costume genre.)

As for the guests, I was so impressed and excited to see the creativity and cool dress-up props that others had.  Adam brought a carved cane from Sri Lanka! - not to mention his half tuxedo. Tom's unique jacket (a thrift-store treasure!) could've passed for either pimp or high-roller. Mary and Tina both had super-pretty party dresses. Even though I know men don't like to dress up, we women don't get nearly enough chances to wear our fancies, so..  I want to have more fancy dress-up parties!

* Poker! I love games. Games are especially fun when you find other people who love the same games. Poker is this great mix of strategy and luck. I used to play off-and-on with some friends (including some of those who were there last night) but this was the first time I'd played in years, and I remembered how much I loved it. I came in 4th out of 8, so.. not bad.  I'd been studying up a little bit and had had a couple of coaching sessions with Chris (who lives in Bali now, so couldn't come).  Now that I have a small taste of betting strategies, I want to keep learning and practicing! 

What could have been better

* People who couldn't make it.  There were a few maybes: John (my 2nd housemate), Cathy (who we'd all looked forward to seeing in her slinky costume), and Larry (who I was looking forward to meeting!). We missed them this time, but I hope we'll see them next time!

* The Pace?  Even though I listed the diversity of skills as a "what worked well," it might have been tough for the people who were learning.  The game may have been too fast for them or too slow for the very experienced.  Still, we ended up finishing up right between 9pm and 10pm which was my goal since it was a weeknight, so..  hopefully, the pace was OK for everyone. 

What's next?

* Once I get home from my snowbird adventures, I hope to host a monthly poker night! In the mean time, I plan to continue practicing, maybe finding some online tutorials or ways to practice. I think I'll add it to my Bucket List to play in Vegas!

Fall Colors and Friends

Usually by this time of year, we've had an early snowfall here in Superior, Colorado. Not this year. I think (knock on wood) that we'll make it through October being able to enjoy these gorgeous, colorful trees.

I haven't been doing as much blogging lately and I'd like to get back to a daily blog post like I was doing in August.  I've noticed that my mood has been more melancholy than usual, maybe because the shorter days, the drop in temperature,  and my broken heater!

However, one of the highlights of the month has been enjoying a daily walk and relishing the beautiful trees right here in my own neighborhood! A couple of years ago, I went to New England to see the iconic fall foliage, but what I saw this month was just as spectacular.

On most days, I happily get my 10K+ steps walking through my neighborhood, but at least once a week, I find a new place to walk with one of my friends. I get double benefits of beautiful Fall scenery along with the conversation with a friend!

Cathy and I enjoying a walk in her Louisville neighborhood

Glenn and I hitting up South Mesa Trail

Becky and I in Broomfield - playing frisbee putt-putt golf

Bonnie and I this morning in Superior

On that picture from this morning with Bonnie, I was amazed at how clear and bright the photo looked without any filters!  Now the days gotten cloudy and overcast, so I'm happy we got a 2-hour walk in first thing this morning.

It's weird how much weather can affect my mood.  I know that darkness and cold is no big deal..  it's not like it's anything personal..  yet, still, it absolutely makes a difference! Maybe I do have that SAD disease (which in itself seems pathetic and sad.  I mean.. just put a sweater on, right??)

Anyway, even though the colder days have been bringing me down a bit, I am very much looking forward to the start of my snowbird adventures! I'll be heading to Playa del Carmen on November 2nd! 

Fall Girlfriend Getaway

The last few days I've been enjoying a girlfriend getaway up at my friend, Jill's, beautiful home in the Red Feather Lakes area, a couple of hours northwest of my house.  What a treat!  Cathy and I drove up together and spent luxurious days, hiking, eating, drinking, talking, and enjoying each other's company!  I feel so grateful for my generous and loving friends!

Wrap around porches and lovely views

Jill and Cathy in this spacious sunshiny retreat

Getting my 10,000 steps in new beautiful surroundings!

Every meal was a feast with friends

Short hike around scenic Dowdy Lake

Cathy (my mentor!) and I (the newbie) giving Jill a little ukulele concert 

Tarot Readings!

Cow Crossing

Gnomes were plentiful on Elf Lane

Even a flamingo among this pink gnome section

The gnome villages went on and on with wooded beauty in the background

Home From Louisiana

In my last post, I wrote about my deployment to Louisiana. I had one day in Houma (pronounced “Home-a”), immediately got sick, and ended up in New Orleans, isolating while waiting for results from a Covid Test.

When the results came up negative for Covid (Yay!) I was put to work on the night shift (7pm-7am) at a New Orleans shelter for the remainder of my deployment.

This experience brought up a range of emotions..  It was much harder work than I’d imagined it would be and I’m still exhausted. I’m also inspired by the resilience and resourcefulness of the people of Louisiana as well as the compassion and generosity of so many Red Cross volunteers.

My favorite part of this experience was making friends with the “clients” at the shelter. (I love that they’re called “clients” and not “victims”).

I ask myself whether or not this experience made me “happy”..  After all, my “Carpe Diem” mission has been all about optimizing happiness and minimizing stress.  There was a lot of stress, hardship, and frustration at things that I have no control over.  But there also was happiness I felt and I’ll highlight some of those happy moments below.

Happy Moments:

• Exploring the streets of New Orleans and Woldenberg Park which was walking distance from my hotel.



Getting a pep talk from Malcolm Woldenberg

• My new friends who I met at the shelter, especially Teddy, who spent hours in the middle of the night playing cards and talking with me.

• Hearing the stories of life on the bayou. I couldn’t really understand the thick Cajun accents, but saw the pride in the faces of the people describing their lives and families.

• The Mississippi River

Is that an alligator?

• Making friends with the volunteers and hearing all their stories and experiences about past deployments.

My Night Shift Partner, "Guy"

• Being called “Baby Girl” by the clients (those southerners and their endearments!)

• Seeing the clients care for one another, checking up especially on those who were sick or needed help with wheelchairs.

• Colorful shoes in the streets of New Orleans

• Having dinner with one of my “Houmie” friends, Tracy, when she came up to New Orleans on her day off.

• Getting a text from Teddy today, thanking me for my friendship.

Like most challenges, the harder it is while you’re going through it, the more proud you feel when it's over. And each day got easier as I got to know the people and the routine.

Mostly, I feel gratitude for all I’ve been blessed with. I’ll never take a warm, comfortable bed for granted again.

Deploying to Louisiana with the Red Cross

One of my "bucket list adventures" for 2021 has been to deploy with the Red Cross.  Most of my "adventures" have been pleasure trips..  maybe getting out of my comfort zone to do something fun or challenging.  Rarely has my "adventure" really helped someone else, so I'd been looking forward to doing a volunteer trip.

The volunteering I'd done with the Red Cross had been virtual because of Covid, and, like the rest of the world, I was itching to get back to working with people "in real life."  After getting the vaccine, I did all the training for "Mass Sheltering" and marked myself "available" knowing there was a lot of need right now with fires and hurricanes.

I was very excited to be called to help at a shelter in Louisiana! I was called on a Tuesday and by Thursday morning I was on a plane landing in Baton Rouge.  Typically, volunteers fly out the next day, but I asked for an extra day to prepare. I had to review all the processes and guidelines, but was quite amazed at how quickly I was able to get my flight, "mission card" (on which I could charge approved expenses), and instructions on what to do upon arrival.

Arriving at headquarters

Another volunteer met me at the airport and we shared a ride to American Red Cross Headquarters in Baton Rouge.

After checking in, I went to a big conference room where there were groups of people organizing all the sheltering sites, figuring out how they would be staffed.

Flip charts with lots of sticky notes was a very familiar sight for me, an Agile coach. These are typical planning tools in Agile environments. Agile is all about planning for the unknown and adaptability, with lots of last minute updates.  There certainly is a lot of that going on here!  They even have twice daily "stand-up" meetings, so I felt certain this was an Agile environment, but when I asked someone, he had no idea what I was talking about, so..  while I'm sure many of the practices here were influenced from Agile, it's not so prevalent that volunteers are familiar with the frameworks.

Anyway, it did bring back the excitement I used to feel back when I worked in mission critical situations at work (these were mostly due to computer outages). 

I was very impressed with all the operations that were going on throughout the building.  There was a cafeteria that cooked up hot meals for everyone working in the building and any volunteers who were there, so the night of my arrival, I was treated to delicious jambalaya! Yum!

There was also a transportation department to help coordinate and shuttle all of us volunteers to the various locations and shelters.   That first night, I met a few others who had just arrived and we were shuttled to a local hotel and then back to headquarters in the morning.

Setting up a staff shelter in Houma, Louisiana

The next morning, a group of 6 of us drove in two vans from the Baton Rouge Headquarters to Houma, Louisiana with the task of setting up a new "staff shelter."  A "staff" shelter is a shelter that will house volunteers.  There are already some other client shelters in operation in Houma, a place that was hit very hard by Hurricane Ida.  There's work being done to consolidate and close some shelters and open others.

We arrived at this empty warehouse and unloaded supplies and set up the cots to provide a facility for the volunteers in the area.

When you sign up for Mass Sheltering you can pick to either work the day shift (7am - 7pm) or the night shift (7pm - 7am). I chose day shift, of course and was relieved when that was quickly accepted.  During your shift, you go to the client shelters to help those who have been displaced with whatever they need.  

There was a new client shelter being set up as well that we went and visited, as well as a client shelter that was very full and busy. (I didn't take any pictures because I want to respect the privacy of the clients.)

Seeing the devastation in the area was shocking and sobering.  The seasoned volunteers talk about hearing the stories from the locals and the bonds that form from listening.  I'm looking forward to working at a client site and hoping I can help.  I haven't gotten to do that yet, because...  I got sick. :-(

Covid concerns

I'm really impressed at how safety-conscious the Red Cross is and how strict they are with safety protocol around Covid.  Regardless of vaccination status, we all are reminded that we must wear our masks over nose and mouth at all times and socially distance.

I started feeling those initial sore throat tickles as soon as I boarded the plane. 

"I'm just being paranoid" I thought. It's so typical that I feel sick whenever I'm nervous about getting sick!

But by Saturday morning, there was no denying it, I had a bad cold. 

I told my staff supervisor and I was able to get a quick test which came up negative, so I felt optimistic but the resident nurse said a PCR test was necessary, which would take a few days to process.

The nurse came to pick me up in Houma and drove all the way to New Orleans where I've been isolating in a comfortable hotel. She also drove me to the Walgreens pharmacy to get the test and we'll have the results by Tuesday afternoon. 

I've been feeling guilty for sleeping in a hotel while the rest of the team has been working long days, sleeping in the shelter at night.  The people I met on that first day have been calling and checking on me, telling me the stories of working in the field.

I was hoping I might be able to do some virtual work while I was isolating, but still waiting on both getting new logins and having anyone who needs help.  I know from my career in IT.. sometimes explaining a task to a short-term newbie is more trouble than just doing the work.

The good news for me is that other than a cold, I'm not very sick. I don't have a fever and I've been careful about masking up, so I had felt quite certain I would be Covid-free.  However, this morning I got an email letting me know that one of my friends who I'd had dinner with last week had tested positive, so...  now I'm not so sure.  Until I get the results back, I'm glad Red Cross is treating it seriously and treating me very well.

In usual Agile fashion, here's what's gone well, what could be better, and what I might do differently:

What went well:

* Volunteers: Every single Red Cross volunteer I have met is AMAZING! This is such a generous, kind-hearted tribe! You don't hear a single complaint from anyone!  This is so different than the stereotypical entitled traveler who needs to have everything quite perfect.  These people are adaptable and patient and do what needs to be done. I'm inspired by the givers, the leaders, and the teamwork.

* Leadership: There's a 15-minute virtual "daily standup" on Microsoft Teams every day at 8am and 6pm. These meetings are very organized where the leaders give updates and pass along documents with phone numbers listing the current set of supervisors.  I'm truly impressed with the leadership and the organization of the massive efforts going on, primarily run by volunteers.

* Being cared for: I am so moved at the care and thoughtfulness with which I'm being treated despite really feeling embarrassed about being sick. I came here to help and right away, I'm the one who is getting cared for. Everyone from the people I shared rides with, sheltered with, to the nurse who shuttled me around.. have wished me a quick recovery. Even though I'm embarrassed about not working, they are thanking me for speaking up and getting tested. I so appreciate that.  And I am SO grateful to be able to sleep in a warm bed while I'm recovering.

* Just doing one deployment is wonderful training. Being a newbie, I'm learning all the acronyms and terminology, inspired by the long-timers and regulars.  Even though I've listened to and read everything from the videos, power point presentations, and documentation, actually experiencing it is where the real training lies.

What could be better:

* Sleeping for one night in a shelter helped me have a new appreciation for all those clients who don't have the luxury of having a home.  Since this was a brand new shelter, we didn't have pillows yet and the lights were left on all night so people wouldn't trip.   Because of my cold, my nose was really stuffy and I was trying hard to stifle coughing so that I wouldn't keep people awake.  Having to wear the mask while I tried to sleep was necessary, but very uncomfortable.  I was so cold and couldn't sleep at all.  

What I'd do differently

* Well.. I hope the test will come back negative and I'll be able to actually work at the client shelters as planned..  Then I'll have a better idea of what I'd pack differently or do differently for another deployment. I bought some Nyquil so that should help me sleep.  And, hopefully, we'll have some pillows and I may stop at Walmart for a soft blanket!

The Ultimate Adventure Awaits

At 88, Dee has had many an adventure. She's traveled the world, raised 5 children, and now, as she sits regally and perfectly groomed in the comfy chair in her room at the assisted living facility, she's a bit impatient.

"The doctor said I had 2 months to live and it's been 2 months and 3 weeks. I'm past my expiration date!" 

Her quips about dying don't stop there. "I let Robi cut in line, but I'm next!" she says. Her sister, Robi, died recently, just 3 weeks after receiving a cancer diagnosis. Dee had been on advanced hospice and hadn't expected to outlive Robi. 

Dee has lost 3 of her 5 children, a husband, and a second long-term partner. She has been through more grief than anyone should have to endure. 

She wants to be next.

As I sit and talk to this spunky woman, the woman who hosted my wedding reception,  the woman who always called herself my "fairy Godmother," the woman who I've known and loved for close to 50 years, it's hard to imagine life without her.  She's so full of life even now, during these final days.

Three months ago, the doctors told her that her heart and kidneys are failing her and there was nothing more they can do.  Her reaction to that? "Sounds about right."

I marvel at her sense of humor. She's joking about dying and doesn't seem the slightest bit scared, sick or in pain. She doesn't even seem old! She sounds exactly like the articulate, educated, irreverent, opinionated, vivacious delightful woman I've always known! How could she possibly be dying? 

I imagine myself being told these are my final days and I'd be petrified. 

I happen to know that Dee prays a lot and I think her faith is playing a part in her acceptance of her imminent death,

"How are you so calm, Dee? Is it because of your faith?" I ask her.

"Oh, no. How can any of us be so bold as to claim we know what happens after we die. I don't believe in Heaven and Hell. They would both be so overcrowded," she jokes.

I pressed on. I wanted to understand this lack of fear so that maybe I could be as calm when my turn comes.

"You aren't at all afraid?" I asked.

"Afraid? My dear! It's a new adventure! It's the ULTIMATE adventure!"

And then a lightbulb clicked on for me! I get it now! Dee is not afraid because she loves new adventures. She's not afraid of the unknown. She's excited about finally unraveling the mystery of what happens after we die!

Unfortunately, I'm not like that.  I'll undoubtedly be scared to death (and of death) when I'm dying. But I will remember this conversation with Dee. And I'll think: "Yeah, thinking of death as an adventure is not working for me." 

Dee.. you're still on this earth and I can't imagine it without you, but I know you will be amazing as you embark on that next ultimate adventure.