Flashback Friday - Mexico day

Yep, it's that time a again...Flashback Friday, brought to you by ScaryMommy.



This was orginally posted 12/06/07 on Myspace
Family Vacation Part VI

Today was Mexico day. We were already docked by the time I woke up, around 8:30. My brothers and I slowly begin to get ready for the day, meet up with our parents for breakfast and then it is off to Mexico (This must be pronouced, MEJICO).

We are already bickering as we step off the ship. Some of us want to go one way the others want to go another way (Alex is the biggest baby of all)...it is shaping up to be a great day, I can tell. After we figure out which way to go and how to get out the port terminal we begin our trek. Immediately we are bombarded with street vendors offering us the most authentic whatever at the best price. I may be a little gringa but I do speaka the espanish.

As we trek along we lose my mother along the way in one of the jewelry stores. She is on a mission to find silver jewelry. I am not really on a mission to "find" anything, I am just enjoying not being on a lurching ship and taking in all the sights and sounds. It is also obvious that we are in a touristy section that caters to the cruise ships. I did however find a the cutest little poncho ever, for Jack. He is going to rock that poncho like no little dog has ever rocked a poncho! Yes, people I did get a poncho for my dog, so what, don't be hatin'.

In one store Alex is admiring a poncho for himself and Sam is looking at something...next thing I know Sam is chatting away in Spanish with the saleswoman. Nice, Sam. I know my brothers know and speak Spanish but I never hear them use it. Sam is surprisingly good (sorry Sam, I never meant to doubt your ability). And for everyone who wants to know...yes I used my Spanish as well. You would be surprised at how quickly the price of an item drops from the original quote, when they realize that you know what they are saying and can converse with them. We all managed to get so pretty cool stuff for decent prices and the overall experience was the best part.

At one point we are in one of the many little shops along the main drag and Sam and I are chatting with this woman about some of the art she is selling. We finish our purchases and are preparing to leave and the woman says to us, "hablan espanol muy bien" (you speak Spanish very well). Sam turns to the woman and replies "Tu tambien!" (you too). We all start cracking up and the woman's husband thought this was the funniest thing he had heard all day. When you can crack jokes in Spanish, you're doing pretty good! I think my dad was the most surprised at all of us, since we never speak Spanish in front of him, even though we all know it.

We did have a small snafoo trying to get a snack. We went to this one restuarant and got chips and drinks and they offered to make guacamole at our table for us. We agreed and the guacamole was yummy. The guy turns to my mom and tells her the guac is $8.00...freshly made at your table, sounds reasonable, she pays him. We finish eating, there is rap music blaring, we can hardly hear one another, I have gotten up and moved around the table to get out the sun (I have delicate skin that does not like direct sunlight people). I notice a menu up on a podium close to the entrance, my mom has asked me to look and see if it says how much the drinks were. I look at the menu, drinks aren't listed...but guacamole made tableside is, for $5.50. As we are leaving Sam goes up the waiter and says, "Hey, I want my $2.50 back because the guac is only $5.50 and not the $8.00 you charged us." He ends up getting the money back and we leave. All in all that was the "worst" thing that happened to us. I am still wondering who the f@$* is this guy traveling with us named Sam?! Sam was always the quietest, most reserved child and now he is the one demanding our money back and wheeling and dealing like a pro with the locals. He has turned into quite the little schmoozer!

We are now back on the ship, heading back to Long Beach. Once again the shit is rocking quite a bit. FYI-they give out free dramamine packets, I wonder if that is because they don't want to clean up everyone's puke? :) Our waiter at dinner said that usually you don't feel the ship move quite so much and that these last few days have been particularly rocky. I believe it is because we are hitting the after shocks of the storm the buffeted the west coast.

No one made our mom cry today and for the most part it was an uneventful drama free day. I would like to point out that I NEVER made our mom cry, gold star to me and I maintain favorite child status! ;) I am hoping that maybe I can win the the "Who can make Alex cry?" prize. Now you may be thinking, Erica, your trip is almost over. You would be right, but there is still plenty of stressful family togetherness time in which I can cause Alex to get mad enough to cry...alright, alright, I am joking, I will not actively try and make Alex cry, that would just be mean (a little funny, but mean).

Tomorrow we will attempt to return home, hopefully without any weather delays. And I will be sure to post one last blog about the final leg of our family vacation. Also once I get home I will be sure to post pictures of this saga I have enthralled you all with.

P.S. To Cesar and Martin :-P see I do too speak Spanish!