.......today.....

Today is not a great day...

I've worked so hard this year to be positive; be happy... and as a whole, I've succeeded.  It's been a good year so far.

Today... Not so much.. Last night a nagging feeling of 'blah' came over me.  I didn't want to go to work today... and yeah, the evening just progressed into 'blah'.

The inevitable lovey lovey day tomorrow makes me feel quite lonley.. and yeah, I checked up on the ex (who I still miss, stupidly) and saw his new PoF profile.  Yeah.. made me feel even crummier.  I don't understand my addiction to him - why do I love someone who clearly does not love me back? If anyone can explain to me why I cannot break free of this, please give me some insight...

Try as I might tonight, I cannot help but shed MANY tears - something I haven't done in ages - and feel myself falling apart.

So with that, at 9 pm, I am going to crawl into bed and send some prayers out into the universe for this crap mood to pass.

Travelling to Mazatlan: Part 2 Azteca Inn

So, yesterday I introduced you to the glorious Las Flores hotel.  Today, I am introducing you to the other hotel I stayed in - Azteca Inn.

 

 

 

This 2 1/2 star 3 floor, 74 room hotel is located in the Golden Zone (down the street and across the road from Las Flores).  Very much a place for the budget conscious traveller to look into.  It is a no frill hotel room(simple rooms - two beds, nightstands, a dresser and a TV) to say the least.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Azteca has a decent sized pool (that was comfortable in temperature and clean) as well as hot tub situated in the center of the courtyard - which made it a little noisy at times in the room when it was full, but nothing terrible.

 

 

 





 

At the front of the hotel is a little restaurant which serves breakfast ONLY at a decent price.  Also in the courtyard is a little bar - that I personally found to be too stuffy to want to sit in for a long period of time, but cute and nice if you want to grab a drink by the pool.

 

 



The cons to Azteca? 

* Location.  While it IS in the Golden Zone, it is not on the side of the street as the ocean.  Is that a con?  Sorta.  It's not a big deal to cross the street and pass through another hotel to get to the beach, but it is not as convenient. 

* Frills.  Again, this is a no frill place.  Don't expect anything amazing.  It's a place to lay your head.

* The restaurant.  The service was poor.  Only open for breakfast. 

* NO option of doing an All Inclusive if that is what you are looking for.

* NO option of really keeping food in the room (verses going out to eat) as there is no fridge.

 

The pros to Azteca?

* Cleanliness.  While Las Flores was clean, Azteca is immaculate.  The housekeeping gals were AMAZING - they actually went out of their way to say thank you for tipping them.  How sweet is that? 

* Comfort - we didn't use the air conditioning once as the ceiling fan was so powerful it cooled us off more than enough to be comfortable!

* Sleeping - the beds (while being hard - which is apparently just a Mexican thing) were comfy.

* Price.  Azteca was significantly cheaper than Las Flores - and while it is no frills, what you are lacking (IE a balcony over looking the ocean) if not a huge deal. 

* Free wifi!  How can you go wrong? :-)

* Security - at night the front entrance to the courtyard (the walk way under the 'Inn' in the first photo) is gated off and has a security guard present.

 

All in all, you COULD pay a little more for something fancier, but for someone on a budget - this is a perfect location!  Comfortable, safe, clean and convenient.  Win win in my books!

 

 

 

 



Travelling to Mazatlan: Part 2 Las Flores hotel!

Hotels!  The two times (and this upcoming one) I have been to Mazatlan, I booked a hotel/flight package through a site.  I found this to be a VERY convenient option - a lot easier to book both as once and cheaper to boot! 

I've stayed in two different hotels - Las Flores and Azteca Inn.  This upcoming time, I am returning to Azteca.  Needless to say, I am not a real expect in hotel recommendations but I would still like to give you a little run down of what to expect with these the first hotel I stayed at:

Las Flores

 

This 3 star 119 room hotel is located on the beach right in the heart of the Golden Zone! Location, location, location!  One of the BIG draws for Las Flores is very much it's perfect location.

 

While this IS an older hotel, it is well maintained and very clean.

 

We were originally in a studio kitchentte and got upgraded to a suite with kitchenette as the air conditioning in our room was not working (and really was not in the second room - the staff brought us up a fan which was enough to cool down the room).  Nice little kitchen area - the fridge was NOT cold and had to be replaced.. twice.

 

It was nice though to have a little fridge as we went grocery shopping for snacks.  We also had access to a toaster, blender, coffee maker and stove.  We didn't use the stove, but everything else was put to good use!

 

 

The view from the balcony is AMAZING!  I mean amazing!

The hotel has two (cold) pools and a hot tub - but being steps from the beach, we didn't really utilize them. Who needs a pool when you have an entire ocean to swim in?  But for the record, they were also well maintained, and very clean. 



 

 

 

The hotel also features a nice restaurant (the food was GOOD, but not excellent) and bar.  The bar has some pretty great outdoor karaoke in the evening as well. Heh. 

 

 

 

The pros?  As mentioned, the location and the view!  There is something amazing about sitting in the morning on the balcony watching the sunrise over the ocean with a cup of coffee!  Cleanliness - very much so.  Our room was spotless every day.  No complaints!

 

The cons? The staff are wonderful - but a tad slow to respond to complaints.  We are not ones to complain, honest.  The AC though was non existent - to the point we couldn't sleep it was so stuffy.  If we left the balcony door open to get some air in, we ended up with a room of fish fly like bugs.  Even with the upgrade to a room with apparent working AC, it was hot.  Also the beds are rock hard and we had to call and ask multiple times for some pads they keep in stock.  Really not huge cons. 

 

All in all, a great place to stay for the location!

Travelling to Mazatlan: Part 1 the airport, money & transport

So, there is just over a month to go until I embark on my solo trip to Mazatlan! 

As it nears, I have been researching a few different activities to partake in, and I also decided to share with you what a trip to Mazatlan is like and what there is to do!

The first experience you will have with Mazatlan is the airport.  Strangely, THIS is what is worrying me the most about traveling alone - navigating the airport alone.  Funny, right? 

Sometimes a girl needs a little self photo action to document the fun!

 



From my last few trips to Mazatlan, I recall the airport to be a little confusing. You travel through various custom/check points where your bags are searched.  Beware of the time share/excursion folks! After you pass through yet another baggage search, you will be led right past or to a desk where people will try to sell you timeshares/excursions/transportation at crazy rates or that you may not even want.  Luckily, the sellers are not always overly pushy and will accept your politely decline and walking away as an answer.  If you ARE looking for excursions, your hotel can offer you better rates/packages or arrange trips from home - we arranged a price for a tour prior and snagged a deal.  These sellers may not sound like a big deal - but a little overwhelming to a first time traveller. 

There are a few ATMs located on the ground floor - I found this is a pretty safe place to withdraw pesos.  The rate is very reasonable, there is little risk of being mugged as the airport is very secure with guards, and it's convenient.  I have used my Canadian debit card with no problems - and a helpful tip:  MANY bank machines in foreign countries will ONLY accept a 4 digit pin #.  I normally do not use a 4 digit pin, but when I travel outside of North America, I will change my pin at the bank to a 4 digit number and change it back after.  It's simple to do at home at the ATM.  I am not sure about using a credit card at the machine, as this is not something I have tried... but again, no worries with the debit.

Why wouldn't I do this at home?  I just found it more convenient to exchange Canadian dollars for US at home (small bills for tipping the housekeeping, etc) and snagging pesos when I am there.  I have found that any place I went to eat/shop (I have never done all inclusive) accepted either.  I am not 100% comfortable with my mental conversion of pesos <---> dollars either.. 100 pesos is just shy of 8 US dollars as of this posting time. 

So you probably want to leave the airport, right?  Many travel packages will include transportation to and from the airport to your hotel.  The reps for the companies will be found on the ground floor with signs for the company they work with (IE Westjet) and wearing shirts with that company logo.  Pretty simple.  Otherwise, there is a yellow (airport) taxi kiosk outside the terminal and I have heard of people using companies like Mazatlan Tours and prearranging that online from home.

What will it cost?  WELL, when I was in Mazatlan in early 2012, the taxis, pulmonías (open air taxis that resemble golf carts) and aurigas (These are pickup trucks that have been converted with benches in the back and canopy coverings) were not metered; you could negotiate a price with the driver!  Apparently, these are all now metered!  I am unsure the costs.  From what I can see on trip advisor, to get to the Golden Zone (where your hotel most likely is) it will cost about $345 pesos - so about $28 US.  It's about a half hour ride, so really not that terrible of a price!

Aurigas - good for a larger group

 

Not so good for your hair (haha)

 

A pulmonia - great for zipping around town

 

Of course, you can always take a bus once you are in town.  This is BY far the cheapest option - if you can figure out which one to take.   That was a little confusing for me (but hey, I also have a hard time figuring out the transit system at home) - but a quick and cheap way to get around to say downtown.

 

Next up:  Lodging!

Brunettes

Friday morning I looked like....      

 

 

Friday afternoon I looked like........

 

 

 

 

Holy crap!  I'm a brunette!!

 

I ventured down to one of the local Aveda hair school in the city on my day off in an attempt to cover up my grown out highlights.  Rather than paying a sick amount of money at a regular salon, I decided to give the student route a go (the instructors are right there, so I have no worries of something going wrong.. and for $30 WITH TAX how can I say NO?!).  The easiest route was to match the base color and cover over the highlights - and surprisingly, my base color was actually this.  I know.  Seriously!!!  Who knew?!  (Not I).

 

While the color doesn't look BAD by any means - I am not in love with it.  The dark color just doesn't feel like me... and really, it is probably more likely a dark blond, not even brown...  I have had a few people say: "You changed your hair!"  "It's darker!" but not follow up with "I like it!" sorta comments, so I am very self conscious...

 

So 5 weeks from now I may be venturing back into blonder territories, but this is me for now!

 

Oh, and as a side note apparently the only person who is terrified of me travelling alone to Mexico is myself. Hah!  My family and bff are all super excited for me to do a solo trip! 

 

Did I ever mention the gal I met last year on the plane going to Mex?  Long story short, her and her gal pal were travelling to Mazatlan together, the friend ended up having  to leave the first day due to a family emergency back in WPG so the gal was left on a solo trip in Maz.  She met some locals hippy like chicks who once called Canada home - hooked up with them for the week, got some massive tattoos and met a friend of theirs who is a Mexican federal police officer, and MARRIED HIM... Yes, in a weeks time.  Ran into her on the plane on the way home - where she also told me she was going to have to explain this to her boyfriend back home who was picking her up at the airport...

 

Crazy, no?!  Hah  I am certainly hoping my adventure isn't QUITE that adventurous ;-)

 

 

 

Conquering the world

Apparently my world conquering shoes are water shoes that I accidentally stumbled upon in the store and immediately had mental images of myself jogging down the beach... even though I don't jog.  

Ever.

HOWEVER, I purchased these shoes and less than a week later booked my trip to Mazatlan!

Booked a trip to travel to Mazatlan by MYSELF, I should add.

<insert panicked looks from readers here>

I know I discussed in a previous post about doing things that were not 'me' per say in order to grow, and the possibility of a solo trip to Mexico was one of them.

After that post, I sat and really thought about this.  Was this something I was just spouting off as it sounded good and exciting in my head, but really had little intention of not chickening out over?  Possibly.

I sat on the fence about whether or not a trip like this was in fact a smart decision:  

* Could I afford it? I work 3 jobs to have money to live comfortably - is this not a reward for my hard work?  My bills will be able to be paid no problem if I do this, so it is not spending money that needs to go towards important things.  The air/hotel packages I were seeing were a WEE bit more then I was hoping to spend.. but I still have the money.

* Is it safe? When I have told people I was thinking to go by myself, more often than not I got a very concerned look (especially from my mama friends) and concerns about this. ("By YOURSELF? What? Oh... <frown>) I have been to Mazatlan twice now - I know people there, so I have friends to visit with.  I have NEVER felt unsafe there in my travels.  

* Is this smart?  Period.  Is this smart? 

Even though these nagging questions were there, I still flirted with the idea of going.  I knew that the idea of going to say, Calgary for a visit was not something I wanted to do right now.. I checked the travel website we have used in the past to watch prices for packages to Mazatlan... and wondered why the packages were not fluctuating in price AT all... as this is not normal for the site - strike while the iron is hot, sorta thing....

THEN, yesterday I was getting ready to go to the gym and decided to take a peek at the sight.  No Mazatlan.  I felt panic set in.  I checked other travel sites - also no Mazatlan trips offered out of my city.  I slumped down in my chair in semi defeat - I knew they had stopped direct flights there, but 2 days prior they still showed the option of a package where I would travel from here to Alberta then to Mazatlan.  Where was this?  Why had they dumped Mazatlan completely?  Would I have to book a flight to Calgary then arrange a package out of there... I saw the dollar signs increasing and my dream fading.

I decided to log directly onto Westjet and peek around.  I told myself IF I saw a package where I would fly out of my city, I would book.  That was my sign.  

I saw a package.

I filled in my info and sat there with my hands literally shaking and sweating profusely.  

Seriously.

Do I press confirm or do I take the original site backing out as a sign?  Panic, panic.

I closed my eyes and the words 'piss or get off the pot' came to mind. ( I have a sailor mouth for a mind, I know..) and with that, I opened my eyes, decided I would conquer the world one small step at a time and pressed confirm!

I know this may not seem like a huge thing to people reading this as people travel by themselves ALL the times... but this is a big growing as a person event for me!

I am quite certain my parents, especially my mom, are not going to be too happy with this idea (when I tell them at a family dinner tonight) again for the worry aspect.  I know I am an adult and can make my own choices, but I am still a daughter and worry about worrying my folks!  

Regardless, it is booked!  March 2013 I will conquer the world.

An Eye For An Eye

This is something I am trying to be very mindful of.

2012 was very much a year of transformation for me - unfortunately, that came as a lot of loss.  

Part of this transformation came with the final breakup with the Ex, and realizing my own strengths and weaknesses and part of this came with shedding a few friends who were no longer people I felt were positive influences in my life.

While I am not willing to get into details, one of those people was my best friend of about 20 years.  This loss came very unexpectedly, and I am still very much struggling with the changes it has brought in my life, and will continue to bring, but for now, the right choice in my life is to keep our relationship at bay.  Stepping back from our relationship has allowed me to see someone I once knew was now a very poisoned person who I do not trust.  While I am hoping and praying for the healing of our friendship in time, I have felt a lot of stress lifted on my back by simply not being around someone who is constantly angry.

One of my resolutions for 2013 (as I spoke of prior) was to bring about more happiness in my life.  It is not to say that I am terribly UNhappy, but I could be happier. If that makes sense... I am doing more things for myself and attempting to shed negative behaviours.

That is where an eye for an eye comes in - a negative behaviour I am trying to curb is buying into other peoples drama.  Seriously, for being an adult, I certainly have my lions share of dramatic people in  my life who could give a high school clique a run for their money!

I have found that buying into their stress/drama/chaos makes me feel stressed/chaotic.    I end up stewing over the details and causing myself a lot of headaches and in some instances, involving myself in behaviours that are immature and hurtful (aka gossip or slandering other people).

I have found the simple act of walking away from gossip (and this does not include reading celebrity gossip, as that is my guilty happy pleasure in life.  I'm talking to you Justin Beiber smoking weed!) and not even involving myself leaves me happier.  

I will never say 'no' to a friend who needs a shoulder to cry on, but I will be mindful that this can be done in a much more positive way!