After being overjoyed about the text, Rachael and I had to finish getting ready. Lucky for us, all that we had to do was put on the clothes that we picked out the night before, eat breakfast and pack up the last few things that we had left over.
We left the house right on time, at 5:30am, because we had to be at the location of the bus at 5:45am. We got to the bus stop and we met up with the rest of the SOL group that was going with us. The first bus showed up and we were going to try to push through the crowd to get on but then we heard that there was going to be another bus, so we took our stuff and put it on the second bus, once it arrived. We got the seat right in front of the second door because we thought it would be nice to be able to put our legs up on the ledge in front of me.
For the first part of the bus ride they had a movie playing, Pulp Fiction. It had John Travolta in the movie and it was very violent with a lot of guns and blood and guts. It followed the lives of many people that all ended up connecting in the end and it was very interesting. I would definitely recommend it!
When the movie was over we just hung out and talked. We met a guy who was studying aerospace engineering in Madrid, Chirag, because he knew Liz from their Morocco trip. We all talked with on the bus ride and it made time go by faster. He ended up hanging out with us for the rest of the weekend.
Sometime during the bus ride, one of the directors came through asking us if we wanted to go on the Sangria Cruise. It was 25 euros and it was for about 2 to 3 hours. Rachael and I decided that we were going to go on it because you can see awesome caves on it and we have heard from others that it was a blast. We signed up for this optional activity, and that would be our only paid optional activity for the weekend.
When we arrived to the hotel, Carvi Hotel, Rachael and I were assigned a room together, room 320. We were at the end of the hallway and the cool thing about the hallway was the lights go out when there is no movement, but go on right as movement is sensed. Here are some pictures of our room. The bathroom was not impressive, so there are no pictures of that.
We also had a huge balcony connected to the room. There was no table and no chairs but it was okay. There was an AMAZING view from our room and we could even look down and see the room that Michael and Sam were staying in.
After getting settled in the room, we put on our suits and headed down to the beach, right at the end of the parking lot! So close and convenient! Our sangria cruise didn't leave the hotel until about 3 so we had just under 2 hours of soaking up the rays! Here is the view from the top of the stairs, right at the end of the parking lot of the hotel. (I'm stressing how close this was for a reason.... it was SOOO close!)
We spent our time at the beach and I even started a new book, in English, called 4 Blondes. I got it for free from school for the Feria de Abril (April 23) and I just started reading it. It was a good beach read, and I cannot wait to read more. The place that we set up our towels at was a good distance from the shore line when we got there, but because the tide was rising, our distance was slowly decreasing. I decided to be gutsy and just keep reading my book before I moved my towel away and have my friends warn me when it was getting close. Well they had no time to warn me because next thing you know it, my towel was sopping wet on the bottom. I got the bad end of the deal! Oh well! I moved my towel to a higher point on the beach where the water would NEVER reach and enjoyed my time there. It was then time to start heading back up to the hotel to leave for the sangria cruise.
We all loaded up the bus and we were off. We got to the marina in the most difficult manner possible. When we got to the boardwalk area, there was a parade going on so we couldn't go on that street so we had to take not one, but two detours to get to where we could've been 10 minutes prior. Luckily there was a tour guide on our bus that used to live in Lagos so he knew exactly where to go!
When we got off the bus, it was extremely windy and we were concerned that we were going to freeze our butts off! We walked on the pier to the boat and the other bus, the 1pm group was just getting off. There was also the other DiscoverExcursions group there waiting for their boats. We got on the boat and took our seats at the back of the boat, facing the water. There were also tables there with holes for cups so you could set your cup down and not worry about it getting tipped over. We were off and the sangria was flowing.
We each had a couple of drinks and then the boat came to a halt. We were at the area where you change to smaller boats so you can see the grottos, or cave like formations in the rocks. The first group of people got on the boats and Rachael and I decided to go for a swim instead! Shot by shot of what happened.
Hitting the water was ICE COLD! The Atlantic is not heated by any means. When I was underwater after jumping in, I was freaking out a little bit because I was so worried that I couldn't breathe and the pressure was so great. I got the surface and tried to catch my breath but I was freezing at the same time so it was difficult. Eventually I numbed up and I was able to breathe and enjoy myself in the water. I swam around for a little bit and made new friends because Rachael had went back on the boat soon after jumping in.
It was then time for us to go on our grotto tour, to see the caves. Rachael and I were on a smaller boat with about 8 other people and one driver and we cruised off into the distance. The driver's name was Luis and he would joke around with us by acting like we were going to hit the rocks in front of us or better yet act like someone else could drive. We all made it out alive and we all got to enjoy the beauty of the natural rock formations and cave like features. I took A LOT of pictures, but here are the highlights of the tour.
The highlight of the trip, the rock formation that is shaped like an elephant!
After we finished the grotto tour we got back on the ship and hung out for a bit because there was still another group that had to go on their tour. Soon enough they returned and we were off back to the shore to return back to the hotel. We all loaded the buses and took the short way back to the hotel because the parade was finally over. We think that there was a Medieval Festival going on because we saw everyone dressed up in costume and there were stands selling themed objects that looks like they were from the medieval times.
When we returned to the hotel we had about an hour and half to get ready for dinner because we were meeting as a group and then walking downtown together. We were doing this because we had no idea where downtown was and where the good eateries were.
Rachael and I got ready pretty quickly and I even had time to read my book. We then headed downstairs to take advantage of the wifi and sooner than later the rest of the group was down there. Before going downtown with the group, the SOL group, Michael, Sam, Liz, Ruth, Katie, Rachael, and I all walked to the supermarket to buy some food for lunch tomorrow. We walked to the first supermarket that we had seen when we drove by it on the bus, but it closed 15 minutes before we got there. We then followed the signs on the streets to the next one, and even stopping along the way to ask. We eventually came across a small, but nice supermarket!
Katie was our savior and found peanut butter and jelly! Haven't had that in SO long. We also bought a loaf of bread and we all split the costs. I got myself a Snickers bar and an orange to eat for later and Katie and I split a bundle of bananas. Rachael and I decided that we didn't need any alcohol, be proud of me dad, so we saved some money there. We headed back to the hotel and ran upstairs to put our stuff away.
When we got back to the hotel, the rest of the DiscoverExcursions group was downstairs as well and we were all headed off on our way downtown.
I already knew where I wanted to go, Nah Nah Bah, because I had heard about it from Lineth and Leah and Maggie when they went to Portugal 2 weeks prior. They have one of the world's best 50 hamburgers and being hamburger deprived makes my desire that much more. We also know that this place was tiny and that we had to be at the head of the walking pack so we could get a table. Rachael and I were determined to get there first, and we did. We got a table in the back for 4 people, but there was 6 people eating in our group so we grabbed 2 stools and pulled them up next to the table. We were a little crammed in there but it was worth it!
We ordered our food and drinks at the same time. I ordered a pint of sangria and the Toucan Burger. This was all part of the meal deal that DiscoverExcursions has set up at Nah Nah Bah. The drinks came out fairly quickly but we ended up having to wait about 45 minutes for our burgers, which would've been fine, but there were tables who got there after us who were getting served before us. That was a bit frustrating.
The Toucan Burger consisted of a tasty grilled beef patty, bacon, pineapple, lettuce, tomato, onion, melted cheese and homemade sauces. It was the bomb.com. The best burger I have had in awhile and it was huge! We also got super good potatoes with it and Heinz ketchup. A perfect meal for all just 10 euros!
After dinner we had some time to spare until 11pm when the club that we had reserved for the night opened up. We decided to walk around for a bit and find a bar to chill at. We came across the Three Monkeys, which we read about in one of the maps that we found. We decided to stop on in.. but the only problem was that it was completely dead. We were the first ones in there and there was a group of about 8 following us. They came in to and we got the place hopping. Some people ordered drinks, but some of us just sat around and enjoyed the company.
There were 2 guys who were playing pool, where we were sitting, who were from the Czech Republic, so we talked to them for a bit and watched them play. Then after they finished up their game we played a game of pool, me, Katie and Sam versus Rachael and Ruth. My team won! And I even made the final 8 ball in the hole. I was proud of myself.
After we finished up pool it was about time to go to the Gran Cafe, the club for the evening. When we were arrived we were given a free mixed drink coupon and a free beer coupon. I ordered and screwdriver and gave my free beer to Sam because I am not a fan of beer. We then hung out for a bit and then made our way to the dance floor. It was a nice club with a cool atmosphere.
Eventually the club was opened to the public and there were some older men who were a bit creepy who showed up. Around that time we decided it was time go because we had been awake since 5 am it was probably around 12:30 am (1:30 am Spain time). We practically pulled an allnighter.
We walked back to the hotel, used the wifi for a bit and then went to bed. It was a fun filled, busy day but hitting the bed for some down time felt awesome! We even set our alarms for the morning so we wouldn't miss breakfast!
No comments:
Post a Comment