Yesterday was a BIG day. We drove to Terrigal for a 70th birthday party, then DD flew to Mexico for a holiday with his daughter.
Well, technically he’s only made it to Tokyo, where he’s switching planes – and airports – for his flight to Mexico City.
Mexico freaks me out a bit, which is a crazy thing to say considering I took the kids there when they were little.
We were living in New York at the time and I went to a travel agent on the Upper West Side for help with our bookings. He was thrilled to book our flights and a few nights in an all-inclusive resort near Cancun, but almost had heart failure when I asked him to organise a rental car so we could drive around the Yucatan.
He thought driving around Mexico was a very bad idea, which I dismissed, thinking he was being overly cautious. At the time, most Americans landed in Cancun, got transported straight to an all-inclusive resort and stayed there until it was time to fly home again.
But we wanted to see Mayan ruins! I had my heart set on doing a 900km round trip across the Yucatán, with stays in historic towns along the way.
The kids looooooooved their time at the all-inclusive resort, eating their body weight in ice cream and floating down the lazy river. But my ex-husband was almost vibrating with horror over the pedestrian nature of the experience.
He was thrilled to get on the road, which saw us makes stops along the way at fascinating towns including the beautiful capital of the Yucatan, Merida, and Izamal, where most buildings in the historic centre are painted a striking golden yellow with white trim.
Campeche was another gem, a colourful seaside town filled with colonial architecture, fortifications (the main image is the kids covering their ears on the ramparts when my ex pretended a canon was being fired) and a UNESCO designated historic centre.
We also visited two incredible ruins – Uxmal and Chichen Itza.
Uxmal is considered by many archaeologists to be one of the finest examples of an ancient Maya city and is dominated by the impressive Pyramid of the Magician (above).
Chichen Itza was a favourite stop for the kids, as clapping your hands at the base of the Temple of Kukulcán produces an echo that sounds like a bird chirping. Experts debate whether the Mayans engineered this effect on purpose or if it’s a happy architectural accident.
It was slightly unsettling to see lots of young soldiers on the backs of jeeps with machine guns along the way, but our trip was very relaxed and drama free. We had an awesome time and I’m glad we ignored the skittish travel agent.
But that was before the internet started telling me about all the bad stuff that might happen. As Google informed me last night: “Mexico is safe in many popular tourist destinations, but certain regions experience severe cartel violence and high crime rates.”
Severe. Now there’s a strong word.
I am jealous that DD is going on a day trip to the island of Cozumel, which is famed for its world-class coral reefs. I hate missing out on snorkelling opportunities.
Anyways, I got distracted by old photo albums and forgot to tell you about the 70th birthday party we attended.
It was for DD’s sister’s partner Robert. DD’s sister had organised high tea at the Crowne Plaza Terrigal. It was my first visit to Terrigal in a very long time and I’d forgotten how gorgeous it is. This was literally the view from my seat …
And check out the menu …
There were delicious bubbles on arrival, always a mistake for me as day drinking – even one glass – makes me feel ready for bed by 4pm.
There were heart-felt speeches by Robert, DD’s sister, Robert and Robert’s best friend from childhood. I loved hearing their stories of a life well lived.
Far less lovely is my destination this morning. I have been summoned to the Downing Centre at 9am for jury duty. They’ve already sent me two reminders to make sure I turn up.
Stay tuned.
Song of the day: Kylie Minogue “Better the devil you know”
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