Monday, 2/27 -- buffet and the long and winding road

We needed to vacate the room by 10AM, as did everyone else leaving today, so we set our sights on being ready by 9.  Most of us therefore woke up entirely too early, but so it goes.

Linda and I had trotted down to the concierge desk to check out late yesterday afternoon, but we were just a moment too late as they had already signed off and were departing.  That was kind of OK, though, because our wonderful concierge was back on duty this morning.  He ensured that the various permutations in the billing were handled well, and called the bellboy for us.

Unfortunately for US, the gentleman arrived almost immediately, and we hadn't really handled the items that were in the 'frig.  He was gracious and we were quick, so it all resolved well.  The luggage (including a case of wine and two totes of miscellaneous foodstuffs) somehow all got packed into the canvas-shrouded luggage cart, which then is sealed with a zip-tie with a unique ID number imprinted on it.  We get a paper form with all this information which will allow the cart to be retrieved for us when we go get Martha's car later on.

But before that, we're off for our final breakfast buffet.  The offerings were as various and delectable as always; the only false note was that Martha had found the Asian offerings and mistook the green condiment there for a loose guacamole.  OOPS!  But she was able to recover, not having actually swallowed the wasabi, and we know she'll never make THAT error again.

Having eaten enough to see us through the day, we set off to find the car and our belongings.  We managed to get all four of us AND our stuff into the vehicle, but only by accommodating two small suitcases between Linda and Claudette in the back seat.  It was a miracle even then!

We were able to guide Martha through a sketchy-looking parking lot to turn around and head north and then east to Tepic.  The first part of the journey was along the coast, with nice glimpses of sea and shore.  Then we turned up into the mountains, with heavy foliage and winding roads.  Lots of small villages, many with speed bumps to help with pedestrian safety and, I'm sure, encourage folks passing through to cast an eye on the wares offered at small stands beside the road.

At a point, we realized that traffic had come to a halt in front of us.  We gradually worked our way up to a military checkpoint, and were glad not to get much attention.  Further along, we were stopped again ... this time, to tiptoe past a car-and-toppled-small-truck accident.  The military folks were assisting, and it seemed there were no injuries, happy to report.  Finally, we were flagged through an asphalt-repair crew and could make our way on up to town.

We were met with a level of disbelief as to how much was in the car.  But it all got inside, and eventually upstairs to our various rooms (or back into the kitchen and refrigerator).  While we hadn't gotten a whole lot of exercise, it had been a long day and a long drive -- about three hours.  We tucked into some hummus & chips, a glass of wine, and off to bed with us!