I'm sitting in a gorgeous hotel in downtown Cancun typing away as muffled music wafts in through our balcony. Children play in the schoolyard across the street and vendors shout at passersby in the plaza just down the road. Ours is a small hotel tucked out of the way but still within walking distance of bus stops, small shops, taco carts and Wal-Mart. B. is sleeping off her bad sunburns and I'm just sitting here, drinking in the otherness.
This trip has been a long time coming. When we got married, we opted for a cheap honeymoon, staying in a mountain cabin some family lent to us for a week. Last year we went to the zoo and the aviary and then invited as many friends as we could fit into our apartment to help us polish off the turkey B.'s work had given us the previous Christmas (we needed freezer space). But this year we decided to finally take a real vacation, to leave the country and bake on a beach.
And bake we did. Yesterday was fantastic. We slept in til 10, went shopping, had a delicious breakfast of empanadas and found a bus to the beach. It was perfect. Clear blue water, white sands, warm sun and cool breeze... paradise. We laid down our beach towels and immediately took to body surfing. I discovered it is one of my favorite things to do - ever. B. took more breaks to tan and lounge in the sand. I loved riding waves. Eventually we both dozed in the sun. We walked to some nearby restaurants and splurged on our go-to celebratory meal: filet mignon. Then we grabbed a cab back home, showered and scrubbed away the sand and surf before tucking in to bed and cuddling to George of the Jungle on Netflix. Silly. Impulsive. A day only we could make.
The sun did a number on us both. I ended up with some pretty raw red spots on my back and forehead. Sweet B. woke up this morning to some mild blistering on her shoulders and rad tan lines on her front. We slipped out this morning in search of aloe. Once we obtained our ointment we came back and she's been sleeping it off since.
I'm not that tired, so I've been writing some emails, catching up on tumblr, facebook, and now updating here. After this I'll read another chapter of the book I've been trying to finish for over a year. I should probably be bored, but I'm enjoying the emptiness of our time here. We decided early on not to over-schedule this week. We might go window shipping later this afternoon. Tomorrow we might hop a bus to see some Mayan ruins. Or we might hit the beach again.
Each day here is a gift to ourselves. A little reward for all of our drudgery in school and at work. This is the deep breath we need before diving back into the fray of B.'s grad school applications, my never-ending search for a job, an internship, a chance to get my foot in the door somewhere beyond campus, her summer classes (which start next week), our lost weekends and non-existent social lives. This is our last chance for sanity for the next five or so years. This is our vacation.
Happy Anniversary, sweetheart. I'll be here when you wake up.
S
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