Fourth Day Turks and Caicos - July 25

Great start to the day – no worms.  Even the baby ones couldn’t get in. Since Shelby really doesn’t ever want to eat breakfast, we decided to leave her sleeping and leave a note telling her we were at Mario’s for breakfast.  This was the best breakfast buffet we had.  Shelby joined us and we did a little shopping and then went back to the room.

One of the things we had to buy was some more sunscreen.  We had brought a very waterproof 50 SPF with all the UV protections everyone should use in a spray form. We all used it diligently.  Well, after the first complete day we were there, Bonnie had a very interesting sunburn. One section on both arms was as white as can be while all around the rest of her was bright red.  Apparently, she gave one spritz and thought that would cover her whole arm – maybe even her whole body.  She also did something similar on her back. I had offered to spray it for her but she could do it herself.  Shelby and I are darker so if we missed anything, it made little difference.  Shelby would get a little red but by morning, she had this gorgeous tan.  We all also used the aloe gel they provided in our rooms after our showers and I think that also helped Shelby and me.  It probably helped Bonnie also but she got at least as red as I have ever seen her.

When we went back to our room, we found a note saying that our luggage had to be outside our door but 8:00 AM, we had to be at the departure lounge by 12:00 to make sure our luggage was there and our shuttle would leave at 12:30 for a 3:00 flight.  Later we told Shelby about this and told her if she wanted to swim on that morning, we had saved a plastic bag and she could put the wet suit in that and put it into her carry-on.  She chose not to do that.  Neither did we.

On this particular day, the place seemed to be more crowded and we had trouble finding any chairs in the shade.  We did find two but soon the sun was right on us. So I walked into the pool and stood around for a while.  Then I decided to go into the whirlpool. Bonnie came with me and helped me get into the whirlpool.  I loved it so I sat there for quite a while.  The water didn’t feel too hot although Bonnie didn’t stay in for very long. She did soak her feet.  While I was there, they had a hula hoop contest and that was fun to watch.  I got out of the pool and, unfortunately, the hot water didn’t help my hurting back at all.  Went back to sit in the chair for a while but I couldn’t cover my legs and the sun was pelting down on my feet, ankles and lower legs.  I then announced I had to leave and get out of the sun.  I had forgotten that I was taking at least 2 probably 3 medications that warned about being in the sun.  I did get a sun rash on my lower legs and it was very itchy.  Later it just looked awful.

This night we had planned to go to Schooners, the restaurant which is near the beach and where we ate breakfast one day.  Unfortunately, we got a later start and by the time we got there, it was a one and a half hour wait.  So we decided to pass on that and went to Mario’s, another very nice restaurant where we also had breakfast and they also had just as long wait.  We then went to Giuseppe’s where there were plenty of people but no wait.  Apparently, there were more people there that day and we also went later – not a good combination.  They had a nice enough buffet but just after we got our food, all the lights went out in the entire French Village.  The people in the restaurant came out with battery operated candles to help us see.  Bonnie went and got fresh cooked-to-order pasta that was still being cooked and it was delicious. There were some things that were cooking which apparently were using gas. The lights were out for more than a half hour. We had no intention of leaving since the entire area was in darkness.  We all just enjoyed the situation. The lights did come back on just before we were ready to leave.

Shelby went to enjoy her last night at Beaches. We saw much of the movie, Up, which we had seen before but it was just nice to sit outside in this beautiful place.  It was getting late and I was ready to go back and pack for tomorrow.  When Shelby came back, she also packed.  As usual, while going to sleep, Bonnie and Shelby watched TV and I fell asleep.  Don’t think this was early since Shelby came back at 11:30 each night.  It was a very nice vacation but it was time to go home.

Third Day at Turks and Caicos - July 24

Again I was joined in the bathroom by one tinier black worm and so I gritted my teeth, got some Kleenex and grabbed it, killing it and sending it down the toilet all the while shivering.  I again looked in every nook and cranny but there were no more.  Last night, we realized that there was a small opening between the door and the floor and so Bonnie stuck a towel there.  Apparently, this baby worm could still get through.

We all decided to have breakfast at the French Café which serves coffees, various French pastries, croissants (the best chocolate croissant I have ever had) and a few other things.  Then we went to the Italian pool, but a different area where they have round tables and benches in the water where one can sit and eat and/or drink, mostly drink, while enjoying the water.  This looked great to me so I made my way down the steps into the water and sat at a table.  Bonnie waded to the bar and got me a strawberry daiquiri, which tasted exactly like the strawberry margarita that I had yesterday, and a mojito for herself.  As I sat in the water, I realized this was really the first time that I felt very good in the pool. Speaking about drinking, as most who will read this know, I rarely have a drink.  Well, that was not so at this all-inclusive that includes all the drinks you might want.  So besides the two mentioned above, I also partook in a screwdriver and a tequila sunrise as well as part of a bottle of beer. That’s about 5 drinks in 4 days. WOW.
At about two, we decided to go back to Gordon’s for lunch and get pizza which was better than the sandwiches we had the day before.  I wanted to take some videos and pictures.  Bonnie had to push me around and it isn’t easy pushing me.  I am no lightweight and there were some small hills to get me up as well.  It was quite hot there and I knew she would get hot so I usually didn’t ask her to take me somewhere.  She never complained at all.  So Bonnie did take me places so I could take some more pictures as I really had very few.  We then went back to the pool and she went in the water.  I was feeling pretty good so I took my cane and went for a walk.  This was the first time I felt I could do this since we got the wheelchair.

There is a seafood restaurant on the beach called Barefoot.  It is right on the sand and has picnic tables to sit on.  Bonnie thought we couldn’t go there because there were a bunch of steps and it would be hard to get to.  Also walking on sand has been hard for me for years.  In the short walk I took, I found a way to get to that restaurant without any steps and I decided the benches would be OK.  I could get there without walking on a lot of sand and Shelby and Bonnie were there to help me, if need be.  I told Bonnie I wanted to go there tomorrow night for dinner, our last night there.

We came back to the room around 4:00 and showered.  We had a nice drying rack on our patio and the suits dry rather quickly.  If not, there is also a drying line in the shower. Bonnie took a nap and I sat on the patio.  A small lizard walked by.  Now, those don’t scare me because they were not in my house.  I don’t mind worms either if they are outside.

After Shelby got ready, we went to dinner at Arizona, a Mexican restaurant, and had a wonderful meal.  We also saw a beautiful sunset.  We then went back to the Italian Village area and I listened to some very pleasant musicians, a man and a woman singing soft music with a guitar.  While there, I saw Shelby walking with a bunch of her friends.  Then we went to the chocolate feast which consisted of 4 long tables with various sweets and in the center was a martini bar, the specialty being chocolate martinis.  Neither of us had anything to drink.  This was nice but not as elegant as the ones they have on cruises.  For me, between the good food, the beautiful sunset, the enjoyable music and the chocolate, this was the best evening yet.

Second Day at Turks and Caicos - July 23

This day started out very strangely.  I woke very early and walked into the bathroom to find I wasn’t the only living thing in that room.  No.  It was me and three big black worms.  Now I am a bit, OK more than a bit, squeamish about big worms, bugs, snakes and such so I did what any wimpy person would do, I woke Bonnie.  She was absolutely thrilled to be woken with such news but she did get out of bed, killed the worms and sent them to their final resting place, down the toilet.  Now, of course, I looked all over to see if there were any more of these things anywhere and I found none.  You can imagine how happy I was to enter the bathroom again but necessity called so I grinned and bared it. No more worms appeared as we got dressed in our swim suits.  I did remind everyone to close up their suitcases and bags in case we get invaded by these creatures.  They did that but thought I was nuts.

Bonnie went to the office to report the worms.  They nonchalantly told her that they fall off the trees and will enter the first floor rooms.  I was ready to change rooms to a second floor room but I was the only one in our group to want that.  Neither Bonnie nor Shelby was bothered by this so we stayed.  To be very honest, they gave us little trouble the rest of the vacation.

We had a very nice breakfast at Schooners, a restaurant overlooking the ocean.  It was really beautiful.  Then Shelby left on her merry way and we went to the Italian pool which is very nice.  We found chairs in the shade and near the steps leading into the pool.  These chairs were higher than the ones at the French pool so it was easier for me to get in and out.  Therefore, we spent every day at this pool.  Shelby also spent a lot of time there as she said most of the fun things were happening there.  We saw her playing volleyball and just having a lot of fun. That made me happy.

Bonnie and I ate lunch at Gordon’s outdoor Italian restaurant and we went back to the pool.  I tried to write but had trouble since we had no tables.  Later we went to the water park and found tables there. I was going to write and Bonnie wanted to go down the lazy river.  Just as she got into the water, the announcement came that everyone had to get out.  The water park was closing due to an “accident” a child had.  All over the place they have signs telling parents that if their child isn’t trained, they must wear these waterproof diapers.  Apparently, one parent didn’t do so and so the park closed.  We stayed and Bonnie read while I tried to write.  It was difficult for me to see the screen because of the sun so I gave up. It is also difficult for me to read my color Nook in the bright light because the screen is already lit.  That makes it nice to read in the dark but not in the sunlight.  Bonnie’s older Nook is much easier to read in the sun but she has no backlight so always needs a light on in order to see it.

We went back to the pool and I went in the water and stood to cool off and the water is always soothing to me.  Maybe that’s because I am a Scorpio. Just as we were on our way back to the room, it started to rain.  We got in before there was much rain but it did come down rather hard.  Nobody seemed to care since it was so hot out.  It was one of those typical tropical rains where it rains hard for a short time and then the sun comes out and everything is dry. We got ready for dinner and ate dinner at the Reflections buffet.  After dinner, Shelby went with her friends and we watched a cute stage show.  Then time to go back to our room. It was a nice day.

First Day at Turks and Caicos

The next morning Bonnie asked about a wheelchair and was told we had to go to the nurse’s station. Still in our clothes from yesterday, we went to the breakfast buffet at Giuseppe’s which was the closest. Then we made the trek to the nurse’s station and got an old but serviceable wheelchair.  This wasn’t the way I expected to spend my vacation but it was better than sitting in the room. 

We walked all around the resort and it is really beautiful. There are various “villages:” the French Village, which is where we stayed; the Caribbean Village, where they tried to find us a king room but failed; the Italian Village, the pool where we mostly spent our time; and the Seaside Villas which are right on the ocean.  Each village has a beautiful pool and at least one whirlpool. Then there are other attractions such as a water park, children’s camp, snorkeling, teen game room and dance room, windsurfing (extra charge), scuba diving (extra charge) and various other extra charge activities. 

By 2:00, there was still no luggage.  Shelby hadn’t complained even once but you could see that she couldn’t wait to get into the water. Because she was being a lot better than I was, I decided to buy her a swimming suit.  She picked out a very nice suit and off she went into the water, immediately finding a bunch of kids. Bonnie and I decided to have lunch at the Cricketery, an English pub which we enjoyed a lot.

Our luggage appeared in our room at 4:00 and I immediately took a shower and got into my bathing suit to lie near our pool.  My first problem was getting out of the chaise.  It was too low to the ground.  The pool water was wonderful – warm and comforting.  I had been told not to do anything active in the pool.  I didn’t realize that walking was active.  After this time, I would go in the water and sit and I loved it.  The sun was hot and the water was fantastic.

Shelby came back at dinner time – 6::00 for us – looking very happy. She showered and changed into clean clothes.  She had met a bunch of kids of various ages and they were meeting after dinner.  I told her she had to come to breakfast with us and dinner with us. We expected her back at our room at 6:00 and after dinner, she can go out but must return before 11:30.  I felt the resort was very safe so I decided she could have a lot of freedom and I was right.  She followed my two rules and all was safe.  Although I must admit that I was glad she was having so much fun and I did see her playing volleyball, talking and walking with a group, I missed having her around a bit more.  But this was her trip and seeing her being so happy was a joy to me.  We ate dinner this night at the French Restaurant, Le Petite Chateau.  Our vacation was beginning to feel real.

Worst Travel Day I Ever Had - Turks and Caicos - July 21, 2011

This day started out quite well.  We had a very nice breakfast at the Residence Inn, returned our car and got to the airport with plenty of time to spare.  Little did we know what was ahead. I had ordered wheelchair assistance because of my back problem for all legs of the trip. The wheelchair person came quickly and got us through security with no problem. American Airlines has the body scanners .which I love. Nobody then has to touch my body. Surprise for Bonnie.  Not only was she patted down but our blue carry-on rolling backpack was searched. We got to the gate again in plenty of time.  Shelby roamed the airport so she knew where everything was.  I thought “This it just like the rest of the trip has been – perfect.”

And then it started.  It was announced that our gate was changed.  They got me a wheelchair and off we went to the new gate which was all the way across the terminal.  OK. We settled in.  They announced first class and others and they announced that I could board the plane.  The three of us got on the plane and were almost to our seats in row 33 when the pilot or someone announced that if we weren’t going to Tokyo, we were on the wrong plane and needed to get off. I said to the flight attendant, “This is a joke, right?”  No, she said it is very unprofessional and now you have to go to a different gate.  I told her I needed a wheelchair and she said she would get it for me.  The wheelchair came and we were off to another wing of the terminal. Shelby and Bonnie certainly got their exercise. I mentioned that our plane was supposed to be leaving soon and I was told that it was now delayed it an hour.  Well, I thought, we had a 2 hour layover in Miami so that should be OK. 

Wrong again.  After a very smooth 2 ½ hour plane ride, we landed in Miami and they had no gate open for us.  We were in a 777, very large plane and Miami has a limited amount of gates that will handle that size plane.  So we had to wait 45 minutes on the tarmac.  We had 15 minutes to catch our plane.  Now I was getting panicky.  I knew there were only a few planes going to Provo (short for Provenciales, Turks and Caicos) and I didn’t want to waste another day of our vacation in the Miami Airport.  I told the flight attendant where we were going, the number of the plane and the time that it was leaving.  I also said I needed a wheelchair waiting for me so that maybe we could make the flight.  He called on the phone and told me not to worry.  Bonnie and Shelby were rather calm but I wasn’t.  The plane pulled into the gate and we had ten minutes until the plane would leave.  By the time we got out of the plane we had 5 minutes left.  The wheelchair was there but he had other business he was attending to rather than getting us to our gate, which, of course, was on the other end of the terminal. I kept telling him we had to get to our gate.  He completely ignored me and was on his phone.  We weren’t moving.  Then one of those large electric carts, a courtesy shuttle, suddenly appeared.  He got me on and told me to sit there.  Then he was going to leave – with Shelby and Bonnie not on the cart.  He said they can’t come. I screamed they have to come because they take care of me.  Because of necessity, they had now become my caretakers.  So he reluctantly stopped squeezed them in and brought this heavy large suitcase to me and plops it on my lap.  I yell I can’t hold this and it isn’t mine.  So he takes it off and Bonnie told me later that he put it in front of her. I didn’t even look at the time, just sure we had missed our plane.  Off we went speeding down the terminal, blowing his horn if anyone was in his way until we got to the very end where our gate was.  I jumped off and moved as fast I could.  The gate person asked if I was Nelson.  I huffed and puffed yes.  She told me to take it easy and she took our boarding passes.  When we got into the half-empty plane, there were three people sitting in our seats.  As it turned out, we sat much closer to the front and, although we didn’t sit together, we had good seats, Bonnie and I had one person at the window and Shelby had her own row.

I breathed a little better as the plane lifted off for our hour and a half flight. I sat back and relaxed.  We had made our flight and now everything was going to be great.  Again I was wrong.  We landed and there was the worst wheelchair I have ever been in but I  didn’t care. It was waiting for us after I walked down the stairs from the plane to the tarmac. We were going to our resort with our king bed and trundle beds.  We quickly got through immigration and customs because of the wheelchair and now to baggage claim.  I suddenly realized that there was no way our luggage would be on that plane.  There was no time for them to transfer it. Unfortunately, I was right.  I sat with the Beaches guy while Bonnie and Shelby went to American Airlines to file a claim.  They located the luggage in Miami and said it would probably come the next day.  Meanwhile we had no clothes.  None of us thought to pack any bathing suits or underwear in our carry-ons.  Shelby did have her deodorant and make up and I had all my medication.  Bonnie and I also had all our electronics.  None of this would help us brush our teeth or go swimming. 

Now you would figure everything was going to be fine even though we had no pajamas or underwear.  But you would have been wrong.  We got checked in OK and then went with no bags to our room.  King bed with trundle bed?  Nope. Double beds with a single pull out bed. I was furious.  I specifically ordered the king and trundle.  I wanted to Shelby to have a real bed and I like a king bed.  I was too tired and in too much pain to do anything but Bonnie went right back to the front desk.  To make a longer story a bit shorter, they would do nothing for us. According to them, the order was “if available” and none was available.  Bonnie had a discussion with them but that didn’t help.  This was our room and, as Shelby said, it was a nice room so we stayed there.

We were starving and were told that the only restaurant open at that time – about 9:45 – was Bobby Dees so we went there.  By this time I realized that my back would not take the amount of walking required. We had hamburgers, French fries and shakes and I think Shelby had a salad. We made our way back to the room. Bonnie and Shelby took a walk around the resort and said it looked really nice, even in the dark. I was exhausted and even with the pain, fell sound asleep.  By the way, it gets dark there by 7:30.

Met the Albrecht Family in San Diego 4-11 to 4-13 2011

April 11, 2011

We are in San Diego spending a few days with Bonnie’s brother, John, sister-in-law, Joann, nephew, Ben, and niece, Lydia, who are visiting there on a vacation.  We left this morning at about 9:45, hoping to miss most of the traffic.  I guess we did except around the 101/405 interchange.  Luckily there is a carpool lane going all the way to the I5 and then again on the I5 shortly before reaching San Diego.  We had a very easy trip and, even though we stopped once, we got here by 12:10.

We are at the Surfer Hotel. It is directly on the beach which is nice but it is really a very ordinary motel type place which is way overpriced for what is offered.  But it is on the ocean.  They did upgrade us to an ocean view room at no extra charge and, because I have a handicap placard, we aren’t being charged for parking.  The hotel has no lobby to speak of but it does have a nice kidney shaped pool.  Our room has a king bed but no chair or table to sit at.  However, we do have a balcony overlooking the ocean which has a table and two chairs.  That is where I am sitting right now.  Our ocean view room does have an ocean view but from inside the room, we can only view the roof of another building.  I was still excited because I could listen to the roar of the ocean.  I can but it is rather faint because of the roar of the motors on the adjacent roof which are going constantly.  However, I am enjoying sitting here this afternoon in the sun, blocking out the roar of the motors and listening to the bird and the waves which are a rather good size but not enormous.

Everyone except Ben went out to lunch at a very nice restaurant that is attached to our hotel.  I think that is what is under the roof of this adjacent building and that is why the motors are continuously going.  I had very good crab cake sliders.  They looked a bit different because I think they were deep fried, as was Bonnie’s fish and chips, but they were very good.  We sat on the patio which was very nice as it was overlooking the ocean. Then everyone except me went to the beach. I went for a walk and so far today I have walked 23 aerobic minutes.  I walked all along the promenade next to the ocean and then back to the street and then back to the hotel. The kids and John were going boogie boarding.  Bonnie had no intention of going in the water so she didn’t wear her suit.  It is a bit chilly for us wimps.  Bonnie wore shorts to the beach and has informed me that it is a bit chilly there.  I am sitting on our balcony in the sun wearing jeans, a long sleeve shirt and a fleece shirt and I am very comfy.  I love feeling the sun on my body.  Bonnie has the Flip and so I hope we are going to see some videos of the boogie boarding.

As I sit here, I just imagine how much I will love Turks and Caicos.  I think I have reached the stage in my life when sitting around is just fine with me.

April 12, 2011

We slept very well last night. Either our pot-smoking neighbors didn’t come back to their room or they were very quiet.  Nothing disturbed us last night or this morning.  I looked out at the ocean and the marine layer is very thick.  We are waiting to find out what John has planned for the day.  Last night we had a lot of fun at dinner at Tony Roma’s.  They decided they wanted to do something other than boogie board today.  There are many possibilities.  The world is open to us.  Right now breakfast is on my mind. 

April 13, 2011

We did have a great breakfast at the Eggery – we being Bonnie, Lydia and me.  We enjoyed it so much that we are meeting there for breakfast this morning, unless plans change.  We would like to have breakfast at around 10:00 – 10:30 and then leave for our drive home around noon. Anyway, after breakfast yesterday we sort of laid around for a while and then we all drove to Balboa Park, eventually finding a place that we felt would be good for walking around and seeing things.  The kids were hungry but we went into the Veteran’s Museum which was OK, having some interesting displays.  Then off to find a place to eat.  We decided to go to the Gaslight area because there are plenty of restaurants there.  The group picked the Hard Rock and did we eat – and drink.  I had a margarita that was the best I ever had and it was only 230 calories.  It was delicious. Everyone also had dessert.  Ben and I had chocolate peanut butter mousse shooter which is a smaller dessert but certainly much more than 230 calories.  It was then decided that we should go back to the hotel.  I laid around and watched TV.  The weather was rather dreary, heavy marine layer that lasted all day and very cool.   

Later John sent a text asking us if we wanted to meet at the bar at 9:00 and that is what we did.  We wanted to go to the bar attached to the hotel but it was crowded and noisy so we went to Tony Roma’s and it was very quiet since we were the only people in the bar.  My Pellegrino was delicious.

I slept well last night but I look forward to being in my own comfy bed with my own comfy pillow.  Since I was up at 7:00 AM, I decided to go for a walk and that was a great choice.  I walked on the boardwalk along the ocean for 20 minutes.  The waves are large this morning but I saw nobody in the water.  Many people were out walking their dogs.  I decided that was the only reason to get a dog – to force one to walk.  Oh, yes, I know.  There is also unconditional love.  But I think about all the rest – walking because the dog does his stuff and the owner needs to get rid of it.  Not for me.  In fact, I know many people who wouldn’t be without a pet.  Not me.  Enjoy your pets.  Somedays I will write a blog about animals but this is my travel blog.

We are packed and ready to go right after breakfast. We are meeting the entire family for breakfast at the Eggery again, an excellent choice for breakfast. It was a short trip but very nice to spend time with Bonnie’s family.  The weather could have been better.  The room could have been better.  But the company was perfect and that is what makes a trip worthwhile.