It has been several days since the last post. Part of the problem was that we were not able to get our computer to hook up to the last hotel's wifi. We were also so busy running around. Now we are at the second hotel, called Mikul, where we have been for two days. Unfortunately, we have to leave tomorrow.
This place is just incredible. Our room overlooks the Pacific Ocean and we have our own pool in the back yard of our villa. Jenny just loves the kids camp. The woman who is in charge (named Dominga) is just great and Jenny speaks Spanish with her all day. There is an incredible spa here and Rachel went yesterday while I hung out with Ava. We have been just resting and relaxing most of the time here.
So far, I have been the only one who had stomach issues. It started on our last day in Granada and I was pretty miserable as we were packing to come here. I started taking Cipro and I am feeling much better now. Now I think Rachel has the same thing that I had. I always know that there is something wrong with me when I want nothing to do with food. That is the way it was for the last morning in Granada and the first few days at Mikul. I did not eat for an entire day -- just the thought of food made me feel bad. I had to sit away from Rachel and Jenny when they ate. But know I feel great and am eating again. The good news is that the girls have been totally healthy.
A few things that I will have to post about later -- on our last full day in Granda, we visited a coffee plantation and it was really interesting. The guide was very knowledgeable about the process and showed us the coffee fields as well as the place where the beans are washed and prepared to be roasted. It gave us a new appreciation for coffee.
After we left the coffee plantation, I was ready to head back to the hotel and enjoy the amazing pool. But Rachel asked the guide if there was anything else that we could see. He said that there is a town near the coffee plantation that is knows for its expert pottery craftsmen. So we went there. It turned out that the little town was also celebrating a festival. I forget which saint they were celebrating but it was quite a scene. The guide explained to us that the men carry huge logs loaded up with fresh fruit to offer the saint. There were men with trumpets and drums marching with the fruit and people shooting off fireworks. It was a bit like Mardi Gras. We finally got to the part of the village where the pottery is made. It was such an incredible scene. It was a very poor village with no running water and dirt floors. But the craftsmen were incredible proud and talented. Our guide translated for us as the master potter explained how they prepare the clay, how they polish it, how they use local colors to color the pots, etc. It was an incredible, painstaking process to get each piece ready to be decorated. They showed us the kiln that they use to fire the pieces and then how they polish and decorate them. Seeing that really was one of the highlights of our trip. They asked Jenny if she wanted to try to make a pot. They were so great with her -- speaking Spanish with her and showing her how to make the clay wet and put it on the spinning wheel (which they turned by hand). They helped her craft her little ball of clay into a pot. It really was incredible.
Normally, my experience with things like that is that there is the portion of the visit where they try to get you to buy whatever crafts they make. But in this case, they did not do that. They did have a room where they had finished crafts but we had to ask them if any of it was for sale. Rachel picked out several nice pieces for very reasonable prices.
Since we have been in Mikul, it has been a much different experience. This place really is one of the most luxurious places we have ever seen. The art is all beautiful and local. We are on an incredible cove on the Pacific Ocean and the waves are just amazing.
I will have to sign off now since I have to go feed Ava and I am going to check on Rachel (she is asleep back in the room). So I will stop now but hopefully will have a chance to post later. I will have to wait to post the photos until we get home.
J.
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