Back on the plane, writting this up. Up at 6:30. Pretty uneventful. Got ready, ate breakfast and headed out. Overall it was one of the best, if not the very best, trips down here. The resort was great. Great food, great wait staff overall (a few exceptions), great snorkeling. Lately one of my biggest complaints has been that the snorkeling isn't that great... or almost non-existent. Which is madding, when you know there is a great reef 10 minutes out from the hotel! But this was great. Snorkeling included with just a $2 entrance fee to the reef.
One final word on the wait staff. They were so awesome, especially at the pool, the lobby bar, and the buffet. I guess leaving a one or two dollar tip is excellent. This morning we walked into the buffet area and one of the older guys who had been waiting on us yelled, "Good morning Sir!" and came running. Tina said when she walked out with food to sit down, three of them were fighting over which chair to pull out for her. The guy was great. It is so inexpensive to bless these guys and have them just so happy to wait on you. I heard they make $4 a day... so having both of us (the two couples) each leave one or two bucks almost doubles their wages! We left the guy $5 this morning, since it was our last day.
Well... guess that's it. Blogging on the way home on the plane. Starting to think about the Costa Rica trip, youth stuff, designing APIs in my head for Sheriff, etc. The real world starts creeping back in. I think I could really get used to living on the beach, having someone bring me cappacino every morning while I work on my laptop. :-) But it will be great to get back and see Jaimer again. I miss her.
Every year that we go I always say, "I want to bring Jaime down here next time.", but this time we are really going to try it. Even if we can just get down for four days. She would love it so much... and we don't have all that much time left with her. She could be out of the house in a couple of years! The time goes so fast.
Wed afternoon
Started out to be another very lazy day. Sitting by the pool it was very hot, but then I decided to get into the pool. That cooled me off and energized me some. So I went down to the snorkel hut and they were going out @ 11:30. I'm so glad I went, it was AWESOME!
The dive guide was great. He found all kinds of stuff for us to look at and touch:
- Ray - I'm not sure what kind it was, it was small, maybe about 10 inches across or so. It was on the bottom, he spotted it and went down and picked it up. He said don't touch the top, just the underside and it won't sting you. He dropped it in my hands and I could feel it!
- Eel - He pointed to some rocks/choral. There are cracks, holes, contours everywhere. So I looked in the crack and it was black and white spotted. I thought... "What is he pointing at? The black and white rock?" Then he touched it with his snorkel and it moved! It was about 3 inches in diameter! He then touched the back of it enough that it stuck its head out. Sharp teeth, little eyes. Then he touched it some more and it came swiming out and down to the bottom.
- Puffer fish
- Crab
- Small lobster
- Baracuda - I almost always seem them. But this time they were in a pack of 4! I'm pretty sure it was baracuda. No one else saw them, but they were near the surface (which is where they are usually swimming) and it looked like them.
- I also saw a fish that was about 4 feet long, but I'm not sure what it was.
It started drizzeling on the way back in, then raining as I got to the cabana. Everyone was gone, so I headed over to the buffet. I joined them for lunch. After that we just hung out for a bit and then went back to the room to sleep until time for dinner.
Had dinner at the Reef Grill. I had 2 lobsters (4 halves) and a small filet. Yum! :-)
Cancun - Wed
We leave tomorrow. It has been a very good time. Maybe one of the best in many ways. Terri was right, the food is maybe the best I've ever had down here... and for me, that is a big deal. All inclusive food... what would be the point if it wasn't really good? It is so relaxing here.
I was up a little earlier today that lately... most likely because I slept so much yetserday. It was one of those very lazy days. I had breakfast 3 times yesterday! Once by myself, once with Tina and once with Tina and Terri. So, pretty much laying around or eating all morning. Then I went and checked email. I've decided to post the blogs when I get home. I was able to compose off-line, but it still took 15 minutes last time just to get the file uploaded and then formatted. It is pretty hard to find my way around on a computer where everything is in Spanish. Because my blog is templated to insert breaks for every line break, I have to format it like I want it. I won't do that again! Much easier to just insert the break or paragraph tag where needed. Anyway, I digress... So, I did that, then ate lunch, then laid around most the day, going in the pool a few times. Free snorkeling here, twice a day, but except for the first time I went, I haven't made it. Too busy being lazy. :-) Maybe today!
Today was very quite. Sitting here, writting this, by the ocean. Maybe one or two tables. But it is 8:00 now and people are starting to wander down, so the volume is picking up. The ocean isn't quite glass like today, but it is very calm. What a difference a day makes.
Ok... now to catch everyone up!
Grapes
The grapes here are the size of the big type of marbles. Largest I've ever seen. Always reminds me of Joshua and Caleb coming pack from scouting out the land.
Perhaps I do look a little tough
Walking down the street of Playa de Carmen. I'm about 10 feet behind Terri and Tina, so perhaps not obviously with them. Vendor comes out of a shop, says to them as they pass something about buying some of his wares. Turns, sees me coming, and says, "Hey, Mr. Long-hair guy. Do you waant to seee my sissster?" I speed up and put my arm around Tina and just keep walking.
There are reasons why people go to all adult resorts
We are all in the pool, just cooling off. I look up to see a little girl, perhaps 3 or so, walking around in front of her pool chair without any bottoms on. I mention to Tina something about the kid not carrying that people are around (or whatever). At that point she bends over the chair, her butt out towards the pool, and yells "Mommmy". It is obvious how why she is naked. She wants mom to come wipe the mess off her butt. Tina says something like, "Well I could have gone all day without seeing THAT!"
But most the time it isn't too bad
Most the time it is just little kids quitely playing with their folks. Getting kisses, learning to swim for the first time, etc. Very cute. Puts me right into grand-parent mode. :-)
Cancun Barbie
Barbie lying on a pool chair, no top on. Must be topless barbie. :-)
Extreme Sports Barbie
Two little girls and their mom, standing next to the fountain that shoots up about 15 feet in the middle of the pool. Girl throws barbie into it and she shoots into the air. They all laugh, grab barbie and send her on another ride.
And number two from the "I could have gone all day w/o seeing THAT"
Tina, Terri and I are at the pool bar. I look over to the edge of the pool to see a rather femminine, middle aged guy in speedos standing on the edge of the pool, rubbing sun-screen into his hairy chest - and slightly mimicing an Herbal Essences commerical. He looks down at me, grins and keeps on rubbing. I put my arm around Tina and pull her a little closer.
Breakfast blogging in Cancun
Sitting a few feet from the beach,
the ocean lapping at the shore,
the early morning clouds drifting by,
and the plam fronds lightly rustling in the breeze.
A bite of crossiant,
a piece of fruit,
and a swallow of cappacino as I gaze at the sea.
The early morning snatches of conversation in French, German, Spanish, English and American.
The world sits and relaxes by the sea.
Yes, I am truely blessed to be here!
Americans
Yesterday morning I was Breakfast Blogging in Cancun. Very peaceful. People of all nations, sitting around quitely, conversing with loved ones. I head back to the hotel, round a corner, and here comes a guy, only wearing speedos, walkikng fast, talking loud, his wife a few paces behind him. Americans, we have our good points and our bad...
David Bloom
CNN banner - "Embedded journalist David Bloom dies from natural causes." Wow... first person in the war I "knew". Didn't actually know him, but followed his reports and enjoyed them. Thanks David, my prayers go out to your family and friends.
Couzemel
Went to Couzemel on Monday. Playa and Couzemel were both crazy. Especailly after being here for almost a week. People and vendors everywhere, all trying to sell you something. Someone sold us a snorkeling package before we got on the ferry. Told us how good a deal it was. After getting on the ferry and having a Canadian try and sell a similar sounding package for the same price, I started to worry a bit. Especailly since we wanted to go right away, and the woman who sold it to us, AFTER we gave her the money, said it wouldn't leave until 2:00. (We wanted to go around noon). She then told us she would have a smaller, but "just as good" boat take us out when we got there. Hmm... we get there, and the boat is pretty small, with a small glass bottom... but it turns out GREAT. There are just the four of us, and so snorkeling and looking around is very personal. It was a great time. The reefs we went to were close to shore and still not as good as the reef that I've seen on my own in Puerto Aventorous... but the snorkeling was great. Had the inflatable kind of life vest, so I could go way down. Water and visbility was great, and there were tons of fish. So it was very fun. We got caught up with a group of about 20 once, which is just crazy. People all bumping into each other. We quickly got past them and were on our own again.
Enough for now
Well... I've been sitting here, sipping cappacino, nibbiling on fruit, and typing. It is 8:30.. probably too early for Tina to be up yet, but I've probably blogged enough for now. Ah, Tif did mention in e-mail yesterday that she really likes to follow my blog. "A great way to keep up with what is going on in your life." :-) Yeah, that is kind of the point. An open letter to family and those who may care. Plus I kind of always liked story-telling, in a first person, informal kind of way. Nick O'Doherty (who I played Diplomacy with YEARS ago at DEC - and worked in England) once told me I should write stories. I used to tell him what Montana was like, in between diplomatic e- mails. I lost track of him after he lost DEC. A really nice guy.
Well... as I said, enough blogging for now. I think I'll go work on some other stuff, until time to go check on my sleepy wife.
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