JANUARY 1, 2013

NEW YEAR’S DAY

We returned to the pool after waking up late. This time the sun was much hotter. We’re obviously inching closer to Honduras. Yay.

I went to a Pilates class this afternoon after the Fab Abs (Men Only) Contest which was as funny as the women’s competition. The litmus test for me when it comes to an aerobics class is whether I sweat or not and I did sweat in this one. I think that when aerobic instructors get their certifications, they also get a license to kill us. It was a fairly tough class although I think the instructor held back a little.  He was  Africa; I loved listening to his accent.

We went to our favorite restaurant and chatted with Kristin and Paul who are great people. I loved talking to them and listening to their views and about their family.

On this particular evening, I ate Moroccan soup with lamb and vegetables; foccacia and tomato salad; salmon with asparagus, broccoli and potatoes; wine; coffee but no dessert (no room).

Andrea picked  Moroccan soup; an Indian dish with vegetables and different kinds of bread and rice; Coke and no dessert.

We headed to the Beatles Concert after that.  It was so much fun. The John, Paul, George and Ringo imitators encouraged singing along, clapping and toward the end, a Conga line even though there is nothing conga-esque about any of the Beatles’ songs. Oh…and they encouraged screaming, too. There never was a Beatles concert that didn’t have screaming so why should this one be any different?

I knew the lyrics to all the songs so I croaked along. This surprised Andrea. I don’t know why. I’ve been a Beatles fan since I was 13. That was a long, long time ago.

One of the singers asked the audience, “Which Beatles’ song has been recorded more than any other?”

“Yesterday,” I answered. I was right. (I didn’t get any prize for my knowledge, though.)

Next, we went to a trivia game which was also a lot of fun. The audience divided itself into teams. The game host asked questions like “What is the one phrase that all men (or women) want to hear?” The answer from the majority in the audience was (believe it or not), “I love you.”  The second most popular phrase was, “I’m going away for the weekend.” The winning teams had to guess the majority answers.  Prizes included things like mugs, mouse pads, etc.

We went to the Comedy Club but the comedian was only mildly funny. I heard comments from the women in my gym class that he was very funny but I guess we all have our off days.

Then, at the stroke of midnight, Andrea turned 21. Her first legal drink was a Margarita (Unlike!) at the Dragon’s Lair. The Dragon’s Lair has an upper and a lower level.  You can look down to the lower level and it looks like a lair. It has a medieval look with stone walls and stone entrances like the ones you see in medieval European architecture.

The DJ announced her birthday and the waiter, who waited until it was exactly midnight to serve her drink, gave her a souvenir glass to keep. I had to take bunches of photos to commemorate the occasion.

We passed the art gallery on our way to the Dragon’s Lair and one of the employees started chatting with us. When I told him it was Andrea’s birthday, he gave us a bottle of champagne.

A lot of her friends back home sent texts of their birthday wishes to her and of course, she had to respond. I’m glad she pays her own phone bill.

Tomorrow: Roatan, Honduras