Sunday, October 3rd - Day 1 - RIU Caribe

It's been an adventurous day!

Luggage
We left a half hour later than we intended because I was trying to make mom's luggage stand upright. I packed her this time, but it still was falling forward (although, she did throw her shoes and other miscellaneous items in). We took those out and rearranged her bras, but it still fell forward. No matter what luggage she uses, this always happens, and only to her! It's the strangest thing.

Check-In
USA3000 is now using printed receipts as their boarding passes. We didn't initially have seats listed, so I had to go and get some, and we were in row 3. Not too bad considering the fact that we didn't purchase "Preferred Perks." However, I think that 6 and back is better because it's so hard to find a spot for your luggage in the first few rows.

While we were waiting in line to be checked in, mom noticed that I had one of my Fit Flops on and one of hers. One was the right size and one was too big. Oh, well! I had to wear them that way.

Arrival
We arrived a little early. Mom and I breezed through Customs. She ran into one of her For Eyes customers. I was rushing and trying to make sure that mom didn't have to handle the heavy luggage, and I forgot my laptop on the conveyor belt. Luckily, our luggage has curly ribbon that matches, and a lady came out and told me! Whew! That's where I had my money too!

Transfer
The first stop was at Dreams Cancun, then RIU Cancun, and finally, the RIU Caribe!

RIU Caribe
I was impressed with the look of the hotel. Reviews are very hot and cold. Also, some of the pictures that I've seen are all redundant and don't do it justice.

We arrived so early, so check-in was a breeze. We were greeted with Welcome drinks and our room was ready! They gave us room 404, which has amazing ocean views and an enormous balcony with two sliding doors! It reminds me a lot of Huatulco. The room is ordinary and can use some updating, but I knew that in advance. It's clean and we LOVE the views. I had very low expectations, but I really like this resort.

Lunch
We were hungry, so we went down to the pizzeria, which is below our room and near the ocean. We watched people snorkeling and fishing. The Pelicanos are enormous! Mom thought they were fake.

Uh-Oh!
I couldn't find my Birth Control pills anywhere. I looked and double-checked, but they were nowhere to be found. I called dad and he found them on my dresser. I must have gotten side-tracked. Well, if it was anything, but those, I could manage. So, we had to change our plans from swimming to shopping! I checked the Pharmacia outside the resort, but they didn't carry them.

Wal-Mart
We took a taxi to Wal-Mart. They didn't have my brand, so I settled for another brand. I figured that something was better than nothing! At first they told me that they didn't have them either, but fortunately, the man behind me told her what I was looking for in Spanish. They were pretty inexpensive (around $7.00).

I found a cute dress and purse, but thought the dress might look like it was a maternity dress on me.

We enjoyed looking at the bakery section...it's always unbelievable!

Plaza Pelicanos
Since we were in downtown Cancun, we took a taxi to Plaza Pelicanos. Anne Marie told me that it's her favorite mall. As we were approaching, I saw a place that looked like a casino, and I asked the taxi driver who told me that it was. Mom was so excited!

Mom played the slots while I shopped and then I met her and I showed her some of the mall. It's the best mall that I've been to in a long time. They had a lot of cute things, but I didn't buy anything. Since it was Sunday, there were a lot of families shopping. The mall was so big. They even had an upscale Sears (now, do not laugh, but they even sold Chanel make-up there) and they had a Johnny Rockets restaurant.

Snack
When we returned, we got  a little snack of chips and guacamole and picco de gallo. I needed diet coke because I had such a bad migraine.

Nap Time
I tried to log onto the Internet from our balcony, but I couldn't get a connection. My head was throbbing, and I was going to nap on the balony until ou neighbors came out and started smoking! I went in and took a nap instead, and it was really bad, and now I think I figured out that it was because Wal-Mart had an open fish display in the middle of the store that I walked past. It had to be because it felt like my allergy migraine, and my heart kept pounding.

Pharmacia
We went to visit our friends at the Pharmacia outside of our resort to see if they had Levaquin for mom's stomach, but the girl said they didn't.

Dinner Time
When we got up, mom had a stomach ache. She thinks she's been eating too many berries with seeds. What a combo we make!

We just got dressed casual since it was the buffet tonight. The food was decent, not great. I really liked the shredded pork tacos. Those were very tasty. And, I discovered some Cafe Americano.

Pharmacia Again
I looked up the Spanish version of Levaquin online and went back to the Pharmacy. The girl laughed when she realized what I was looking for. That was a good thing. I got mom a box of the generic.

Lobby Entertainment
We didn't go to the show because I wanted to blog, so we sat in the lobby and listened to the band and watched one couple dance. There aren't any ash trays on the table, but I can smell smoke, and it's giving me a headache. I wish that allergy would disappear!