There’s a quote or meme or whatever you want to call it that says; “Happiness is….waking up on the first morning of a foreign trip and forgetting where you are.”
This rings so true for me. After that first day of travel getting to your destination and the sheer exhaustion your body feels, waking up the first morning so well rested and revived for the day ahead. For me it’s a feeling of excitement, curiosity, anticipation, wonder, and even a little anxiety to what lies ahead.
So there I am on day two of vacation. Really it’s the first full day in Belize and even though we were not heading out for any grand adventures, it had the makings of a good day ahead.
Starting with coffee out on the balcony and a balmy 75°, it was the perfect recipe to take my surroundings. Watching the fishing boats speeding by, the birds soaring over the lagoon, the tourist snapping shots of the pelican perched on the boat deck trying to get as close as possible before the pelican gets irritated enough to fly away. The morning was warm and with just a hint of sun peaking through I was armed with my camera and laptop and then second cup of coffee to start typing away for my first entry of this trip. This morning was meant for taking it easy. No rushing off to an excursion or driving for hours to the ruins. We only planned on taking advantage of the amenities the hotel had to offer.
Once my mom arose from her slumber we both slowly put ourselves together and trekked down the stairs to the main lobby over looking the lagoon for breakfast. The options were abundant and after some indecisiveness, I finally chose the breakfast burrito. We were served water and coffee (my third cup for the day, but let me just say they are little tiny cups), the coffee accompanied with the most delicious fresh thick cream. When breakfast arrived I was pleasantly surprised. My burrito was filled with fluffy scrambled eggs, creamy rich cheese, and savory chopped ham, all wrapped up in a fresh house made tortilla. The tortilla was thicker than any I had ever had, somewhere in between a regular thin tortilla and naan. It was warm and buttery and one of the best things I have eaten almost ever in my life. With the burrito came some pico de gallo, black beans, crema, and fresh fruit. All in all, it was just exactly what I was craving. Another check in the perfect morning column.
Once breakfast was complete I decided to really indulge in the resort life by relaxing on the beach with my book and no worry of time. It was not necessarily a sunny day but it was warm and humid and perfect for doing absolutely nothing. An hour or so between the beach and pool sitting I finally made my way back to my side of the resort. I wanted to unwind from the strenuous relaxing I was doing before going to my massage. Of course no amount of unwinding is complete without a beer or cocktail so I made my way to the lobby again and picked up two bottles of beer for a total of $3.50. That’s only $1.75 per bottle!! Back home or on any other vacation just one bottle would cost me twice that amount. I could really get use to this! So I take my exceptionally cheap beer up tot he balcony and write and relax and unwind and enjoy and well you get the idea.
Next on the agenda was my massage appointment. Unfortunately, I have chronic back issues and once I am have slipped disc it takes weeks for me to ever feel right again. Adding in airline travel and luggage carrying and climbing stairs and crawling in to vans, it does not make anything any easier. So, a massage to relax and unwind was not only the luxury I was hoping for, it was also extremely necessary.
Back down in the lobby I am greeted by this tiny little lady who was to be my masseuse (I wish I paid more attention and remembered her name). She led me to the spa room, conveniently located right behind our room, and asked me all the required questions. Once on the table and a few deep breaths to release the tension, I was transported to heaven. This tiny little lady had magic hands. I am not sure how so much energy and perfect pressure came out of this woman. She had techniques to massage the feet that I can still feel and wish someone would just walk around massaging my feet that way. She included a face massage and head and neck stretch. She stretched the calves and shins and got in between every finger and every toe. It was one of the best massages I have ever had, and I’m a pretty regular massage client.
Of course all good things have to come to an end and my hour was up, so I regretfully hoisted myself up off the table to go get changed back in my room and head over to the pool area to meet up with my mom and have some lunch. The lunch spot at the hotel was doing a Sunday beach bbq and happy hour all day! We ordered some combo plates, consisting of a shrimp and vegetable skewer, a wing and breast of bbq chicken, rice and beans, potato salad, corn on the cob, and a side green salad. With lunch and fruity cocktails in hand we sat and enjoyed the afternoon.
Coming back up to the room I again took my regular seat out on the balcony to take in the sunset and bask in the perfection of the day. The last item on the agenda was to indulge ourselves in dessert, which we did just that with the chocolate caramel flan cake. A rich and silky decadence to finish off the day.
My Wanderfilled Life 