"i thought i was gonna be sick"

the food: Mexico, part 2
the song: "That Time" Regina Spektor

Before I continue with my volver al pasado, let me take a minute to say how much I adore Regina Spektor. I get into music by getting stuck on a particular artist and listening to them all the time. Over the summer, Regina was my broken record.

And now, the stunning conclusion of the Mexico excursion. When we last left off, the heroine was drifting happily to sleep after a beautiful wedding surrounded by friends and family...

At 4 in the morning, I awoke with a little sick feeling in my tummy. I proceeded to spend the next 8 hours or so completely emptying my stomach of all contents, drifting in and out of consciousness, and deliriously wondering if I'd caught H1N1 or inherited a parasite trying to hitch a ride back to the states. Sure, I knew I was in Mexico and that I'd probably just drank one too many drinks with ice, but this was (as my step-mom perfectly described it) a "bad sick." I'm as ok as one can be with stomach bugs...I'm guaranteed one a year from the little ones...but this one was just awful. Somehow, though, I still had my mind in the right place: my happy little blog.

I couldn't drink this entire can. But in my sweaty, cold, nauseated state I did think "I have to write about this!" and snapped a camera phone picture. Gracias, Manzanita Sol. You got me through a tough time.

In the back of my mind as I was laying there trying not to move too much, I knew that at 12 o'clock I had to get into a van with 6 other people and drive the winding hour drive back to the aeropuerto. Even on a good day, I suffer from motion sickness. I had to keep my eye on the prize, which is why when the Manzanita Sol made it's reappearance about 30 minutes later, I was ok with it. My empty stomach was as ready as it was going to be. My father-in-law kindly set up my front-seat, full-blast AC ride and wished me luck. I was going to need it.

Miraculously, we made it to the airport with very little incident. We said our goodbyes and walked into the crowded airport. And that's when the height of suck hit. Our flight had been canceled...and there were no other flights out of Mexico until the next day. I don't like to dwell in negativity, so I'm just going to slide on past the next 3 1/2 hours we spent in the line with many stressed and angry Americans...waiting. We booked the fastest flight to get us home- Cabo to Chi City, then to Austin. Our quick 4 hour trip home had just increased by many miles and several hours...not to mention a whole day.

By the time we got to our hotel, we were too tired to even take in the 2 walls of windows that overlooked the beach or the beautiful pools we passed on the way to our room. We did not partake in the free alcohol or gorge ourselves on the buffet.* The husband had been fighting a sinus infection for a week or so, and was actually running a fever after the stressful day. I ate (white rice and vegetables), took a bath, and fell asleep watching a Lost rerun at 8:45. All inclusive, baby.

The next morning, we were both feeling much better, so we decided to take full advantage of the beautiful day with a walk on the beach and breakfast. I got in the ocean and dug my toes in the sand. I ate yogurt, then an omelet. It felt good to eat and enjoy it- aside from it being lousy to be sick, it's a very alienating to not sip or taste. It is hard to feel connected without that. But sitting, sipping, and eating breakfast on our last day of vacation, I fully felt and appreciated the sun on my face. Our Mexico trip was ending on a high note, after all.

Back in the saddle again

The story ends with us getting safely back to Austin almost exactly 24 hours later than planned. But as Regina tells us, our lives can seemingly be broken down into a series of moments. In writing this recap, I've forgotten and excluded so much, breaking it down into bullet points. But five or ten or fifty years from now when we say "Hey, remember that time...", the highs and lows of the Mexico trip will make for quite a story.

~eeg

*I have to hand it to American Airlines. They've messed up two flights of ours in a 4 month period, but they are pretty liberal with the vouchers. It might not completely take away the...ahem...bad taste, but it certainly didn't hurt.