We started our trip at 2:30 in the morning August 19th, heading out for the airport for our 6am flight to DFW. Arrived right after 4am, and checked in with the American Airlines skycap. Super easy, the skycap checked us in, printed our boarding passes, and weighed and checked our luggage. That was a breeze, and so we were off to security. The lines built and stretched out the door pretty quickly for that time of day, but, we were in line just before it backed up, so, that wasn't bad at all either. Got to the gate and then the strange trip began.
As we were traveling with two kids, we thought we could pre-board to get them settled, but, AA and US Air do not have a pre-board for children. That was a problem, as there were a bunch of kids, including several babies, on our flight. We were in zone 5, so we boarded last, and it was nuts. Boarding took over a half hour, and the aisles were almost constantly stopped by someone needing to buckle in a car seat, or grab one more thing for the kids from the carryons. Boarding from front to back made the whole thing worse. If they had either pre-booked the groups with kids, or boarded from back to front, it may have gone smoother. Anyway, once we were on our way we realized that none of our seats reclined. The space between the seats was oppressively close, and very uncomfortable. No in flight entertainment, so, we were just glad the duration was only a couple of hours. Kids were crying and screaming for most of it, and I was so glad to bail out once we got to the gate. We were told by the flight attendant that our gate was A7, which was a change from what was on our boarding pass, but, gates change so we went with it. Having only an hour and a half between flights, and arriving a bit late because of the boarding delay, we hustled from terminal C to the tram taking us to terminal A, hoping to be able to grab a bite to eat as we all had missed breakfast. We get off the tram in terminal A and check the departures board to reconfirm the gate number, and it wasn't A7, it was D20. So, back on the tram we get, and make the twice as long trip around the airport, would have been much quicker if we had just gone to D in the first place, but, so be it. We arrived in time to quickly get a few sandwiches for the flight, and again, boarded last, with plenty of grumpy kids and blocked aisles. At least we had one consolation. Since we boarded last, the flight took off fairly shortly after we were settled, so, I guess that's one upside.
The flight was bumpy, lots of storm clouds, but, hey, we're on our way to Akumal. The seats again did not recline, and no in flight entertainment. Thank heavens for kindles. As we are about half way there, the flight attendant announces that they don't have any immigration forms for us to fill out, and that the only customs forms they have are the Spanish versions. She says DFW has been out of forms for weeks. We arrive about 20 minutes late, and as we get off the plane we are handed English Immigration forms and stand in the corridor filling them out with everyone else. Then it's off to immigration, where we actually breeze through surprisingly quickly. Once through, our luggage is waiting for us off the carousel, except for two bags which had lost their bandanas, so we had to id them with the receipts. That was done, and we sailed through customs. phew. Finally, the crazy part of the trip was over, and we were met by our USA transfers rep, the van was already waiting for us, and we were swept away to beautiful Akumal.
We arrived at 3pm greeted with big smiles from El Tigre, and then a welcome drink at the front desk. Shyy strolled up and there were hugs all around. So nice to see her again. Sergio at the front desk remembered me from my panicked phone call the night before, and we had a good laugh about it. He put is in rooms in building 6, one on the 2nd floor and one on the 3rd floor. We settled in and after donning swimsuits, we immediately hit the beach. Ahhhhhh..... it was wonderful.
This was the first time in Akumal for our son James (27) and our daughter Katie (25) so we were anxious to share it with them. Myleigh (12) and Holly (9) were in Akumal last year, and quickly settled back in. They ran to greet the Alex's and reintroduce themselves to the pool and the snack bar.
We checked out the construction on the Secrets resort, and it is fairly massive. The buildings come very close to both the ABR buildings and the HAC pool, and almost right up to the beach. The construction for building 7 is well under way, all the balconies are torn off, and the rooms gutted. The massage hut is in a bad state. We didn't ask,but they must be doing the massages somewhere else, as the masseuse wandered around the first few days asking if anyone wanted one, but, toward the end of the trip we didn't see her anymore.
Dinner was awesome, it was Italian night, and the breeze was so nice. We were all exhausted so it was off to bed, which meant very little AC for our room and lots of AC for the older kids room. So glad they moved us the next day.
More to come.........with pics
The quiet was only interrupted by the occasional grackle, and the air was so warm and humid. I couldn't really decide where to make camp, as construction was going to be heard pretty much everywhere, but, I finally settled on a palapa in the last group, at the north end of the property, and set up our beach towels to hold it til after breakfast. Now, I am not one for playing unfair towel games. We only make camp, so to speak, if we are going to be there in short order, and plan to be there most if not all of the day. Otherwise, we just take our chances. So, I felt okay about it, didn't worry too much about it. More on that later.
So, then it was time for my morning yoga as the sun rises. It was a gorgeous sun, that sparkled on the water. I was only aware of a few other people on the beach, and we all pretty much were doing the same thing, just enjoying the sunrise. I spent the better part of an hour just soaking it all in. I did not take pictures, because I wanted to just relax and not think about anything. The layers of stress and the pressures of the treadmill that is my life just peeled away, and there I was, in paradise again.
After a leisurely stroll down the beach, I cruised through the main bar for a coffee and then up to the room to roust the crew for breakfast. They were all still sound asleep, so, I just sat on the balcony and waited til there was signs of life in the room.
Breakfast was, as always, amazing, with the sun and the sea, greeting Lemuel and Wilberth with hugs and catching up. Myleigh re-established her relationship with Lizbeth the omelete chef. Katie and James were obviously dazzled by the experience of having their breakfast in such a beautiful place.
ABR was still the same in so many ways. The changes coming were a frequent topic of conversation, and the staff seemed anxious to talk about it. I asked Wilberth if he was going to be back after the reno, and he assured me he was.
After breakfast we all put on our suits and spent the morning on the beach. Tim, of course, was immediately out snorkeling, but, James and Katie were nervous about it, so, we let them just relax that first day and do what they had planned on doing, napping on the beach.
We had a bit of a toilet handle issue so Tim checked at the front desk, and they were moving us to bldg 5 anyway, which was a surprise as Shyy had told us that everyone in 5 were being moved because it was being closed down. The opposite was true, at least after a few people had expressed to management that it didn't make sense to move people out of 5 and into 6 where they would be closer to all the construction noise. So, before lunch we took out stuff our of the palapa to give someone else a chance, and then spent the afternoon moving into bldg 5 and then walked into town for sand toys for the girls. We stopped in at CEA to see if there was going to be a release, but, they hadn't updated their board since June, so we presumed there would not be. Bummer, we really were hoping for a busy release season.
After dinner, it was early to bed. Katie wanted me to wake her to go out on the beach to watch the sunrise, and James wanted to make sure I didn't wake him up early. Myleigh said she wanted to come out with us, but, I was skeptical that she would wake up. Sure enough, by early morning she was sleeping so hard that nothing was going to wake her up.
After spending most of the first day just chillin, we needed to get the bigger kids out into the gorgeous water. I convinced Katie to just bring her mask and put her face in the water when she was in waist deep, and when she did she was so surprised at all there was to see right around her.
Myleigh is an old pro at snorkeling from last year, and got right back at it.
As we were standing in the water in front of the old massage hut, I noticed a head pop up in the little patch of sea grass not 15 feet from us. That was all it took for Katie to gear up and go out swimming with the most adorable young turtle and his just a bit older brother (er sister as the case may be). She was so amazed and just floated for the longest time, mesmerized by them. She quickly fell in love with sea turtles. She went out a few times to swim with her new friends, but, due to her asthma acting up, she couldn't spend much time breathing thru the snorkel, and didn't want to get too far away from shore in case of a full on attack.
James, not to be upstaged by his sister, gave it a go. He had been snorkeling with his Dad in the channel between Isla Mujeres and Cancun about nine years ago, but, wasn't sure he would pick it back up. He did. Tim took James and Katie further out into the bay, and south to where the sea urchins start to be more prevalent. They had a great time, but, as James has grown into a major stick in the mud, he didn't want to go out again after that. He was done.
We had another early night, and then Katie and I kept up our morning routine of rising with the sun.
Most days were the same, except on the fourth day we went down to our palapa just to find the towels had been taken. James had seen a rather animated Italian man complaining loudly about something, and then our towels were gone. Tim retrieved them, and we set them back up. James decided to take a nap in the palapa, while we went out snorkeling. All of a sudden the Italian man comes marching up to our palapa, and almost walks inside til he sees James there. At that he stops, stands there for a minute, and then huffs away. I don't know for sure, but, I think he may have complained that we had left our towels on the chairs for more than the 45 minutes allowed. All the palapas now have these signs that ask you not to leave towels on chairs for longer than that, but, it doesn't seem reasonable when you may be out snorkeling, and who only goes out for 45 minutes every time. I know we have been out for as much as two hours, and I would not want to have to worry about the time when I'm out in the middle of the bay. I can see two hours, but, not 45 minutes. Anyway, we didn't claim our palapa anymore after that, but, always found a place every morning, so, it was no big hairy deal.
When we weren't in the palapa, or eating, or walking into town, we were in the big palapa on the internet keeping track of our daughter Mindy who was taking a trip to South Korea to study at the Kyunghee University and teach English in the public schools there. She is 23 and very nervous about making that trip alone, and with us not even being there to see her off, the logistics were a bit stressing for me. I managed to get her through what I could over facebook, and problem solved where possible, but, it meant spending more time than I would have wanted in the lobby palapa. Still, an espresso con leche was just the thing to make it okay.
Re: We'll always have ABR..... Tuesday, September 09, 2014 3:58 PM (permalink)
All year long I have been waiting for and drooling over a seafood medley at Cuevo Del Pescadore, and have it I would. Katie loves seafood as much as I do, so, she was all in to share a platter for two.
The food was amazing, and I found a great mosquito repellant that worked great. It's sawyers, and it only took a few spritz's here and there, and the mossies don't even come near me. That's a big deal for me, because they usually find the tiniest spot that I miss with repellant, and tag me there. With this stuff, not so much as a nibble, and they stay away from whoever is around me. I had to be careful not to use it when I was going on the beach, but, at night, when we were just up in the main bar or buffet, it was a vacation saver for sure.
Every day we left a tip for the maid, and every day we got the coolest towel art. The kids adopted each animal, and tried to keep them the entire trip, but, most of them fell apart at some point, or may have been taken apart in a towel emergency.
The days kind of ran into each other, we pretty much just wanted to do a whole lot of nothin, and we succeeded marvelously. Each day started pretty much the same. Katie and I got up at the break of daylight, and spent time on the beach watching the sun rise, then walked up and down looking at the nests and any new mama turtle tracks from the night before.
The rest of the day was spent camped out on the beach. The little girls loved the pool, and pretty much occupied it all day long, taking breaks to get food from the snack bar, and harass the Alex's. Tim is a bit of a snorkeling beast, and was usually out there for hours at a time.
Down by building 6 we watched this guy catching fish.
And the pelican that usually dive bombs for fish perilously close to swimmers was taking some time to dry his feathers.
Still plenty of pics to upload. Seems like life does not let you have the time when you are back to the grind. I really should have done a live trip report, but, I didn't want to spend any more time in the lobby palapa than I already was. So, hopefully I can get more uploaded this week. Stay tuned.
Time spent in Akumal is kind of lazy, and definitely relaxing. We would walk into town just because, or hang out at ABR just because. Whatever we did, just taking the day as it came was the best way we found to really enjoy Akumal as it was intended.
[tube]http://youtu.be/t7E5--5zVs0[/tube]
One beautiful sunny day as we were heading to lunch, I was stopped by Tortuga Tom. He said there was a nest hatching out in front of building seven, and we should head there now to see it happen. Tom knew I hadn't seen a nest hatch, I had seen everything else, and had been there after the babies had left the nest and were skittering across the beach, but, never actually watched as they came out of their nest. Tom, for those of you who don't know him, is the turtle expert many of us look to for information, guidance, and know how when it comes to the turtles that call Akumal bay their home. He is a turtle Guru.
Well, we got down to the spot where the nest was located, it was under a palapa at the far south end of the resort. A group of people were huddled around under the palapa, as there was a little rain shower passing over. The turtles had made it to the top of the nest, but, had fallen asleep just at the opening. You could see just a few hatchlings above the sand, and as we sat mesmerized a few more appeared, but, most were still buried beneath the sand.
We sat and watched over the babies for about an hour. Everyone was quiet, and just focused on those little faces peeking out of the sand. Every now and then one would look up at us. It was so magical. I took a series of pictures as the little ones made their way further and further out of the sand.
When it was clear that the babies were getting closer to waking up, Jose Luis, the ABR turtle guy, started brushing the sand around their little bodies, which would cause a little wave of motion under the surface. The area about the size of a dinner plate moved and rippled. Then, the first little turtle who's body was furthest out of the sand started crawling away, headed toward the sound of the bay. As he managed to get just out of the nest area, Jose Luis would pick him up and put him back in the nest in a way that would make him crawl over the other hatchlings, giving them a wake up call, and after a couple of times it worked amazingly well. Suddenly the whole nest erupted with little hatchlings scampering out of the sand, up and over the lip of the nest. As they managed to get out of the nest entirely, Jose Luis scooped them up and put them in a Styrofoam cooler that he had ready to keep them in to wait until it was dark for a safe release into the bay. Katie and Myleigh eached helped a few little strays who lost their way, and I just know they will never forget gently lifting those babies, feeling how helpless they are, and knowing what they will face to survive. There ended up being 100 little turtles that hatched out of that nest.
http://youtu.be/2Om9hv6Us34
That night, we all met at 9pm and partly watched, partly assisted as those little miracles were released and took their first swim in Akumal bay. What a magical memory for my kids. Katie is now a full fledged turtle fanatic like me. I just wish every child could experience the magic that would foster a love for all of our wildlife the way my kids have in Akumal. It's truly a magical place.
The rest of the day was spent camped out on the beach. The little girls loved the pool, and pretty much occupied it all day long, taking breaks to get food from the snack bar, and harass the Alex's. Tim is a bit of a snorkeling beast, and was usually out there for hours at a time.
Down by building 6 we watched this guy catching fish.
And the pelican that usually dive bombs for fish perilously close to swimmers was taking some time to dry his feathers.
Still plenty of pics to upload. Seems like life does not let you have the time when you are back to the grind. I really should have done a live trip report, but, I didn't want to spend any more time in the lobby palapa than I already was. So, hopefully I can get more uploaded this week. Stay tuned.
We tried one day to rent a couple of golf carts and drive up through Half Moon Bay, but, somehow we had forgotten that Mexicarte prefers a cash deposit, or they will charge a fee and a higher deposit if you use a credit card. So, Tim being frugal as he really really is, we decided to put it off for the next day, and just walk around town for a bit. It's a good thing we weren't able to go out in the golf carts, as the sky opened up and it rained turtles and coatimundi's for about an hour, and then there was spectacular lightning striking all around. It was amazing. We had been in the little jewelry shop behind Sergio's studio buying a pendant for James, and when we came out it started to rain pretty hard, so, we found a palapa over by the taxi stand that no one was using and hid under it til the rain passed. All around us the streets and the pathways flooded. Just the best rainforest storm we've seen since our last trip, and very much needed as it was dry most of the trip this year.
Sometimes things just catch my eye, not sure what it is, but, I just find nature endlessly fascinating, and sometimes you find beauty in unusual places. Even sargassum.
We did finally make that trip in golf carts to La Buena Vida. Always yummy.
Oooo Ceviche. The best.
Chicken tacos. I ordered the pork, but, meh, it was still delicious.
Myleigh is a self proclaimed lime soup connoisseur, and she has dubbed La Buena Vida's version the very best of them all.
Holly is a little more of a finicky eater, so, chicken strips and fries are her favorite.
Sometimes things just catch my eye, not sure what it is, but, I just find nature endlessly fascinating, and sometimes you find beauty in unusual places. Even sargassum.
We did finally make that trip in golf carts to La Buena Vida. Always yummy.
Oooo Ceviche. The best.
Chicken tacos. I ordered the pork, but, meh, it was still delicious.
Myleigh is a self proclaimed lime soup connoisseur, and she has dubbed La Buena Vida's version the very best of them all.
Holly is a little more of a finicky eater, so, chicken strips and fries are her favorite.
Time spent in Akumal is kind of lazy, and definitely relaxing. We would walk into town just because, or hang out at ABR just because. Whatever we did, just taking the day as it came was the best way we found to really enjoy Akumal as it was intended.
[tube]http://youtu.be/t7E5--5zVs0[/tube]
One beautiful sunny day as we were heading to lunch, I was stopped by Tortuga Tom. He said there was a nest hatching out in front of building seven, and we should head there now to see it happen. Tom knew I hadn't seen a nest hatch, I had seen everything else, and had been there after the babies had left the nest and were skittering across the beach, but, never actually watched as they came out of their nest. Tom, for those of you who don't know him, is the turtle expert many of us look to for information, guidance, and know how when it comes to the turtles that call Akumal bay their home. He is a turtle Guru.
Well, we got down to the spot where the nest was located, it was under a palapa at the far south end of the resort. A group of people were huddled around under the palapa, as there was a little rain shower passing over. The turtles had made it to the top of the nest, but, had fallen asleep just at the opening. You could see just a few hatchlings above the sand, and as we sat mesmerized a few more appeared, but, most were still buried beneath the sand.
We sat and watched over the babies for about an hour. Everyone was quiet, and just focused on those little faces peeking out of the sand. Every now and then one would look up at us. It was so magical. I took a series of pictures as the little ones made their way further and further out of the sand.
When it was clear that the babies were getting closer to waking up, Jose Luis, the ABR turtle guy, started brushing the sand around their little bodies, which would cause a little wave of motion under the surface. The area about the size of a dinner plate moved and rippled. Then, the first little turtle who's body was furthest out of the sand started crawling away, headed toward the sound of the bay. As he managed to get just out of the nest area, Jose Luis would pick him up and put him back in the nest in a way that would make him crawl over the other hatchlings, giving them a wake up call, and after a couple of times it worked amazingly well. Suddenly the whole nest erupted with little hatchlings scampering out of the sand, up and over the lip of the nest. As they managed to get out of the nest entirely, Jose Luis scooped them up and put them in a Styrofoam cooler that he had ready to keep them in to wait until it was dark for a safe release into the bay. Katie and Myleigh eached helped a few little strays who lost their way, and I just know they will never forget gently lifting those babies, feeling how helpless they are, and knowing what they will face to survive. There ended up being 100 little turtles that hatched out of that nest.
http://youtu.be/2Om9hv6Us34
That night, we all met at 9pm and partly watched, partly assisted as those little miracles were released and took their first swim in Akumal bay. What a magical memory for my kids. Katie is now a full fledged turtle fanatic like me. I just wish every child could experience the magic that would foster a love for all of our wildlife the way my kids have in Akumal. It's truly a magical place.
The flowers were in full bloom, and our girls found every way they could think of to wear them.
One of our last days at ABR, Shyy, who is part of the wedding team at ABR, was setting up a photo shoot for the website and other advertisement. She had two wedding arches decorated three different ways, and then set up a wedding dinner display in the wifi palapa just off the main lobby. We grabbed a quick photo with her, as she was leaving the next morning for Mexico City for a course she was taking. As sad as it is to say goodbye, we stay in touch, and will see her again when we head back next year.
Even with mucho sargassum, the beach was gorgeous. Every day, we had blue skies for most of the day, but, as the ten day trip rolled on, we found we missed having a few days of rain at some point in our trip. Thunderstorms are amazing in the Carribean, and we just didn't have much for storms at all. Just a few, and they were gone quickly. I'm not complaining. Who could pass on a sun shiny trip by the blue water?
It seems things grow everywhere in Akumal. Flowers literally sprout up out of the sand.
On one of the days in town, we stopped in at Turtle Bay Café and had some of their amazing ice cream.
Myleigh is by nature uninhibited but when in Akumal she is in rare form.
A bit of an amateur photographer, Myleigh also found creative ways to capture some of the beauty she encountered.
A frequent activity Katie engaged in was burying the girls in the sand. I'm not sure who is having more fun.
It's a bit murky, but, you can see Barry barracuda cruising through the bay.
As always, mornings are my favorite, and this was one of the last mornings we had.
And thanks to 1runjuan for taking this shot of me. I am usually the one with the camera, so, I don't get in a lot of pics. It was so nice.
Every day the water sparkled and was so calm.
James is a hard one to peg, we couldn't quite tell when and if he was having a good time, but, on the ride to the airport our last day of vacation, he told me he had an amazing time. So, go figure.
One of our last days at ABR, Shyy, who is part of the wedding team at ABR, was setting up a photo shoot for the website and other advertisement. She had two wedding arches decorated three different ways, and then set up a wedding dinner display in the wifi palapa just off the main lobby. We grabbed a quick photo with her, as she was leaving the next morning for Mexico City for a course she was taking. As sad as it is to say goodbye, we stay in touch, and will see her again when we head back next year.
Even with mucho sargassum, the beach was gorgeous. Every day, we had blue skies for most of the day, but, as the ten day trip rolled on, we found we missed having a few days of rain at some point in our trip. Thunderstorms are amazing in the Carribean, and we just didn't have much for storms at all. Just a few, and they were gone quickly. I'm not complaining. Who could pass on a sun shiny trip by the blue water?
It seems things grow everywhere in Akumal. Flowers literally sprout up out of the sand.
On one of the days in town, we stopped in at Turtle Bay Café and had some of their amazing ice cream.
Myleigh is by nature uninhibited but when in Akumal she is in rare form.
A bit of an amateur photographer, Myleigh also found creative ways to capture some of the beauty she encountered.
A frequent activity Katie engaged in was burying the girls in the sand. I'm not sure who is having more fun.
It's a bit murky, but, you can see Barry barracuda cruising through the bay.
As always, mornings are my favorite, and this was one of the last mornings we had.
And thanks to 1runjuan for taking this shot of me. I am usually the one with the camera, so, I don't get in a lot of pics. It was so nice.
Every day the water sparkled and was so calm.
James is a hard one to peg, we couldn't quite tell when and if he was having a good time, but, on the ride to the airport our last day of vacation, he told me he had an amazing time. So, go figure.
[tube]https://www.youtu.be.com/watch?v=z1sJOrpcnn0[/tube]
[tube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbDAjc-S1R4[/tube]
[tube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yn_l6OdAm9M[/tube]
[tube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbDAjc-S1R4[/tube]
[tube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yn_l6OdAm9M[/tube]
Of course, no trip to Akumal would be complete without a visit to the canons. We keep thinking maybe we'll stay at one of the condos along that stretch, but, so far, we keep being drawn back to ABR.
On our last day the clouds were starting to gather, and it was finally feeling a bit more like tropical storm season.
Saying goodbye to the Alex's was so hard for the girls. Everything is going to change including the animacion and kids club. They will be adding staff, but, from what both chocolate and vanilla Alex said, they will be back, and will be working on the theater and the other animacion areas during the renovation.
As it was the end of the last full week of ABR, the gift shop had a sale of up to 50% off on any Akumal Beach Resort labeled merchandise. We picked up T shirts, and each of the little girls got ABR kids club hats. It's the end of an era.
We gave lots of hugs, lots of tips, and then loaded into the USA transfers van. As we were just about ready to leave, Lele came running out to the van to give us all hugs goodbye. We're gonna miss him and Antinea so much. Hopefully, we will see them when we come back. Lele said he was staying, and Renato assured us that he believed the management is happy with his work there and want him to stay. We agree.
It was a quiet drive to the airport. Everyone was somber but really kind of ready to get back home. Oh, and by the way, Phoenix airport really is the friendliest airport in the country. Such a smooth transition through immigration, entirely automated, and the people are so helpful. Still, I think we will probably go back to flying frontier through Denver. The connections aren't so close together. Tim and I were starving. We had grabbed some sandwiches for the kids in Cancun, but, thought we would have time to get a bite in Phoenix. Nope, everything was crowded, and we just didn't feel like standing in lines when our flight was boarding in about 15 minutes. So, next trip, fly from SLC to Denver with an hour and a half layover or more. Then on the way back, fly back into Denver, with another hour and a half layover. Gives us time to eat and we still arrive at Cancun by 3pm and then back to SLC at the same time as our return trip through Phoenix.
Will we go back to ABR? We're planning a trip, just the two of us in February to check it out, and we will decide what our future plans will be based on that. For now, we are hopefully optimistic.
On our last day the clouds were starting to gather, and it was finally feeling a bit more like tropical storm season.
Saying goodbye to the Alex's was so hard for the girls. Everything is going to change including the animacion and kids club. They will be adding staff, but, from what both chocolate and vanilla Alex said, they will be back, and will be working on the theater and the other animacion areas during the renovation.
As it was the end of the last full week of ABR, the gift shop had a sale of up to 50% off on any Akumal Beach Resort labeled merchandise. We picked up T shirts, and each of the little girls got ABR kids club hats. It's the end of an era.
We gave lots of hugs, lots of tips, and then loaded into the USA transfers van. As we were just about ready to leave, Lele came running out to the van to give us all hugs goodbye. We're gonna miss him and Antinea so much. Hopefully, we will see them when we come back. Lele said he was staying, and Renato assured us that he believed the management is happy with his work there and want him to stay. We agree.
It was a quiet drive to the airport. Everyone was somber but really kind of ready to get back home. Oh, and by the way, Phoenix airport really is the friendliest airport in the country. Such a smooth transition through immigration, entirely automated, and the people are so helpful. Still, I think we will probably go back to flying frontier through Denver. The connections aren't so close together. Tim and I were starving. We had grabbed some sandwiches for the kids in Cancun, but, thought we would have time to get a bite in Phoenix. Nope, everything was crowded, and we just didn't feel like standing in lines when our flight was boarding in about 15 minutes. So, next trip, fly from SLC to Denver with an hour and a half layover or more. Then on the way back, fly back into Denver, with another hour and a half layover. Gives us time to eat and we still arrive at Cancun by 3pm and then back to SLC at the same time as our return trip through Phoenix.
Will we go back to ABR? We're planning a trip, just the two of us in February to check it out, and we will decide what our future plans will be based on that. For now, we are hopefully optimistic.
