Tuesday, February 28, 2012

More Pipi's

First, we have been losing our internet connection periodically and yesterday our elevator went out. And yesterday was the end of a fraction (four week period) so lots of moving in and out. Our porters were working their butts off lugging bags up and down the steps. On the bright side, they probably did okay with tips.

Tomorrow is February 29th and because our fractions are set to run so they always start and end on the same date, every four years the people who have fraction three, which runs from February 27th to March 27th, get an extra day. Tomorrow we are throwing a "Free Day" party.

I am sure many of you have heard about the 22 cruise ship passengers who were robbed while on a side trip here in Puerto Vallarta. Nobody was hurt but the disparity in news coverage is simply amazing. Reports ran from a group of heavily armed hooded men stopping the bus and robbing the passengers to an unarmed drunken man who attempted to hold up some passengers but failed. The most plausible story is that the 22 passengers were off the bus and hiking along a jungle trail when one or more armed men held them up. Puerto Vallarta remains safe unless you are wandering around drunk at 4:00 A.M. in the morning and trying to buy drugs. Not that I would know this first-hand, of course.

Okay, back to Pipi's. As always the drinks are big, if not particularly powerful, and the food is plentiful and more than decent.

But I Will Eat It All


I got the tamale and enchilado combination.

I Didn't Eat The Whole Thing


And Bill's standing in for Peter didn't end with him being serenaded. There was the obligatory cake on the face and the downing of shots of tequila to deal with.

Does The Humiliation Never End?


Drowning His Sorrows


Soon the merriment was over. Well, kind of over. When Allison heard that a few of us were going to stop at a couple of bars on the way home she was raring to go.

More Tequila, More Tequila


The couple of bars turned into six, including Murphy's Irish Pub, La Bodequita Del Medio, a little bar in the flea market where Allison and I shared a mouth numbing shot of tequila while Bill and Marcie shopped for a blanket, an island bar (really, it is on an island), Steve's Sports Bar and El Torito's where I stupidly placed a bet on the Knicks to beat the Heat (hey, I was getting 9 points, and I had drunk six shots of tequila plus a bannana daiquiri and a beer at Pipi's).

The Crew At La Bodequita Del Medio


The Tequila Taking Hold


And here is a group photo of us at the bar on the island, the name of which escapes me.

The Island Bar


This is kind of a sad picture, though. As you can see, I am wearing my custom made "Drinks Well With Others" cap. Unfortunately the cap did not make it home with me. I must have left it at either Steve's Sports Bar or El Torito's and when I went back the next day to see if anyone had found them I had no luck. And it isn't like I can just go out and buy another one.

Oh well, life goes on and this too shall pass. Meanwhile it is another beautiful day here and I have tomorrow's "Free Day" party to look forward to. And tonight, of course, the always amusing coverage of yet another couple rounds of primary voting and the posturing and spinning of the winners and losers. The fun just never ends.

And if anyone sees that cap of mine, grab it and let me know.

Sunday, February 26, 2012

And Now For The Rest Of The Story

Okay, so you know about Bill being the reluctant stand-in for Peter's birthday party. Hey, it is an ugly job, but someone has to do it. The usual crowd assembled as, as you might expect, usual. Good, I got to use both "as" and "usual" twice in the same sentence.

The Mysterious Chinese Woman, as usual, had a drink bigger than her head.

Allison Had To Help Her Hold It


Okay, I was told I had to post a better picture of the two of them, one that showed off their uber-cuteness.

So Cute At That Age


You may remember Dave and Carol, they are the couple we met on a river-cruise a couple of years ago and then they came and stayed with us last year. They were back again this year for two weeks but rented their own place in the same building.

The Mysterious Chinese Woman And Dave


Barman And Carol


Another good friend of ours, Morris, showed up as well.

Our Good Friend Morris


And, of course, Tom and Bella were there. They never miss a party if they can help it.

Tom and Bella


It looks like Tom is engrossed in a ballgame or something, but I swear, the place didn't have any televisions. Maybe he was just contemplating the error of his ways, whatever they may be.

More to follow, but losing my internet connection.