Thursday- FINALLY some water and sun!

Thursday was the day set aside to go to Hector's house.  He apparently doesn't even really live there anymore.  He spends so much time running the hotel, that he often stays in his suite there as opposed to driving back and forth.  The picture above shows us (Iván, Nadia, me, Jair, Rocío, Liliana, Norma) standing on the edge of the pool.  It dripped over into a little gutter making it an infinity pool (is that what it's called?).  So you could be in the water, look out and see nothing but city below and beach and ocean.  It was perfect.  This picture was taken right when we got there- around 12:30 is my best guess.  I was ready to jump in, or at least lather up and soak up some rays.  The Mexican plan, though, as usual was a bit different.  We had to set up everything.  There was a big beach umbrella with table and chairs.  There was the cooler (obviously the most important thing we had).  There was the accommodation of all our bags in the right place.  Hector was sending over hamburgers to feed us for lunch, but we had brought chips and other snacks.  Those had to be placed.  Finally, after I felt I had stood around enough, I just sat down on the lounge chair and lathered up.  The Mexicans quickly followed suit.  The only difference was they were using SPF 50 and I was using 6.  I offered to share.  No one took me up on it. Liliana told me she didn't use anything until later in the day because she liked the smell of burned skin.  Okay.

They loved that I would actually sit in the sun hoping to get darker.  That concept is a bit, forgive me, foreign to them.  I explained that it's 45 minutes on one side, flip for 45 minutes on the other.  Then a dip in the pool to cool off.  After that point, as long as you can manage out of the water.

No one followed me on that endeavor.

Throughout the day, we collected the tops from the beer cans for Topete's girlfriend Dena, who was not there.  There's some sort of fundraiser or some such.  Of course, by the end of the day, there were probably hundreds, but he lost them.  Nice.

Nadia, Rocío, Norma and I enjoy a brief moment in the sun.  They quickly ran to the shade after this picture!
After my first round of stomach/back rotations, I was dripping went, so I jumped in the pool.  at this point, Renato (far left) and Jair (next) had already been in.  Everyone else was enjoying the shade.  Yeah right.  I jumped in the freezing yet refreshing water and swam over for a picture or two.  In perfect Mexican style, Nadia jumped in and swam over.  Whenever there's a camera out, you can count on a Mexican mob!  I spent most of the day on the ledge of the pool.  It was perfect for sun and cool down.  I was there until about 8pm.
Renato and Topete, however, didn't move from here.  This was the closest they could be to the cooler while still being in the water.  This is probably 1-2 pm.  Already plenty over-served.  More to come...  The beer just flows like water here.  It really does.
This is me on my post.  You'll notice I'm reading.  At one point, there were cameras everywhere taking pictures of me reading (unfortunately, most of these pictures made their way to facebook- too many swimsuit pics!).  They thought it was hilarious that I was spending my spring break reading.  Don't they know nothing says beach vacation like a good book?  Nadia is Jair's sister, and she's 21 I think.  I didn't meet her until February.  She's a fun girl.  We spent a lot of time together this trip since we were two of the four without significant others there.
Rocío and Iván finally figured out how to lay out.  They missed the memo, though, about dropping your clothes to help the tan line situation.

The biggest event (well, the first chronologically biggest event) was that I tried Tecate Light.  Tecate Light is the water of Culiacán.  I have tried beer before: Corona with lime, some light beer with lime, and Woodchuck.  Woodchuck is all I can handle because it's actually apple juice in a beer bottle!  However, being in the sun all day made me quite thirsty, and there was literally nothing else to drink.  This is where I need to remind you that I was a camel in a former life and drink at least 2 liters of water every day.  Typically it's closer to three.  

By 1:00, I had had less than 8 oz of water at the house and nothing else.  It was getting close to lunch time and I was parched.  Enter the beer.

Since I was super-thirsty and cotton mouth had set in, I didn't notice the first few sips.  But then I realized.  Yep, it is in fact beer.  I am not a beer lover.  I never will be I assume.  I did manage to drink two that afternoon though.  I just had to hold my breath and swallow.  Now I'm an official Mexican.  Or at least an official Culichi.  Tecate Light is the sponsor of this whole city I think, but in other areas of Mexico, it's not quite as popular.

We enjoyed our hamburgers and the rest of the afternoon.  I was in paradise with the view, the pool, and my book.  Hector showed up with the hamburgers saying, "My how you all suffer!"  I'll take that suffering any day!

Around 7, the last group arrived: Chapo and Karla, and Liliana's brother Daniel and Europa.  They were quick to join us by the pool.  Of course they didn't swim, and by then it was too late to tan (not that they would have).  Nadia and I were the only girls that braved the pool all day.

Thanks to Liliana, we had an amazing (and cheap as usual) few days.  On Wednesday (the day before), I had realized that I would have to get up super early on Friday to ride the too-long bus to Guadalajara to leave enough time to get to the airport there.  I was basically going to miss the whole day.  My flight wasn't until 6 pm, but the bus I would need left at 10 am.  The whole reason I was flying from Guadalajara was because that's where we flew into.  I didn't realize there was an airport in Manzanillo.  We flew to Guadalajara on Volaris, which is Mexico's Southwest equivalent.  It actually is managed by the same people and in the next year, there should be international flights!  At any rate, I had bought a Volaris flight for Friday (because they're so cheap, they only one run flight a day on each route and mine was at 6 pm) because Ashley would arrive on Saturday afternoon.  I felt more comfortable with myself running around Mexico City alone than with her.  Besides, my flight was into Toluca, an airport on the outskirts of Mexico City, meaning I wouldn't meet up with her until well after 9 pm.

When Adriana mentioned that there was an airport in Manzanillo and why wasn't I flying out of there, I put that on the back burner.

On Thursday, when the last group showed up, I decided I would check to see if I could change my flight.  If it wasn't a major expense, I should do it.  I would get more time with my friends, and I wouldn't be stuck in a hotel outside Mexico City alone for a night.

My flight directly into Mexico City cost me just over 200 bucks (and considering I'm making money off this exchange, I decided to splurge on myself), and better yet had me arriving within ten minutes of Ashley.  Perfect!

Liliana came to check on me as I was furiously checking internet prices, canceling hotels, and reserving flights.  When I told her it was a done deed, she got everyone's attention.  "Silence.  Silence, please!  I have a very important announcement!  Laura is going to stay another day!"

Enter crowd's cheering.  I love my friends.

Adriana had been told by Lili (and probably everyone) that I prefer red wine to beer.  She broke out the bottle to celebrate my extended stay in Manzanillo.