A vacation from my vacation
I worked another holiday season at Something Silver, this time at the Pioneer Place location. I definitely liked working downtown a lot better than at Washington Square. But that job ended on Dec. 26th so now I am figuring out what I want to do next. But before I was thrust back into the real world, mom took me, Grace and Dad on a cruise to Mexico! It wasn't her idea originally, but rather a relative of ours got married and invited the whole family on their honeymoon (If you're interested in the specifics it was my mom's cousin's son Danny). So it was a family reunion of sorts as well. I particularly enjoyed seeing 3rd cousin Erin who I don't see very often, as well as 3rd cousin Niki plus her husband and two kids (Kate who's 2 and Noah who's 5, they're so freaking cute). I have very few cousins so the extended family filled the gap during my childhood. Niki actually lived at my house when she was in high school (I was in grade school) so she's also like a temporary older sister. Anyway, our group consisted of around 2 dozen people, of which I knew about half.
The cruise left from San Diego on Jan. 1, so Mom, Dad and I flew down on the 30th so we could check out the city before we embarked. We mostly wandered around the harbor and saw the restored sailing ships that day and had dinner at a place called the Yard House which had about 200 beers on tap. I was later joined by Eveline with Grant and a couple other friends in tow. I was thrilled to see her and it was nice to finally meet Grant. I wish could have had more time with them but I wasn't in town very long.
Grace flew in from Reno in the morning on the 31st and met up with us at our hotel before we went to Balboa Park (which is humongous). We dilly dallied for a while at the Botanical Gardens then went to the Zoo (our main reason for flying in a couple of days early). According to my dad, the Zoo covers over 100 acres which explains why there is a tour bus and ski lift to help you see more. I'm certain I only saw about half of the animals in the 5 hours we were there. We had dinner at an Italian restaurant in the gaslamp district that was amazing (La Bottega?). My new years eve was pretty lame, just Grace and I in our room until midnight, then Dad and I tried to watch the fireworks but couldn't see them from our hotel, so we just listened. I enjoyed getting a call just after midnight from friends at the party I supposed to be at.
We boarded the ship in the afternoon on the 1st, which didn't take very long, and they did not seize our alcohol like we thought they would (next time we'll sneak a whole lot more on). Once we left the harbor it took me a day or two to get my sea legs. Dad didn't notice the rocking at all because the cruise ship is so much bigger than the Essayons. And there was practically no swell. But I discovered that I have a very sensitive inner ear so I was all wobbly for a while. Never felt seasick though, that was nice. Grace did a for a morning but I'm fairly convinced it was because of a hangover.
Our three ports of call were Acapulco, Zihuatenejo and Manzanillo. The most disappointing thing about the cruise was that we only had about 8 hours at each port which to my mind is not nearly enough time to do anything. In Acapulco we left Grace on the beach and my parents and I visited the nearest cultural attraction, the fort. We ended up latching onto a paid tour while we there which was very edifying and made me realize I wanted to do a paid excursion at the next port. We also tried to find an old church we had heard about but were unable to navigate the streets, crowds, and dozens of taxi drivers/tour guides who wanted to help tourists. In the end we just took a stroll through the neighborhood. That evening Niki arranged a taxi for our group to go to dinner. It was a nice place but very touristy and the food was pretty Amercianized. It was a short visit, but overall I was not impressed with Acapulco. It is dirty and overrun by tourists but the water was the perfect temperature and I bet it was nice back in the 1960s and 70s....
Dad and I paid for an excursion (a lightning tour on a bus) in Zihuatenejo. It was a great way to see a lot more than we would have otherwise, and having a native tour guide is a great resource. Our tour was "country customs and traditions". We visited a coconut plantation, roof tile makers, a tree full of iguanas, a church surrounded by people selling locally mined gold, and a small country restaurant (which was the closest I got to some authentic food). Back in town Dad noticed that almost every building had rebar sticking out of the roof. I speculated that maybe most people want the option to add on a second story. Dad thought they might be lightning rods. When we asked our guide he said there is a loophole in the Guerrero state law that if a building is under construction you don't have to pay property taxes. So no one ever "finishes" their house.
Aunt Judy and Niki took the helm in Manzanillo and organized our taxi ride to Las Hadas, the resort where "10" was filmed. I've never seen the movie, it has Bo Derek and Dudley Moore in it. It was a picturesque resort with a little private beach where we spent the day. I finally got some good guacamole and a little time in the ocean. It was a very relaxing day.
I feel like what I did the most while at sea was eat. The food was a whole lot better than I was expecting. We had formal sit down dinners at night that started at 8:15. We generally didn't get our main course until 9:30 or 10:00 which really bugged my diabetic dad. He's used to being fed around 5pm, so if we go on another cruise (which may happen) we all decided we want the early seating for dinner. While at sea mom spent most of her time in the casino or adjoining sports bar because those were the only places she could smoke. Niki loves blackjack and got almost the entire family to try it out. I did ok for a while, but the house always does seem to win. While I didn't win in the casino I did win something exciting. On the last day of the trip they had a drawing for a free cruise for two and I won (kind-of). They pick one person from every cruise and then draw again at the end of the month for the winner. So I think I have about a 1 in 20 or 30 chance to win a free cruise!
Overall it was a fun vacation (except for the fact I got sick on the first day and am just getting over it today) especially because we were in a large group. But when I travel away from home I like to be able to soak up the culture and my surroundings which requires a week or so in any one location. If there is a cruise that drops you off for a week before heading home then I think that would be the ideal for me. But I have a feeling most don't. Maybe I just need to have my own yacht.
On a completely unrelated note, I have signed up for two classes for the winter: Cultivating a Hybrid Art Practice at PNCA, and Production Jewelry Design and OCAC. Both are classes I wish had existed at UO. I also re-applied to Bonham's. Mom is convinced that I'll get the internship this time around because I've already made plans in Portland and that is how life always is. I have a lot of things I plan on gettting done this month. Maybe if I post them here I'll feel more inclined to get to it. But not today. I'll bore ya'll with that tomorrow!
The cruise left from San Diego on Jan. 1, so Mom, Dad and I flew down on the 30th so we could check out the city before we embarked. We mostly wandered around the harbor and saw the restored sailing ships that day and had dinner at a place called the Yard House which had about 200 beers on tap. I was later joined by Eveline with Grant and a couple other friends in tow. I was thrilled to see her and it was nice to finally meet Grant. I wish could have had more time with them but I wasn't in town very long.
Grace flew in from Reno in the morning on the 31st and met up with us at our hotel before we went to Balboa Park (which is humongous). We dilly dallied for a while at the Botanical Gardens then went to the Zoo (our main reason for flying in a couple of days early). According to my dad, the Zoo covers over 100 acres which explains why there is a tour bus and ski lift to help you see more. I'm certain I only saw about half of the animals in the 5 hours we were there. We had dinner at an Italian restaurant in the gaslamp district that was amazing (La Bottega?). My new years eve was pretty lame, just Grace and I in our room until midnight, then Dad and I tried to watch the fireworks but couldn't see them from our hotel, so we just listened. I enjoyed getting a call just after midnight from friends at the party I supposed to be at.
We boarded the ship in the afternoon on the 1st, which didn't take very long, and they did not seize our alcohol like we thought they would (next time we'll sneak a whole lot more on). Once we left the harbor it took me a day or two to get my sea legs. Dad didn't notice the rocking at all because the cruise ship is so much bigger than the Essayons. And there was practically no swell. But I discovered that I have a very sensitive inner ear so I was all wobbly for a while. Never felt seasick though, that was nice. Grace did a for a morning but I'm fairly convinced it was because of a hangover.
Our three ports of call were Acapulco, Zihuatenejo and Manzanillo. The most disappointing thing about the cruise was that we only had about 8 hours at each port which to my mind is not nearly enough time to do anything. In Acapulco we left Grace on the beach and my parents and I visited the nearest cultural attraction, the fort. We ended up latching onto a paid tour while we there which was very edifying and made me realize I wanted to do a paid excursion at the next port. We also tried to find an old church we had heard about but were unable to navigate the streets, crowds, and dozens of taxi drivers/tour guides who wanted to help tourists. In the end we just took a stroll through the neighborhood. That evening Niki arranged a taxi for our group to go to dinner. It was a nice place but very touristy and the food was pretty Amercianized. It was a short visit, but overall I was not impressed with Acapulco. It is dirty and overrun by tourists but the water was the perfect temperature and I bet it was nice back in the 1960s and 70s....
Dad and I paid for an excursion (a lightning tour on a bus) in Zihuatenejo. It was a great way to see a lot more than we would have otherwise, and having a native tour guide is a great resource. Our tour was "country customs and traditions". We visited a coconut plantation, roof tile makers, a tree full of iguanas, a church surrounded by people selling locally mined gold, and a small country restaurant (which was the closest I got to some authentic food). Back in town Dad noticed that almost every building had rebar sticking out of the roof. I speculated that maybe most people want the option to add on a second story. Dad thought they might be lightning rods. When we asked our guide he said there is a loophole in the Guerrero state law that if a building is under construction you don't have to pay property taxes. So no one ever "finishes" their house.
Aunt Judy and Niki took the helm in Manzanillo and organized our taxi ride to Las Hadas, the resort where "10" was filmed. I've never seen the movie, it has Bo Derek and Dudley Moore in it. It was a picturesque resort with a little private beach where we spent the day. I finally got some good guacamole and a little time in the ocean. It was a very relaxing day.
I feel like what I did the most while at sea was eat. The food was a whole lot better than I was expecting. We had formal sit down dinners at night that started at 8:15. We generally didn't get our main course until 9:30 or 10:00 which really bugged my diabetic dad. He's used to being fed around 5pm, so if we go on another cruise (which may happen) we all decided we want the early seating for dinner. While at sea mom spent most of her time in the casino or adjoining sports bar because those were the only places she could smoke. Niki loves blackjack and got almost the entire family to try it out. I did ok for a while, but the house always does seem to win. While I didn't win in the casino I did win something exciting. On the last day of the trip they had a drawing for a free cruise for two and I won (kind-of). They pick one person from every cruise and then draw again at the end of the month for the winner. So I think I have about a 1 in 20 or 30 chance to win a free cruise!
Overall it was a fun vacation (except for the fact I got sick on the first day and am just getting over it today) especially because we were in a large group. But when I travel away from home I like to be able to soak up the culture and my surroundings which requires a week or so in any one location. If there is a cruise that drops you off for a week before heading home then I think that would be the ideal for me. But I have a feeling most don't. Maybe I just need to have my own yacht.
On a completely unrelated note, I have signed up for two classes for the winter: Cultivating a Hybrid Art Practice at PNCA, and Production Jewelry Design and OCAC. Both are classes I wish had existed at UO. I also re-applied to Bonham's. Mom is convinced that I'll get the internship this time around because I've already made plans in Portland and that is how life always is. I have a lot of things I plan on gettting done this month. Maybe if I post them here I'll feel more inclined to get to it. But not today. I'll bore ya'll with that tomorrow!