Beach Days, Caves, and Island Adventures

Friday 11/9

Friday was mostly a beach day. We spent a lot of time walking along the shore, but it was actually too cold to get into the water. The forecast said there was a 0 percent chance of rain, but it ended up being cloudy with light rain most of the day. We still made the best of it.

Later we headed to Carlos and Charlie’s, where Shane somehow ended up with the dessert menu stamped on his arm. Seeing it definitely made me hungry for the rest of the day.

Erin and I also took some silly pictures at Coco Bongo.

We actually took a lot more photos that day, but most of them are on Erin’s other camera. Unfortunately we cannot connect it to my computer because she forgot the adapter and my SIM card slot is different. I will post those pictures later once she gets home.

Saturday 11/10

Saturday we visited Rio Secreto, and it was an incredible experience.

Everyone loaded into a van and we drove about 15 minutes down a bumpy dirt road through the jungle until we reached the entrance to the caves. Once we arrived, we were given wet suits and water shoes and started walking down a jungle path.

Before entering the cave, we stopped while a Mayan guide performed a blessing for us and our journey underground.

Walking into the cave was amazing. I had never been inside a living cave before, and many of the stalactites were still dripping with rainwater. The whole place felt surreal.

At first I was a little disappointed because we were mostly walking through shallow water. I had thought the entire experience involved floating. Eventually we reached the deeper sections where we were able to float through the cave, and it was absolutely worth the walk to get there.

We slowly drifted through the water while taking in the incredible cave formations around us.

Unfortunately we were not allowed to bring our own cameras inside, so all the photos were taken by their photographer.

The water was cold but really refreshing. At one point everyone turned off their lights and we sat quietly in the cave in complete darkness. It was a really cool moment.

I loved the whole experience and would absolutely do it again.

Later that evening we took the bus into town, grabbed some food and drinks, and enjoyed a little nightlife.

Sunday 11/11

Sunday morning we headed out early to Isla Mujeres. We were a little hungover from the night before, but still excited for the day.

First we boarded a boat for about a 45 minute ride to the island.

Once we arrived, we rented a golf cart and spent the day driving around and exploring different parts of the island. It was such a fun way to see everything.

We also visited a small aquarium where we saw turtles and other sea life.

I love turtles.

After exploring for the day, we took the boat back to Cancun.

I have a ton of photos from the last three days, but this is all I have had time to sort through for now. Maybe I will put together a slideshow later.

 

Midweek Adventures in Cancun

Wednesday

Wednesday turned out to be a really fun day.

We started the morning by doing laundry at a local laundromat, which might be my new favorite discovery. We simply dropped everything off and came back a few hours later to find it all clean and perfectly folded. I honestly cannot believe I have not done this before.

Most of the day was spent running errands, but we saved the fun for the evening.

Almost every night here the sun has completely worn us out and we end up going to bed early. So this time we made a point to stay out of the sun during the day so we could enjoy the night.

We cooked a delicious fish dinner at the condo and then headed down to the pool area for a drink. Two guys were playing some really fun music on a xylophone, which made for a great atmosphere.

After that we headed out to the downtown hotel zone to check out Coco Bongo. It is basically a nightclub mixed with a live performance show. There were dancers performing to all kinds of hit songs from different artists and movies, everything from the Beatles to Beetlejuice.

The performers kept the crowd really involved, and the open bar definitely helped keep the party going. It was a really fun night.

Thursday

Thursday was much more low key.

We were definitely feeling a little hungover from Coco Bongo, so we spent most of the day relaxing on the beach.

Unfortunately I did not take many pictures that day. The only photo I managed to capture was the sunset.

Later that night at 8:35 PM, Erin landed at the Cancun airport, so we headed out to pick her up.

This next week should be pretty eventful now that she is here. The three of us already have a few fun activities planned.

I will try to post updates when I have some free time, though it might be a day or two.

Coastal Exploring: Playa del Carmen and Puerto Morelos

Monday 11/5

We woke up early to watch the sunrise and plan out our day. For the first time since arriving, we had American coffee instead of Mexican coffee. We had to search a bit to find Folgers, and wow, it definitely tastes different.

After getting ready, we decided to take a drive south and headed to Playa del Carmen. We spent a little time relaxing on the beach before walking over to 5th Avenue (Quinta Avenida) to explore the shops. The streets are lined with vendors, restaurants, and all kinds of touristy stores.

Eventually we realized we were getting hungry. Playa del Carmen felt a little expensive, so we decided to head north to Puerto Morelos instead.

Lunch in Puerto Morelos

While walking around, we stumbled across a cute little beachfront restaurant called La Panza Es Primero. It ended up being one of the best meals we have had so far.

Our meal was about $24 total, including drinks. It came with:

• 2 pieces of chicken
• 2 pieces of steak
• Chorizo
• Beans and onions

Everything arrived in a sizzling hot bowl and it was way more food than we could finish in one sitting. The price and the quality were both fantastic.

The restaurant also had really cool old Mexican wrestling banners displayed all around the walls, which made the place even more fun. Of course I had to take a picture.

After lunch we spent a little time at the beach in Puerto Morelos before heading back to Cancun in time for sunset. It ended up being one of those perfect days where we saw both the sunrise and sunset.

Evening at La Isla

Later that evening we headed over to La Isla Shopping Village. The shopping center is really unique because there are canals running throughout the area. It also has lots of high end shops, an aquarium, a movie theater, and plenty of restaurants.

We grabbed dinner at a taco grill and had some of the best chicken and shrimp tacos. It was the perfect way to end a long day of exploring.

Beach Day in Cancun

11/06/12

After exploring a few nearby towns, one thing became very clear. From what we have seen so far, Cancun has the most beautiful beaches compared to Puerto Morelos and Playa del Carmen.

We spent the entire day relaxing on the beach and swimming in the water while collecting shells. I will share pictures of our shell collection soon.

We ended the day with something cold and refreshing while watching the waves.

Another perfect day in paradise.

Lazy Beach Days in Cancun

The last two days have been pretty relaxed.

Yesterday we spent most of the day hanging out at the beach and playing in the waves. The surf was actually pretty big and there were even a few surfers out there. We spent a lot of time just jumping around in the waves and having a blast.

Today was a classic Sunday Funday. We headed over to Margaritaville to watch the Packers game since that is Shane's favorite team. Luckily they won!

Margaritaville is definitely a little pricey, but they make a really good margarita so it felt worth it.

After the game we came back to the beach right outside our condo and went swimming again. We brought our new goggles and spent some time looking for shells in the water.

Tomorrow we are planning to take a drive south along the coast to explore and check out a few different beaches.

More updates soon.

View from Our Soon-to-Be Vacation Home!

I can’t wait to walk out our front door and onto the beach! Last night I finally spoke with the owners of the studio condo we will be staying at and got some more details.

The costs break down like this:

• $500 for the month

• $35 one-time cleaning fee

• $35 in taxes
  Total: $570

We will have the option to do our own laundry or have Bonnie, the property manager, handle it for $20. Bonnie is also available for any questions or issues that come up during our stay.

We are planning to rent a car, but public transportation is plentiful. There is a bus right outside the complex that goes downtown or toward the hotel zone.

For groceries, we will probably shop at Walmart and local markets and cook in as much as possible, though there are also plenty of good restaurants nearby. The condo comes with a 5-gallon water dispenser, which is very convenient.

Safety is not a concern. The property is gated and has security guards on duty, which is especially reassuring for my mom.

We are officially sold. I emailed the owners to request the rental agreement so we can sign and make our $200 down payment. Excitement is through the roof.

Cozy Studio Condo Booked in Cancun!

You heard me right… we just booked a cozy studio condo for an entire month! 

I’m seriously so excited that this trip is finally starting to come together. The owner I had previously called ended up returning my message yesterday. She mentioned they’re currently on vacation in Canada and that international calls from her cell are pretty expensive, but she still wanted to reach out before we booked somewhere else- which I really appreciated.

We exchanged emails, and she plans to call again tomorrow so we can go over the final details.

The condo is $500 for the month and located right in the Cancún Hotel Zone in Cancún. The beach is literally seconds from the door, which is exactly what we were hoping to find. It sounds like the perfect spot for our stay.

I did send a quick email with a few follow-up questions. Mainly whether electricity and water are included in the monthly price, but overall everything sounds great. It feels amazing to finally have the ball rolling on this trip.

While doing some planning this morning, I also came across a really helpful travel site called TravelYucatan. It’s packed with tourist information, activity ideas, and trip-planning tools for the region. I have a feeling I’ll be using it quite a bit as we keep planning things to do while we’re there.

Things are starting to get real now!