Relaxation
On the last few days of our trip, we decided to focus on relaxation. Our resort had big, cushy beds under palapa roofs scattered around the pool area, so we rented one on Friday and again on Saturday. We sipped pina coladas, read books, worked on Sky's laptop, and went for quick dips in the pool when it got too hot. We could see the ocean from the palapa, and there was a slight breeze, so the 90+ degree weather wasn't too bad.
On Friday night, we went to Tramonto again for their lobster special night and had some great food and wine. Saturday, after packing up and checking out, we went for a parasail ride out in front of our resort. The view as amazing and we had a fun but short jet-ski ride out to the parasail boat. It was a great way to end our trip!
The crickets hid from us on Saturday, so I guess they decided to leave us alone.
Coming home on Saturday wasn't exactly smooth sailing. Our flight had a scheduled stop in LA where we were supposed to deplane, go through customs, and then get back on again for the continuing flight to Seattle. However, all the customs computers at LAX went down, so they rerouted us to San Diego to do customs. We were the only ones there, so it went relatively quickly (i.e. an hour total) before we were back on board. We then had to continue on to LA since that was the final destination for most of the passengers. When we arrived in LA, they first told those of us going on to Seattle to stay on the plane since we'd already been through customs. However, after the rest of the passengers got off, they told us we had to get off after all because Alaska had decided to use a different plane for the second leg of the journey. So we all got off and walked to the next gate over....to discover that the flight had just pulled away from the jetway. :P So, we all got rebooked on later flights that evening. All told, we got home about four hours later than originally scheduled, which stank, but since some poor souls were stuck in their planes waiting to go through customs for 5-6 hours at LAX, we weren't that bad off.
Snorkeling
On Tuesday, we ventured forth early in the morning. Our tour bus took us to Xel-ha where we rode bikes, inner-tubed down a lazy stream past mangroves, and watched iguanas and large fish stare down the tourists. We then got back on the bus and spent some time at Tulum. Tulum has an amazing setting - Mayan ruins on a cliff above the turquoise Caribbean. We were lucky with the weather - sort of. Bright sun meant the view was beautiful, but we both got a tad bit sunburnt despite our layers of sunscreen.That evening, we went to the fancy Italian restaurant at our resort and lucked out, since it was Prime Rib Special night. The prime rib was great and we had some great wine.
Wednesday was our snorkeling day. We went out to Puerto Morelos (a small town just north of our resort) and snorkeled in two different spots. We saw tons of colorful fish and some interesting coral. Fan coral and brain coral were in abundance. We also saw a few sea cucumbers, a brittle star, a few squid, several barracuda, a huge parrotfish, and a stingray. My favorite was the tiny, nearly translucent squid - it was delicate and colorful. Sky's favorite was a particularly large squid. The brittle star's favorite was Sky's bright blue swim trunks, which it clung too after it wriggled out of Sky's hand. (The guide had handed it to me first and then I gave it to Sky.) We eventually disentangled it and then traumatized it further by handing it to the other snorkelers.
Speaking of traumatizing, did I mention the cricket conspiracy yet? The other day, Sky and I were walking down our 3rd floor hallway to the stairs when Sky accidentally kicked what he thought was a leaf on the ground. He figured out his error when the leaf buzzed up into the air, right at him. We hurried to the stairs as it buzzed angrily in our direction and then landed at the top of stairs, as if it were about to launch itself after us. It was a cricket bigger than my index finger! In flight, it resembled a hummingbird in size and movement. We left quickly while it glared at us from the top of the stairs. Early the next day, as we waited for our tour departure, we noticed another huge cricket on a pillar holding up the bus stop roof. As soon as it realized we'd seen it, it quickly crawled to the other side of the pillar, but probably not before making a
report to its superiors. We saw several more crickets that day, including one trying to blend in to the wall of the restaurant we were leaving. They were watching us. If they weren't 3-4 inches long, I wouldn't be concerned...but I know they're planning something. I haven't yet figured out if the bees and sand fleas are in on it, but they've upped their efforts to distract us too. I must remain vigilant...
Playa Del Carmen, August 2007
Sky and I are off on our fabulous Mexican adventure! Well, maybe not an "adventure" - that implies that we're doing something other than sipping mai tais by the pool. :)
We arrived Saturday evening and check in was smooth. The timeshare sharks smelled bigger prey so we managed to sneak past them. Our room is a standard hotel room with a view of a bit of the golf course, some buildings, and an area that's under construction.
Our first night was quiet. We walked around the resort, went for a quick swim in the huge, meandering pool, and ate at Havana Moon. Although the food wasn't amazing, the atmosphere was. The restaurant is right on the beach with big open doors facing the sand and the small pier. As we ate, we watched a storm roll in. The lightning flashed back and forth, lighting up all the nearby clouds.
On Sunday, we went to the spa and then ate at Havana Moon again. After siesta, we went into Playa Del Carmen, walked, shopped, and had dinner.
Today, we slept in, relaxed by the pool, and went into Cancun for a romantic dinner cruise on the Nichupte Lagoon. So far, we're having a terrific time! Tomorrow we go to see the Mayan ruins at Tulum and the snorkeling park, Xel-ha.
