Don't Go to Cacapulco! III

Well, Venus makes it sound so dandy out in Acapulco. Truth is, I was there last summer! And it was not so dandy at all, in fact, it was the worst vacation I have ever had (equaling my visit to Myrtle Beach, So. Carolina in 2005).

From what I know, Acapulco was the hot-spot for Hollywood celebrities back in the 50's. The place was hot!! The resort I stayed at had hosted the likes of Michael Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Sinatra, and so on. The Hollywood scene eventually moved on to other exciting Mexican resort towns like Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, and Cabo; where many Americans now vacation. I got an amazing deal, so I decided to go to the infamous resort town.



Looks pretty from afar!

So get this, I get there in the evening and immediately I want to know where to go for a drink. I was directed to hit the strip where 3 BIG outdoor dance bars are located. There were hundreds of people on the strip, none taller than 5'5" Feeling like the only (giant) American in town, was a strange feeling. The next day, I headed for the beach but an awful "poo poo" smell kept me from going in the water. I inquired about the smell and the locals informed me it was ALWAYS like that. They told me that the sewage was being drained into the beach. YUCK!

I was doubtful. So I headed 3 miles north and later 6 miles south to where the new resorts were located and found that the beaches we're not any better. The "poo" smell, according to a very clever resort guide, was due to "the cleansing process that the sea undergoes around that time of the year." Very clever, I thought, but it sounded like an urban legend to me. Needless to say, going to the beach was a dead topic for the rest of my trip. Instead, I spent my time playing tennis on clay against the local junior talents, until...



I came to know the real Acapulco!

I got food poisoning from one of the restaurants in town. I had to sit in my air-conditioned room watching t.v. for a few days.



The only fun part of my trip was eating coconut salad on the side of the road on a high cliff with a great view of the beach. That was fun!

I'm always a rascal while traveling and I can never stay confined to my hotel room. I always manage to go see the real face of the town/city I'm visiting.

The Pros:
Good Scenery
Beautiful Resorts (that you shouldn't venture outside of)
Cheap Tennis Courts

The Cons:
Dirty Beaches
Bad Food
Polluted & Congested City
Limited Entertainment

Chances of making it back to Acapulco..? Hmm... not anytime soon.

Posted by bigE

"Don't go to Cacapulco!" II

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Hello again everyone!

So Isha and I did end up going around Acapulco last night. We didn't drive around too much though, because I think I almost fell into a coma, I was ready to just give up and go to sleep! But I stayed out long enough to do a bit of shopping: I got a necklace, it has silver and opal on it. It's pretty cool.

Today went really well. I woke up in the morning and went to practice, and I was having so much fun that the hour went by so fast. In the afternoon I spent some time catching up on my e-mail and watching TV shows. I've been downloading TV shows from iTunes... like Grey's Anatomy (my favorite show), The Starter Wife and The Practice. It was a slow, slow afternoon!

Later on I went out and warmed up, hit some balls and ate, the typical routine for an athlete. I'm feeling confident about my game, so nothing too much.

I had a tough start to my match tonight. She was playing well and aggressively. I wish I could have gotten more serves in. I got through it though, and I'm just looking forward to my next match tomorrow night. I don't mind playing at night, I just play when the tournament tells me to!

Well it's midnight now, I've got to calm down and try to go to bed. I can't stay up reading or watching TV shows. I love to multitask. I have a fear of missing out. It sounds childish, I know, but I really have to convince myself to go to sleep.

I'll talk to you all again after my match tomorrow night!

Venus

My note to Venus for Acapulco travel:

Dear V,

Have u gone to the beach yet? Don't get in the water! I'll tell you why later!

Are you staying at the Princess Resort next to the tennis stadium? Make sure to try the local coconut fruit salad the vendors make on the side of the road. It is divine! Trust me on this girl. It's so delicious!

Go Venus,
bigE

Don't go to Cacapulco!

Venus enters the blogsphere from Acapulco, Mexico.

Monday, February 23, 2009

Hello again everyone! I'm excited to be blogging again, this time from Acapulco!

The trip here from Dubai... oh my gosh, it was long. I didn't realize it would be that long. It took 30 hours to get here, which was my longest trip ever! But I was mentally prepared for it. I was strategic: I only slept on the first flight, and after I landed in New York, I didn't sleep until I got here. It was a winning game plan. I got a full night's sleep last night and woke up happy.

I got to Acapulco around 10 last night, opened the windows and the sea was right there. I was SO happy! Then I went to the player party, it was a White Party. But I was wearing my black warm-up suit! With a green stripe... Anyway, the party was really nice. The chicken was great - I really love meat, I just had to try it.

This morning it got even better. I went down for breakfast and I just knew it was American breakfast, I could just smell it! I smelled the pancakes and syrup. I was way too happy about it. I even took a picture of myself at breakfast - it was just ridiculous. The strange thing is, I usually can't stand breakfast! I never eat it. But I was just so happy to smell the syrup. I think it was the feeling of smelling something from back home. It was a long way from Dubai and there were so many hardships along the way, I didn't think I'd ever make it here. But I kept a positive attitude on the trip. I took it one mile at a time.

I was very busy today. I practiced first thing in the morning and had my workout, then spent the afternoon in interviews and meetings. Now I have a little free time. I'm trying not to fall asleep - that would undermine my whole success so far! I'm about to go to the training room and then I'm planning on just relaxing. I'll be playing matches every day starting tomorrow, so I'm hoping I can get into a car and just have a look around Acapulco tonight. Then I'm going to settle in here and hopefully start winning matches!

So, nothing too interesting yet, just living the dream in Acapulco!

Venus

I have a great story about my visit to Acapulco last year. I'll give you some good reasons to not go to caca-pulco!