Funny Experiences

It seems like every time we travel the the RM, we come away with at least one funny story (usually many more) that we tell at social gatherings for a long time.  So I thought, we have so many seasoned veteran travelers here on LG that I bet there are TONS of funny stories out there.  If you care to, take a minute to tell us one.  ...or two or more.
 
I will get us started with a brief retelling of my very first humorous experience in Mexico.  Bear in mind that it didn't take long - happening upon arrival on my very first trip into CUN...
 
Years ago my wife and I were on our first trip into Mexico by air via Cancun.  Upon arrival, we passed effortlessly through the queue of Immigration and green lighted our way on into customs.  After picking up our single checked suitcase we joined the line waiting to pass through the final checkpoint separating us from paradise.  Once we got in line directly behind another slightly younger American couple (whom we later learned were from NYC), the guy took off.  We didn’t think much of it, figuring he had to go to the mens room or something.  A few minutes later he reappeared carrying a very large duffel bag perhaps 5’ x 2’ x 2'.  He dropped it at the feet of his female travel companion and took off again.  As the line inched on, she struggled with her suitcase, his suitcase, and that duffel until I offered to drag the big bag for her.  The guy did a repeat performance of his routine twice more as we continued to shuffle forward but finally stayed after arriving back into the line with the third duffel.
I was astounded at the amount of luggage these two people had and figured they must be either staying a very long time, permanently moving, or performing mule duty for someone.  Two large suitcases, a carry-on roller cart, and those three humongous duffel bags.  Anyway, as we slowly moved forward in line we engaged in conversation with them.  They learned that this was our first trip to this area and the guy was delighted to share with us the wealth of knowledge that his experience had provided.
You may have already guessed that the duffels contained their scuba gear.  I have no idea why there were three; perhaps they had brought their own tanks as well.  Lord knows those bags were heavy enough for that.  As it turns out, they were only there for an extended weekend, flying in on Saturday and home on Wednesday.  The guy was an extreme extrovert and wouldn’t (perhaps couldn’t) stop talking.  The woman just looked tired.  He asked where we were staying (The Royal in PDC) and responded that he may have heard of it and thinks it’s an o.k. place.  I asked him where they were staying and he said that they always stay at the same place: a wonderful little place called Cenotes.
 
…gringos. 

On our last trip here, it was the first trip hubby did not get pulled over for a mordita. We have never paid a mordita, because hubby just makes them frustrated and they let him go. But on this trip it was 4 am
and we were headed to the airport. I mentioned we had not gotten pulled over and seriously less than two minutes later. . . Flashing lights behind us. The cop walk up to the car. Hubby rolls down the window and the guy literally said " Hello, my name es . . . Eh. . .. . . Jaun?" Haha, only in Mexico does the policia give you an alias!!!

We've been lucky enough to have many fun and funny things happen down there over the years, your luggage story reminded me of the time we shared a van from the airport to a resort. 2 other couples got in the van after us and they EACH had one very large suitcase, one medium size suitcase, a carryon size suitcase and a backpack. All of their luggage completely filled the back of the van and then they still had to balance some on their laps. ( My wife and I were staying for 2 weeks with our usual small carryon and one backpack for each of us.) I looked at their mountain of luggage and said "Jeez, you guys must be staying for a long time!" "Nope" they replied "Only 5 days."

Here's an oldie!!!

Why I Can Never Stay At The ABR

Well, I guess all of this uproar that Rose started about using somebody's pool has me wondering ~ if you can't use another resort's pool does that mean you can't use their bathroom either?

If so, I am guilty!  Here's my story ~ sorry if it's TMI for some people!
 
A long, long time ago before the ABR was the ABR it was a small hotel with a nice little swimming pool, nice restaurant and very few people staying there in the month of November 1993.
 
Unfortunately, I happen to be a very sensitive person ~ i.e., I can't "go" when my routine is disrupted!  So, off we go to Mexico and of course when you leave on an early morning flight everything is immediately thrown off on the very first day! 
We spend the first three days on Isla Mujeres.  While my DH and our friends snack on the chips, pretzels, crackers and canned cheese that we brought, I snack on my baggie of All Bran, consume a bag of prunes while washing everything down with lots of water along with numerous cervezas.  Nothing happens! 

We ferry across to the bus depot in Cancun and take the bus to Chichen Itza ~ while stopping to pick up passengers in Valladolid I find the nearest grocery store and buy a large (32 oz.) bottle of prune juice and consume it before we arrive at our destination.  After a lovely evening spent at the Mayaland Hotel and the next day's early morning vigorous climb to the top of El Castillo ~ still nothing! 

At our final destination of Akumal and in the comfort of our Villas Maya Bungalow, I think ~ Ok, now I'll be able to go.  Still having no success at that end, I do find success at the Super Chomack ~ another bag of prunes and another bottle of prune juice to wash them down with.  Still nothing.
 
On day 10, I suggest to Tim that we go for a walk.  Whenever we're at the coast or camping and we go for a walk, it never fails ~ I'm out in the middle of nowhere and suddenly I have to "go"!  I figure that if it works at home, it should work down here.  So, we head south down the beach from the Lol Ha towards the Akumal Beach Hotel, pass it and begin our climb over the rocks at the end of the point.
 
Oh, oh!!!  It worked!  I tell Tim that we should probably head back, so we turn around.  Well, we make it as far as the Akumal Beach Hotel and my cheeks are squeezed so tightly that I can hardly walk!  I tell Tim that I can't go any farther and I'll just have to use the restroom at their pool.  As he says ~ you can't do that, we're not staying here! ~ I yell to him as I round the corner into the women's room ~ then go get a beer or something!

Well, way back then the poolside restroom at the Akumal Beach Hotel not only didn't have seat covers, they didn't even have seats!  So, there I am doing my best at holding the "stance" in an outdoor restroom that felt like it was about 95 degrees with a humidity of 95 and parting with 10 days of eating and drinking, 2 bags of prunes and 2 bottles of prune juice. 
Well, their sewage system can only take so much and on the third or fourth flush (I lost count) I heard that horrid, horrid sound ~ the water kept running!  As I turned and looked in horror, the water was rising and rising!  So, what else could I do ~ I grabbed a huge wad of toilet paper, shoved it down inside by bathing suit bottoms and started running!
As I rounded the restroom corner I saw Tim standing over by the pool and yelled, let's go!  He looks at me with this puzzled look and says ~ I thought you wanted a beer?

As I waddle down the beach with my bathing suit bottom full of toilet paper ~ just in case ~ I tell him the story and of course he was just horrified that I would do such a thing!  I assured him that I didn't plug up their toilet on purpose and no, I didn't flush the paper!

It's long been a joke with us that we could never stay at the ABR because they just might remember me!

So, I certainly hope that it's OK to use a resort's restrooms even if we can't use their pool ~ sometimes you just can't hold it!  And by the way, while walking past the Akumal Beach Hotel one day on that same trip, we did hop into their pool to cool off ~ now I have two reasons why I can't stay there!

Guess one of the funnier things was our first trip to Cancun and Akumal, Jim had arranged a rental car with National. We go to pick it up the next day and it is a VW Beetle. Jim probably had fond memories of the good times we had tooling around in one on our honeymoon in Cabo years earlier, but didn't realize that the weather in early May in Cancun is nothing like early February in Cabo. I'm thinking, "well, maybe this will be OK" and ask if it has AC. The young Mexican fellow loading our bags (2 checked and 2 carryon) says "Si". I get in the passenger seat and don't see any knobs that look like they be for AC. So I ask the young man "Where is the AC" and he laughs and wiggles the windwing back and forth.
That was the last time Jim was allowed to arrange car rental in Mexico.

Our first trip to Mexico back in the eighties, we were booked for Akumal. After exiting the airport, our rep found us and said they were overbooked and that they were sending us to the brand new Moon Palace. We did not want to do this and asked what our options were. She told us we had two-either go to the Moon Palace or go home. Reluctantly we got into a car, late at night, going somewhere we had no idea about. At that time there was an armed guard station just beyond the airport. Our driver stopped, rolled down the passenger window (where my husband was sitting) and he and the guard starting arguing in Spanish for what seemed like several minutes, but was maybe only one in reality. Of course we're getting real nervous about it all when the guard leaned in the window, smiled at my husband and said "welcome to Mexico gringo". I think our driver chuckled about it all the way to the Moon-

Bump...  need more stories!