We love quitters!

By TravelGuy:

Ever been hypnotized?  Many of us are under self-hypnosis every day when we drive somewhere (to work, for example) and don't even remember how we got there.  We were in a state of self-hypnosis.  If you want to read more about this, read on...

Some people don’t like hypnotherapy because they think they will lose control or be forced to cluck like a chicken the rest of their life.  Hypnotherapy is much different than hypnosis for entertainment, but either way, you can’t be hypnotized unless you want to be.  If you sit down and say, “I won’t be hypnotized, I won’t be hypnotized, I won’t be hypnotized…”.  Guess what? You won’t be hypnotized. 

Like everything, hypnotherapy is a tool and its effectiveness will be directly proportional to how you use it.  Hypnotherapy has helped folks in several ways, some of which are:  Weight loss, regaining focus, overcoming phobias, and of course, quitting smoking. 

I had been thinking about creating a unique cruise that would also help people in some way.  With all of the accessible food on a ship, weight loss didn’t seem to be the right fit.  After talking it over with my hypnotherapist, Laura Kohn, we agreed that quitting smoking would be perfect.  A cruise is ideal for hypnotherapy because the subject is already in a relaxed environment while being on vacation, and while there are places to smoke on the ship, new regulations by cruise lines have made smoking more and more difficult for smokers. 

Together with Laura Kohn, I've created a Quit Smoking at Sea cruise sailing on January 8^th, 2012 for 7 nights on the Norwegian Pearl from Miami to the Western Caribbean.  Cruise fare includes two group hypnotherapy sessions with Laura Kohn (http://www.laurakohngroup.com) as well as a $50 spa credit per cabin.  Plus, I'll be making a donation to the American Cancer Society for each cabin booked.  Want to start out 2012 the right way?  Kick the habit!

Mamita’s Beach Club

Wednesday arrived and we decided to get out of our room at the bright and early time of 9:50am. The resort’s complimentary shuttle dropped us off right in the middle of Playa del Carmen. This time we hung out at Mamita’s Beach Club. Great location, great service, and a great beach. For 90 pesos we were able to secure two chaise lounge chairs and a palapa, because the TravelGuy needs his shade. The menu was the most “American” we’ve seen during our trip, featuring: Hamburgers, hotdogs, chicken sandwiches, and spaghetti. They also had fajitas and quesadillas, but no tacos! All in all, Mamita’s is a great beach club with a regular pool and a kiddie pool in the back, a DJ (but not loud and obnoxious), and a section of actual beds on the beach for 200 pesos each. We would definitely spend a day there again.

Supposedly the temperature today hit 95 degrees, though the beaches have been quite breezy so we haven’t really felt it. That being said, we are looking a tad redder than we’d like, so we’ll need to stock up on more sunscreen before venturing out tomorrow to Xcaret to relax even more.

Until tomorrow…

A single tall soy latte…with a mask!

By TravelGirl --

It’s about time! We finally encountered our first interaction with non-medical or non-government workers wearing masks! Wouldn’t ya know it…it was at American-owned Starbucks. Visualize this…we’re wandering along 5th avenue in downtown Playa del Carmen, zig zagging from side street to side street, eyeing the mouth-watering fresh mangos, cucumbers, and other fruits from the little Mexican ladies at the fruit carts, when we see a Starbucks a few storefronts ahead. First, it’s a bit surprising to see a chain in the quaint, village-like Playa del Carmen (especially compared to Cancun), however since Starbucks seems to be everywhere, it really wasn’t a shock. As we strolled past, we saw a gal wiping down the tables outside the store wearing a mask. We looked in as we walked by and saw that ALL of the employees were wearing masks. We couldn’t pass by the opportunity to pop inside to have a word. According to the young man behind the register, they were required by Starbucks to wear masks (see photo; you can’t really tell, but he IS SMILING behind that mask). American paranoia at work in Mexico. They stood out like a broken pinky toe.

We’ve had the chance to speak to Mexican nationals who regard the entire H1N1 flu scare as a “planned” attack by the World Health Organization to create paranoia around the world in order to test new flu strain remedies. After only having been here for three days, we are reinforcing our belief that this whole flu scare is just a bunch of hype. Many more people have died from the “regular flu” than from this new strain. Ok, enough of that for today, and back to the adventure on the beach.

Most of today was spent in lounge chairs on the beach, next to Bad Boys Beach Club. We got a bit of a late start today, so by the time we got into downtown PDC it was already 2 p.m. However, it’s never too late to order Coronas with shrimp tacos and shrimp quesadillas. Have I mentioned that I’ve been eating shrimp tacos almost on a daily basis here? I can officially say that I’m addicted, and I will fully admit that I am a shrimp-eating vegetarian when I travel. It’s the one living thing I’ll eat, but I’m also not convinced shrimp even has a neo cortex (so I don’t feel bad). No fish or other seafood enters this body though!

After several hours on the beach, we got antsy and realized we needed to explore. We spent the next two hours walking south along the beach, then up to 5th avenue, through a jungle-like dirt path full of interesting bird sounds and iguana-like creatures, to Playacar. The beaches there were not only deserted, but a crystal-clear light turquoise color with some shades of teal and blue. We frolicked in the water because we could. It was gorgeous. The oceanfront villas in Playacar looked mostly empty as we strolled past one, then another, then another, until we realized we had to make the trek back into town to grab a cab. Feet tired and bellies gurgling with hunger, we made our way back into PDC, headed to a bar showing movies on the beach, decided we were too old to stay out late and grabbed a cab to head back to the Royal Haciendas.

Tomorrow will be similar. When you find yourself in 85 degrees, nothing but beaches and white sand, there is no reason to do anything other than just chill.

Free Drinks at Happy Hour!

Greetings from Playa Del Carmen!

We decided to spend our first full day just relaxing at the resort in the chaise lounges and enjoying the scenery. Nothing creates smiles more than sun, surf, sand and free alcohol for TravelGuy and TravelGirl. The “Welcome Home” party at the Royal Haciendas is one of the few times when we’ll be offered free alcohol during our stay. Beer? Si. Rum & Coke? Si. Non-alcoholic beverages? Si… but not for me. One full hour of open bar with middle-aged folks being goofy as all get out, cuz there ain’t no party like a Royal Resorts party. Limbo contests, musical chairs, water balloon toss and of course, the often imitated, but never duplicated “Protect your balloon, but stomp all of your enemies’ balloons” game. Good times for one and all, especially if you enjoy laying back and watching the shenanigans.

We had forgotten how large and reasonably priced the on-site grocery stores are at the Royal Resorts. The prices are lower than a 7-Eleven and in many cases lower than your typical Safeway (one liter of mango nectar is $1.69, for example).

What I learned today: The great thing about falling asleep while listening to your MP3 player is that you can figure out how long you were asleep by back-peddling through the songs you don’t remember.

Today we also learned that among Royal Resorts’ five resorts in the Yucatan, they only have 2000 guests this week. That means we’re probably under 10% occupancy in our specific resort (yes you read that correctly). That gives you a glimpse into the VIP treatment we’re receiving (despite the fact that Tara thinks she’s a public figure and the reason for her VIP treatment). We didn’t get out to the sand until about 11:30am and we had our pick of palapas. Traveling to Mexico right now is akin to flying after 9/11; it’s the best time to be in Mexico, especially if you don’t like crowds.

As the sun prepares to set in the next hour, I relish the smell of the flowers outside my balcony as I take my second nap of the day.

Until tomorrow…

Masks and Mayhem – where is it?

From TravelGirl --

We landed in Cancun this afternoon, and based on all previous media accounts, one would have thought we were jumping into a pit of fire with rabid monkeys and flesh-eating zombies. Au contraire, I’m afraid. Oh wait, that’s French. Here I am in Mexico for probably the 15th or 16th time, and I can only say, “Uno Cerveza, Gracias, Si, No, Uno mas,” and that’s about it. Time for Spanish lessons, eh?

Anyway, upon boarding the Cancun-bound Alaska Airlines jet at LAX, we had expected to be armed with masks and hand sanitizers. Alaska had previously removed all pillows and blankets and reportedly was distributing the masks and sanitizer to all passengers flying into Mexico. This just simply wasn’t true. Either they ran out, or they came to their senses and realized there is a flu virus going around, not the plague. Did you know that 1400 American women die EACH DAY during childbirth? Yeah, I never knew I’d have a better chance of losing my life to childbirth than I would to the H1N1 virus. Oh wait. I’m not pregnant.

Ok, so getting back to the topic at hand here – no masks and no hand sanitizers were distributed. We flew first class thanks to an MVP upgrade, and arrived to Cancun painlessly and effortlessly. You’d never know there was an epidemic (or near pandemic) going on. Cancun greeted us with 86 degrees, sunny skies and bright and cheery nationals waiting to help us part with our money via timeshare tours, car rentals, shuttle rides, you name it. Guess what? NOT ONE of them was wearing a mask. No where did we see canisters of hand sanitizers. Most of the immigration and customs officials were indeed wearing masks, but not even the airline employees in Mexico were wearing them. There was no sign of a rampant disease that was out to kill us!

We signed up for a tour of the Grand Mayan. It is the best way for us to gain entrance to Xcaret for only $40 as opposed to $240 for both of us. Yes, we will be giving 90 minutes of our lives to the timeshare salesperson that will receive a mere, “Thanks for your time” from us, but it’s all part of the game here. Plus, we are on a teensy little budget.

Arrival to The Royal Haciendas via shuttle was again quick and painless. We checked in, unpacked, checked the inventory of our pre-purchased groceries that were nicely tucked away in the fridge and cupboards, then wandered along the beach for a sunset walk, before heading to dinner at La Palapa, the onsite restaurant. There is no mayhem here. Heck, we jumped into what we thought was going to make for great video footage, but it’s just not here. We DID, however, bring our own supply of masks, anti-bacterial soap, hand sanitizer galore, and a prescription for Tamiflu (just in case). We ARE using the soap and sanitizer just to be safe, but the masks appear to be overkill. At the point I gain the urge to lick a doorknob, well, then…I suppose I’ll fight that urge by wearing a mask.

Tomorrow we’ll likely venture into town or at least spend the day relaxing in the sand, and will give a more ambient report of the sunshine, sand, and beautiful Caribbean Sea.

Masks and Mayhem? Not in Cancun or Playa del Carmen…at least not today.

Swine flu – Hype or Health Concern?

From TravelGirl --

Remember when SARS was all the rage? And the avian flu? Where did they go? Still alive and kickin’ (think Simple Minds, 1985) years later, here we are inundated with images of the swine flu – lines of Mexicans awaiting visits to their overworked doctors, tourists wearing masks on vacation, passengers quarantined upon arriving back to the U.S. from Mexico, cruise lines cancelling their port stops to Mexico. Is this the “big one”? Will this be the virus to weed out our overpopulated earth? Who knows?

All I know is that it is virtually impossible to turn on a television and not see Dr. Sanjay Gupta or a stern face of a newscaster preparing us for updates on the number of confirmed swine flu cases, number of deaths, and number of states in the U.S. where the virus has hit. It’s really hard to remain objective about the topic of leisure travel to Mexico when the swine flu is looming around us. Yes, I said leisure travel.

Is leisure travel considered essential travel? I think it is. I am of the belief that travel/vacation is essential to life, as much as vitamins, minerals, water, and the occasional cocktail with an umbrella and plastic monkey. In fact, people who take vacations at least once per year are expected to reduce their risk of heart disease by 30% (per the State University of New York at Oswego). That is HUGE! 30%! Wow!

Four days from now, Alex and I will be settling in nicely at our condo in Playa del Carmen (after having wiped it down with bleach wipes), smelling the salty air (through masks of course), nibbling on tacos (with our over-sanitized hands), enjoying the beautiful Caribbean Sea.

Ahhh, leisure travel. Does it get any better than that?