Hualtuco

We?ve met another couple. Saul and Jake. So now it?s Robert, Saul, Jake and Me. I wish you could have seen us at the deck party last night. Do you remember the Seinfeld episode with Elaine dancing? Well, that?s how Jake moves. I?m sure I heard Fred laughing. This is quite another world for me but OMG what fun I?m having. Never a dull moment.

Today we did a bus tour of Huatulco in Oaxaca (Wa-haca), the last and best of the Mexican stops. Still undeveloped. Our tour director, Lalo, was so impassioned about every little thing and I wish you could have seen the crestfallen look that came over his face when I asked him when we would see the square trees. (I swear the brochure said that Huatulco means "people who worship square trees.") Lalo took a deep breath, squinched his brow and said, "I don?t know this square tree." So I went on to say it has to do with the meaning of the word Hualtuco. He said, "Sorry Senora I must ask my English teacher. I don?t know this word." When I looked at the brochure again, what it really said was, ?the word Hualtulco means people who respect the wood of the trees.? (Don?t ask me where I got square trees but I know I saw it somewhere????) Well, it was one of those moments that caused Robert and me to convulse with laughter which didn?t stop the rest of the trip. We stopped for lunch at La Donna for some real Hualtulcan food (which was great) but when we arrived, the first thing we saw was a rooster chained by one leg to the fence. Then to end the tour Lalo came to each person on the bus with a questionnaire. Instead of giving the questionnaire to the person to complete. He stood next to each seat holding his green clipboard and said, "You hoppy wit me? Jes! (yes) We first class tour? Hokey dokey." When he came to me, he said, "You hoppy wit me, Senora? I find out about square tree so I know next time. Hokey dokey." Of course, I said, "Jes!" with tears rolling down my face. You just had to love him.

Right now we?re rocking and rolling our way through some gale force winds. Deck chairs flying everywhere until they could get them tied down. And I?m not seasick. Hooray.! The Captain said we?re changing course and he expects it to be better within a couple hours. Actually, I loved sitting out by the pool with everything blowing around. Water slopping out both sides of the pool. My hair stinging my face. What is it about wind that makes me feel so great? You could tell there are those of us who love it and those?. well not so much.