Feliz Septiembre Rocky Point! Phew, the summer is closing out along with the hot and humid days 😊! I had a wonderful couple weeks in town before heading out to BVI (British Virgin Islands) for 10 days. My great friends Donna Bocko and Ange Mintz treated us to a sailing adventure island hopping around for a week to celebrate Donna’s birthday. It was a fantastic experience and one that I will always remember. Each island was very distinct, and the waters of the Caribbean were extra turquoise. Thank you, Donna, for 5 new friends from the adventure…they were hysterical! Many of the stories are a bit racy for this column so you will have to hit me up for the details 😊! I am next off to Michigan to see an old friend and then onto the Jersey Shore for a fishing trip with my college buddies and then finally returning to Rocky Point the last week of August. I do miss my time away from Rocky Point and all my friends in town, but it is sure great to see the world as well. So…look out friends, I will be back soon…front to back!!!
A couple months ago, I had 5 family members come to Rocky Point from Slovakia. For those that do not know, Slovakia is an eastern European country and part of NATO. Matej Matkobis, his new wife Vickie, his brother Jakub Matkobis, Ivo and Mimka Parada all made the long journey to America first then for a week in Rocky Point. It was their first time in Mexico, and I thought it would be cool for them to share their experience with us. Recently I Zoom called Matej, Mimka and Ivo as they are the best of the 5 at speaking English…and my Slovak is a bit limited…dobre!
Marco~ Tell us a little about yourselves…where are you from and where do you live now?
Ivo~ Well, I am from Svidnik, Slovakia and Matej, Jakub and Mimka (brothers and sister) are from Radoma as well as Vickie, Matej’s wife. We are all from eastern Slovakia on the opposite side of the country from the capital Bratislava. We now all live in Kosice.
Marco~ Nice, yes, I remember taking the journey from Bratislava to your side of the country. I believe it was like 3 and half to 4 hours. What was your initial reaction to coming to Rocky Point?
Matej~ I was amazed at the condo, Mexico in general and the beautiful sunsets!
Mimka ~ Rocky Point immediately won us over, it is the perfect place to relax, but also to dive into some fun and vibrant nightlife. We have visited several places in the U.S. but Rocky Point left us with the best memories by far. It was love at first sight and definitely the right choice for our trip.
Ivo~ The first thing that caught my attention was the beautiful view and the scent of the sea, a smell I will remember forever. We had such an amazing time because Marco and Tomas showed us the very best of Rocky Point…the hidden gems, the unforgettable sunsets and the kind of moments that make you wish the trip would last forever. We are also sincerely grateful to Ronnie Buchholz who drove up to Scottsdale to pick us up and drove down as a caravan with Marco.
Marco~ Indeed, we do have the best sunsets and views for sure! What did you like best about the Mexican culture?
All three at once~ THE FOOD! SHRIMP!
Mimka~ Also, the people! They were always smiling, laid-back, and super friendly. During our whole stay, we did not have one bad experience, which is rare these days. On the contrary, it had been a long time since we met such warm and positive people. Honestly, it felt like the whole country was welcoming us with a hug….and maybe a taco too!
Ivo~ I loved the music, the friends we met, and the kindness shared by everyone in town. It was so easy to make friends, and the most definitely the food and tequila…haha! Not a day goes by that I don’t think about Mexican tacos and shrimp. And like I said, the people who were always smiling, in a great mood, and ready to help.
Marco~ Yes, Rocky Point is well known for the shrimp, hence the man riding the shrimp in the Malecon like a Mexican seaworthy cowboy. How did you think the beaches were compared to the beaches you have seen in Europe?
Mimka~ In Europe, we have many beautiful turquoise beaches that we highly recommend seeing. Here, you have space, peace, and clean shores. The beaches seem endless – like they go on forever. What amazed us most were the shells the sea brings in. And the low tide? We have never seen it on such a grand scale before. It creates breathtaking landscapes, and for a moment, we felt like we were in a whole different world.
Ivo~ I agree with my wife, and I will just add that it is hard to compare, as every beach has its own charm.
Marco~ Ahhh, I agree there are so many beautiful beaches in Europe and Rocky Point is one special place! What were your favorite bars and restaurants in town?
Another All Three At Once~ LEO’S BAR!
Matej~ Truly every place we went, we loved it. But Leo’s was 100% extra special. We all loved the live music, the people, the food and especially Leo! We had the BEST espresso martinis ever in Rocky Point. It was a delayed honeymoon for me and my wife, Vickie, so it was perfect.
Mimka~ Our absolute favorite was indeed Leo’s Bar. It has an awesome vibe, live music, and food that made us wonder why we don’t cook this well at home. I highly recommend Leo’s! And of course, we couldn’t skip the local clubs- if you are looking for laughs, dancing, and good times, you will not be disappointed!
Marco~ Aww, yes, definitely one of my favorite places to be in Rocky Point, and Leo is the coolest! What do you recommend that Rocky Point can add to make the tourist experience better?
Mimka~ Honestly? We didn’t miss a thing. You’ve got the sun, beach, ocean, great food, bars…everything you need for the perfect vacation. If anything was missing, it was more days of the week because we definitely did not want to leave!
Ivo~ Oh, I think noise controlling headphones for the security guards would be great, so they don’t hear us. And, we will be looking into a good purchase of a condo with Scott!
Marco~ Oh wow, that’s hysterical! Yeah, I will need to look into the headphones 😊! When are you all coming back to Rocky Point?
Mimka~ Tomorrow! Seriously, we are already planning a trip to Tokyo and then onto Hawaii and then onto Los Angeles and finally coming back to Rocky Point. We can’t wait to come back! We are planning it for next year.
Marco~ That sounds amazing and such a good time! As I mentioned before, there is so much more to see and do in Rocky Point, but we sort of ran out of time. We will try and hit more spots next year, and you are always welcome! I am truly blessed that you are my family!
Some Fun Facts About September…
- The name “September” comes from an old Roman word, “septem,” which actually means 7. That’s right – September was the seventh month of the year on the Roman calendar – It did not become the ninth month until the advent of the Gregorian calendar.
- The Romans believed that September was looked after by the god of fire. So they always expected fires and volcanic eruptions to occur during this month.
- Out of all 12 months of the year, September is spelled with the most letters. It contains nine letters, and it happens to be the ninth month of the year. No other months have the same amount of letters as their number in the calendar year.
- This September, “Harvest Moon” is the fullest moon of the year. When you gaze at it, it looks very large and gives a lot of light throughout the entire night. No other lunar spectacle is as awesome as the Harvest Moon.
- The first day of fall is typically on September 22 or September 23 in North America. This is when the hours in the day are almost equal to the hours in the night. This occurs at the same time as the Spring Equinox does in Australia.
- There are more pop and classic songs with “September” in the title than any other month.
- The birthstone for September is the sapphire, which is said to reduce inflammation, treat fever, and act as a lucky charm for the person wearing it. It symbolizes intuition, clarity of thought, peacefulness, as well as loyalty and trust.
Cheers to an awesome September, everyone! Don’t forget to take care of your servers and bartenders…after all, where would we be without them? 😊
ADIOS AMIGOS
GOD BLESS
Marco
