Prospero Ano Nuevo

Happy New Year to all!

I have just returned from a truly loco adventure through the state of Yucatan and Chiten Itza. I am heading to my room for a shower & out to bring in the New Year, probably on the beach.

I will post more tomorrow (if anything is open) or the next day. Plan on doing only a beach day tomorrow...
hasta la vista, S

Lost in SianKaan Jungle

Hola Amigos y Familia,

Thanks for writing..it's nice to know that someone is enjoying paradise w/me. Actually (not) got lost in the jungle today. See, our guide Laur gave us directions & sent us on our way :] So, of course, Matt, you know me, I went the wrong way accidently. But as always, I do seem to find my way eventually.
It was a very busy day, left before 8:00 & got back after 8:00. Now, I{m out for some water & then back to pack up & rest up for the next adventure to Chitzen Itza, leaving at 7:00 tomorrow. I didn´t even have time for coffee this morning. I tell ya, things can be rough in Paradise : ]

Anyway, I will send more photos when I return on the 1st, if anything is open. Otherwise, I will plan on spending an hour or so on the 2nd uploading pics & writing.

Matt, made it to work today, did you? Goodness, the weather there is frightful, but I am soaking up as much warm sun as I can, just wish I could bring it home to you all. Syd & Mika are settling in, Syd's apparenlty having a blast, Mika may still be pouting about not having her nice, warm bed to sleep on :P Hope the kitties are OK.

I hope these pics come over OK, it looks different than normal. Take care all, Steph oh, y Feliz Ano Nuevo!!!

Terra Cotta

Well, so I enjoyed a really WARM & nice day. Still, you can let me know if you´´re checking out my photos. I am wandering through the ped-strip heading towards ¨¨Terra Cotta¨¨, the place owned by the gal I met last night. I hope to catch up with her & give my ¨¨gracias¨¨.

I wandered into the Zocalo just now. It is very nice. Small, but right on the beach, lots of people playing soccer, v-ball, hanging out. I am also headed up to Walmart to get bread, suncreen, etc. Trying to be frugal, but, mmmm, the food is good. I had to get two more fruit drinks (Pura Vida) today, but now, I´´m in top shape, ready for snorkeling tomorrow.

Oh, don´´t be jealous...it{s not like I didn´´t invite everyone I know to come & join me...Always next year. The water & weather is slightly better than Maz, but the dramatic water isn´´t. it´´s quite calm here, which is why there´´s worthwhile snorkeling here. Everytime I come to Mexico , I know, I want to find a winter home here & probably Maz is best on the Pacific side.

My blue-striped towel is welcome everyowhere, so between that & the great fruit drinks, all I want is my two best friends.....and, and, and... Send me a note everyone. & Feliz Ano Nuevo!!

@ la playa

No, these two are not here, either!!

Here´´s some photos of my quaint (small) room. But it has a private patio and is located in a tiny inside corner away from the street noise. There is a balcony that has grand views of the ocean, I will check it out tonight.
This is the shower....}

Don´´t know how these two got on this post, but I hope they´´re having fun. Which reminds me I must email this blog to Kisa, who is taking care of them.

I´´m here! @ La Playa. Yesterday was a long day, delayed at SeaTac for two hours before we finally got in the air. On the bus ride to Playa I talked with a local gal & she gave me lots of inside tips. She arranged a pedicab to my hotel, which is way cute. She has a shop here on the Pedestrian Strip called Terra Cotta, I must go in & thank her again for her suggestions.

After a nice sleep, this morning I´´ve had my Starbucks (kitty corner to my place) & my Pura Vida (Actually called 100% Natural here, just around the corner from my place) fruit drink w/ fruit & yogert! The beach is about a block down the street....Ahhhh, such is Paradise : ]

Now, I´´m out exploring the pedestrian strip, will be heading down to the beach this afternoon, w/ my blue-striped towel }. The next three days, though I will be touring around. Leaving early tomorrow for the eco-park south of here. The next two days are inland to Merida & Chiten-Itza. Will post if I have time.

Sorry about the layout of these photos...just can´´t spend much time trying to get things lined up so the photos match the text...

Well, the sunshine is calling me, hasta luego! Steph

December 2008 Snow

Well, Seattle & the whole state have been hit pretty hard. We were spared until school let out, though it's been bitter, bitter cold! Go back to Alaska, I say. But here's a few pics of my critters out in the snow. Mika & Syd like to play, Jack, too will join us sometimes.

Just hoping I will be able to get to Seattle & the plane will be able to get out and safely to Cancun. I'll be spending a few days at Playa Del Carmen, seeing some Mayan sites, snorkeling & reading in the sunshine (I hope anyway) Check back after the first of January to see some pics and hear about my adventures.

More later, S

Tulum and Xel-Ha

Ok, No school today. Cold, snowy foggy white world out there. So, I'll post photos of Cancun & think warm. I think I'll do small posts of the different places I went.

This one will be the day I went to Tulum and Xel-Ha (Shell-ha). Tulum are the Maya Ruins along the Mexican Riviera Coast about 3 hours from Cancun. Xel-ha is a huge waterpark, similar to the DisneyWorld waterparks in Florida. Lots to see and do, a family could spend a day or two just playing around the whole place. I wish I knew how to line up my captions better with my photos.....







So here are the grounds of the Tulum ruins. We had a wonderful guide who really knew her Maya history.
Tulum was a religious center, not a village. It's located on a cliff above the beautiful Carribean Ocean. I didn't get to Chitzen Itza this time, so can't compare, but I really liked this visit to Tulum.

Directly below Tulum is a pretty little beach. I didn't get time to go down to it this time, but next year...






Xel-Ha...Wow!
Look at the map, all the things one can see and do. For one all-inclusive price (not sure how much, it was included in the tour cost) you can do it all...snorkeling (which is what I went to do), hiking, caving, biking, river-rafting...and lots more. Plus, you can eat to your heart's content. Two good buffets of all-you-can-eat, when you can spare the time from all the fun activities.

Friends and Family

That's what I re-learned this Ano Nuevo 2008, all important friends and family. Cancun is a great vacation destination, lots to do and see. Yes, I hope to return en el proximo ano to see and do more; as well as practice my Spanish. In Cancun, and other places in our world, most people are helpful and friendly, especially when you attempt to use the language. The most important words are 'thank-you' and 'hello'. 'Please' is also very useful.

However, the most important people in the world (el mundo) are family and friends. My New Year's Resolution is to be one of the kinds of friends that I am lucky enough to have... And this is for them :

To be able to travel the world;
To be blessed with a loving family;
To have friends that are there and truly care...
There is nothing better.

Thank you for my life (Grandpa), and Muchas Gracias mi Dio.

Now my friend and more, Mika, is waiting for dinner & sleep. God be with us all and in the words of a book I just finished " Eat, Pray & Love".

Otro Ano--Next Year

That's right, next year I come back to Cancun for New Year's. I still have lots to see and do here. Also, I want company next year, I'll be your personal tour guide and director of activities. I`ll even be your chauffer (sp) out and about to Valliodad and Chitzen Itza.

So, Lydia, Matt; Gail, Kevin, mi familia: get serious about coming next year. Gary we'll even invite you. Matt, Kevin start looking into some scuba diving lessons.

Today, of course, is sunny and hot with warm, tropical breezes. I'm off for one more jugo de natural before heading out to the airport and hoping that someone will be able to pick me up in Yakima tonight or tomorrow afternoon. I miss my animals...but for sure not looking to the snowy, icy weather or trabajando.

Kristi, thank you so very, very much for freeing Mika from her Doggy Resort cage. Any chance you can pick me up in Yakima?? Tonight at 2;30 AM or tomorrow at 2:30 PM?? Kevin, how about you? Want to be my taxi driver?? I'll call when I get to Seattle to see what arrangements can be made. Gail I forget your cell phone number, can you email it to me?

Oh, yea, have a good day back to school everyone : )

Hasta la vista, Steph

A Few More Photos

While this connection is working, I'll post a few more photos before heading out for cena, maybe pizza tonight...
This is a map of the Xel-Ha Water Park and a photo of the laggon.








For Kevin...white sand, blue sea, warm waters.











A Mayan Grasshopper in the jungle...HUGE!


These are some coral fossils that are easily seen on the ujungle floors. The entire Yucetan penisula used to be a huge coral reef just a few 65 million years ago...


This is my room number in Mayan. Can you tell which room I'm in?


This is the front of my hotel. My room is on the second level, right above the fountain.

What Am I Doing Here?

(Sorry I'm sideways... don't know how to change it from here). Do I look worried and scared? : )

That's what I kept asking Fernando and Julio, our tour guides today. I thought I was going for a snorkel tour in Puerto Morelos. As I'm in the city, I'm always the first one picked up and the last one dropped off, so I figured we'd be going through the Hotel Zone one more time picking up a van load, but No...straight out to and then past Puerto Morelos down the road a bit to a huge resort. here we looked at some crocs while waiting for two groups. THEN...up to Puerto Morelos to sit in a restaurant for a few minutes, while julio went to pick up some people for something, I don't know what. Then...out into the jungle and onto bikes! Yes, bikes!
We rode for awhile (not long, I only fell once on the way back) and out to a zip line up above the canopy....see the photo? That's above the trees. So here I am asking Fernando, " What am I doing up here!?" He smiles and let's go my zip line : 0

After I zipped through the jungle tree tops, we put on our swim suits and went down into Boca de Puma (Mouth of the Jaguar) : 0
A cenote (underground water cave) where Julio invited us to swim down and under to view some stalagties and such. "What am I doing here!?" I ask Julio. he smiles and tells me to jump in. : 0 So I did...BUT I just couldn't make myself swim under and into the other part of the cave. You understand completely, don't you, Gail?

OK, so we bike back, jump into the van drive down a road that is being constructed while we're on it : 0 and back to Puerto Morelos. Everyone else is invited to sit down to a nice fish lunch, but I am given snorkel gear (finally) and sent out with two different guides, Jaime and Joel. I am the only one on the boat with them, and they ask me "Que haces aki? Soloamente uno persona? Porque?" But no one else wanted to go out, they didn't either, but off we went into the choppy reef. They were so nice, even though the were frio. The water was warm, but the wind after getting out made you cool. It was the best snorkeling so far I've been here. Saw, eels, sea cucumber, barracudas, parrot fish and many other kinds of fish and coral. Even though, the water was not as clear as usual due to the windy weather the last few days. After we returned to shore and I gave the guys a good tip, I enjoyed the really fine fish lunch and Julio returned me to my home away from home. All in all a great day and really a great time here on the Mayan Riviera. I recommend it to all. i'm sure when i get back home I'll be asking myself, "What am I doing Here?" ; )

I head home tomorrow and will post a few more photos to share with you. Hasta luego!

Snorkeling

Mexican Riviera or Great Barrier Reef??

Well, I guess I´ve been spoiled with the Great Barrier Reef. I´ve spent the last couple of days doing a bit of snorkeling. It´s nice, but... it just doesn´t compare to the Reef. Yesterday, I went to the ruins of Tulum. i really liked that, a beautiful place they had there on the ocean. It was apparently a place of worship. The guide, Ruth, was really informative and interesting. The Mayan culture is her passion. If you look at this building sideways, you'll see a Mayan face carved into it.


After that I went to a place called Xel-Ha (Shell-ha). It's wonderful...just like a DisneyWorld Water Park in Florida, only it's located at a small lagoon along the coast. Swimming, snorkeling, cave diving, biking, canoeing...And all you can eat at several different buffets. A family could spend the whole day there and it'd feel like only minutes.

Today, I had planned to go snorkeling along a stretch of National Park Reef, but as the driver was picking up other people, we found out that the port was closed due to the windy weather ( I go tomorrow, hopefully, instead.) So I ended up on a 'booze cruise' out to Isla de Mujeres. Acutally, only one group (from Seattle) was drinking up all the tequila, the rest were families from Oregon, Spain and even Romania!! We snorkeled for a while, had a nice lunch on the playa, then I did some shopping. The island is known for the fine gemstone shopping and, of course, I found one, a beautiful light-colored rectagular opal.


Gail, I do agree with Kevin. You'd have a blast here. And I have lots of good tips for places to go and ways to save money. AND the all-important blue-striped towels that you can use. I even found two more places that have that towel...I'm having some technical issues here tonight, but I have lots more photos to share with you when I get back. Thanks for writing comments, glad to know someone out there is looking....

So, hasta la vista, babies...

The Blue-Striped Towel

Oh, yea, for the blue-striped towel. I went to the beach yesterday & found a swanky resort that had blue-striped towels! Well, that´s where I hung out all afternoon, until a downpour came. It didn´t last long, but did bring in a change of weather for today. It´s windy today and only in the upper sixties with clouds.

I changed my snorkel tour to tomorrow and am spending the day exploring the city some more, maybe do a bit of shopping and have lunch at the 100% Natural, a place similar to Pura Vida.

Please ask Kristi how Mika was doing at the Doggy Resort. And I hope Jack and Hermione are getting along with each other more or less. It sure looks cold there....

How are John and Diana´s travels going? I´ll post again in a day or so with photos from Tulum and Xel-ha. The internet is funky right now & keeps crashing on me.