Tuesday, February 21, 2006

Honeymoon & the Queen

South Carolina feels "English" today: gloomy, drizzly, not too cold. I'm sipping hot ginger tea and nibbling a yummy, chocolate-filled pastry at Panera's, grateful for their Wi-Fi, and wishing for a trip to some warm, exotic place. Thumbing through the archives of my soul, memories of Mexico City surface. Aaaahhhhh, the honeymoon.

Mexico City, Mexico - the final destination of our 1975 honeymoon. Amidst the ten million inhabitants and twenty-four hour construction, with scaffolding I wouldn't trust, we ventured here and there with our feet barely touching the ground; we were in love. The tour guide pointed out the "Zona Rosa," pink zone, for nighttime activity. We weren't interested, we had our own. I imagine we ate but don't remember what. Seafood? Probably. And chocolate. My sister would remember, but she wasn't along for obvious reasons.

Lunching at our hotel a motorcade passed. We did a double-take. A dark-haired woman wearing a small hat stood and waved - slightly. A tall man stood behind her. My eyes popped. "Is that Queen Elizabeth II?" I stammered. " Here?" Riding in her magic carriage wearing gown and crown, she paraded through my childhood living room on her 1953 Coronation Day. I was awed. A real Queen. She was so beautiful and looked kind. My mind wrapped around "Royalty," and decided she was "The Good Queen." I still think so.

Our server snapped us to the present, "The Crown Jewels are on display at the Museum." We couldn't get there fast enough.

Glass limited accessibility to the Crown Jewels, but their brilliance reached out to all in an explosion of color and light showing off nature and man's best work: gold, pearls, diamonds, rubies, emeralds, deep purple velvet, and more. The best of the best. A study in exquisite beauty and tradition. Thinking aloud I murmured, "The Crown is gorgeous. Huge. Heavy. My neck would hurt. What kind of shoes would I have to wear? I'd stumble. It'd tumble. What if jewels fell out?"

My honeymoon-husband put his arm around my shoulder, leaned close, and whispered, "Don't worry, you're not in line to wear it!"

Copyright 2006 Red Convertible Travel Series

Tuesday, February 14, 2006


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Happy Valentine's Day! I hope it's super!

2006 Red Convertible Travel Series


Friday, February 03, 2006

Minnesota to Mexico Extremes

"The tour leaves at one from the dock. Wear shoes you can slip off." Minnie and I looked at the Mexican hotel clerk surprised. Visiting Mazatlan, Mexico in March we walked the city shops, dined by the sea, and I para-sailed. Today we planned to explore outside the city limits. A dozen of us gathered at the dock for the tour. Wearing black pants legs rolled up to the knee, our guide waded around the small fishing boats to steady them for us to board. Life jackets? None. Mini-motors sputtered. We headed up stream at a Mexican pace - slow.

Moving through the narrow tree-lined river we looked about for creatures in the water and didn't see any. Our guide headed for a cleared bank, cut the engine, jumped out, held the boat, and motioned for us to get out. Minnie said, "Ah, this is where our shoes come off and our pants legs roll up."

Children came from a stick hut to greet us. "The vertical sticks are spaced so pigs and chickens can come and go," our guide explained. The young toothless mother came forward with an infant in her arms.

We were astounded at how they lived. We expect much more for ourselves. Was it a setup for money? Our guide gave them a little from our group, but the kids just wanted candy. Kids are kids. Their lifestyle hadn't changed in hundreds of years, or more. What is the mortality rate? Mouths agape, we stared at the footed sleeper with "Minnesota" embroidered on it, a gift from a church group in Minnesota. Extremes.
Silence ruled our return trip to the city. We didn't know what to make of their situation, or if we were obligated to do something - the American dilemma. Perhaps the purpose was to remind us we have so much  to appreciate and not take for granted.

Copyright 2006 Red Convertible Travel Series