It was hard to get a boogie board. The sports desk doesn’t give them our for free, you have to rent them from the Thomas Moore travel people at the same sports desk. The sign says the girl will be back at 3:15, but it is 3:30. They say come back at in 10 minutes.

10 minutes later, still not back. They say come back in 30 minutes. I go back to our beach chairs and drink a beer. The waves look awesome. Others are boogie boarding, taunting me.

30 minutes later – you guessed it, still not there. I go to the main Thomas Moore travel desk in the lobby, and they say they can’t rent boards from there. It should only be 15 more minutes until the girl returns. Cynthia is openly laughing at me at this point each time I return to our chairs sans board, taunting that karma is telling me I should just wait until tomorrow.

15 minutes later (it’s now about 5) the “Be back soon sign” still says 3:15. The Sports desk people, either pitying me or sensing my overflowing annoyance, break the rules and just give me a board. I do not have to pay $6 for 2 hours.

Without a doubt, it is worth the wait . I ride 6 foot waves into shore over and over and over. There are 40 people packed into the short stretch of open swim beach, and I dodge and weave through them as they fight the surging sea. I cruise above it all. I push far out, into the deep water, waiting for only the biggest waves. I now understand how the thrill of catching the crest just right for that rush of acceleration is such a drug for surfers. I literally cannot get enough, but after two and a half hours, my body gives into complete exhaustion and I can no longer drag myself through the back through breaking waves.

For dinner, we go to the Argentine steakhouse Ruth recommended. The waiter puzzled we order only salad, veal carpaccio (prepared tableside), and the 14oz skirt steak to split between us. Why, silly Americans, are you not ordering the 28oz “for two” version? Does not your country’s Constitution and your personal sense of of self worth require you to eat the equivalent of an entire grocery store aisle each meal? We have 7oz of steak left anyway, which we have for lunch the next day.

After doing our laundry the next morning, we head to the sailboat race. We are racing 2 other boats in our class (i.e. boats with a two man crew).  Cynthia’s insistence on a creative course at the end causes us to lose our seemingly insurmountable lead, but we are first around the final mark. The other team begins paddling and jumping out of the boat to push it. This would normally be cause for filing formal protest with the race committee, but the rules are apparently somewhat relaxed in this jurisdiction. We are declared co-winners, and I pose in my victory wife beater.

That afternoon, I walk into the sports desk as another patron is throwing a hissy over the once again absent boogie board rental lady. This time, someone comes down from the lobby to help him, and I daisy chain behind him and serendipitously get a board with only a 3 minute wait. The waves are smaller, but I still boogie board my brains out. Cynthia got a good series (click for the rest of the pics from this entry)

We spend the rest of the afternoon at the pool.

That night, we decide to go out for a late, light Italian meal. We walk about half a mile to a restaurant called La Dolce Vita that has a 10% discount. We sit outside, by the lagoon. We split a Caesar salad and a bottle of wine from the Mexican winery we visited on our sabbatical. Cynthia has lobster bisque, I have veal ravioli with mushroom sauce.

I have not been looking forward to today, and it has delivered. Our flight out of Cancun is delayed two hours, which is not a concern since it only cuts into our seven hour layover in Fort Lauderdale. We arrive at the same time as other flights, and there are no gates. Then, immigration and customs are overwhelmed and it takes us an hour to get through. Cynthia is not a fan of this, and is confused as to why we have to wait in yet another line to go through security again to reach our connection. I only smile as she for the first time experiences these joys of international travel. This airport is the armpit of Florida. The wireless is marginal and the food choices are mediocre.

Tomorrow, Costa Rica. As usual, connection will be touch and go, so I apologize in advance if posts are sporadic. I’ll get each day posted eventually.

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