Whatever happened to Wilma's children?
(Taken from Atomic Rosie’s CNN report – imitation, of course. She’s not really a CNN reporter stupid...)
As promised, here is the long awaited post. There are a couple of reasons for the long absence. Firstly, I haven’t had much to talk about (ha, if you believe that you’ll believe anything!) and secondly but perhaps more importantly, I’ve been on holiday. To Mexico. To Cancun. For those that have been hiding in a coal shed for the past few weeks, Hurricane Wilma hit Cancun.
We’d managed to complete 9 out of our 14-day holiday before things started to change. The first part of the long-awaited holiday was spent simply winding down and getting out of that work mode. Copious amounts of tequila were drunk in various different disguises, and we only had to drag our sorry arses down two flights of stairs to reach the beach. What more could we ask for?!
First Indication (a.k.a. the denial)
The first inkling we had that a hurricane would hit was on Monday 17 October, when on their departure, some fellow tequila addicts departed with “Enjoy the rest of your holiday. And the hurricane...” A quick check on the internet showed that Tropical Storm Wilma was brewing in the Gulf of Mexico, but didn’t look as if it would really hit Cancun.
Fast forward to a hot and muggy, but overcast Wednesday 19 October, and after returning to the beach from a late (and partially liquid) lunch, all the cushions were being removed from the bed chairs. Strange, we thought, and after a brief discussion we came to the conclusion that they were being removed so that they wouldn’t get damaged in the approaching tropical storm.
As the weather didn’t appear to be improving, and there was no blue sky peeking through the clouds, we retired to bar for a friendly game of Scrabble and a couple of cocktails (the tequila variety of course). Whilst deep in thought over the letters K G V O P S C, our attention was diverted to the friendly hotel staff carrying assorted mattresses to the front of the hotel, where after a quick investigation, we found they were being loaded on to the hotel bus. Even stranger, we thought, perhaps they’re being protected from the storm as well?
First Realisation (a.k.a. this could be quite serious, but probably isn’t)
That evening, with the wind continuously picking up, but still staying surprisingly muggy, the entertainment team carried on with their scheduled production (don’t ask – it was the “Broadway Show” and involved a lot of dancing & some very bad miming). After the production was cut short it was broadcast that the Mexican Government had decreed that all bars in Cancun would shut at 10 pm. We were then advised to go back to our rooms, pack a bag with enough clothes for one day (yes, that’s ONE DAY), and to pack all our remaining belongings into a suitcase and stand it in the shower just in case we were to be evacuated (yes, that’s JUST IN CASE WE WERE TO BE EVACUATED).
Soon after returning to our third floor hotel room, the heavens opened, the wind picked up again, and we were glad we’d already finished our cocktails and weren’t left stranded at the increasingly wet bar. After a bit of nervous giggling and lots of “I’m sure we won’t be evacuated”, the suitcases were packed and lifted into the shower, and bags were prepared for an overnight stay. You should note that by this stage the weather was pretty grim even by British standards. The wind was howling and there was just so much rain. We actually thought the Tropical Storm had come early.
Perhaps it is serious after all (a.k.a. Arrgh! We’re being evacuated!)
After a sleepless night, Thursday 20 October finally dawned. We surfaced at around 6:30 am and went straight to the hotel reception to find a little piece of A4 paper telling us that Tropical Storm Wilma had been upgraded to Hurricane Wilma, and we were to come to the reception area at 8:30 am, where we would be evacuated to a storm shelter 20 k inland. Thoughts of “Oh shit. Maybe it is a bit more serious than we thought” raced through my mind...
Arriving at reception at the allotted time, we loitered by the front door trying to take in the scene (lots of loud, bustling, nervous looking Brits). Realising that this should be something to record for prosperity, I managed to get a video clip of a nervous looking Atomic Rosie describing what was happening, ending with the immortal line "I feel sick and need a poo".
Eventually the buses turned up, and through the pouring rain we were herded, bags and all, onto one of the many buses (after a quick smile at the CNN camera man of course - he was real). After a short trip inland (that definitely didn’t feel like 20k), we were dropped off at a school that was going be our home for at least one night (yes, we still believed that). After joining a rather slow-moving queue and we were allocated somewhere to sleep in room number 7. In a bid to lighten the moment, I sat down on my mattress and announced to the whole room that I felt like I was in Tenko. The only response was a little laugh from Atomic Rosie, but because no one else spoke, I surmised they were perhaps taking it a bit more seriously than me.
It should perhaps be noted that at this time, the weather was remarkably calm considering what we’d just left behind at the coast. It simply looked like a normal overcast day, with a nice cooling breeze. However, it was clearly the calm before the storm.
The lagoon - Calm before the storm
To be continued... There's so much to write about & if I was to write if all in one go, you would have given up by now. By doing it this way, it's building the suspense... Honestly!
As promised, here is the long awaited post. There are a couple of reasons for the long absence. Firstly, I haven’t had much to talk about (ha, if you believe that you’ll believe anything!) and secondly but perhaps more importantly, I’ve been on holiday. To Mexico. To Cancun. For those that have been hiding in a coal shed for the past few weeks, Hurricane Wilma hit Cancun.
We’d managed to complete 9 out of our 14-day holiday before things started to change. The first part of the long-awaited holiday was spent simply winding down and getting out of that work mode. Copious amounts of tequila were drunk in various different disguises, and we only had to drag our sorry arses down two flights of stairs to reach the beach. What more could we ask for?!
First Indication (a.k.a. the denial)
The first inkling we had that a hurricane would hit was on Monday 17 October, when on their departure, some fellow tequila addicts departed with “Enjoy the rest of your holiday. And the hurricane...” A quick check on the internet showed that Tropical Storm Wilma was brewing in the Gulf of Mexico, but didn’t look as if it would really hit Cancun.
Fast forward to a hot and muggy, but overcast Wednesday 19 October, and after returning to the beach from a late (and partially liquid) lunch, all the cushions were being removed from the bed chairs. Strange, we thought, and after a brief discussion we came to the conclusion that they were being removed so that they wouldn’t get damaged in the approaching tropical storm.
As the weather didn’t appear to be improving, and there was no blue sky peeking through the clouds, we retired to bar for a friendly game of Scrabble and a couple of cocktails (the tequila variety of course). Whilst deep in thought over the letters K G V O P S C, our attention was diverted to the friendly hotel staff carrying assorted mattresses to the front of the hotel, where after a quick investigation, we found they were being loaded on to the hotel bus. Even stranger, we thought, perhaps they’re being protected from the storm as well?
First Realisation (a.k.a. this could be quite serious, but probably isn’t)
That evening, with the wind continuously picking up, but still staying surprisingly muggy, the entertainment team carried on with their scheduled production (don’t ask – it was the “Broadway Show” and involved a lot of dancing & some very bad miming). After the production was cut short it was broadcast that the Mexican Government had decreed that all bars in Cancun would shut at 10 pm. We were then advised to go back to our rooms, pack a bag with enough clothes for one day (yes, that’s ONE DAY), and to pack all our remaining belongings into a suitcase and stand it in the shower just in case we were to be evacuated (yes, that’s JUST IN CASE WE WERE TO BE EVACUATED).
Soon after returning to our third floor hotel room, the heavens opened, the wind picked up again, and we were glad we’d already finished our cocktails and weren’t left stranded at the increasingly wet bar. After a bit of nervous giggling and lots of “I’m sure we won’t be evacuated”, the suitcases were packed and lifted into the shower, and bags were prepared for an overnight stay. You should note that by this stage the weather was pretty grim even by British standards. The wind was howling and there was just so much rain. We actually thought the Tropical Storm had come early.
Perhaps it is serious after all (a.k.a. Arrgh! We’re being evacuated!)
After a sleepless night, Thursday 20 October finally dawned. We surfaced at around 6:30 am and went straight to the hotel reception to find a little piece of A4 paper telling us that Tropical Storm Wilma had been upgraded to Hurricane Wilma, and we were to come to the reception area at 8:30 am, where we would be evacuated to a storm shelter 20 k inland. Thoughts of “Oh shit. Maybe it is a bit more serious than we thought” raced through my mind...
Arriving at reception at the allotted time, we loitered by the front door trying to take in the scene (lots of loud, bustling, nervous looking Brits). Realising that this should be something to record for prosperity, I managed to get a video clip of a nervous looking Atomic Rosie describing what was happening, ending with the immortal line "I feel sick and need a poo".
Eventually the buses turned up, and through the pouring rain we were herded, bags and all, onto one of the many buses (after a quick smile at the CNN camera man of course - he was real). After a short trip inland (that definitely didn’t feel like 20k), we were dropped off at a school that was going be our home for at least one night (yes, we still believed that). After joining a rather slow-moving queue and we were allocated somewhere to sleep in room number 7. In a bid to lighten the moment, I sat down on my mattress and announced to the whole room that I felt like I was in Tenko. The only response was a little laugh from Atomic Rosie, but because no one else spoke, I surmised they were perhaps taking it a bit more seriously than me.
It should perhaps be noted that at this time, the weather was remarkably calm considering what we’d just left behind at the coast. It simply looked like a normal overcast day, with a nice cooling breeze. However, it was clearly the calm before the storm.
The lagoon - Calm before the storm
To be continued... There's so much to write about & if I was to write if all in one go, you would have given up by now. By doing it this way, it's building the suspense... Honestly!
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