A Beach Bum Vacation

I have some mutual friends who live in this part of the world and we decided to meet up at a place on the Mediterranean Sea. We decided that a beach bum vacation was in order. My friend found an all inclusive place that looked like Russia's Kremlin Palace. We booked a two story room so we could all sleep in the same place.

Lami and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing all the landscapes as we passed by on bus to our vacation spot. At one point I saw a sign that said 'St. Paul's cave.' Yep I live in his old stomping grounds.

I left temps in the 88 degree range and arrived to the beach city with highs around 106. With temps that high, it was hard for our ac to keep the room cool. 

The hotel boasted of restaurants with a cover charge that would offer an international cuisine option; Mexican, Italian and sushi. I was obviously quite pumped for the sushi. When we called to make a reservation for the place, you can imagine my disappointment when they said it was closed this year. Big bummer! No worries though, on my way out of town I had my fill of sushi. We did make it to the Mexican and Italian restaurants. I had low expectations for Mexican and when I saw a bowl of Doritos sitting next to the salsa my expectations dropped a little lower. I have to say that in the end I was actually quite impressed with their version of Mexican food. 

My brain is generally too tired to read after a day of language so I use time away to catch up on reading. I chose to read my friend’s newly released novel. I sadly realized it's only the second book I have finished thus far in 2016. Yep, I'm averaging one book every three months. 

I find that when I get out of my city to a place with no responsibilities and I'm not using my second language for hours on end, I am seriously tired. I can easily sleep for 9-10 hours straight for multiple nights with a nap or two in there as well. I often feel guilty about this but my friends who have lived here longer say living in a second culture and language is exhausting. It brings a different kind of fatigue that life in America never brought. I'm thankful for these small reprieves.

We spent our days eating, swimming, laying in hammocks or lawn chairs, and sleeping. On our last morning we even checked out the water slides. It was nice to just take three days and do nothing. I found that on the last day I was getting restless. Rest is a great thing but we're not meant to be idle. I was glad for the break but also glad to get back to my normal life.