9.24.2011

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.
cancun_bus_church
cancun_chitchen_itza
cancun_ceynote_dancers

And these are some leftover photos from around our resort and in Playa del Carmen.
cancun_isla_mu_northbeach_stacey
cancun_catarina
cancun_resort_golden_hour
cancun_playa_building
cancun_playa_sunset
cancun_coz_outdoor_cabinet
cancun_resort_from_dock
cancun_dock_shack
DSC_0714.JPG
cancun_resort_sunset
cancun_sunset_dock

9.14.2011

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.
cancun_isla_mu_cart_beach
cancun_isla_mu_cart_ladies
cancun_isla_mu_orange_house
cancun_isla_mu_blue_house
cancun_isla_mu_multicolor

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.
cancun_isla_mu_big_turtle
cancun_isla_mu_baby_turtles
cancun_isla_mu_seahorse
cancun_isla_mu_eggs
cancun_isla_mu_cliffs
cancun_isla_mu_cliff_house

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!
cancun_coz_tweety
cancun_coz_tweety_ladies
cancun_coz_stacey_food
cancun_coz_banos
cancun_coz_wall_writing
cancun_coz_walking_ladies

9.12.2011

The Real Cancun 2011

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

Here is our resort:
cancun_resort_from_ocean
cancun_resort_pool_bigger
cancun_resort_restaurant
cancun_resort_dinner_sandm

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.
cancun_ladies_in_water_peace
cancun_sandm_in_water

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

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.
cancun_storm_ocean
cancun_storm_coming
cancun_storm_building
cancun_storm_ladies

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

And that is just the beginning of our adventures!