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the real mexico recap, minus the feels

May 21, 2013 5:37 pm \ Leave a Comment \ Kylie

Since my initial attempt at describing my vacation devolved into discussing how I felt instead of what we did, I present for your viewing pleasure the second installment of Mexico 2013.

Occidental Grand Xcaret beach

We stayed at the Occidental Grant Xcaret, and it is a beautiful resort. Built into the surrounding environment, the rooms are surrounded by jungle and we shared the space with several animals. Iguanas. were. EVERYWHERE. Consequently, I have a million and one pictures of iguanas wandering around the resort. There was also more than one occasion where I almost stepped on one while walking to the buffet or the beach.

Private jungle

iguana boss

Oh, and the beach. Love, love, love the beach. Again, because the hotel is built into the natural environment, there was a cliff and several rocks jutting out into the surf. A man-made cove was created to give the tourists something to congregate around, and there’s a small saltwater pool behind the beach restaurant. Very, very beautiful, and I love the integration of natural and man-made; it’s so unique.

beach at occidental grand xcaret

The food was pretty great, though as it does on any vacation it starts to get repetitive. The gluten-free offerings were plentiful, and I had very little issue with cross-contamination. There was one instance where I’m pretty sure I got a dose of wheat, but I didn’t ask if the chips were flour or corn; I kinda walked into that one. The a la carte restaurants were delicious. There’s no other word. We went to the seafood restaurant on our second night there, and I was blown away by my seafood salad. However, sometimes the translations can leave something to be desired (but they’re good for a laugh).

I didn’t know salmon had loins…

The staff was friendly and polite. Language can be a bit of a barrier, but they try their damnedest to understand what you’re saying in English (and I got to practice my Spanish more too). Everywhere you’re walking, there’s someone from the resort ready to greet you with a friendly “hola, hola!”

Cheers!

We didn’t find any issue with timeshare hawkers, and the vendors that sold their goods inside the resort were respectful. I found I was harassed more when I went into Playa del Carmen, and that was when we were simply walking down the street.

The disco was heaps of fun, and the DJ was open to taking requests. One of my favourite memories of this trip was headbanging on the empty floor with Erin, dancing our asses off and enjoying the fact that we could ask for Disturbed in Mexico and be obliged.

I have very little to complain about when it comes to the resort. I spent a week in +32 paradise, and would return to the Grand Xcaret in a heartbeat!

Posted in: Travel \ Tagged: grand xcaret, mexico, photos, travel

and we’re back

May 19, 2013 10:28 am \ 2 Comments \ Kylie

Landed Thursday at 10:00pm, and it feels great to be back. Don’t get me wrong — I enjoyed my vacation immensely and had a great time, but sometimes the best parts of going away is coming back to it all.

Beach at the Occidental Grand Xcaret

There were many highlights of the trip: the Friday night where I drank enough margaritas to make my upper lip swell, and was taught to dance by a Spanish family in the disco. The amazing dinners at the a la carte restaurants with Erin, with the ocean swelling in the background. The night Erin and I spent dancing until 2am (including head-banging to Down With the Sickness by Disturbed!) then another hour hanging by the pool.

Kylie and Erin at the pool at 3am

It was an excellent vacation overall, and I’m thankful to have had the opportunity to get to know Thomas’ sister better. We have a lot in common, and she’s one of the most genuine, funny, and relaxed people I know.

It’s funny though, because when I came back to Calgary my friend Kaila and I went out for lunch and talked about our separate trips. She went to Las Vegas for work while I went to Mexico for fun. However, despite different locations and purposes, we both discovered that being away from home for an extended period of time is a great way to get existential and reflective on your life; we both thought about our situations in Calgary, and had some moments of self-discovery.

Palm trees in the sun in Mexico

It’s so much easier to think it all than it is to type it (and funnily enough as I was sitting by the pool and thinking everything through, I tried to structure my thoughts in a way that would translate to text, but you can see how well that’s going). We both agreed, though, that at the end of the day we’re more established and stable than ever before. We’ve both made the transition from early 20s to mid-to-late 20s sometime in the last year or so, and thank God for that.

best buddies

While the vacation was fabulous there was one situation that caused me some frustration. I’ve hashed it out with Thomas, Kaila, my dad, and talked it to death. In the midst of all this, I realized that while it sucks and it’s not something I would choose or want to happen, it’s something that I can deal with. Hurt feelings are temporary, and only hurt as long as you keep letting it.

I’m glad I didn’t let this ruin the vacation, and it sucks that it happened at all (apologies for the uber-crpytic-ness of this post). But you know what? Fuck it. It’s done, it’s over, and I won’t put myself in a situation to feel that way for that reason again.

It’s a lot like this BuzzFeed post; a few years ago, something like this would eat at me for days, weeks even. But now, I’m choosing to let it go. Having that control is empowering, and I have every intention of continuing on like this.

You’re allowed to be hurt, and people (sadly) are allowed to hurt you. But how you deal with fallout and consequences speaks volumes more about your character.

(If you’re aching for more details, just Tweet or comment here. I don’t mean to be so dodgy, but I’d rather err on the side of caution. There will also probably be another Mexico post, as this one was largely about ALL THE FEELS.)