Loretto, La Mission, Dec. 25
We have reached the age and position in life (on a 22’ sailboat) that things, as gifts, are not really special. What we need and reasonably want, we buy when we need it. What we don’t indulge ourselves with very frequently are special services, like massages. In recent years, we’ve had them a little more frequently, and decided it would be a nice treat for each of us to have a full-body, deep tissue massage as a Christmas gift.
The masseuse was phenomenal. She was a small Mexican lady in her 40’s with a beautiful smile. We had never met anyone with stronger hands. She was able to reach deep tissue knots created by our living in such cramped space and loosen those muscles. A side advantage was that the oil she used in massaging was especially moisturizing. Living in the sun and wind takes a toll on your skin, and even will the daily cream applications, Alice can’t keep up with dry skin. This oil lasted for days and had a wonderful aroma. We were delighted the masseuse was willing to give up some of her Christmas to provide this service to us.
After the massages we thought we go somewhere else for brunch, but a quick walk around the area revealed nothing was open. It really should be that way. People should enjoy their holidays with their family. Maybe that is why the Mexicans are so happy. We returned to the hotel and enjoyed an expansive breakfast/brunch buffet on the balcony overlooking the sea. We asked a number of employees and they said that everyone volunteered for half shifts that day because of the extra pay, but no one was required to work that day.
Check out wasn’t until 1:00 pm, so we took our time packing and getting ready to go back to the boat, enjoying real chairs and a bed to relax on! The grocery store was open so we picked up a few things we forgot the day before and headed out to Escondido.
We had made arrangements to drop off the rental car at the airport the next day, Saturday, but another strong blow from the Northwest was predicted and we wanted to get out of Escondido into a quiet better harbor before it started. Our friends on Second Safari were going to Honeymoon Bay, and that was the perfect spot for us, too. They were planning to leave early the next day, but we had to wait for the tienda to open so we could get ice. We made arrangements with the car rental agency to pick up the car in Escondido the next day.
We prepared the boat for the sail over to Isla Danzante and Honeymoon Cove, and went to bed.
The masseuse was phenomenal. She was a small Mexican lady in her 40’s with a beautiful smile. We had never met anyone with stronger hands. She was able to reach deep tissue knots created by our living in such cramped space and loosen those muscles. A side advantage was that the oil she used in massaging was especially moisturizing. Living in the sun and wind takes a toll on your skin, and even will the daily cream applications, Alice can’t keep up with dry skin. This oil lasted for days and had a wonderful aroma. We were delighted the masseuse was willing to give up some of her Christmas to provide this service to us.
After the massages we thought we go somewhere else for brunch, but a quick walk around the area revealed nothing was open. It really should be that way. People should enjoy their holidays with their family. Maybe that is why the Mexicans are so happy. We returned to the hotel and enjoyed an expansive breakfast/brunch buffet on the balcony overlooking the sea. We asked a number of employees and they said that everyone volunteered for half shifts that day because of the extra pay, but no one was required to work that day.
Check out wasn’t until 1:00 pm, so we took our time packing and getting ready to go back to the boat, enjoying real chairs and a bed to relax on! The grocery store was open so we picked up a few things we forgot the day before and headed out to Escondido.
We had made arrangements to drop off the rental car at the airport the next day, Saturday, but another strong blow from the Northwest was predicted and we wanted to get out of Escondido into a quiet better harbor before it started. Our friends on Second Safari were going to Honeymoon Bay, and that was the perfect spot for us, too. They were planning to leave early the next day, but we had to wait for the tienda to open so we could get ice. We made arrangements with the car rental agency to pick up the car in Escondido the next day.
We prepared the boat for the sail over to Isla Danzante and Honeymoon Cove, and went to bed.