A Change in Plans

We had a quiet night in Kansas City, and the anticipation of going to Cancun excited all five of us! But...the CPT told us that our plans could change. He informed us that there was a tropical depression heading to Cancun, and it would probably hit sometime on Sunday.

Well, you all know me...I'm not one to let a tropical depression get in the way of my fun! We checked into our hotel at around 10AM on Saturday after a relatively quiet flight to Cancun. We stay at the Omni Resort, right on hotel row in Cancun. For some delightful pictures (when the sun is out), go to http://www.omnihotels.com/FindAHotel/CancunHotelAndVillas.aspx.

This time, I was given a room that faced north, looking out over Laguna Nichupte. The last time I had a layover here, my room faced south, looking out on the Caribbean Sea.

You can see that things looked a bit gloomy yesterday - it was overcast, and it would rain on and off during the day. Also, the winds would kick up but they were relatively warm, so it was no big deal.
Originally, we had planned to plant ourselves at the swim-up beach bar, but the Caribbean Sea had other plans - it was breaking waves at the edge of the concrete patio, and the hotel workers closed the bar for safety reasons.

We knew that when the hotel workers started putting away all the outdoor chairs, trashcans, and portable plants that they were taking this storm seriously (as they should!). Then we notice that the storm shutters have been closed on several of the windows of the restaurants and some of the cottages.

Also, the workers dismantled all the umbrellas, decks, stands, etc. that were in the sand, and pulled them onto the grassy area one level above the sea.

The surf out there is the worst I had seen in quite awhile. The waves are crashing onto the sidewalk area, probably sweeping all the sand out to sea (again).

Here's another view of the sidewalks leading down to the beach. Notice the red flag, indicating that it was not safe to go swimming. Duuuuuhhhhhhh!

Even though it's not bright and sunny here, it's still so relaxing and beautiful. The temp was very comfortable to sit outside, to walk around in, and to sit in the hot tub!

So, being a resourceful crew, we did what we had to do. We found a covered outdoor patio outside the restaurant, and proceeded to fill up with libations and appetizers for several hours.

When the rain started pouring down hard, we retreated back to the outdoor table. Helena and FO Aaron enjoyed a Tecate or two.

And Cheryl and CPT Kosta shared a few laughs and several limes! We told "war stories" from our flying experiences, we toasted those flight attendants who have departed this earth, and we toasted to good crews and good layovers!

Here we have a group photo of Helena, Aaron, Cheryl and Kosta right before we headed to our rooms to prepare for our evening's festivities.

Here's a view from where we spent most of the day - kinda tough to take, huh? It was warm, a bit breezy, and not too terribly humid.

After regrouping, showering, changing, etc., we met in the hotel lobby and walked across the street to an outstanding restaurant called the "Captain's Cove." Wow. The food there was so delicious! CPT Kosta treated us to dinner - that was such a nice surprise! I enjoyed the crab cakes - delicious! Mostly crab, and not so much filler. Others had the grouper and crab cake combo, red sea bass, and I can't remember the strange thing that Aaron ordered. We had a lovely evening sitting on the outside covered deck, facing the laguna...right as we were ending our meal, we looked over the railing and there was an 8 foot alligator swimming right below us! Mind you, this was not a captive alligator. This is one that lives in the laguna. I don't think that I will EVER attempt to swim in the laguna...

After a very enjoyable meal, we asked around to find a good disco where we could dance. After hiring a cab, we headed out only to find out that none of the places were open - it was only 9PM. So we ended up at Senor Frog's...I know, I know...touristy as all get out, but it was our only option. Outside, there was an old VW Van painted in psychedelic colors that you could get in and pose, and then there was an adult swingset by the font door! But Aaron wouldn't move from in front of me, and I didn't want to slam my foot into his gut (or worse), so I did not give it my all. Inside, there were lots of tourists of all ages, lots of tequila shot conga lines, lots of contests for free shots, and lots of younguns. Fortunately, every once in awhile they'd play a song that you could dance to...and I mean actually dance. But I was a minority there - everyone seemed to really get into dirty dancing and that's just not something that I'm into.

They did start playing Wild Cherry's "Play that funky music, white boy..." and I ran out and was dancing up a storm. But they only used that song as a lead-in to the "White Boy Dance Contest." They selected four middle-aged white guys and brought them up onto the stage. One at a time, they gave each a shot of tequila and then had them dance. Our Kosta was one of those guys, and he did an admirable job. But...there was one white guy who outshone everyone. His prize? A Senor Frog's hat.

There were assorted wooden signs on standalone poles that the waiters would position next to unsuspecting guests - at one point, I had the "Likes White Trash Boys" sign pointing at me. I purposely did not bring my camera to dinner/dancing because I didn't want to have any incriminating evidence against anyone, but I would've liked to have had a picture of me next to that sign. I could have posted it on Greg's Facebook wall.

After a couple hours of fun, we headed back to our hotel for the evening, since we had a 0945 van time in the morning. At midnight, the CPT calls me and tells me that the flight that was supposed to come get us from Kansas City was cancelled due to the hurricane. Awwww. Too bad. So no more 0945 van. Instead, we'd take a van at 1600 on Monday for a flight back to Denver (which we will deadhead and not work)! What a tough layover this has turned out to be!

I have internet access (obviously), I have a DVD I need to watch, I brought lots of books, and food in my bag (but no microwave - I guess cold soup never hurt anyone!). I just took a quick walk around the property - I think the major part of the hurricane has already passed. The Caribbean Sea is very angry with large, crashing waves, flooding the beach bar. But otherwise, it's rather nice outside. I may go hang out in the hot tub again this afternoon...I'm livin' the dream!