Melaque Adventures, Part 3, Dylan's blasted cold

Dylan was suffering from a vicious cold in the days leading up to our trip south. He missed a day of school and was stuffed to the gills right up to the point we deplaned in Manzinillo. He's feeling a lot better, but his friendly germs have transferred to Heather and I, and we both woke up with noses dripping and suffering sinus headaches. Oh well, is there a better time to be under the weather than on holidays? I would suggest yes, but let's go with no and look for the opportunity in malady.

I woke up this morning and quickly checked my Twitter feed to discover that a major apartment fire had consumed a number of units in Timberlea. Information and images started flying through the Twittersphere and Facebookville seemingly moments after the start of the conflagration. News hounds in Edmonton started tapping into local stringers throughout the night, getting their coveted video footage and on-the-scene perspectives for the morning news run.

It seems a bit odd, surreal really, sitting by the pool, the Pacific ocean in my sights, enjoying a pleasant morning in the shade with my roll of toilet paper at my side - no sign of Kleenex in our hotel room - while citizens back home, including one of my co-workers, are facing a day when they have to pick up the pieces of their lives. My thoughts are with them all, and with all the responders and crisis support team that have been undoubtedly mobilized.

Some suggest that vacations are for cutting oneself off from the outside world, from social media and all forms of connectivity. For those that feel comfortable with that choice, I salute you! I, on the other hand, enjoy checking my newsfeed, scoping out the latest happenings on Twitter, and doing a quick scan of my email. I don't feel compelled to respond, but where it makes sense and I feel inspired to do so, I do.


We have enjoyed several lovely meals in this small community by the sea. Last night I had an octopus stew in a lava rock dish that kept the succulent concoction piping hot through the entire meal. The night before I had shrimp in a delightful mango sauce.

For the record, and in the interest of total transparency, I finally broke down and enjoyed my first cerveza in 6 months. It was good, and so was the second one.

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