Trip to Mexico :)

[Happiness]

Well our first family vacation kind of went the way I expected it to go, with some very big life lessons.

There were 2 families with a total of 13 in all (that should have been a red flag right there

Traveling was an experience for our family as we have not ever done any international traveling at all. Customs and security were an experience, once we where in Cancun you apperently have to hit a button to get a green or a red light, yep our family got red and all of our bags where searched, the look on the guys face when he stuck his hand in the pouch of my sons bag and his shamphoo had broken and was all over his hands was kind of funny.

We get in the resort at about 11 pm and the party started (boys only) Nothing to bad happen a few hangovers the next day but that is what laying around the pool is for right.

We spent the day around the swim up bar pool and met some new friends that thought tequilla was breakfast. I was a good mom and made sure that all the kids ate at various times throughout the day and every once in a while made the dont drink to much comment. Got the boys to their room with a few embarassing moments and told them to have showers and get ready for dinner. Went back to the room for something to find them trying to kill eachother. The only way I can discribe it is imagine 3 boa's wriggling around on the floor. Lots of Drama, a broken lamp and Daddy had to come in the room (not very pleasent for them).

The next morning after big talks, and tears the day started. Daddy said to the one who broke the lamp that he had to carry it down to the front desk and explain how it got broken. Then we all went fishing. Now as all of us are fishermen at home we are not in Mexico. Only one nibble in a 3 hr trip that never seem to end. We made it back got showered up and went to a nice steak dinner. I had the best filet ever. Now I think things happen for a reason all of the boys were drinking ice tea (thank god) At the resorts they have evening shows so after dinner off we went and tagged up with the other family. When we got there some of the kids had been drinking and seemed to be having a good time. After the show we had decided that we would go to the Disco. The other parents were tired so I said I would stay sober and keep an eye on the kids and make sure everyone got home okay. On the way to the club one of the girls started talking about 2 guys from the night before that were taking pictures of the 2 youngest girls with us. She said that they went up to them and asked them to quit but they kept it up so they left. These two guys were from Britian and the one looked like he was on steroids. The young man that was with us went up to him, talked and shook hands. I took a few pics inside the club and decided I should take my camera back to the room, so my youngest went with me (this is were I say omg thank god he was with me) We were gone for maybe 10 mins and as we were getting back to the club everyone was outside and something was going on. I get there and my husband has blood on him along with my oldest son, one of the youngest girls had blood on her face and was looking alittle pale. One of the girls was screaming where was her boyfriend. I looked quickly to see where my kids were and I was missing one and one of the other boys were missing also. I found them in the Drs office and I have to say it was was pretty bloody. The boyfriend had been hit many times in the face so hard the his front tooth was now in the middle of pallet. He lost 2 teeth and there was blood everywhere. My missing son (who dosn't handle blood well) was helping the Dr hold him down so he could examine him. I then left to go and find out what the hell happend in that 10 minutes and make sure that things were calming down. Get back to the club and the two Brits are in the middle of security and I am told that the police are comming so to stay.

What had happened is that one of the Brits said something inappropriate to one of the girls and she slapped him, he slapped her back and then spit on her. Her boyfriend went to intervine and the big guy punched him the face, dragged him to the middle of the dance floor and just started to pound on his face. My two oldest went towards them and the other guy tackled one son and punched him 4 times in the face, then my other son jumped in and some how the Brit wriggled free to go and get a few kicks to the kid that was down and out on the dance floor. Security tried to get in as fast as they could but I guess it happend so fast.

Statements were made and I was waiting for the travel insurance papers and the emergency credit card, the police arrested the two Brits and for some reason walked them past us. As they were going by they were smiling at all of us. The father tried to talk to us but we were at this point still alittle confused we asked him to leave us alone many times until finaly one of us told him to *(&^ off. I understand that he was also upset but when your asked to leave politey then leave.

I had wanted to see what the ambulance looked like in Mexico but not this way. The Dr decided that I was the responsible person in the group and asked if I would go with the kid. It was an experience to say the least. They have nothing in the cars, I looked at my car and I am ever so grateful that I have pretty much everything I need to take care of my patients.

We get to the first hospital and I go in with all my documents and the guy says to me, I need a deposit of 2k for services and I handed him the card and the papers. He looks at the insurance papers and says that insurance will not cover fighting, so I said he was assulted and then it seemed to be okay. They dont take you into the hospital until you have that deposit. One CAT scan and the fractures are reviled so then off to another hospital for surgery. The Dr in the first hospital said do not mention if any alcohol is involved or the insurance co. will not pay. It was never mentioned. I then had to call in the other mother on the trip and say you have to come here and sign all these things as it was you that paid for the insurance. Off to the next hospital we went. They were great and let us 3 extra's in for the trip. This ambulance was even worse for equipment and as it was raining outside, it was raining inside also. One thing I would like to say is that the medics and all the hospital staff were great. So surgery is planned and two of us have decided that we need to go back to the resort and let everyone else know we are okay. We left the gf to stay with the boy and learn a good life lesson on bad behaviour in a forigne country.

Now for the smiling Brits, they were in a holding jail for 2 days before the father realized that the family has to bring food and water or they die. He had to come up with about 40k to pay for the medical bills and to get the fines and bail paid. We had only wanted to make sure that these kids were not comming back to the resort as Im sure they would have caused more crap. (They looked kind of mental and my sons were sure they were on drugs that night) In the end they could have recieved 2 to 6 years in prison and up to 13 as a max. You dont even get that in Canada for murder. So the other parents and the boy decided that they would say it basically never happened to a judge (it dosn't matter what happen, if you are the one in the hospital you are the innocent one in mexico) as the father was very desperate to get his son out (the big one was just a tag along and apperently a trouble maker) jail. The case went through and as long as everything was paid they would be released no sooner that tommorrow. They were then tranported to a federal prison for a few days longer.

We tried to have fun after but it was not until the last day that we could relax and try to salvage part of our vacation.

We did have some good times and lots of laughs but this is what I learned..

1. Never take 13 people as a group

2. Pay for the insurance

3. I am a terrible babysitter

4. If you ever want to complain about what you dont have or the skills your not taught go see what it is like in Mexico, I guarantee you will think twice.

5. My next family vacation will not involve family

Here is a pic of the boys before it all went sour and they were having just plain boy fun.

[Just Plain Ruff]

Back in 1984 I went to mexico. Spent time in Cancun, Cozumel and Isla Mujeres.

I misjudged the height of a curb and it being 2 and a half feet instead of the half a foot that most curbs are I fell and broke both my ankle and my wrist.

I spent time in the local ambulance and then the local ER. I then was airlifted home via the insurance company's expatriation program due to the nature of the breaks. They were pretty bad.

The local ambulance and the clinic and then the ER accepted the insurance and nothing else.

Your story is one of significant contrasts to my story at least in payment terms.

I was not allowed to leave the hospital until the insurance was verified but I was not of any mind to disagree because of whatever pain meds I got were really really good.

The family friends I was with were able to gather all my belongings, my father flew to Cancun where he met me at the airport and we flew home on a special jet outfitted for medical care. I was one of three other people who were on the jet. It was pretty cool.

We made it to Houston where my father had rented a car and we drove the rest of the way home to our house in KC MO.

I had 90 days worth of pain pills which the hospital gave me and then my family friends were able to get an additional supply of pain pills just by going to the pharmacy and getting them and they brought them home. All they required was the hospital report and showed it to the pharmacy.

6 months later, I returned to mexico to complete my trip, thank goodness for trip cancellation insurance. WE got all our expenses returned except for what I had already spent while there.

But all in all it sounds like your trip was super memorable. Those are the memories that you wish you had the camera out for.

[Arctickat]

And to think, none of it would have happened if the girl would have simply walked away from the Brit rather than assaulting him. I hope your next trip goes better.

[mikeymedic1984]

Talk to any fixed-wing flight medic who goes to pick these people up in foreign lands, ALWAYS buy the trip insurance and make sure it covers air-ambulance.

[emtdennis]

I definitely like #2 and #5 on your lessons learned list!!

Hope you still have plenty of other great memories from the "vacation"

[Eydawn]

Arctikat,

You're right. Sorta.

She should have gone for the nadgers. Problem solved. Sounds like these two druggies were cruising for a fight and happened to try to pick on some younger, obviously more naive women (see about them being photographed without permission, above- they did try verbal for cease and desist to no avail).

If she had kicked him in the balls, he would not have been able to strike her back, and the rest of the younger male posse would only have had one asshole to contend with.

It's never good when a pile of teens/twentysomethings gets shitfaced in a club. Moral of story...

Wendy

CO EMT-B

RN-ADN Student

[ERDoc]

Hey happiness, if you don't mind me asking, where did you stay (which resort)?

[Happiness]

ER we stayed at the hotel barcelo maya colonial. It was nice beaches with fairly good service. The pools were very clean and the grounds kept up well.

Eyedawn and Artic I agree with you both, but as I think of the turn of events the girl should have walked away and she also thinks the same. I dont know what was being said to her, to make her slap him but since she wouldnt tell me I would think it was discusting. I have nothing against (and I dont want this to sound like I condoned this) a fight amoungst boys, but my boys were taught when the other person is down the fight stops, and in this case it didn't the guys just kept going as my husband said "I truely think that guy was trying to kill him" It was an unfortunant chain of events that made for alot of life lessons on how to behave in forign countries. The main thing is that the kid is okay and started collage today along with his gf, my boys are no worse for wear except for a bruised ear and a bit of a puffy face and I even convinced one to become a paramedic on the trip.

The funniest thing (not really) is that it hit the papers there. Two days later my youngest and I were in the market doing alittle shopping. We were talking to one of the young men and he had asked about our vacation. My son mentioned the events and he said he had a copy of the paper and would bring it to us. He asked how the kid was, I had taken a couple of pics of the kid in the back of ambulance and let him see one. His eyes went wide and he quietly said to us "if you can find out the jail they are in, I can make sure that someone pays them a visit and teach them what it is truely like in a mexican jail" Of course I declined but WOW what a thing to be told and he didn't even ask for money.

[ERDoc]

Nice. We stayed at Secrets Silversands in Riviera Maya. Beautiful area.

[DFIB]

Nice. We stayed at Secrets Silversands in Riviera Maya. Beautiful area.

The Rivera Maya is the best area with the best Hotels.

I had wanted to see what the ambulance looked like in Mexico but not this way. The Dr decided that I was the responsible person in the group and asked if I would go with the kid. It was an experience to say the least. They have nothing in the cars, I looked at my car and I am ever so grateful that I have pretty much everything I need to take care of my patients.

I work on these ambulances only in an area that is much poorer than Can Cun. We have to be very resourceful at times. The guys taking you were most likely EMT's. Medics are very rare in Mexico.. They usually make up for the lack of training with great soft skills. Did they wear protective head gear while transporting? I always wear a helmet.

Now for the smiling Brits, they were in a holding jail for 2 days before the father realized that the family has to bring food and water or they die. He had to come up with about 40k to pay for the medical bills and to get the fines and bail paid. We had only wanted to make sure that these kids were not comming back to the resort as Im sure they would have caused more crap. (They looked kind of mental and my sons were sure they were on drugs that night) In the end they could have recieved 2 to 6 years in prison and up to 13 as a max. You dont even get that in Canada for murder. So the other parents and the boy decided that they would say it basically never happened to a judge (it dosn't matter what happen, if you are the one in the hospital you are the innocent one in mexico) as the father was very desperate to get his son out (the big one was just a tag along and apperently a trouble maker) jail. The case went through and as long as everything was paid they would be released no sooner that tommorrow. They were then tranported to a federal prison for a few days longer.

Mexican jails absolutely suck, they are more horrible than you can possibly imagine. There is no decent food, the water is contaminated, the living conditions are almost subhuman, sleeping on the floor with your back to your buddy with one eye open. Those guys were truly punished. After spending a week dick dodging they should be scared straight.

All of that said all of you were very, very lucky. Most of the security in those areas are run by people other than the police. Very bad people that are not police. If these very bad people had decided to intervein instead of the police everyone would be telling a very different story ... or possibly someone wouldn't be telling any story at all. If the police were there it is because they had permission to handle the assault. You have no idea how truly fortunate you all are.

If you chose to go back to Mexico on holiday, my best advice is that if the club is not directly run and managed by your hotel it is best to find other forms of entertainment.

I am sorry your vacation was an ordeal but glad things went well for you in the end.

Edited September 5, 2012 by DFIB