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Published: September 4th 2021
"Sometimes life changes in an instant. We can't always prepare for it, but we can change how we respond." Holy crap batman, what an 18 month ride we've all been through. If someone told you a pandemic was about to hit the winter of 2020, you'd have thought you'd watched the movie Contagion too many times. It eerily depicted this similar pandemic. If you haven't seen it, be prepared. The film follows the spread of a virus transmitted when sick humans touch surfaces and leave the virus behind that others can catch. Then there's the frantic attempts by the health officials to identify it and control it. Seems familiar right? I won't give the ending away...
We're a family of 7 and I will say our young adults totally respected the protocols through the worst of it. It would be fair to say that they were at times disappointed to hear their friends were partying it up last Christmas without concern for others. I guess Covid changed our perceptions on family and friends; those that wanted to keep everyone safe & those that were of the mind set that it's like the flu so what the hell are you
so worried about...
The whole gang is fully vaccinated, and we'll be happy to get the booster when it comes out.
According to many reports, Covid protocols are the new normal and may be here to stay. One article I read, experts predict by 2025 that we will be in a very tech driven society causing sweeping societal changes, both positive and negative. So after many long discussions on any travel whether it be to Alberta recently or coming to the Riviera Maya, we decided to move forward as life has to resume at some point. Canada has cleared us to travel & they are allowing fully vaccinated tourists in. So, we are doing everything by the book.
I would expect some people are scared to travel themselves, or concerned for our safety. I'd like to say firstly, we are actually very cautious people and will continue our Covid routine just like home. (You don't know caution until you guide a family of 7 which include kids and your senior parent through a pandemic.) I was actually in the Riviera Maya last year when the news was reporting that Covid was spreading in Asia. I was here
with my best buds, Martha, Shauna and Manon for 10 days of glorious, crazy, fun. We visited Isla Mujeres and drove around like teenagers on our golf cart with Shauna's speaker blasting to Donna Summer's 'Bad Girls'. (You remember that song; Beep beep, beep beep!) Little did we know what was coming...So glad we had that vacation together. More to come gals!
When they went home, Allan joined me, and at that point everything was pointing to Covid moving quickly from Asia to other parts of the world. So I went out to buy hand sanitizer and wipes for our flight home. We arrived home on March 7th, and by St. Paddy's Day, schools closed, and life changed in an instant.
For so many Covid was a heartbreaking time; illness, death, financial strife, and terrible anxiety and depression. Our family was blessed that we didn't have to put our lives at risk to go to work every day, (everything was online; both work & school. We sure got our fill of each other! It seems our kids like to hang out with us. Who wouldn't. 😉 Movie nights were very popular and we enjoyed lots of dinner conversations
that may not have occurred due to Covid.
The worst that happened during Covid is we lost family members (not due to Covid), and of course congregating for a funeral was not allowed, or greatly reduced our ability to do so. Rest in peace David (cousin) and Mae (aunt.)
And with a lump in my throat, I write that Allan's Mom Patricia (Pat), died suddenly last November. No warning (again not from Covid). The most ironic thing is that Allan and I had been discussing flying out to see them and we were going to call them with the good news the day she died. 😞
Unfortunately, his Dad called us before we called them, with the shocking news. We were heartbroken to get that call. I don't know about you but when the phone rings early in the morning or late night, I just know it's
bad news,. I'm starting to hate phone calls.
I was honored to write her obituary, and further, that grandma's first granddaughter Lara (our gal) paid a beautiful tribute to her at the funeral. I also spoke and it was so bitterly cold I got a migraine right at the time I was about to speak. Haven't had one of those in decades and boy oh boy it threw me for a huge loop. I was able to continue but was feeling SO sick; shivering in the cold, in pain from the freakin' migraine, & quite emotional all at the same time; it sure felt as if Mohammad Ali took a round out of me. (Once the funeral ended, we headed home and I went to bed with my coat on. It's a rarity to find me in bed during the day. I guess all the grief, travel, and overwhelming circumstances did me in. 😞
Lara and I sang Amazing Grace at the end; not easy when trying to compose ourselves. We are forever grateful that despite Al's parents moving to Alberta in 2002, that our girls got to spend a lot of time with grandma and grandpa in Mexico which is a bittersweet memory, especially being back here now. Grief as I have read and experienced is two parts; the first is loss, and the second is the remaking of life. Hats off to Allan's Dad Ray for trying to remake his life, and to create a new reality for himself. You're doing an amazing job Dad, and we are always here for you. No one goes unscathed by grief; in one way or another, it will touch all our lives. we're very blessed to have such a wonderful family and friends to help us navigate through these life changing situations. I loved my mother in law; no mother in law jokes apply here.
COVID, TRAVEL AND MY NEW WORK ADVENTURE On an upbeat note, as many of you know, my work is based out of the Riviera Maya, Mexico. Last November, the fab owner of the company I worked for asked me to take over the reins of the company. She wanted to concentrate on other things. She treats me SO well that I had to to do it; I love my job, & I LOVE her.
My major concern was working in tourism during Covid, and the stress and hours that are required to run this company at the level I want it operating at. I'm not a Type A personality; I'm a Type AA 😉 Tonya knows the booking system inside and out; it's been a process to learn it and I thank my hubby for helping me because patience is not my virtue when it comes to that stuff.
I actually spend a lot of time with each guest ensuring they have everything and a bag of chips so they are fully prepared for travel. Especially those that haven't traveled to the area before. I then also have to communicate with our managers and staff in Mexico to ensure they have all their info and the properties are in tip top shape. It can be a fickle business but I'm seeing results for my efforts.
Once I took over, I reached out to our managers to assure our Covid protocols were strict for the comfort of our guests and safety for both our guests and staff. I asked our on-call Doctor if he could do in-house Covid tests, which he could. The results from the lab are emailed to the guests which alleviates them hiking to the pharmacy & missing a beach day. (These tests are for Americans only; we Canadians require a different test which can't be done with the doctor and only at a pharmacy.)
I love our staff and protect them at all cost. I had a miserable guest this summer who harassed me over a variety of issues, & was taking it out on our manager. And he messed with my favorite driver Jaime (who some of you know and love), and that was the final straw for that guest. Basically I told him, "Don't let the door hit you where the good Lord split you". I always work to resolve issues with guests, but at one point, the jig is up. Good riddance. I can't do this job without integrity; I'd rather lose a commission than put up with anyone berating our staff. Not going to happen on my watch.
My friend Susan can relate to some of my 'guest stories'. In March a lady who booked our condo was in touch with me constantly. I arranged her transportation for her husband and two kids from the airport to the condo. She was so excited to come. The day of their arrival, I got a text from her, but it was from her husband texting me on her phone?! He identified himself, and was making a complaint about the weather and noise coming from a nearby beach club. (Don't even get me started with him expecting me to fix the weather? Arrrh)
He said his wife was 'delayed' and was coming later. I thought this is really odd. I was in touch with her the day before to ensure she had everything. Why doesn't she have her cell phone with her and who is he and what has he done with/to his wife? What is the dilly with this situation? So I googled them to see if I could find out anything about them; I never do this. Turns out they are wealthy business owners from New York City and there were many photos of them with celebrities.
So Susan heard it all as I tried to sort out why she wasn't there. I tried emailing her and no response. Now I'm really starting to think something is fishy. Me googling them, me wondering if he'd knocked his wife off & fled to one of our condos. So I then contact our fab driver Jaime who told me she wasn't with her husband on arrival day, and the husband never made any arrangements to pick her up at a later time. Hmm? So it was something out of a movie; literally Manhattan Murder Mystery with Diane Keaton and Woody Allen. If you've never seen this movie, it's a dark comedy about a couple in Manhattan (yes, OK I know you figured that out due to the title.) Larry (Woody Allen) and his wife, Carol (Diane Keaton), are adjusting to life with their son away at college when they meet their older neighbor, Lillian & her husband, Paul. Upon hearing of Lillian's sudden death, Carol grows suspicious of the circumstances surrounding her demise & comes to believe Paul may have killed her. Unwilling to let her curiosity subside, she convinces Larry to join her in getting to the bottom of the mystery. OMG, it was a great movie. (Not so fond of Woody Allen anymore due to accusations against him but hey, it doesn't change the fact at the time it was a really good movie.)
So back to my story 😉, a day later, I contact our staff and they say the 'wife has still not arrived'. Then the next day I check in with the staff again, and nothing. Much later that day she FINALLY shows up. Well for the love of god I was so relieved I think I collapsed, then had a stiff drink. (Or maybe it was the other way around?) It's easy to form a connection with our guests. Some not so much. Thanks for bearing with me and my stories Sue. 😊 xo
To travel or not travel? I consulted with our doctor about travel here, and researched the vaccinations and Covid cases here before we booked our flights. We were tested (on our own volition as Mexico does not require any Covid tests/vaccinations results) before arriving here. To return home, we will be required to take a PCR Covid test 72 hours in advance of our flight. Then we will be tested again upon arriving in Canada. For international travel now you need to have ArriveCan app on your cell phone. We will have to upload our vaccinations and Covid test results. No problemo. So we will be pretty well swabbed & checked until the hood & we'll have received a damn oil & filter change.
Further, the protocols in this area are the same as at home. Masks are worn both inside and outside by staff of any sort. Even the beach attendants are wearing their masks in 40C temps. Hats off to them; or is it hats on to them to keep them cool? Either way their protocols make us feel so comfortable. And frankly we stay in a condo away from others, and all our gadding about is outside.
It was interesting to travel to Alberta in August. They have no mask policy there at all, and further no quarantine if you fall ill. (Subject to change I think.) We have to admit we were a bit uncomfortable; it was if a pandemic hadn't hit Alberta at all. Probably ten to fifteen percent of the population were wearing masks. We appreciate our lovely families there that wore masks when necessary and tried to accommodate us sitting outside. We had SUCH a wonderful time seeing both sides of our families. What a time that was, so many laughs, a few tears, and a whole bag of fun. So grateful to see you all. xo
Flying is a totally different situation now. Masks are required on the plane with the exception of eating and drinking and you're given antibacterial hand wipes when you board to clean your seating area. I will say though that the circulated air system is the same as a hospital which is reassuring. Passengers are cranky at the best of times but during a pandemic watch out. Of course many object to wearing a mask. Or insist on wearing a flimsy handkerchief on their face, which is not an acceptable form of Covid covering. They full well know this before they come to the airport that it won't pass muster. Yet they still insist on being a dimwit. Some village is missing its idiot. Honestly these people get on my wick. We saw one guy melt down on our way to Calgary; honestly, he wanted to wear a flimsy bandana & was losing his mind when he was told to switch out with a mask that they kindly offered him. He was threatening the staff that once he was on the plane he'd throw his mask at them. Wow that would hurt. Insert eye roll.
He was so belligerent, swearing & made a spectacle of himself over a little mask? He was yelling at them saying "
that thanks to them he'd end up on the No Fly List". No kidding Captain Obvious, you're definitely heading there. We'd had enough with the airline delays & cancellations now this bozo is possibly going to derail our flight. I was giving him the hairy eyeball & he felt my deadly stare & kept a great distance. As we finally bordered I told the gal who he was berating that I was sorry for what he put her through. She said she had called security as he was an issue. I thanked her & said I didn't think he should board as he was a flight risk so basically don't put tweedle DUMB on our flight. It would just be my luck to have him kicking my seat and whipping his bandana around.
I'd have to have Allan duct tape me to my seat to keep me from lunging at him and wrapping his bandana around his neck for good. (Duct tape to follow below!) One selfish imbecile can cause undue delays & loss of money for those paying for accommodations, transportation while in the Riviera Maya or elsewhere. (PS have you read how crazy flight travel is these days with these anti-vaxxers and just plain weirdos?) This teenager on American Airlines became so belligerent on the flight that they had to duct tape him completely to his seat. He attempted to kick out a window and assaulted staff. He kept shouting that his parents were rich and would sue the airline. My thinking is it's probably not the first time he's been duct taped to a seat, and I'm guessing his parents own shares in a duct tape company. I'd keep 10 rolls of duct tape on hand if he was my child. Apparently in 2021 unruly passengers and airline incidents skyrocketed. So many airline staff have been assaulted; passengers are beating each other up. I wish they had an ejection chute for these morons who ruin it for everybody else. You get one kick at the can; if you hit, spit, abuse anyone, you're ejected mid-air. And good luck with your landing.
It should be mandatory to read a book on airplane etiquette before you can proceed to booking a flight. Is it really necessary to tell people things like:
Don't curse at the personnel, keep your kids in check, don't get hammered, wear deodorant, don't stick your feet through the passenger's seat in front of you. Don't rush to the zones when boarding like it's an open bar. Listen for your zone, then go line up. As much as I love meeting new people, don't sit next to me & try to be my new best friend by yapping the entire flight. I have enough friends, thank you very much. And if you need to go to the bathroom every 10 minutes, pick an aisle seat for heaven's sake. And if you have an aisle seat, you don't get to hang across another passenger to look out the window. If you wanted to see the view from that far up you should've booked a window seat or packed a parachute. And finally, the personnel will let you off the plane; no need to stand up before the plane's landed & bang everyone with your backpack in your rush to go nowhere fast.
Anyhow, so once again, back to my story. So once we boarded the plane, my eyes were peeled to see if this "anti-masker" made it on the plane. In the end, no sign of him at all. I hope he and his bandana got booted right out of the airport for causing such a freakin' ruckus. It had delayed us getting on the plane so enough is enough. You live in this world buddy; you don't own a piece of it. Rules are rules & intended to protect others. So if you want to drink and drive is that OK? No. If you want to point a loaded gun at someone, is that OK? No. The list is endless. As humans, we need to protect each other & stop being so selfish. Many of these folks believe they're being inserted with a microchip to follow them around. My thoughts on this is who'd the hell would want to follow you? And why? Are you an international spy? Are you on the Most Wanted List? Further, your cell phone & computer are already following you. So many times I've talked to Allan about buying something and before I even google it, it appears as an ad on my phone. It's like the lyrics to that song, "I have a feeling somebody's watching me". Regardless, these kooky 'conspiracy theories' put me right over the edge. I'd like to think I'm well rounded enough and not raised by wolves to logically research any topic from a variety of reliable experts & sources to form an educated decision. If we can return to some normalcy of life again, you are welcome to insert a microchip in me. And while you're at it, please make sure the microchip shaves 20 years off my age, gives me a facial, & make me look like a movie star. (And by movie star, I don't mean Robert de Niro. But I did love the Godfather movies...I digress, sorry. 😉
Booking flights is a challenge in these unprecedented times. Good luck booking a flight and thinking your butt will be on it. Nope. We had a number of changes to our flight and the girls flight to Calgary. It was like rolling the dice and hoping your numbers come up. Then while out celebrating our daughter's birthday the night before we were to leave for the Riviera Maya, I got a notice that our flight to Cancun was cancelled about 8 hours before we were scheduled to leave. For the love of Pete. GRRRR. And it took them a while to give us an alternative flight. So I wasn't playing their silly game so I looked for another flight. When they finally decided to award us with a flight out, they had us leaving a day later than our original departure date, & had us stopping over in Houston for 5 hours, then onwards to Cancun. Thanks but no thanks, I think I'd rather have a root canal. The US is the last place I wanted to visit, especially with a hurricane moving through the south, then with Houston being a very busy airport, and add in the chance of rubbing elbows with more of these anti-vaxxers running around... Ack. What could possibly go wrong? Just read any of my blogs about flying and you will see how it can go wrong for us. I'm a magnet for things going wrong. 😉
So our daughter Lara kindly drove us to Montreal to catch our flight as Ottawa had nothing to Toronto. The airlines are operating on a skeleton crew. We arrived to no crowds. Not one single person checking in at Air Canada. We were looking around wondering if the airport had closed? What next? So the lady working assisted us, and told us that flights don't leave Pierre Elliot Trudeau till 1PM and we were there about 9:30AM so it was unusually quiet. Whew. Come hell or high water I was making sure we got on a flight. She then upgraded us to first class and away we went. Happy dance. We made our way to a fantastic lounge and I got some work done, while Allan worked on his Spanish lesson.
We had amazing service on Air Canada. Food was very nice, drinks were nicer (hiccups), and we arrived on time, and as per usual, our baggage delayed. (Re-read the part about me flying and things going wrong. No-one kicked the bejeesus out of my seat or drooled on my shoulder. (Just Al 😉 So much for being in first class with priority tagged luggage. I swear the baggage god has it in for me. We never get our bags on time even if they have the big orange labels on them that says PRIORITY. PLEASE GET THEM TO SALLY ASAP OR OTHERWISE SHE'LL BE VERY TICKED. I think we get flagged because we come to Mexico with our own wine (I can't get the wine I like here, and imported wine from Italy is very expensive). It's not illegal to bring in alcohol, but they like to pull me over for a chat. I have it down in Spanish now explaining that I work here and I'm here for a while, and that we brought our own wine (vino) for consumption and not to sell! They aren't familiar with the 1.5 liters of wine that we have in Ontario so they are taken aback a bit. They probably picture me with my little wine stand on 5th Avenue selling glasses of wine! 😉 They always let me through with my schmoozing! 😊
HONEY I'M HOME 😊 We arrived to hot sunny and humid weather. As soon as you get off the plane here, you smell the ocean; it feels like home. I missed you home!
As some of you may be aware, Hurricane Grace briefly touched down in this area on August 26th. Thank god all our friends and staff were safe, and Playa was left relatively unscathed.
So to start things off, we enjoyed 2 nights at a villa at the Fairmont Mayakobal an eco-resort so immersed in nature that it is the perfect jungle & ocean experience combined. We dined outside only, and the service was impeccable again due to their Covid protocols. We then moved on to a private villa on the ocean with our own dandy pool and we'll be here for 5 nights. Thereafter we'll move to our usual spot at Luna; one of the extra nice perks of my work is my cheap stays!
Al will be diving soon and he can't wait to go back under the sea. During our stay we plan on visiting a beautiful tropical seaside town called Bacalar. It's about 3 hours south of here just before we hit the Belize border. Bacalar is on on Lake Bacalar which is also called the Lagoon of Seven Colors due to its blue and turquoise hues. Fuerte de San Felipe is an 18th-century fort that now houses a piracy museum displaying colonial-era weapons and artifacts. The colonial San Joaquín Parish Church has a vaulted ceiling which we'll check out. And then there is Cenote Azul which is a small, deep lake with underwater swimming. We are looking at renting a villa right on the lagoon, and I'll keep you posted on that adventure. It's a quiet eco nature spot, and just up our alley.
In between I am meeting up with our managers, and I've hired a professional photographer who is the Airbnb designated photographer for the area to take new photos of the condos we represent. Despite Allan's whoopty-doo camera equipment, it's just too big of a job. He'll help me stage the condos which in itself a job. Since we've got a number of condos and villas, the guy gave me a fantastic deal on his rate. He even offered to photograph one of our condos for an exchange of a 2 night stay. Sign me up!
We've enjoyed amazing weather so far, but today is rainy. So because of it, I'm writing this blog that you feel obligated to read. Sorry about that. Maybe the sun will come out and you'll be rescued from me.
In the meantime, we are eternally grateful to be here; we miss not having the kids or friends with us, but Allan is SO lucky to have me all to himself. Heh heh. What a lucky guy. OK I guess I lucked in too.
Just got off my cell phone with Mom; always need to check in with her to make sure she's staying out of trouble. Or hmm, is it the other way around? Our gal Rory is taking her out shopping today so she was pretty upbeat about that.
So I will bid you adieu. Or hasta la vista which means, till next time. Arnold Schwarzenegger's famous phrase. If you feel inclined, you can leave a message on the blog. 😊 I won't be annoying by sending you photos. OK maybe just 1...2...3...now that's it, I told you I'm not sending you any photos. 😉
Signing off for now. Work is calling; I'm not answering. Told them it was the wrong number. HEH HEH.
Abrazos (Hugs)
Sal and the guy sitting next to me.
PS if there are typos or grammar issues, please send a text to my assistant. OK I'm the assistant & I'm currently not available, so pretend there are no errors.
xo
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Home and Away
Bob Carlsen
Welcome back after all these months!
My son and daughter in law will have their honeymoon near Tulum at the end of Nov/early Dec. Not sure where they are staying, but it is expensive!