I said that we would return here.

And we did.

This time, it was all about sleeping, drinking.....and sleeping.

We entered this one with no plan other than to turn off our brains. Sit on the beach, read a book, listen to the waves crash.

We did manage to pull off a couple of good runs in the blazing heat. While they were fantastic, I don't recommend running here. Mainly because of the drivers. The roads are narrow, and can get pretty busy. Several times, we almost got swiped because a driver wanted to ogle us (one of the drawbacks of having such hot bodies). So, it was back to the sanctuary of the beach. For more reading, sleeping, and drinking.

Each day, we had a drink in hand by noon, and were in bed by 10 pm. Glorious.

There was much talk about traveling to this or that ruin. Or signing up for that whatever tour. Thanks to my force of will though, it remained only that - talk. As far as I was concerned, our "goal" was to work on the two bottles of vodka we scored at the duty-free shop, and for me to continue experimenting with ED meds (all sold over the counter).

One of the highlights was making friends with a cool couple. Our first day at the hotel, I saw the guy posted up with a bucket of beers on the beach. I pegged him right away as some fraternity weirdo, and made a mental note to steer clear. The next morning at breakfast, a wounded butterfly was trapped in the dining room. This same guy gingerly picked up the butterfly and carefully carried it outdoors to set it free. Zoinks! I'd painted him with the wrong brush. Live and learn.

I had to tell him about my initial impression. He seemed puzzled by my frankness (and neurosis). But our small talk led to more talk. They were on their honeymoon. They had rented a car to travel around for two weeks.

The guy was total granola. They offered to take us for an adventure ride. We were aiming for some tourist park someplace, but ended up in the middle of nowhere on a secluded beach. Granola Man scouted the beach and found the best place for us to snorkel. I had never snorkeled. For some (stupid) reason, I had always perceived it as some poor man's scuba diving (which I've also never done). Wrong, wrong, wrong. Snorkeling is pretty awesome. I look forward to doing it again soon.

After taking us hiking through desolate beaches, and showing us how to snorkel, we owed this couple. I showed them my style of vacation...armed with our headlights, we partied on the beach. Playing cards, multiple bottles of wine, bad music, and vodka. Then it was off to dinner.... and much later, an unsteady stumble home.

Granola Man (I mean this in the best possible way) made me look bad. He was all about exploring and adventure. I usually think that the travel is enough. That once I land on the beach, it's time to zone out and relax. He has me seeing another perspective.

Why not go for a cave dive? Or see some ancient ruin? Or check out a remote village? Next time around, I'll be up for more adventure. Sure, I may be tired when the vacation is over, but I'll have more interesting experiences. Thank you Granola Man, wherever you are.

This likely marks our last visit to this region for awhile. Costa Rica and Argentina have to be next.

BUT.... I know that we'll be back......