Leftovers and Chichen Itza

We took a day trip tour to Chichen Itza on our second full day in Mexico. The tour bus drove through some touristy Mayan town and told us to take photos through the bus window, so I took one of this church. Chichen Itza was a let down for me, mostly because I got some screen screen sweat in my eye at the very beginning of the tour and I could barely keep my eyes open. So I didn't take many photos here, but at least I saw it. Sort of. On the way back the bus stopped at a ceynote where they were playing music and doing a ceremonial dance and we got to swim in the cool sinkhole water and that was fun.




And these are some leftover photos from around our resort and in Playa del Carmen.

Island days

My favorite parts of this vacation were our day trips to Isla Mujeres and Cozumel. We rented a golf cart on Isla Mujeres and rode around the entire island, which was an absolute blast, despite Mei Li's questionable parking skills and being chased by giant dogs.






We made pit stops at the turtle farm where we saw baby turtles and other cool sea life, the cliffs with some old Mayan ruins we could see off in the distance but declined to pay the 30 pesos to see up close and where we met an older couple from Vancouver BC who we tried unsuccessfully to engage in a golf cart race, and a roadside outdoor restaurant where we picked up tacos and drinks to take with us to the beach. We got pulled over by the island police for taking the speed bumps too fast, but they were super nice and just told us to slow down.







We spent most of our day on Cozumel on a snorkeling tour. It was my first time snorkeling and I loved it! We saw so many cool fish and sea plants right in front of our faces, close enough to touch. After snorkeling we asked a local guy where we could find cheap, authentic Mexican food and he directed us to the Tweety restaurant a few blocks away. They brought us delicious little appetizer plates before our meal and the food was awesome. Thanks, local guy!

The Real Cancun 2011

What a great vacation! We found the perfect mix of relaxation and fun activities in Cancun.

Here is our resort:





The ocean outside our resort was beautiful and so shallow we called it "the bathtub". We spent a lot of time hanging out like this.



We saw this party boat leaving the dock almost every night.


Turns out hurricane season is the time to go to Cancun! The weather was awesome and the resorts weren't crowded at all, but we did have one stormy day. The morning started out gorgeous so we headed to another beach and were relaxing there when some ominous clouds rolled in and filled the sky.





So we booked it to the swim-up bar and had drinks while the rain poured down.



And that is just the beginning of our adventures!

The Palm Room

The other day I visited one of my favorite shops in Ballard: The Palm Room. It has the coolest plants and containers and terrariums and I love stepping into its light and green filled space.



I brought home this pretty pot for my farmers market plants.



And I picked up this cactus and pot from The Palm room on a previous visit. I'm hoping to slowly fill my apartment with plants.