"It was the nicest little whorehouse you ever saw..."

It is with a heavy heart that I say goodbye to the King's Lynn Players musical "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas."

It's been a LONG few months working on this production: every Monday, Wednesday and Sunday since May to be exact!  But the finished product was amazing. I am so glad I was cast in this production as it was just brilliant to work with so many talented performers.

If you don't know the story, read about it here!

I played one of Miss Mona's girls: Linda Lou.  I had my first lines and solos - which blew my mind as I had never had a proper part before!

The story starts out with the history of the The Chicken Ranch - the Whorehouse. Open "Since the 1890s" - and we rock some frilly pantaloons.

We then go to the present day where we meet Angel and Shy, a down and out and shy girl looking to join Miss Mona's Whorehouse.

Jewel, the maid, joins in with the girls telling Angel and Shy about the rules of The Chicken Ranch.

(Yep, that's me in the black)

"It's just a piddly squatting old time country place, nothing to high tone...just lots of good will and maybe one small thrill....but there's nothing dirty going on..."

Melvin P Thorpe from Watchdog News gets wind of the Chicken Ranch and is determined to close it down!  "Watchdog is gonna get you!"

I just love the fact that I was wheeled on a wheelchair making aeroplane noises.

Jewel tells the girls what she plans to do with her 24 hours off... "You've gotta make every minute count."

Lauren:  GIVE ME FACE!

The end pose of 24 hours...right before we entered the Oxygen tent.

Sheriff Ed Earl Dodd and Miss Mona discussing that Melvin P Thorpe character.

The lovely Doatsy Mae.  (Do you want piiiiiii with that?)

GOOOOOO AGGIES!

Look at those Angelettes go!

The winning Aggies get treated to a night at the whorehouse every Thanksgiving!  They are keen - can you tell?

Yee-Haw!

Following the raid.  Check them guys out.

The Governor of Texas!

Crowds are gathering and hurling abuse at the girls.  Who would want to run us out of town?

"Me, I'll be just fine and dandy, Lord it's like a hard candy Christmas.  I'm barely getting through tomorrow, still I can't let sorrow bring me way down."

"Nothing surprises me nowadays. If someone told me it was snowing shit I'd ask them if it was cow or chicken and how many inches." (Probably my favourite of my lines)

The young Mona during the Bus from Amarillo

Probably the most sad ending for Miss Mona, the girls and the Chicken Ranch.

And finally - Our final bow/wave to the audience!  

I LOVED every second of this show.  It was fun, challenging and I've had a blast with the girls during our rehearsals.  I am so sad that it's over, but I'll never forget it.  

How could you forget the show where you had to muster up the courage to prance about in your underwear??  Our review in the Lynn News was glowing - nothing but the truth!

Just remember - there was nothing dirty going on...

xx

Tulum, Mexico: In Review!

We went on a little holiday!  Mexico had always been the dream holiday destination for me: the beaches, the FOOD, the history, the tequila, the culture, the chips and salsa....

It was pure luck that B had never been (don't get me started on Mr "53-countries-visited") and we actually had a mutual week off!

We chose Tulum as my rockin friend Jen at Two Itchy Feet was married here and couldn't speak higher of the place. B and I aren't Cancun material, so we were both happy with Tulum- the non-resorty, slightly more "Mexican" alternative. 

(We cycled EVERYWHERE)

(Snorkelling at a cenote)

The Hotel

We stayed at the Palms Tulum Luxury Hotel  - a new hotel 3 km away from the beach and on the outskirt of Tulum town. Considering I wanted to lie on the beach and drink margaritas all week - I was surprised I enjoyed staying so close to town. But I loved it. We were easily able to get everywhere by bike (watch out) or taxi. It opened up a whole new sized of Tulum being a bit further from the beach. 

The Beach

Even though we didn't have our own beach, the hotel gave us a coupon for El Paradiso - a beach club that had the most COMFORTABLE beds and much loved umbrellas. We spent two days here enjoying the sun and sand - but most importantly beach side margaritas and nachos.

Nachos?  Beach?  Yes, please!

The Sites

We went to the Tulum ruins on our second day and were caught in a downpour. We did get some great shots of the old homes and temples before the heavens opened up. B even got a dip in the sea at the ruins - it was the prettiest most secluded beach I've ever seen.

While popping out for orange juice one morning we went past Mexico Kan Tours and met Miguel - a total dude and adventure tour guru. He had a cancellation of a tour and said he could take us out - just the two of us - in the next 20 minutes. No pushiness; just a selection of genuinely cool tours on offer. 

We decided on this impromptu Mayan Inland Expedition where we hiked in search of monkeys, zip lined across a river, had a Mayan safety ritual performed for us before being lowered into a cenote by harness. 

The little hole I was lowered into!

HOW COOL IS THIS CENOTE!

After a quick bite to eat we went to the Coba ruins and climbed a 44 meter ruin. Holy. Wow. The day cost us 130 pesos each - a private tour with a kick ass guide. It was utterly amazing. 

Yep. We climbed that bad boy.

The FOOD

My favourite part...in case you couldn't tell. Being a vegetarian in Mexico is NOT easy. To be fair - I was more than happy with the complimentary chips and salsa served before each meal...but according to B that's not efficient!

We tried some amazing restaurants and ate some brilliant dishes. We used TripAdvisor a LOT and found it really helpful to just narrow down options. 

Best Free Chips and Salsa: It's got to be a toss up between Mateo's and El Asadero.  To be honest, El Asadero was winning until our last meal in Tulum and Mateo's pulled out this gorgeous, tomatoey salsa. Plus Mateo's was the only place where I could find a natural coconut to drink out of! 

Best for Vegetarians:   El Asadero - yep. A steak house. 

There was a whole separate menu for us anti-meat freaks. I had the cactus and it was looooovely. 

Best drinks: value for money points you to town rather than the beach. La Malquerida 

had great offers and the tastiest mojito and margarita I've ever had. Their house tequila they offer as a complimentary after dinner drink in gorgeous. Even B - who HATES tequila - loved that. 

Favourite spot:  Zamas stole our hearts. We waited out a rain storm here on our first day while cycling the coast line. The service was excellent and the food - oh - it was just amazing. Everything I are - stuffed chilli and chilli enchiladas - were amazing. In spite of the heat, we loved their Mexican Hot Chocolate as an after dinner treat. 

Best Bar Atmosphere:  It's a toss up between Ziggy's and Mezzanine.  Ziggy's had swing seats around the bar (the coolest thing - but watch your knees!) whereas Mezzanine had a lovely deck overlooking the sea.  Both did great drinks.

Best Mexican Alternative:  While I felt we should eat all of the Mexican food we could stomach, we stumbled upon a new restaurant called Uniquo.  The chef is from New York and cooks a mean - and I mean MEAN - menu of English/American/Mexican twists. This was the best restaurant with the most attentive service. I really wish it existed back home!

Oh Mexico....I miss you.

xx