Birthday shenanigans, start as I mean to go on...

So, the day is finally here.... I wake up and yes.. I am 40! Lots of lovely Facebook messages, texts and a few calls make the morning special. Breakfast is lovely, a great buffet and I always love an omelette. I fill up on food and decide to let it settle, take a walk round and then go for a run. Now for those who know me, I don't run.... But beaches can be the only exception... Rare exception!! There is something about the sand and ocean that blocks out my natural aversion to running...

So in Cocobay there are three beaches, all making up a really nice running circuit which is beautiful and scenic and probably about 5k all told. It takes about 45 minutes to run altogether. After my run I take it easy on the beach, go for a swim and enjoy relaxing for a while. Lunch is a buffet as well, so I fill up on more fish and lovely food. Cocobay resort is really lovely, beautiful location but there isn't much to do in the resort itself, and watersports you have to pay for such as sea kayak, jet ski, hobie cat etc. so it doesn't have as much on offer as other all inclusives.

It is soon time to head to English Harbour to meet up with Gareth and go for birthday drinks. It takes about 45minutes to get there, I meet Gareth in Skullduggery and a few other familiar faces and have brought the free champagne and beer from my room to start the evening off. The classic yacht regatta is on and so the harbour is packed with people, and there are some really beautiful boats around.

We go to pick up the tender "baby box" as it's knows, which is blocked in by a sea of other tenders of all sizes from all the nearby boats, and we then start to manoeuvre our way out. At this point we realise the tender isn't exactly overly inflated.... It's tiny and with 4 of us on board it's struggling a bit, so it's a slow journey trying to stay dry on the way to EH01. But we finally make it safe and sound and get on board.

I wait while the guys get themselves organised, and crack open the free champers. It's nice to be back on EH01 for my birthday, I've spent so much time on her it's a bit like a home away from home. Gareth gets the tender inflated again and we head back to the Yacht Club for the classic regatta party, there is a live band, lots of people and free rum punch!

Gareth speaks to the band and they do a shout out for me for my birthday, lots of fun is had with singing and dancing. All together it was a fun way to see in my 40s!!!

 

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Back on the road again....

So, after a brief little stop back home catching up with friends, going to the grand national for my birthday with my family and closest friends, catching up with work colleagues, 2 interviews, then a little visit to the Netherlands and a birthday dinner in Hoxton(a crammed 2 weeks!) I'm all set to leave again for my final adventure.... Antigua and sailing week, oh yes.... And turning 40! Ironically this was the first thing I booked and is the last thing I am doing.

The flight from Gatwick with British Airways is 10.45, so not too bad and I decided to drive down to make life a bit easier hopefully. First mistake, leaving at the crack of dawn, somehow I thought it was Friday and was expecting hideous rush hour traffic, and then hit the motorway and realised it was actually Saturday and everyone is still in bed! Oh well, a nice smooth drive down to the airport at least. And the sun is finally shining, it's a really gorgeous day, so happy, I'm wearing flip flops again!

It is a breeze getting through, and sadly no free upgrades for me for my birthday... Not really wanting to pay £400 for a bed when it's a day time flight! It was amusing being offered to pay £100 to upgrade to the class I was already in though... Hmm! I may have over packed a little for the trip, but sure I will wear everything and if not I'm sure that Gareth at least will make use of a dress of two during race week!

At the airport I run into someone I haven't seen for a good few years who used to work for me, small world as always... I do a little shopping, although Gatwick to be honest isn't great, and grab a drink and wait for my flight. The flight flies by really, a few films, great food, a few drinks and before I know it I'm in Antigua and heading to Cocobay Resort.

I arrive to be greeted with rum punch, very nice.... Settle in to my room which is lovely, lovely big bed, balcony with fabulous sea view, my own hammock, have a quick power nap and then head to dinner. I should mention that it is torrential rain at this point so I actually head to dinner in my sailing jacket. Not sure it meets the casual elegance dress code though!!!

Now I knew when I booked that this was a bit couple orientated... What all inclusives isn't.... But when I sit down, the waitress immediately pours out 2 waters! I explain I am dining alone, and a sad and shocked look crosses her face as if I had just declared I am dying of cancer or something!

So for dinner you get a 4 course menu, starter, soup, main and desert. I'm not too hungry so opt for just the main course. You can also go off "all inclusive" and pay extra for the good stuff.. Lobster, steak, and the like. Personally, I like the normal options. Fish it is, and it's delicious with a nice wine. I'm pretty impressed with the quality of the food, and chocolate melting pudding for desert... Lovely! I'm pretty exhausted by this point so a good nights sleep is in order, if I was in the UK I would be 40 now... But I'm not, I'm still 39 so making the most of it.....

 

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Going back to Blighty

So time to say farewell to Mexico, and head back to the UK.... Thankfully, it's only a short stopover for now and I'm not expected to go back to reality just yet... All the same, it's strange to think I will soon be seeing family and friends again after what feels like such a long time.

 

We get to the airport in Cancun and I start to look for the flight... A mild panic sets in when I can't see it. There is no 14.15 flight listed to Miami, only 12.15 and it is 12.00.... I start to freak out a little thinking the time is wrong on my iPhone and didn't take into account the time difference and struggle to find someone to reassure me. The staff are not exactly what you would call helpful or understanding of the dilemma, but thankfully the panic is only for 5 minutes when I find out there is a 14.15 flight after all...! Phew....

 

The journey is pretty straight forward, AA to Miami, Miami to London on BA back to the fabulous terminal 5. Last minute duty free shopping, and we are good to go. I get back and am greeted by my parents at the airport, it's lovely to see them and ridiculously freezing. Flip flops might not have been the best choice! I pick up my car and then drive in a blizzard back to my house, and spend the next 24hrs working on getting it to a temperature that I can live in without 2 fleeces and a blanket, or wearing everything I own! Welcome home...!

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Final day

And so the last day arrives and the packing up starts, one final workout and then we head to meet up with our instructor for hobby cat sailing and snorkelling. We get there promptly, and we wait.... and wait..... and wait, all the time being told 15 minutes, and then watching the guy who sold us this adventure walk further down the beach on his mobile!! About an hour late, the guy finally turns up.

We then head out and I soon get the feeling that this is our driver, rather than instructor! So I leave it and just ask a few question, how do you steer, how do you tack, and gybe. We get to our snorkelling spot and are given the gear. Jumping in and heading towards the reef. Sadly the gear is a bit of a pain, the snorkelling keeps slipping and needs constant adjustment but I won't let that get me down. It's hard work swimming, and the reef is quotes shallow in parts. At times I swim and suddenly realise my foot is on the reef, and that I'm now caught in a shallow area wondering how to get out... I look up and see the someone waving "come here, look at this" that's all well and good but I'm stuck now in this reef!!!

Repeat this process about 8 times in an hour and that's about my experience really, lots of pretty fish but I think having been to the great barrier reef that this particular area doesn't compare! But it's fun, and the sailing is good. I learn how to get myself back into the hobby cat without assistance which is an event in itself really! Not the most dignified of performances but funny.

Then we head back, and I insist on taking the helm.... Let's just say, on the way back the ride is slightly more bumpy than on the way there, but it is fun and I enjoy it... Although I can see that sometimes the instructor (for want of a better word) is actually pushing the rudder where he wants it, but eventually as I get the hang of things that is less and less.

By the time we are back im starving so back to Zenzi again and this time we tuck into the nachos we have been seeing all week, and not disappointed one bit they are fab and filling! A couple more piña coladas and we are happy as Larry!

After finishing up, we head back to the hotel to pack what we can praying we don't need more bags! And then decide that out last meal will be back at Dialblito's. Tomorrow it's back to the UK for a brief pit stop and birthday party before my final adventure back in Antigua.... Turning 40!!!

 

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Easter Monday

So fully recovered, I'm ready for the next cultural exploration with "Easy Tours". As always they are 20 minutes early, and apparently it's our fault people are waiting around! Not a great start. Thankfully, Helen is quick getting back from Starbucks with breakfast and we soon head off... Still 15 minutes early so not really sure what the issue is.

Tulum is not too far which is good, about an hour to get there and meet our guide. This is where we find out the group is Dutch and English, so half the time the guide is speaking Dutch, the other half English. The guide is also not exactly the most personable, quite aggressive. Everytime he finishes speaking English he basically tells us to move on... It's hard to hear him and we don't seem to be getting much information so there is a sad moment when both Helen and I switch off! Tulum is beautiful and scenic, nicely set against the ocean it's just a shame our guide is not great... We actually end up trying to listen in to other guides to see if they are better!

It's almost a relief when we get our own free time to explore and can walk round. That's when I see the attack of the killer gecko, a small child sitting on the floor eating a peanut butter sandwich (well I assume that really as they are Amercian), and all of a sudden a gecko comes charging across the floor up to the child. Luckily the father steps in between and rescues the child. However, the surprise is then the dad takes the sandwich off the child and starts to feed the gecko... What is wrong with these people!!! I swiftly move away....

After a few classic touristy shots, we then get to paradise beach. It's gorgeous, and the water amazing, perfect to swim in I am sad we will only have an hour here. It's nice to walk up the long stretch of beach and relax in the sunshine, and I could swim here forever the water is so lovely and warm, flat and clear. But sadly the hour ends too quickly and we head back. Once again, frustrated that the driver is saying everyone is waiting. He said 12.50 and it's 12.49, so if they are waiting that is there problem for not making the most of the beautiful beach and time we had there.... Whereas we made use of every second!!! I'm starting to wonder what the easy in easy tours stands for because it certainly isn't easy going! Sadly they seem to have a monopoly on tours in the area.

We get back to the hotel and head to Zenzi bar, grab a sun lounger and order food and decide its time to have a few cocktails... Piña colada here we come! Food as always, amazing I have tuna which is pretty much fresh off the boat and tastes divine. We sit back, relax, enjoy the afternoon sunshine and long around with cocktails... Well in a few days we will be freezing in the UK so best make the most of it!

In the evening we head to another hotel recomendation Diablito Cha cha cha, and it's a fabulous find of 50s chic, with Asian fusion menu... The food is by far the best we have had so far, and the settling is lovely, we have eaten so well in Mexico which is a real surprise, I'm pretty impressed I have to say!

After dinner we head across the street to a bar for a quick drink, its not exactly party night as its monday and this particular place has about 10 times more staff than customers, but the first drink is free so who are we to turn it down! We sit quietly drinking and notice in the corner of our eyes a couple dancing, they stand out because well no one is dancing, but everyone is staring. Its not the best dancing I've seen, but they seem to be enjoying it.... what the real surprise is during the chorus the guy suddenly starts breakdancing to riders on the storm.... To say the bar is gob smacked would be an understatement, he does it again!

It's at this point all the iPhones come out and whilst I at least attempt to subtly video this event, some are just blatantly pointing the phone at the guy as he does it again and again. It is hysterical.... But basically our queue to leave this establishment!

 

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Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday, well it was definitely a day of rest after a late night/early morning finish! Altogether a rather uneventful day that involved lying on the beach for a while, and pizza, pasta night at a local Italian. Wood fired pizza, with leftovers taken home for later!

I wish I had more to say... But sadly, I assumed the recovery position and had an early night ready to see what lies at Tulum and bracing myself for another Easy Tour experience!!!

 

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Easter Saturday

So after a brief but interesting pool party experience, we are actually not feeling too bad the next morning so after another good workout we head to find another beach club to try out. This time we head to Zenzi bar, the food is amazing although sadly the service is slow... Although to their credit they do tell us they are having issues so not too bad I guess.

Helen orders ceviche which is amazing, to be honest it looks a lot better than the ceviche I had in Peru. The food is delicious, and we also get to grab a sun lounger after as well. After yet more relaxing we take a walk to find some stuff to do for the rest of the holiday... Well basically I want to sail, and I know there are hobbie cats here so we wander around and find a good tour guy on the beach, well at least we hope he is!!

We sign up for a special deal 1/2 day express tourism to Tulum ending up on Paradise beach, then 2hrs sailing and snorkelling. Perfect, we keep going down on price till basically we get a price we are happy with. It's the only way to book these things, just keep getting them to knock down the price or go somewhere else. Personally as long as you don't feel ripped off, it's all good and I think we got a good deal really.

Satisfied that our days are happily filled, we head back to get ready for a night on the town. On route I book us up in a lovely restaurant Mosquito Blue, now yes that is the same chain as Mosquito beach, but I'm just hoping the service is better. Luckily it seems to be even just booking the table, so I'm hopeful we will have a good evening.

Dinner is divine to be honest, and perfect really. Mosquito Blue is Italian, so I have a lovely Parma ham starter and blue cod main course which just melts in the mouth and not too heavy. A quick drink in the hotel, then it's off to La , tonight DJ m.a.n.d.y is playing and Helen and I are keen to hear him, mainly because we saw him last year for my birthday and it was a good night so just trying to relive the memories. Also, seeing as every night we hear the club music it's about time we went to see what all the fuss is about!

We stroll in, waiting to be asked to pay the cover charge, nothing.... We head up to the terrace which is really lovely open bar area, the music is good and its a good crowd gathering although still quite early. I head out to find out what time Mandy is playing, to which not even the staff know... But it sounds like 2am ish, so it's going to be a long night...

We get talking to various characters in the bar, most of whom seem to be Mexican, this is a pretty popular spot for Mexicans on holidays and with spring break it's pretty busy, most people say that about 70-80% roughly would be Latin American rather than American or European coming here which is quite interesting. There are a lot of locals too just finishing work and heading for drinks, in fact as we wander round we basically meet everyone who works at the hotel... With a surprisingly warm welcome, we now seem to be flavour of the month!!! All of a sudden we became cool!!!

One of the best moments had to be Helen approaching the DJ box, "Where's Phil? When is he playing?" like he's he bessie.... "Errr he's just coming, will be on in 20mins..." , then when Phil AKA M.A.N.D.Y comes up its "Phil, when are you playing, we have been waiting all night and only came here to see you" .... "emm, just coming on now, I will do my best " ... Well thats good to know!!

It was a really great night, a funny moment when someone introduced themselves by singing Abba.... Well I guess if your name is Fernando what else would you do!!! At least as we head to bed the music will no longer be playing... except of course the ringing in our ears.

 

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Good Friday... Pool party!!

So after the long day to Chichen Itza, today is all about the hotel pool party!! So shortly after breakfast we hit the gym for a good workout, now I know holidays are for relaxing but to be honest it's actually nice to get some exercise! The gym is quite nice and we get 50% off the day rate so it doesn't actually cost much.

After the workout we have a walk down the beach and look for a nice place to settle for lunch, the hotel gives vouchers for various places one of which is Mosquito Beach, a really lovely looking place and the food looks ok. Playa del Carmen is all beach clubs with lounges, umbrellas and table service, cocktails on the beach and everyone trying to look their best!

The food is nice, smoked salmon bagel, well it is actually 3 mini bagels and very filling but just what is needed really. It is then that we spot a few empty loungers that have been vacant a while and bring out the voucher... This is when we are very quickly dismissed and told they are all taken!! It doesn't look like it, but I guess they are waiting for someone to pay them the 300 peso!! I'm not overly impressed with the service at this particular place, it seems pretty pretentious.

So instead we settle on the beach, who needs a sun lounger, and as for the umbrella... Well to be honest, it's not ridiculously hot. Probably mid 20s at best with some cloud cover, so I think we should be fine. After a relaxing afternoon on the beach we head back to the hotel where the pool party has started...

It feels a bit more like all the friends of the people working in the hotel came for a party, there are a couple of people in the pool who look like they are freezing... It's not really hot, and the sun basically is shaded from the bar and pool area from about 4pm onwards. But people are having a good time, the music is good so we grab a drink at the bar and then head in to change.

We head to Cocina Mexicana for dinner, where the guacamole is amazing and food is lovely, it's a bit of a romantic setting to be honest for myself and Helen, and then we notice the place is like a cat sanctuary with lots of cats all running around the place.

The Pool party is in full swing when we get back, so we join in the drinks and start to be a bit adventurous with the cocktails. I think the staff are sort of warming to us, but who knows.. These are the times I wish I had got further through my Rosetta stone before going away! Note to self when home, finish learning Spanish! I may have to start randomly calling Jayne (my only spanish speaking friend) to have a conversation in Spanish when I get back!!! ...

Well the chocolate martini is to die for.... Who needs desert! Then we get free absolute vodka, mixed with apple and cucumber which is just delicious, and i think the bar staff see us wavering so throw in some free tequila shots.... There is a moment when we find out Paul van dyk is playing and are nearly tempted to party but to be honest after seeing him at Ultra Festival bed seems a better option! Plus we have a big night out planned tomorrow.

 

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Chichen Itza... Easy tours

Have to say I'm glad for the ridiculously long sleep and am up and raring to go for the 7.30am pickup and day trip to Chichen Itza. Sadly the hotel breakfast isn't till 8am, so we head to the nearest place for take out breakfast.... Maybe muesli and milk wasn't the best choice!! And didn't help that we were given forks to eat with. Thankfully, the nearby shop had spoons, our tour agent ran to get them as they turned up 30minutes early and we had to run out of the restaurant with our food.

It comes as a bit of a shock when we get on a huge coach, having been sold a tour for 12 people in a mini van 50 people on a coach is a bit different. The next hour is spent rafting around the general area picking up more and more people till the bus is full. We then head straight to Chichen Itza, where the next surprise is that the 2 hrs to Chichen Itza is actually more like 4 with all the messing around. We get there at midday!! You could probably get there in 2 hrs as its 140km away, but not on this tour!

Chichen Itza doesn't have any limit on number of tourists like Machu Picchu, so it's swamped... I think they mentioned that since its become one of the new 7 wonders we are talking 8000 people a day, maybe more on the March and September solstice days when the serpent can be seen ascending and descending the pyramid. Our tour guide is like someone from the Texas military... marching us into the park.

It's really interesting though and surprising about the history of the place, we get 2 hours to look around which is about enough, you could probably do a bit more but it's enough to get the information you need and some good pics. Our guide has all the advice on photos, squashing the pyramid, holding the pyramid in your hand, with your finger and so on.... We could be there all day as he shows how to do photo art of Chichen Itza.

The place is a bit spoilt with the endless row upon row of stalls all selling the same souvenirs it's actually a bit oppressive the volume of stalls actually in the place itself. "Hey lady, best price, cheaper than my ugly neighbour" is all I hear them say... After Chichen Itza we head for a really nice buffet lunch included in the tour, with some traditional Mexican dancers.... I am just amazed at how they keep the beer bottle on their heads as they spin round and round... Skilful!!

Next stop is Cenotes a pool with vines hanging in a cave, that's the best I can really do to describe it really. There are miles of underwater caves in the area apparently this is just one place. It's lovely, and the water is so nice to swim in after a hot day walking around. Refreshing!!! Sadly we are rushed here, only 1 hour we could have done with 2.... Next stop is a Mayan village, basically here we are just brought to shop... But get a taste of a traditional Mayan drink and some quite nice tequila. Anyway, after trying on poncho's, sombreros and various other fun we buy a little bottle of the Mayan drink, bit like sambuca but much nicer and easier to drink!!!

Sadly, we aren't warned that it's another 3 hours before we get back so we don't eat.... 9pm we get back starving...! Again, a surprise as we were told back at 6.30pm. I would say if you book anything in Mexico make sure you shop around a lot, we had a great day but the frustration is that we weren't told what we were getting! So needless to say, no plans to use that tour agent again in a hurry.

Luckily there is a great restaurant directly under our hotel Di Vino, so we head there for a late dinner. The food is delicious, I order grouper and Helen has the lasagne, and I can't resist the tiramisu which was divine. They have wifi too, always a plus..! Although we couldn't connect, a common problem in popular places. It's not the cheapest place, but food and service is really good so worth it really.

 

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Playa del Carmen

So after the thrill of last nights shopping craziness, in the cold light of day, when the caprioska's wore off the items weren't quite as appealing!! Thank goodness for deciding on cooling off....

Breakfast is included in the hotel and pretty basic, but after the huge buffets of Miami it's nice to have a light breakfast. After breakfast we head out to find the gym, we get 50% off a day pass and a day costs about £4 so I am actually really keen to have a workout, days are so relaxing I need something to wear me out!! The gym is really good, even if the staff aren't the friendliest on the planet!

After that we book up our day trip to Chichen Itza and head for a lovely lunch at Cocina Mexicana, and have a chicken lasagna made with tortilla chips instead of pasta... Delicious! We then take a wander round, down to the beach and have a look at Playa del Carmen and what there is to do. It's pretty cloudy today, and the beach is not too crowded but still quite a few people around as it's Easter holidays or Spring Break as the Americans call it....

It's a chilled day really, nothing too strenuous... I'm pretty shattered after the gym this morning exercise is definitely a bit of a shock to the system so I hate to say that my 7pm power nap turns into sleep!

 

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Mexico here we come....

So it's checkout time at the Shore Club, and this is when you find out about all the ridiculous taxes, we have 3 types of tax added to the quoted price for the room which bumps up the charges massively. What is wrong with the US, same yesterday in the shops.... Just quote the full price to pay and show the tax on the receipt, don't quote the before tax amount only ... then we don't all have to get a bloody calculator out to work out what you need us to pay and if we can afford it. It's these little annoyances that just make you feel like never coming back!

Thankfully though we are leaving.... So it's off to the airport, we head to checkin with American and this is when Helen gets a shock that her bags are over weight, it's all in pounds which is confusing as well. 10lbs over and it's $10 per pound charge. I have to pay for an extra bag but that is only $40, and to be honest as I have pretty much got away with it to now on all my flights I'm not that upset to pay it. Helen creates her additional hand luggage out of a spare bag of mine and we make our way through customs.

The flight is 2hrs and you get a drink, just soft drinks are free the rest you pay and no food or anything else. Thankfully we had bought lunch which was lovely (my advice to do that because the food on American airlines i don't think should actually be classified as food, it's bloody awful, every flight I have ever had with them it's been the worst food of any airline and I have flown with many!!). We arrive in Mexico and its nice to feel some warmth, its still a bit cloudy here but warmer by far from Miami.

It takes us about 45minutes to get to Playa Del Carmen, driving in you see the huge all inclusive hotels and the usual street setup with the electricity wires overhead and small sprawling houses, typical of this sort of place and like Central America, Caribbean really. Our reception in the hotel is really great, the place is lovely and we find we have been upgraded due to a mishap with out booking and have a balcony room.

The room is nice, very white, really lovely. More blackout blinds and sound proofing!! We are given out vouchers for various places to eat, drink etc. and told about the pool party on Friday and the like. After unpacking we head to our pool bar for a drink, maybe two... And the to Mi Pueblo for some food. This is we're we discover just how hot the Mexican food is, and it is hot!

We have learnt from Miami too, big portions so from now on we are sharing. Shared started and main, we have shrimp and lobster, it was lovely. I love the little warm bags the flour tortillas come in, they are quilted like a blanket. I think the drink goes to Helen's head a little as after dinner we seem to embark on a crazy shopping spree, so to save her from buying everything from sunglasses, to bags and shoes made out of crocodile I advise a cooling off period. We get them to put the items on hold on the promise to return tomorrow (none alcohol fuelled) and check she still likes them.

I think Helen is a little over excited with the range of shops in the area... To be honest there are bargains to be made especially with the fact that every 50m there is a sunglasses shop! There are so many shops with sales people trying to draw you in though that 5th Ave is a little frustrating to walk down. It's very Americanised here, but then that is the main tourist attracted and tourism is 90% of employment here too so they are all after your money in one way or another.

 

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Back to the future

So, it's my final day in Miami and tomorrow will be winging my way to Ol' Me Hi Co..... As they say. So what better way to spend the day than shopping!! The plan was a little shop and then pool, but ended up a lot of shopping. In the morning too I checked emails and to my surprise was sent through an excellent job, after speaking with the recruiter I was happy I wanted to apply so started to gather my application together, getting a copy of my CV and requesting references etc. the usual.

This was enough to drag me back to the reality that I could end up working on the 6th May!!!! To be honest, it's not a bad thought I have had such an amazing time I think I'm ready to take all my energy now and aim to balance my work life and pleasures. I have found new things I enjoy, and had amazing adventures, and now that the pace is slowing dramatically towards the end of this adventure I'm getting... How can I say it... a little bored.... and craving some excitement or something new.

Anyway, back to shopping.... We head to Aventura Mall just out of town about 35 minutes. All the malls are pretty much out of town, this has , Macies and the big department stores and designer shops. Not as crazy high end as some of the others, just nice, plus some sales are on so we are seeking a few bargains if we can. Of course there are UK stores here, but best to avoid them... I didn't come to Miami to buy All Saints or Ted Baker!

I am specifically looking for a dress for the Grand National on the 6th April, and any accessories to go with it. After a good few hours I end up with 4 dresses and a top! All bargains, except the national dress but it's gorgeous and by the same designer of the dress I wore last year too so I love it. The rest of the day is just chilled, dinner and a nice bottle of red ... Very civilised! Followed by packing.... Luckily it all fits although I do have to borrow space in Helen's case for my dresses as they don't go well in a back pack!

I'm looking forward to leaving Miami, the weather hasn't been great here and I'm not overly enamoured with the place to be honest.

 

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Ultra again... Gotta love Ferry!!!

So, we get a leisurely late breakfast in the room and start to get ready for round 2 of ultra, very slowly, and I have to say its not with the same excitement as the first day knowing what it's going to be like this time! So the whole process is pretty slow, and eventually we drag ourselves out of the sanctuary of the hotel into a cab downtown. Helen is suffering the after affects of too much red bull!!! We have a bite to eat, and bottle of red wine to relax into the evening. The food is ridiculously huge portions, stodgy and fattening.... Neither of us can finish it, I feel like I ate a brick so dancing it off is the only option.

We head in and have a walk around to find a good place to get started, we arrive just for the end of Above and Beyond and then walk round to find Mark Knight, it's a difficult task because they have changed the names of the arenas today and the signs are for the old ones!!! Nice move. Eventually we find it and at least it helped walk off the food, the music is great and not as crowded as the live stage and Snoop Dog!

We have to make a sharp exit to catch the end of Seth Troxler, he plays good tunes but looks a bit distraught... The mixing isn't great, he is using vinyl which is a surprise and sounds like the needle has gone! He also keeps disappearing. Next stop Ferry Corsten.... The highlight of the night to be honest, we walk in to "rock your body" and some all time classic trance hits... You can't not enjoy it!!! Then PVD comes on, have to say its not a great start, and with only and hour left of the festival we head to see Swedish House Mafias final performance... The main stage is completely impossible to get near so we stand we're we can, but because of the sound control it's not great if you aren't up close to the stage... I guess that's the trade off when it's such a small venue!

All done, we head home.... To be honest, I'm quite glad it's over. I enjoyed it, but will never go again and at this point not even sure I like Miami that much! But think I haven't seen enough to make a final decision....

 

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Ultra Festival....

So it's the second day of the festival when we join in and we have a hearty breakfast to keep us going, and start to get ready. Having seen what people are wearing I'm pretty much shorts and T-shirt.... The hotel is really lovely, not cheap though and automatic 18% service charge on everything...!!! The breakfast area is by the pool, and really relaxing.

Mark Graham comes to meet us for breakfast as it turns out he is in town on business, so it's lovely to catch up with him over coffee (tea for me and H) and find out what's going on, I leave him with Helen and head for a pedicure. After Machu Picchu my feet are crying out for some pampering and turns out I get 90 minutes of it..... They come away softer than they have ever been in my life, so all pretty and new time to dance the night away!

We head to ultra in the afternoon, a quick Mojito first in Bayside and then we go in. First we have to find the entrance, we follow the crowd but its weird, either loads of people don't have tickets or just want to hang around outside the venue... Blocking the entrance!!! You have to fight your way though the loiterers to get in. The place isn't huge, but it's crowded and difficult to get around as most of it only has one route to it, it's not very open so as a result everyone is rammed into the same small paths... It makes it slow going between sets. The main stage is absolutely packed with people.

There are about 6-7 stages, quite close to each other but they do really well containing the sound to each arena it has to be said considering the close proximity. Of that I am impressed.... Looking around I'm shocked at the age range, it looks like a teenagers party... Everyone seems to be about 14-18. We decide to get a drink and when we go to order are advised we need to queue to get a wrist band and show ID!!!! ID.... I didn't bring any, neither did Helen.

So we go to the wrist band man and he says ID please, I start to explain we don't have any as didn't want to bring passports where they likely to be stolen... Helen calls out, "I'm 40" at which point all the kids (younger than her students I would say) all turn round and stare.... hilarious, shades on we look away but the man really doesn't care and gives us a wrist band anyway saying its not his problem... !!!

We head to the Carl Cox arena, and watch Cirez D who was pretty damn good and we have a fun time. We spot the only person older than us, a guy with a grey beard, large purple hat and a T-shirt that says Stay Calm and Rave On!!! Every now and then we turn round to a huge Utlra festival camera right in our faces filming.... I am praying we don't make the cut!

After Cirez D we head to the main stage, catching the end of Benny Bennasi and then a bit of cheesy fun with Fat Boy Slim. It's ridiculously crowded, my shades keep steaming up, and I'm wedged in between a bunch of 18 year old Mexicans who have found a new use for the platypus!!! And filled it with tequila.... Ah, so now I understand why everyone here has a platypus on their back... What ever happened to bottles! Anyway, despite the pushing, shoving and general ignorance of the crowd we make it through in one piece unscathed and still smiling.

Next stop Carl Cox, he plays really well as always and by this time we are a bit full on vodka red bull and were topped up with platypus tequila!! Still, the crowd are really not very friendly and the atmosphere not great. Music and line up pretty great 8 or 9 out of 10, but American teenage crowd... 3 - 4 out of 10 and the oh so important toilets are nearly the worst I have seen! So in terms of value for money... Hmmm! How they can call it best international festival I really don't know. But that's just one opinion, given that most Americans never leave their own country I don't think they would ever know any different!

We leave and head back, meet up with Marky for a quick drink at the end of the day and then crash for the night. Apparently P Diddy is having a party on "star island" starting at 4am, but who can be bothered with that! Last time I saw him partying he spent the whole night blowing a very annoying trumpet... So no thanks... Will give it a miss!

 

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Miami baby.....

So I arrive in Miami and have to say it is instantly a culture shock from the ease of pace in South America and the Caribbean. So much traffic, and noise... It's sensory overload. I head to the hotel, the Shore Club in Miami South Beach and get checked in. So far no major drama's, it's only $21 on the airport shuttle, and it's and easy enough journey.

Arriving in South beach it's about 4pm and the streets are already packed with festival goers, and people ready for a night out all dressed up. Never seen so much luminous clothing in my life.... I say clothing, (and I know I will sound like someone's mum saying this) but its barely anything, I have never seen silver hot pants so small in my life, just enough material for them not to be called a thong and matched with a tiny bikini top... I thought Liverpool girls wore next to nothing, but this is obscene.... Girls of all shapes and sizes in the same day glow outfits... It really has to be seen to be believed. A lady in the cab was basically questioning if they were call girls!!

Checked in and away from the craziness outside I head to the room which is lovely, sound proofed, with beach view ... Although that may be a bit of a stretch, you can see it just about in the distance from where we are, now I can in pack and wait for the arrival of Helen!!!

Sadly, her flight is delayed aircon and engine problems which is not good, so it turns out she won't arrive until the morning now so plans for Ultra festival this evening are scuppered as she has the tickets!! But I am quite happy just to relax for the evening, room service and a movie and plenty of rest.

She finally arrives at about 6am, we catch up and I hear all the drama of the delays, being upgraded to business class and running into ex-students!!!! Time to rest a bit as we have a long night ahead with Ultra festival so a bit more sleep and then breakfast.

 

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Sad goodbyes, farewell Peru

And so we fly back to Lima, and back to the hotel where it all started in the Antigua Miraflores. We get settled back in and arrange to have dinner at 6ish. I am keen to try ceviche, so think that is a must before I leave. Yuri knows a good place, just over the road... Literally... so it's off to get unpacked and ready for a night out in Lima.

Dinner is delicious, although I think I accidentally ordered two main courses. The ceviche came out and was a huge plate of raw fish.. I knew that was what ceviche was but wasn't expecting the volume, but persevere as best I can through what feels like 1kg of raw fish!!!! The duck ragout pasta to follow is huge too, but delicious. And we get complimentary deserts just in case we weren't already full!!!! It's time to say our farewell speeches as this is the last time we will all be together, it gets a bit emotional and there are some tears. But it has been a real journey for all of us I think, and everyone has had their own unique and amazing experience as a result.

Tears over, I am glad to walk off dinner, and we head to The Old Pub for Pisco, saying goodbye to Curtis and Rachel on the way. Here we catch up with our Inca Trail buddies and the night descends into drinks, catching up and dancing... Thankfully the bars shut early here so it's not a late one, but yet again a good night out with everyone and more sad goodbyes as we all go our separate ways, some home and some to new places to travel.

It's really just taking it easy in Lima from this point and making the most of the downtime, there are some Pre-inca sites to visit and the ocean is lovely for walking and relaxing, I'm happy at this point to take it easy as my next stop is Miami, which will be anything but relaxed and probably a bit of a culture shock after South America and its laid back style of living. I am so excited that Helen my bessie will be coming to join me from now on, a partner in crime to enjoy the last few weeks of my adventure.... I can't say I have ever been lonely on this trip, in fact at times I have craved sanctuary of my own company, but to see such a good friend now is just perfect for me... I wish they were all coming!! I miss my family and friends very much and am looking forward to seeing them all on the 6th April for a big celebration and some horse racing shenanigans in Liverpool... Thankfully I won't be tango'd like the rest of them ... Lol !!!

 

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Lake Titcaca and it's islands

Another 7am start for a full day today, lots on the agenda as we experience 2 completely unique cultures with their own language and traditional way of living in modern Peru. We start the day with a quick tuk tuk ride down to the port at Lake Titikaka to catch our speed boat, well more motor than speed we aren't exactly tearing around but it's a nice leisurely ride out to Taquile island for our first stop.

Taquile island has its own community, and they speak the inca language of kethchewan. The men here all knit, you can see them walking around with their needles, these are made from the spokes of bicycles apparently. The women weave, and their is a belt that has been protected under unesco apparently which is their calendar belt showing the 12 months and their significance in harvesting. You can also tell the marital status of everyone by the hat they wear, each colour for married, or single, they even have living together...! The island is so picturesque, with the lake visible from the main square. The knit wear is of course irresistible for shopping... I have to get at least one piece!

We head up for lunch, rainbow trout and the food as ever in Peru is divine... Then we finish up And head back to the boat, despite the altitude it is scorching hot today. Our next stop is Uros, the floating islands and the people who live there!! I have at this point no idea what is in store and am amazed when I arrive.

So basically the island is made of reeds, kind of... Layers upon layers of reeds all held together onto one small island, and it is small and anchored so it doesn't literally float away. One family lives here, about 15 or so people men, women, and children. They even have solar panels and TV's, I am amazed at what has been achieved here to mix traditional culture with modern needs. The children are great fun running around, taking us to show the houses. Of course, they have things for sale and it would be rude not to so I grab a couple of ceramic egg cups to round off my Peru shopping spree!

Next it's a boat ride in a reed boat, slow and tranquil its an interesting experience and I am really taken by the people here. As I go to leave the kids keep grabbing my hand, one last hug, one last swing around... So cute! They sing a little song, and we head back to Puno.

That evening we go for traditional Peruvian BBQ chicken with some traditional style dancing show along with it, it is great fun and a nice way to end an interesting day on the lake. Tomorrow we head back to Lima, and I think we are all sad about that as it signifies the end of our tour.... It's been amazing and just such a wonderful experience that its very hard to see it coming to an end.

 

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The road to Puno is laced with Pisco

We leave Cuzco at around 8am, and get on our bus to Puno. It's very much a relaxing day, but Puno is quite high altitude so it's going to get colder. On the journey we pass the highest altitude point, 4300 ish, and at this point there are some markets with Alpaca wool goods, here we go with shopping again... It's just irresistible in Peru, you literally can't stop yourself buying stuff! Well I am lucky because I literally don't have much money, so I just keep picking things up and saying the one price, after all that is all I have... I am lucky, and get some real bargains that are gorgeous.

Back on the bus, our next stop is lunch and a special cooked lamb... It was delicious, very interesting the way it is cooked and stored, it's not often a eat a lamb out of a mound of news paper with a baked potatoe using my hands!!! But well worth the pit stop to experience it. Now it's Pisco cocktail making time.

Yuri is in his element, handing out limes to squeeze and giving a lesson in where Pisco comes from, how to savour a shot of Pisco, how to make the perfect Pisco Sour, he is an expert despite the ridiculously bumpy bus ride at separating the egg white from the yolk into the cocktail shaker. And then it's time to shake... Almost crying with laughter as Yuri stops to ensure the right music is playing on the bus as he starts to shake the cocktail.... I come from a land down under... Really!!! Delicious though... Think I have found a new drink!

We all get a go at making them, shaking them and certainly drinking them and are all a little bit tipsy when we pile off the bus in Puno. Well it is Paddy's day after all!!! Checkin, quick dinner and early to bed, we have an interesting day on Lake Titikaka tomorrow...

 

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Back to Cuzco, time for shopping

So today I drag myself to breakfast and meet Peggy and Kathy, we are keen to go and see the local jeweller who makes their own silver and gold onsite. Yuri arranges to take us there, and have to say it is a worthwhile visit. We are shown all the rocks, gems and shells used and shown how they make everything by hand. Just beautiful, I am particularly taken by the green Machu Picchu stone...

We spend the next hour(s) just browsing, the owner literally opens 4 rooms of beautiful jewellery and says go for your life, here's a basket... Well sadly the basket is way too small, and there is far too much choice. We are like 3 kids in a sweetie factory. Every time I put 1 thing back, I pick up 3 more... Let's just say, I don't need to buy jewellery for a while.

The rest of the day is just a bite to eat, sight seeing and shops nothing hectic and plans to meet for dinner in the evening we head to the sister restaurant from the previous night. The food equally as amazing, I have Peruvian stuffed potatoes as well as hot stone steak... yummy, or rico as you would say in Peru. Next stop early night, my bed is calling and tomorrow we have a 7hr bus journey to Puno to handle. However, Yuri agrees to lighten the trip that we will have a Pisco Sour making lesson.... Something to look forward to!

 

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Sun gate and arrival in Machu Picchu

So the big day has arrived, time to visit Machu Picchu, I certainly feel like I have earned it with the Inca Trail. The last 3 days have been some of the best of my life, and now I know Machu Picchu is just 2 hours away I have mixed feelings. I kind of don't want this to end, but can't wait to see Machu Picchu. As I said early start, we basically get ready and then queue for the entrance to the sun gate. We haven't finished hiking yet, it's about 1.5 hrs to the sun gate and then just over half hour past there to Machu Picchu itself.

When we arrive at the sun gate there are a few hikers there, all waiting for the first glimpse of Machu Picchu. It is very cloudy today though and we just get a tiny glimpse before we have to decide to go, that the cloud won't clear quickly enough. By no means disappointed, it adds to the whole mystery and so we head out. The sun gate is amazing, so far away from Machu Picchu yet there is a sun room in Machu Picchu itself that directly lines up on the 21 December... Just sometimes in awe of the ingenuity of man.

And so we make it, we walk out of the Inca trail and into Machu Picchu itself. Breathtaking..... We all just breath it in at first, but then the reality of all the tourists hits as we see so many of them there. We are soon reunited with Yuri and Bob and Jean, say our hello's and then we have to leave and re-enter Machu Picchu, we get our passports stamped and are now guided for the final hour by Vlad and Saul around before our free time to explore.

I think everyone feels the same, who are all these people and why do we have to share this experience, at one point we had to wait for ages for a Japanese tourist to stop taking photos in order to get in to one area, Vlad had to have a word!!! I think that the people on the Inca Trail should be given the place to themselves for the morning, rather than sharing with 2000 tourists who got a bus here! I think we earned some peace to take it all in... But no matter, there is still the ability for some tranquility blocking out the other people.

We walk to the Inca Bridge, which is a bit scary a lot of sheer drops!!! And then just sit and watch as the clouds cover and reveal Machu Picchu each time this happens you see something new, and just are in awe of the place. So peaceful to just sit and watch and contemplate life! Dont worry I'm not going all spiritual on you all, but to me its no wonder this is one of the new seven wonders of the world.

Soon it's time to go and reluctantly we leave, heading back for some food in town before catching the train back to Cuzco. This is where we say farewell to Saul and Vlad, it's very emotional as we say how much they have made the trip memorable and an amazing experience. I won't forget Vlads cheekiness, and teasing and Saul's cheeky laugh is just brilliant I really wish I recorded it, they are both truly wonderful people and made our family possible. I mean it from the bottom of my heart, they will be missed and I will never forget them.

I decide that we need a bit of a pick up on the train home, so for Lauras 30th and to celebrate finishing the Inca Trail I buy a few bottles of fizzy pop... Rude not to celebrate on such a day like this. The train journey is full of toasts for our group, and it's nice to have a little buzz and some music and bopping in our chairs as we wind our way back to civilisation.

We get back to the hotel, first thing.... bags, room, hot shower!!!! We quickly get ready and then head to a very nice restaurant for Laura's 30th birthday dinner. I decide it's time to try Alpaca... So steak it is. The food is amazing, and capriahinas are fabulous, going down nicely. Everyone is shattered, but I am looking forward to a night out so as the others head home I join the youngsters in the Paddy bar and settle in for the night of Peruvian partying, dancing the night away in Mythology the local club!!! A good night was had by all...

 

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