Is what a Mexican gentleman said to us after arriving in Playa del Carmen the morning of the Canada vs U.S.A. gold medal Olympic game. Our first morning in Mexico on our trip for Rae's sister's wedding started with one goal in mind. We were going to watch the hockey game that would ice Canada's 2010 Vancouver Olympic cake.
I woke up early to take pictures on the beach, donning my red, 2010 Olympic hockey jersey.
As soon as I left our room and started to walk around the resort I heard a voice behind me ask "You think we'll win?" to which I replied "I sure hope so."
The rest of that morning I became the resort's Canadian Hockey Liaison. I was asked everything from "when is the game?" "Where are you watching the game?" and "We've been here for a week, did we win?", I even heard a few "U.S.A., U.S.A." chants. Sadly, the fact was I had no idea where we were going to watch the game. The only place on the resort grounds that was going to have the game was the exclusive Grand Hotel of which I couldn't go to without buying a $100 day pass.
We eventually met a couple who said they were going into Playa del Carmen to watch it and were going to catch the 2 o'clock bus into town. The problem with that was that the game started at 2 and we only heard of one or two places (the Tequila Barrel and maybe Señior Frogs) showing it. I then told Rae that the next couple who asks us where we were watching the game, we will offer to split a cab into Playa with them. It must have taken all of five minutes for this to happen, so we made plans with our new friends to meet in the lobby and leave the resort by 11.
As you can see in the pictures above, my new hockey buddy and I subconsciously decided to where the exact same coloured shorts and cap.
When we arrived (around 2 hours early for the game) every bar and lounge that was showing the game was packed with a sea of red and white shirts and jersey's. Thus began our search for a bar with seats. We passed patio after patio bumping into more Canadians aimlessly looking for the same game until we became a mob roaming fifth avenue. We eventually stopped at one empty lounge that had a tv because the bar staff were frantically flipping through the channels to find the "money game" that would keep the hopeless Canadian hockey fiends around to drink their coolers dry. This distraction proved to be a good thing as our numbers thinned out to the original four and another couple from Vancouver Island.
Finally after following the advice of a man, who only asked that we mention that he had sent us, we found a place called The Pinche Gringo which was owned by an ex-pat from Calgary.
Through the duration of the game I think that we drank their beer supply out twice as we could never get the same brand of beer twice after the first period, drank warm corona's during the second period and were left to tequila, which was free pored down our throat at the end of the game.
After the game we drunkenly poured ourselves into the street and were promptly invited for drinks at the apartment of another new friend, originally from Montréal, that we met at Pinche Gringos. His apartment was amazing and we partied into the night on his rooftop patio, where most of these photos were taken.
He was a gracious and generous host.
Thanks again A.
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