Hola again. My honey and I have been on vacation for the last two weeks in Mexico and I clearly took a break from blogging. I had every intention of posting while I was away, but somehow that didn't quite happen. Instead, I opted to focus on site seeing, shopping, and lots of drinking. Now you all must suffer through some of my vacation photos. Sorry in advance.
I know looking at other people's vacation pictures can be pretty tortuous. Trust me, I understand. I usually switch my brain to auto pilot when friends share their travel photos. "Oh...... pretty" or "Wow, look at that" are my go to responses as I desperately try and not run away. That said, I'm still going to inflict a small collection of shots on you.
Grab a drink and try to not fall asleep as you view my riveting photos....
The first half of the trip was spent in Mexico City. I am a huge Diego Rivera and Frida Khalo fan, so I was excited to see more of their work in person. Which I did and was wonderful. Unfortunately, you can't take photos inside Frida Khalo's home, which is now a museum. And, I wasn't allowed to take pictures of the Diego Rivera murals either. Oh well..... I took mental snap shots. What I really loved about Mexico City is that art is everywhere. There's an unending main blvd called Reforma which is lined with monuments, museums, parks, hotels, shops, and merriment. There are also sculptures galore all over the place, like the above image.
My photo doesn't do this mosaic frieze justice at all. This piece is at least 20 ft wide and the colors are so vivid and is located right off of the Reforma. It's on the side of an official looking building, down a long passage which leads to another government looking structure.
I thought this street mural was pretty killer. It's painted along a busy street in between two businesses.
I may be underestimating, but I'm going to say there are about 2 million churches in Mexico City. The Cathedral of Guadalupe this, The Holy Saint of something that...... Above is a set of doors on one of the cathedrals. I would considering killing someone to have those doors in my home.
From a plaza in front of The Palace of Fine Arts.
I would highly encourage anyone who has considered going to Mexico City to do it. Go! You'll be glad you did.
On to the beach......
The second half of our trip was spent in Playa Del Carmen which is about 45 minutes south of Cancun and I give that place two giant thumbs up. My honey and I haven't been on a proper vacation in over two and a half years so we decided to do up on this trip. We stayed in an all inclusive resort, which was a brand new experience for both of us. It really wasn't that much more than a regular hotel, but what you get is pretty great. All your meals, all your alcohol, room service, activities, snacks, and minibar is included. ALL YOUR ALCOHOL! You don't need any cash while you're there and since we prepaid for the trip, there was no extra bill at the end. You can sit down at one of those cabanas, put up a little blue flag and a beach server will bring you unlimited drinks. You can have 30 pina coladas and no one would say, "Hey, how about a water instead piggy." Our all inclusive experience was digustingly, indulgently wonderful.
Oh, and that was the view from our room.
That's also a view from our balcony. The resort had a swim up bar which I fully intended on investigating. There was one enormous pool, a smaller pool, and then a tiny pool that had the swim up bar. I stood there by that smaller pool, looked at the swim up bar, and looked at the two sunburnt heavy set couples parked at the bar drinking their big gulp sized dacquiris and opted against it. They didn't look like get out of the pool to pee types. Being a considerate gentleman, I chose to get my drinks on the beach and pee in the ocean the way God intended.
I don't normally post photos of myself, so this is about as much as I want to show. Usually, I'm the color of a white marble statue. I'm whiter than white. I'm as white as those clouds. Due to my strict sunscreen regimen, even mid summer I look like I've been hiding out in an underground bunker. While in Playa, I quadrupled my sunscreen routine which meant I had about an inch of spf 50 on at all times. I looked like someone had taken a roller full of primer and had at me. In spite of that, I managed to get a little bit of color. That's me with a tan. Sad, huh?
I promised I wouldn't show their faces, but above are two friends of mine. One is my honey and the other is his understudy. :)
There's a bustling, packed shopping street a block away from the ocean called 5th Avenue. It's about 15 blocks long and had four Starbucks on it. Four! None of my pictures of that street were that great, but this is shot down a side street. Look at that ocean.... the color of that water is so gorgeous. Looks like it was lit from underneath.
There was tons of eye candy on that beach. Crazy good stuff.
Our first night at the resort, it got really windy and rained a bit. When we returned from dinner there was a butterfly with a torn wing on it's side near our door. It was slowing moving its wings which was just the saddest site. I went into our room, got a couple pamphlets, and tried to gently move it to a position to where it could fly away. With the wind and the rain, I knew it wouldn't last long outside so I brought it into our room. While on its side, the butterfly's legs wiggled wildly and it seemed panicked. I placed my little winged friend in my palm and it seemed at peace. Its antennae moved back and forth for about a half an hour, and then its movement simply stopped. Some may consider that a bad omen, but not me. I felt fortunate to be able to make this beautiful creature's final moments comfortable.
So that's my trip.
Thanks for indulging me.
Thank you for sharing your trip with us! I just adore you and am glad you had a wonderful time. :)
xoxo
Posted by: Farah | July 28, 2008 at 12:19 PM
Welcome back! I had no idea your bf was so hot. Lucky you!
Posted by: DoodleWhore.com | July 28, 2008 at 01:31 PM
missed ya Gilmore! you look great *your neck and shoulders anyway* and your man is ridiculously good looking *chest and abs anyway*.
Posted by: exhausted | July 28, 2008 at 02:06 PM
wow, how incredible. thank you so much for sharing your trip. that resort looks spectacular... and yes, the water DOES look lit from underneath!
man I would kill to know what that package was you bought... care to share?
take care, and welcome home!
Posted by: klm11nexus | July 28, 2008 at 02:09 PM
Farah. Thank you, thank you. You're too nice.
Doodlewhore. That's my bf on the left and yes, he is pretty damn hot. And fortunately, a great guy. After 13 years I still love him and am totally turned on by his fine ass. :) By the way, your Christopher Ciccone illustration is pure genius.
Exhausted: Thanks. I have a nose the size of an American Bald Eagle's, but in the gay community a big nose is usually a good sign. :)
Kim: We stayed at the Royal in Playa Del Carmen. I feel funny mentioning how much we spent as it was a little too much but totally worth it. We booked it through expedia and got a pretty good deal. Go if you can.
Thanks everyone for your nice emails while I was away!
xoxo
Gilmore
Posted by: Gilmore | July 28, 2008 at 02:50 PM
Gilmore, you and your friends are gorge. What I could see, anyway. ;0) My hubby and I are dying for a vacation; we haven't had a proper one (without our 2 small children) since our honeymoon in Ireland 8 years ago... he's loathe to consider an all-inclusive resort, but I'd kind of like to not have to worry about anything! I've also researched cruises. Ever been on one of those?
Posted by: MamaSarah | July 28, 2008 at 03:46 PM
Looks like you had a great time but sunblock apart, how did you stay so white?! Even with sunblock I come back black. I'm sure this did your soul a whole lotta good!
Posted by: PoorBritney | July 28, 2008 at 06:26 PM
I'm glad you had a great time!!! My hubby and I are off to cancun in October!!! I have been a faithful reader this whole two weeks!!! I have checked the site everyday!!! But I dont blame you!!!
Happy to see you are back!!!
Posted by: Mrs. Riley | July 28, 2008 at 07:42 PM
Gilmore,
Those pictures were beautiful and worth seeing. So glad you and your honey had a blast in Mexico.
Also, the butterfly story touched me dearly. I have a similar story involving my own hunny saving a butterfly from getting trampled on a NYC street. I'll never forget his face when he showed it to me. It's amazing how in touch with life and emotion we all get when we see even the littlest creature suffering.
Hope to see more pictures of your vacation! I'm sure you have tons :)
Posted by: Ari | July 28, 2008 at 08:33 PM
What a great vacation!! Love the beautiful photos, that blue-green water is amazing. Check out my site for pix of my trip to San Francisco...its not Mexico but its pretty awesome.
Hope all is well! And I hope to see you soon.
xoxoxoxo
Cindy
Posted by: cindy | July 28, 2008 at 10:16 PM
Mama Sarah: Hope you got my email. I've never done a cruise but would definitely consider it. The problem with cruises though is that alcohol isn't included and for me, that could get spendy. Hope whatever you and your hubbie do that you'll have a wonderful connecting adventure.
Poor Britney: My soul did get a renewal from being away. Thanks. My skin simply refuses to tan. I was out swimming, bicycling, snorkeling, and walking around for hours and came back nearly as pale as when I left. I may be part albino.
Mrs Riley: Thank you and everyone so much for continuing to visit my site. I truly appreciate it and sorry I disappeared for so long. I hope you and your hubbie have a great time in Cancun. If you can, sneak away to Playa Del Carmen which is about 45 minutes and also be sure to visit Tulum which is another 45 minutes south. Or just stay in Cancun and enjoy yourself. The ocean is ridiculously gorgeous there.
Ari: Your honey must be a sweet heart. I get totally misty eyed over butterflies, dragon flies, and humming birds. A beautiful bird flew into our living room window about a month ago and died. It broke its beak and I cried a little bit. I know I'm a little too emotional, but I can't help myself. Give your honey an extra big squeeze for me.
Cindy: I will definitely check out your site in the morning! Hope you had a great time in beautiful San Francisco. Why do vacations have to end?
Thanks all of you for your comments. I feel very welcomed back.
xoxo
Gilmore
Posted by: Gilmore | July 28, 2008 at 10:24 PM
Hey there I love your site but have never commented... i was in Mexico City recently, and I'm sorry you didn't get to take pictures of the Diego murals!! I sneaked a few, and at the Frida museum you can take pictures outside in the little eating area (was there a mangy black and white cat there too?)
I'm jealous you got to go to the beach!! I was on the other side, in Ixtapa.
And to Mama Sarah, I recommend All-Inclusive, in Mexico anyway, because otherwise you have to pay to get chairs and umbrellas just to sit on the beach, and then there's the uncertainty of a crappy hotel (like the one I stayed in)
Posted by: gbs | July 28, 2008 at 10:35 PM
I recently took a little vacation to Michigan. While on the beach, I saw a Monarch, which was odd, so I slowly stalked it to get pictures. Every time it would fly a little, I would run after it screaming, "LAND ON ME!!!!!" So don't feel bad about a connection to butterflies haha.
ALSO, I, too, am extremely pale. If I could actually go somewhere and come back the same shade of white, that would be a miracle. See, somehow, no matter how much sunscreen I apply, I always return a nice shade of tomato. This year, my boobs got it the worst. Eek. Be glad you don't have that problem. :) Glad your trip was wonderful! And glad you're back! :)
Posted by: mandi | July 28, 2008 at 11:12 PM
Welcome back! I'm glad you got to Frida's house. :) I saw an exhibition of her work at the Philadelphia Museum in May and was really blown away by the detail that one doesn't get to see in photographs.
BTW, nice Adam's apple ;)
Posted by: Kathy | July 29, 2008 at 08:34 AM
Ding dang dude! What Greek sanctuary did you dig your honey with the god-like torso out of! Wow!
I'm like you. Whiter than white and I turn pink within 10 minutes of full sun exposure. It's neither pretty not pleasant. In junior high (in California) the guys used to call me the "Albino". So hurtful to a young girl that just wanted to fit in and be found attractive. *sigh* Fitting in is overrated.
I LOVED the Mexico pictures. Beautiful. Though I must admit, the mosaic that's just off the Reforma...I kept looking at trying to figure out what position the Thanksgiving turkey was in. You must admit, those arms look a bit like uncooked turkey wings. OK. Maybe I'm just a dumb (albino white) blonde! ;)
Posted by: Kate | July 29, 2008 at 02:09 PM
Just started visiting your site a couple of weeks ago. Me likey. Thanks for sharing.
Almost got misty when I read your story about the butterfly.
An artist with the heart of a poet. Your honey is a lucky man.
Posted by: Snarf | July 29, 2008 at 04:24 PM
My skin won't tan, either, don't worry about it. Some of us are just meant to have that which used to be admiringly called an alabaster complexion. ;)
You also have a lovely long neck! Very nice. :)
And yeah, I agree with everyone who commented on how extremely hot your man is. Yum. ;)
Posted by: bonni | July 30, 2008 at 01:18 AM
I read your blog everyday - but reading about how you responded to the hurt butterfly really touched me.
Continue the great work (especially your creative artwork). And I hope you really make it big one day :)
Posted by: Erica | July 30, 2008 at 07:39 AM
Welcome back! Such beauty in your pics! Oh, I want a pool like that!
Posted by: midevil | July 30, 2008 at 10:22 AM
...and I just read your bit about the butterfly. After it rains here, there's one particular sidewalk near our city market where snails like to hang out--so someitmes we go there and rescue the ones that haven't been crushed underfoot.
Posted by: midevil | July 30, 2008 at 10:24 AM
I'm so freakin jealous! Not just of your vacation, but your man.
Beautiful photos. Be well:)
Posted by: sara | July 30, 2008 at 09:44 PM
Wow, those are some amazing photos (I'm not just saying that) What a hottie your boyfriend is!
such a sweet story about the butterfly too..
Glad you had a good time, take care!
Posted by: nicki | July 31, 2008 at 05:44 AM
Gilmore, you sent me email? How cool! Would have been even cooler if I'd gotten it. :( I do often empty my junk box without checking it first. I'm sorry.
Can you send it again, please? Thanks!
Posted by: MamaSarah | August 01, 2008 at 12:41 PM
Gilmore,
Thanks for sharing your pics with us. I haven't been to Mexico in years and those pics really brought back great memories!!! I'll be visiting Cozumel for a day when I take my cruise in November but it just isn't the same. The next time you go, let me know...I want to hang out with you and yours...I'd be your hag any day!!!
Posted by: Tammy | August 20, 2008 at 06:20 AM
Gilmore,
You made me very jealous with your pics. I haven't been to Mexico for years and now I'm flooded with memories!!! I'll be visiting Cozumel in November but only for a day because I'll be on a cruise. The next time you and yours go, I want to tag along...PLEASE let me be your hag!!! I know it won't do any good, but you and your man are hot tamales for sure!!!
Posted by: Tammy | August 20, 2008 at 06:27 AM
Oh that story of the butterfly made me cry. You are so sweet, Gilmore!
Posted by: Ama | August 23, 2008 at 12:46 PM
Oh that story of the butterfly made me cry. You are so sweet, Gilmore!
Posted by: Ama | August 23, 2008 at 12:47 PM
Happy to see you liked our MExico! gretins from another mexican fan of yours! :D
Posted by: Daniel | August 23, 2008 at 08:16 PM