by Rebecca
3. January 2013 20:30
12:30 am – Fall Asleep
1:30 am – Awake to ensure that I don’t miss the 2:30 am shuttle for my 5:15 am flight.
Leading up to this trip, people have asked me if I was excited about this trip. Until today, I just felt numb. It felt like if I let myself get excited, it would be taken away from me. But walking up to the Mazatlan gate in Phoenix airport and seeing Grandma Kay dressed in coral with a big smile made it become somehow real. Suddenly all of the preparation was over and I was actually boarding the plane, filling out Visa information, and walking through Mexican customs. It suddenly was no longer a dream.
Uncle Andy & Aunt Sharon met us outside customs and we piled all of our baggage into Dave’s yellow truck before driving to our hotel, the Royal Villas. Dave is our contact and a pastor for the Vineyard churches in Mazatlan. On the way, we talked about how little sleep everyone obtained, how excited we were, and Dave discussed local foods. Just outside of The Golden Zone, we stopped for local Mexican food and coffee.
We enjoyed fish tacos and walked down to The Point. We could look out at the sea and enjoy the beautiful sun that I have so missed in Seattle. We also found the most unusual rubber chicken (it was much more adorable than any chicken I have found in US). After lunch, we were able to enjoy coffee from Looney Bean. They have coffee grown just outside the shop, cooked by owner, and given to clients. It smelled absolutely amazing. After watching the owner cook a bag of coffee, we enjoyed lattes due to Dave’s claim that it is better than Starbucks. I have to say their Soy Chi was better than ANY I have ever tried at Starbucks.
We finally arrived at Royal Villas and we were able to enjoy the beautiful view of the beach before ending the day. Grandma rested while I was able to separate all of the clown supplies necessary for Saturday’s upcoming training. One would never realize how much it takes to create a good looking clown until you lay it all out and take in how each item is necessary.