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.