California Staycation!

Last year, I spent Christmas break dog sledding under the Northern Lights in Tromso, Norway. It was neat. You know what’s neater? A nice vacation in Clovis. Clovis, New Mexico, you ask? Nope. Clovis, California.

It’s amazing here! It’s the last antiquing opportunity before you get to Yosemite... it’s the birthplace of House of Juju... you can get a Kuppa Joy honey latte, check out the clearance rack at Tuesday Morning, wonder what in the world rolled ice cream is, and sniff a candle or two at Revival 23, all in the matter of minutes. Why anyone would vacation anywhere else, I really don’t know.

 Day 1 in Old Town Clovis started with a pipe bursting in my attic, which is a REALLY efficient way to get yourself some new sheetrock. Sheetrock fell, house flooded, neighbors visited... it was really quite lovely, if you’re intrigued by tsunamis and other rogue waves. Enter leaving the neighborhood and commencing vacation at a hotel in Old Town. Near to walking trails, 0.4 miles from the nearest Starbucks, and a giant jar of Jolly Ranchers in the lobby. What’s not to love!? Upon arrival, I kept it classy by bringing in my clothes while still on hangers. It’s fine, guys. They don’t judge in Clovis. Turns out a complimentary dinner is included on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. As luck would have it, it was Wednesday. It could have gone down as the luckiest day in history. I tried to extrovert at complimentary dinner, but there wasn’t anyone there. This gem of a place won’t stay a secret much longer! I spent the evening marveling at my new digs. I mean, wouldn’t you?

 Day 2 Saw all the sights in Clovis today! Started with a lovely breakfast with all my fellow hotel guests (the three of us loved it)... enjoyed a walk on the trail... found the jug of cucumber infused water on the first floor... checked out the gym... basically just lived the dream.

Day 3
Once, twice, three days in Clovis meant it was time was for some serious sightseeing... real deal.  The stuff people travel north of Shaw for, like a statue of a doctor who did something super important and ended up with his name on a plaque right on the Clovis Trail.

I started my day with the other two hotel guests, but there was no time to sit around and compare our travel itineraries.  As luck would have it, I have an old college friend, Shandon, who happens to live in town.  She was gracious enough to offer to show this tourist around town today.  Starting with bike rentals (and by rental, I mean just using our regular bikes that we own), we headed north on the trail with a stop at the world famous Biscotti House... apparently, people come from miles around to enjoy the biscotti tasting room.  We found the aforementioned doctor statue, the town's oldest bookstore, even some deserted rodeo grounds.  Is there any end to the joys this town offers??

We stumbled across the cutest little children's clothing boutique today... the owner of Cavelle Kids was gracious enough to let us take her two children on a rolled ice cream adventure.  Yesterday, I had to just wonder what that was... today, I lived it.

Even managed a visit with some family today!  How fortunate to have both brothers and sisters-in-law right nearby on this trip.

Things have really picked up at the hotel today... apparently, Clovis is hosting a wrestling tournament, and since this is THE place to be, it makes sense the out-of-towners such as myself would choose this place.  The Jolly Rancher jar is almost empty and everything.

This relaxing vacation... I have no words. Until tomorrow... ;)

A relaxing day at the pool...

Let's sleep in past 5:30, we said.

Let's have a relaxing day at the spa, we said.

Let's lie by the pool and rest our weary muscles, we said.

We lied.

Sleeping in for yours truly means closing in on double digits. Sleeping in for the other two crazies means waiting until the sun has just made an appearance over the horizon. Regardless, we all met our sleep quota, had a lovely breakfast, and realized there actually are other guests staying at the hotel. We thought we were the only ones, because there is never anyone around when we are eating our meals... as in 4 a.m. for breakfast. Anyway, we heard there was an hour long trail that loops around some Indian villages and back to our hotel. "Hour" must mean something different when in a country that uses the metric system. Four hours, a gajillion miles, and innumerable hills later, we finally looped back to our hotel road. The loop hike was quite the adventure, though. Any hike that includes Teresa the cab driver driving by and honking madly at us, stopping at an Indian village and having the women try to get you to buy wooden whistles that they oh-so-kindly demonstrate on, and running from growling stray dogs equals a good time.

We walked into town for lunch and ended up making it back to the hotel around 4. This was after a detour of stopping in at a soccer tournament (perdón, I mean futbol) and lining up in the soccer tunnel. I guess that is an international post-game activity. Best relaxing day by the pool ever.

We opted for dinner in... room service and all. This was no easy feat. First, they attempt to connect you with someone that speaks English. By hanging up on you. Repeatedly. Then you get a hold of them and ask for two eggs. Then they say it's not possible. Then Tracy offers to go get the food instead. Then it takes a lineup of seven hotel employees playing a game of Argentinian Telephone, trying to relay the message of "two eggs" to the chef. Dos huevos, we know.

It all worked out, we all got fed, and all was well.

This morning we said goodbye to Iguazu and their crazy coatis with a flight back to Buenos Aires. There was a wee bit of turbulence. By wee, I mean people were confessing deep, dark secrets and telling everyone around them how much they loved them. You think they applauded on earlier flights? This one got a standing ovation.

Our hotel is in the CUTEST neighborhood of Buenos Aires, called Recoleta. It has everything you could need, right within a quarter mile radius. Supermercado for cereal and foreign country gummies, Starbucks, a bakery, and the world's most beautiful library. For real. This biblioteca was boss. I got my annual foreign country haircut (because small talk blocking language barriers are where it's at) tonight... the hombre was on a time crunch. I think I was in the chair and out before Shandon could download "Despacito" from iTunes, which is her new jam.

P.S. Our hotel has an organic garden on the rooftop, and you are free to pick what you want. So put in your orders if you want a souvenir of Swiss chard.

Seven Wonders

So. Iguazu Falls. It's one of the seven natural wonders of the world (I mean, I didn't confirm that, but I'm just assuming). I think I read it on the Internet once, and the Internet never lies. Anyway... this fun fact has inspired me to make my own list.

The Seven Wonders of this Day

1. International breakfast buffets: stir-fry chicken? With a side of Fruit Loops? Absolutely.

2. Teresa the cab driver. We laughed, we cried, we mostly chuckled at each other, not understanding a single word of each other's language, but music has no language barrier. We carpool karaoked the daylights out of Four Non-Blondes. She couldn't understand why she was dropping us off at the crack of dawn when the park didn't open until 8, and we couldn't understand how she could just trust us to pay her "despues", at the end of the day on the second leg of a round trip fee. But I'll tell you what we DID understand. She knew what I meant when I crossed my fingers and said, "No coatis."

3. Being first. First in line for tickets, first in line for admission, first in line for the train. Being first had its perks. One guy practically on the graveyard shift (we were THAT early... I think. I couldn't check the time because my eyes were still burning) took us in the park early to see the toucans. Then we got kicked out and had to wait with the rest of the Falls-goers.

4. Garganta de Diablo (again, not looking it up to confirm name)... the Devil's Throat, the big kahuna of Iguazu Falls waterfalls ("saltas", as we say south of the Equator). We got off the train in the park and walked 1000m across metal bridge thingees (technical term) until we arrived at the most breathtaking amazingness.

5. Waterproof phone cases. The world's greatest invention since the Snuggie. No crazy mist coming from the saltas could slow us down.

6. The fast food market. You guys. That place was my fortress of safety from the killer coatis that were everywhere in the food court. We are talking jumping on tables, stalking men, women, and children, etc. The place was TEEMING and what did those little monsters want? Food. I heard the "3 empanadas for 75 pesos" special was their favorite... which happened to be in my backpack. Shandon and Tracy walked right through that battlefield, because NOTHING was going to keep them from the Lower Loop Trail. Me? If I had a sleeping bag, pretty sure the inside of that market is where you would find me to this day.

7. Argentinian enthusiasm. Remember how everyone clapped when the plane landed the other day? Turns out that is a favorite hobby of theirs. We went on the nautical tour, which means put everything in a dry bag and ride under a waterfall or two. After every bit of excitement, there was a round of applause. By round two and three, we could have passed for locals... clapping, yelling, "¡Mas! ¡Mas!"

In all, it was a glorious day of hiking and admiring... and coati and iguana panicking. Teresa picked us up and, lo and behold, that government tax thing is real. We had to show our passes to government officials on the main highway. In case you are curious, wearing your seatbelt is the law in Argentina. If you ever forget this law, don't worry. The government official who checks your tax pass will not let your vehicle through until each passenger has shown a fully clicked seatbelt. Just saying.