The second half of the day was just as fulfilling as the first. After leaving you with Part One, my rosé thoroughly enjoyed it. I headed back to my villa to prepare for a stressful and agonizing time poolside. LOL. I donned my bathing suit and swapped out the items in my waxed canvas travel backpack (never travel without it) with those necessary for this portion of the day… sunscreen, Kindle, a change of clothes, and… well, that’s it!

Meandering the paths on my way, taking in my surroundings, I came upon a pond I don’t recall seeing last year. It was full of koi fish and turtles basking in the sun. I paused to take it in (and snap a pic) and realized the fish were approaching me, perhaps hoping for food. I made a mental note to Google what is safe for koi fish to eat and snag some from the dining hall tomorrow. I passed a cluster of tiny cacti I recall enjoying last year, watching them throughout the day. In the morning, they are a wash of green, but as the day progresses and the sun shines, they awaken, red flowers blooming from their stalks to absorb the sunlight. Then, as the day winds down, they tuck their flowers in, safe, sound, and asleep until the next light. Sounds like my daily routine. 😂

Carrying on through the paths towards the pool, while passing one of the outdoor dining areas surrounding the main dining hall, I hear “Erin” and find Mom at a table of five, making friends, of course! 🙂 I popped over, met her friends, checked in with each other, and said she’d join me later once I told her my destination of the Central Pool—there are three here at the ranch to enjoy, so as not to confuse.

As we talked, the food they enjoyed looked delicious, but still full of from breakfast, I decided to grab a late lunch. Until mom reminded me that lunch ends on weekdays at 1:30, and with it being almost 12:30, I opted to skip lunch and wait for dinner.

Saying my goodbyes, I headed out to the pool. The place was all mine, save one person lounging poolside. I unfurled my towel, which was neatly placed on each lounge chair, and was welcomed by one of their little packs of house-made granola—yum! I stashed that snack in my backpack for later. I may return to the “lounge” tomorrow and grab another pack or two! Other than myself and the other pool patron, there were a few staff members relocating chairs from the patio to the surrounding grassy area when something one of my staff friends at the Bazaar del Sol told me earlier that day that there was a fun celebration planned at the Central Pool that evening in celebration of Mexico’s Independence Day, which was officially the following day. 

Basking in the sun, the staff began asking newcomers to the pool to take the chairs up on the grassy knoll; I realized then that this place would soon become busy with celebratory preparations. Instead of waiting to be asked to move, I donned my shorts and top and decided why not grab a little lunch to hold me over until dinner; 5:30 suddenly became forever away, and since I was feeling a little hungry after all. No one wants to tango with the Hangry Monster, so it’s best to cut that drama off at the lunch table ASAP. LOL

When I returned to the dining hall, I found Mom in the same place. Informing her of my change of plans, she again said she would join me at the pool later, specifically the Villa Pool. I grabbed a quick bite of AMAZING samosas with tzatziki dressing and a serving of my favorite lunch salad concoction, which included lettuce greens topped with an assortment of the day’s fresh or roasted veggies —sliced jicama, cucumbers, and tuna, along with a smidge of cottage cheese (don’t knock it until you try it). Then, I topped it with both dressings of the day (because, as everyone who knows me knows… I am a sauce whore) – herb vinaigrette and today’s creamy cilantro. BUT WAIT, THAT’S NOT ALL!

Additionally, I sprinkled some of my favorite staples available at every meal – a dash of ranch salsa and a splash of Matcha Salsa (I need to learn how to recreate this; they sell jars at the Mercado, too big for my carry-on, but I snapped a pic of the ingredients… challenge accepted) then a dash of tomatillo salsa. Voila—lunch is served. I almost forgot to add the side of the daily soup and a glass of fresh cucumber and mint juice. Why not?

After stuffing my face shy of too much, I was ready to set out for the pool AGAIN – take 2!

Upon arriving at Villa Pool, I set up shop, enjoying the perfect blend of sun and shade, snagging a full shade lounge next to me for when Mom arrived. Kindle in hand, quiet all around, I was in paradise. A dip in the pool, a dip in the hot tub, read, relax, repeat! 

Soaking up enough sun for the day and realizing it was almost wine-thirty, I dried off and changed clothes. Mom and I then went our separate ways, me to my wine and mom to her me time, both with plans to connect at our villas before heading out for the evening’s celebration.

Arriving at the Bazaar, Roman, who got to know me last year with my daily 3:30/4 visit for my afternoon glass of wine, offered me a sampling of this year’s reds to best choose my afternoon’s glass. Wine in hand, seated at my favorite table, I took out my iPad. I continued working on turning this blog into a natural space to finally journal and document my experiences and memories to share them with family, friends, and anyone interested in learning about the exciting places I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to visit.

As dinner time approached, I set out to meet Mom, taking the long way home (accidentally) because I bobbed when I should have weaved. 😂 Turing at the “Lunas Villas” sign, it wasn’t until I was about halfway into the detour, I remembered we were in the FLORES Villas. No wonder it looked different. 😂 Oops! Just a few more steps to add to my daily tally – win-win.

I arrived at my villa a few minutes longer than usual; Mom and I dressed and headed out. We were pleasantly surprised to find out that what we thought was just a small cocktail celebration was a full-on dinner event with beer, wine, mixed drinks, a Mercado sale, a Mexican photo booth, a fashion show, and more. Usually, we prefer to sit at a 2-top for dinner and keep to ourselves, too tired by that time of day for much more “peopling,” lol. But on this occasion, with only large round tables available, we took our seats. As the evening progressed and all got to know each other, we were delighted to be seated with the group we were paired with, such fun and friendly people, and we had a truly wonderful evening. Plus, I got to see Roxanne again; she worked at the Bazar and got to know me last year; she saw me and said, “You were here last year taking those photos at sunset last year”.. I showed her how to do a time-lapse, and she loved it.

Dinner consisted of fresh-made guacamole and corn chips, Mexican street corn, black bean and corn salsa salad, tortilla soup, fresh-caught fish in a mildly spicy sauce and steamed in banana leaves, peppers stuffed with veggies and dried fruit, topped with a creamy sauce and pomegranates, Mexican rice, and carrot cake for dessert, including a mini gluten-free one (mom loved it). It was some of the tastiest food we’ve had! 

We stayed until they started to pack things up! It was such a wonderful evening, and of course, I couldn’t resist grabbing as many free table fans as possible and a few mini piñata table centerpieces (because like with sauces… I’m a sucker for free things, lol). I did ask the hostess about the centerpiece when I arrived, so I wasn’t being a complete jackass, and she said she would take them if it were her. SOLD!

To top the night off, when we returned to our villa’s courtyard, the hot tub was open, which wasn’t the previous evening. 🙌 We learned, talking with our table friends at dinner, that we could request it stay open past 6:00. I came upon it first and hollered back to Mom (maybe a bit too loudly, opps) —  “LOOK IT’S OPEN!”  We quickly went to change, hurrying back, worried someone might close it before we got back. Talk about speed dressing; if that was an Olympic sport, hang the gold around my neck!!   I arrived first, with wine in hand, turned on the bubbles, and I have to say, it was the perfect way to end such a fun day.

I leave you with that as I start Day 3, off to breakfast, and then it’s a workday for me. Traveling like this can only happen if I can balance my work life with it, and when I have to, work comes with me. Here’s to knocking it out quick, but if not, there’s always tomorrow.

Have Laptop. Will Travel.

Cheers!