no matter how long i’m on vacation i still tend to wake up early.  i don’t always get out of bed right away, but i at least grab a cup of coffee.

today was just like any other, up early, coffee had, and it’s already hot out….what to do?  why not go to another presentation, have breakfast and earn 1200 pesos?  so that’s what i did.

i caught the shuttle and headed to the El Cid Morro property. breakfast was delicious, and today it involved some mimosas, added bonus.  the Morrow is much bigger and more centrally located so a bit more bustling.  they have a Senor Frogs on site, if that helps paint a picture.  it was a nice looking property, and although seemingly fancier, the rates are lower than at my place.  perhaps i’m paying for the quiet.

the pitch was very similar to yesterday, and i tell you, if i had the money i might have gone for the lower priced deal.  but i have all my vacations planned out for the year and i want new kitchen cabinets. but, should i win the lottery between now and next May who knows.

i thought about going to downtown, but then decided to go back to my place, sit at the beach and nap. “uno Modelo por favor”.

tomorrow is my last day here and i’m going to get out and about and see some sites.  i arranged a private tour and the car will get me at 9:30 AM.  i’m not exactly sure where i’m going besides Copala, i asked to be taken to as many places as we could fit in. if you’ve read some of my previous tour posts you know how i roll…..a little bit of time at a lot of places with good photo opportunities.  mission accomplished.

as for now, i think i will fix myself a cocktail and watch the boats come into the marina.  not a bad way to end the day.

i held up my end of the bargin and went to the timeshare presentation this morning……you have to love the tenacity of sales people.

the breakfast was delicious and the sales person was very nice, but it cracked me up how many times he tried to convince me that this wasn’t like a regular time share……sorry to disappoint you my friend, call it what you want, it’s a time share.

so 90 minutes later with my wallet still in tact i left, collected my voucher for the city tour and my paid taxi for the ride to the airport.  of course, they would really like me to go to a pitch at another resort tomorrow AM, and in return i will receive another breakfast and 1200 pesos.

hmmmm, 1200 pesos, might be worth it,  plus, what else would i be doing at 8:30 in the morning?  i guess i will just have to see how i feel when i get up tomorrow.

i made it safe and sound to Mazatlan and i’m staying at the El Cid Marina Beach Resort.  El Cid is a big vacation/time share community, so i guess i will have to sit through a presentation tomorrow. i suppose one hour of my time in exchange for breakfast, a city tour and a taxi ride back to the airport on Tuesday make it worthwhile.

i do love a good tour, so Monday i will take the “complimentary” city tour.  i had wanted to go on the cultural tour to Copala, but sadly since this is off season they only run 2 days a week, and i’m not here either day. i will check back tomorrow to see if something has changed and if not, maybe i can find a driver to take me there.

i feel a little bit like i’m in Vegas, as everything appears closer than it is…….i mentioned walking downtown and everyone looked at me like i was a little crazy.  then i realized that it is about 8 miles away and it was pretty hot out, so perhaps i will take the shuttle part way, and walk the rest.  that is a nice thing about a resort community, they have shuttles to take you to each place. don’t like the lunch menu at your hotel, you can go to another.

personally, i think this hotel will be just fine for me, but i will go and investigate the others at some point, just to see what’s out there.

my passport arrived at 7 AM and i caught the 7:30 AM shuttle to the airport.  the security line moved quicky and i made it to the gate with plenty of time to spare.

i’ve had my documents stamped and i’m ready to go!

how do i even start?

i now have a beer in hand, so lets just start from the beginning, shall we?

i live about an hour 10 from SFO, with no traffic, which meant i had to get up at 3 AM for my 6AM flight.  no sweat, i get up early anyway, what’s 2 hours earlier?

i make it in time, rolling in to the airport around 5 AM, only to be greeted with a really long line at security.  it’s been awhile since i flew domestic from SFO, so i wasn’t prepared for the Disneyland like line.  to TSAs credit, they moved us along quickly and i boarded my flight to Phoenix no problem.

in Phoenix i had plenty of time to catch my next flight so i grabbed a coffee and breakfast sandwich and settled in for a bit.  i hear the desk attendant make an announcement about having your boarding pass and passport checked or you could be denied for the flight.  i go up to the counter and make a joke about being denied, and have them look over my documents…..and boom, DENIED. no soup for you.

in my brilliance i didn’t read the fine print on the passport card that said , “for land and sea travel only.”  land and sea, not air. oh f’ me this can’t be happening.

what is the best solution to this really crap situation that is no ones fault but my own?  how could i have been so completely stupid?!

first i called my Mom.  not that she could fix anything, but because who else do you call when it all goes to hell?!  after chatting with my Mom,  i called the hotel to see if i could change my reservation.   yes, not a problem.  while i’m on the phone with the hotel the agent at the airline tells me she’s issued my return ticket to SFO, because that is what i thought i would do…..go back home, get the passport and start over tomorrow, or cancel the whole thing.  but then i thought, i’m already in Phoenix, it’s warm and sunny here, why not try and make this all work.

hotel dates changed, done. return trip to SFO cancelled. call made to a friend with  key to my house asking if they could Fed Ex my passport, done.  down to the airport “hotel wall” calls made to multiple places playing the who has the best rate game, and ding ding, Best Western is the winner! check into the hotel, arrange the Fed Ex shipment, verify it will be here no later than 8:30 AM tomorrow and then start on the airline cancellation/refund/reissue situation. 45 minutes and a change fee later, done.

tomorrow, barring any Fed Ex delays i will be on my way to Mazatlan. again. if they don’t arrive on time, i just may cry and spend the weekend poolside at the Phoenix Best Western.