Deborah
and I are off on a Winter Escape.
Our basement suite renters are keeping an eye on the house, and Melanie
& Stuart are taking care of Abby the Cat. We are leaving the rain, sleet, ice storms, and snow for the
sunny climes of southern Mexico.
We don’t have a firm itinerary but intend to combine warm beach visits
with cultural interludes in Mexico’s many historic towns and cities. We think we will be in the sun for at
least six weeks.
We
began our travel day early with a taxi ride from home to catch the Westcoast
Express train in Mission. An hour
later we were on the Skytrain in Vancouver for a quick stop over to visit Holly
and grandson Nash. From there we
hopped a cab to the airport.
We
encountered our first interesting bit of intrigue at the airport. Deborah had acquired some fancy new credit
cards complete with lots of shiny bits and silver trim. Rumour had it these new cards would get
us into the Maple Leaf Lounge so we could wile away our waiting hours before
boarding eating, drinking and lounge chair relaxing for free. Our hopes were temporarily dashed when
the check-in attendant told us the card wouldn’t work for the lounge because we
weren’t flying on points. Undaunted
we gave the lounge a try regardless. We simply presented ourselves like we
assumed we would gain entry. The gatekeeper
took the card information and entered into her computer. She was a little embarrassed when the
computer wouldn’t accept the info.
She tried again. She was
flustered and was clearly feeling sorry for keeping us waiting. Deborah said, “its you and not us …
correct?”. The gatekeeper assured
us it was a computer problem and waved us in (but kept the boarding pass). Eventually she found us in the lounge but
had already tucked into a free meal.
She apologized and explained to us that in fact, we were not eligible
for entry. Deborah has limited
entry status but none for me. She apologized
for the policy and explained that for this time only, … we could stay.
We
enjoyed a quick five-hour, non-stop flight and watching the sunset somewhere
over southern Texas. We flew Air
Rouge. I know, previous blog posts
had me swearing we would never fly Rouge again. Their minimalist service is not something to brag
about. BUT the two of us flew non-stop
from Vancouver to Mexico City for less than $600 all in. We couldn’t give it a miss. We were prepared this time with the
Rouge Entertainment app on our cell phones and Ipad. Without your own devices and appropriate apps, Rouge
provides NO entertainment.
We
arrived in Mexico City and spent the overnight in a nearby Aeropuerto Fiesta
airport hotel.
The
next morning we caught our 11 am Aeromar flight and arrived in Puerto Escondido
at 12:30. Sister Rita and Mike
were there to pick us up and whisked us away to our home for the next two
weeks, Sandoyo B&B. Tony, the
owner, is originally from Saltspring Island in B.C. but lives in Puerto year
round. Cooked breakfast is
included and we are the only guests here.
There is a beautiful pool for lounging and is only three blocks from the
beach and two from the main restaurant area.
I
see a routine developing quickly. Morning
walks, pool time, beaches in the afternoon, sunset cocktails, followed by
eating in the many fine restaurants Puerto has to offer.
