Mexico Part 3

Sorry about all the food pictures but that's such a fun part of traveling.

This is a chocolate cup made out of chocolate and filled with chocolate and eaten with a white chocolate spoon!

I loved the white sand beach

This was the view from the balcony in front of our room. We could hear the entertainment every night.

We just had to go for another show after Mama Mia! This was a Hollywood/Las Vegas show. It was interesting. Definitely better than Mama Mia but still a little lacking! Ha Ha. There were some tight white pants on the men and a ripped crotch in this one. 

The drinks were so yummy. This was a Copacabana. I can't remember exactly what was in it. I know coconut cream....

This dancer from Cuba was super good.

Go Stacy! They invited a few dancers up on the stage and she joined in.

We hired Arnie to take us to Akumal, which is half way between Playa Del Carmen and Tulum. The snorkeling there is great. It was pretty busy so I was glad we went early. The beach is super nice. I'm dying to take the kids! It was Denises first time snorkeling and I think she liked it. We saw some colorful fish and 5 or 6 turtles.

Coconut and Mango Ice Cream to cool off 

I think this might be the first of many trips for Denise!

We stopped at a little place to eat while waiting for Arnie to pick us up. I was shocked that they were selling Dr. Pepper 10.

I love this! 

Here is the homemade quesadilla they made us! Yummy!

Mexico Part 2

We made reservations one night in the Japanese Restaurant. The food was amazing!

Dessert! Mine was tempura fried ice cream.

After dinner we decided to head over to a "Mama Mia" show that was recommended to us. It was held at one of the other Riu resorts nearby. We left early so we could get good seats. Let me just say, it was one of the WORST shows I've ever seen. They lip synced every song and their mouths were not even close to the music. I wondered if they even spoke English. It was seriously the funniest thing. They had these quick costume changes and came out looking a big frazzled. Sometimes their zippers didn't quite make it up either.  Oh man, it was entertaining.....just not quite the entertainment we were expecting!

We booked an all day excursion through Alma Tours. We were really happy with them. Our tour guide was Arnie (although somewhere along the way we thought his name was Arnis???) Anyway, our excursion was Tulum Ruins, Coba Ruins, Mexican Buffet Lunch, Cenote (cave with fresh water), and a visit to a Mayan family home.

Tulum

They put these cages around the areas where the turtles lay their eggs

It was fascinating to hear how smart the people were. They learned to use the sun to help with with growing crops. It was one of the last Mayan civilizations.  

It's located right on the waters edge! 

Arnie took us to see a Mayan family that his tour company has gotten to know. It was fascinating to see how they live. They had a kitchen hut, a cement shelter built by the government in case of hurricanes, animals caged or tied up to cook, a laundry area, etc. 

I can't remember the names of these little rat like creatures.

Because the tour company brings people buy sometimes, they have some homemade crafts they sell.

Look at this vintage sewing machine they use!

The mom was making tortillas in the kitchen hut. 

Notice the pet monkey

They will eat these rodent friends eventually!

There is Arnie. We really like him. He is from Mexico City and engaged to be married. He served a mission in Arkansas. Notice the laundry area. They wash their clothes in these tub made from a tree. The kids go to school part of the day and they where school uniforms.

We visited an authentic Mexican Buffet. The food was delicious.

The next site we visited was Coba. It was a Mayan city that was really spread out so we did the excursion on bikes.

These were very rusty bikes and the brakes did not work! Denise had a kick stand that kept coming down but she would magically flip it back up while riding.....it was pretty amazing!

If you look close, you can see the Mayan "basketball" game. There is a hoop that they put a rubber ball through.

A cenote is a natural sink hole that exposes underground water. They are all throughout this part of Mexico. They are a little creepy....this one reminded me of the Timpanogus cave a inside. The water is fresh and clear.

Ali was the only one who jumped.

Mexico Part 1

When Denise realized it was her year to turn 40, we thought we better plan a trip. It started out as a trip to New York City but after seeing pictures of someone else's trip to Mexico, Denise decided that Mexico was where she wanted to go. Denise used a travel agent, which made it really easy. So, for the first time in 15 years, I bought a ticket! We stayed at one of the Riu Hotels in Playa Del Carmen. There were five in the Riu Hotel Chain near us. We stayed at the Riu Palace Mexico. It was an all inclusive resort and the food was amazing!

Getting ready for the early morning flight.

Here is the group....Me, Denise, Ali and Stacy. Denise and Ali are my first cousins and Stacy is a friend of Denise. Her husband Russ also flies at Skywest Airlines with Powell.

First morning chatter with tomato juice.

The lobby

They came out to the beach with trays of drinks, which was super nice. 

The beach in front of the hotel was great!

Loving the Spanish names on the diet coke!

Ali said her 2 favorite things in life are diet coke and Jesus!

Look at this interesting cactus tree

This gentleman played every night next to one of the bars. He was amazing!

Every night there was a buffet or we could make reservations at one of five restaurants. The buffet had theme nights, like International, Gala, Mexican etc. I LOVED the animals they made out of food.

This is the dessert section. They also had ice cream and a chocolate bar every night.

The all inclusive aspect reminded me of a cruise. There were activities going on throughout the day and entertainment every night.

It was so nice to not have to worry about what the food and drinks cost.

Ali and I had the best 90 minute massages. They called us "lady" a few times during the massage and we were about busting up. Denise had a pedicure and Stacy had shellac nails put on.