felt like home

Our afternoon of shopping in Playa del Carmen was not my favorite day of the trip but it was still lots of fun.  I have to be honest...it felt like any other trip to Tijuana, just a heck of a lot hotter and with no begging children selling Chicle (how do you spell that?)

There were plenty of the standard souvenir shops - you know the ones that sell the garbage that they think the tourists want.  I would much rather by something handmade from the locals but the kids thought this was perfect.  They all had their own money that they had earned before the trip and the freedom to buy whatever cheap little trinket they wanted.
It was so blasting hot & humid that whenever I would take my camera out the lens would fog so you'll notice lots of blur on my pictures.
The highlight of the day was this adorable little monkey - the furry one, not Luke.  We all fell in love with him (except Derek)  Derek got to listen to us for the next 20 minutes try to figure out how we could have a monkey as a pet - I don't think he was amused :)
The little guy is either giving Nate some kisses or looking for lunch.


This picture reminds me of pictures I have of myself from trips I took to Tijuana when I was little.  I love Luke looking at the cart full of flags.

i wish i was laying my little head here tonight

mexico, i miss you

Oh, how I'm longing to be back on the Mexican beaches that I love.  

Yes, it's been months since this trip but I desperately wish I was there right now and I have nothing else to do tonight but blog so your choices are...enjoy the pictures or go read a different blog.

One of the days of our trip we planned for a day on the island of Cozumel.  Derek and I have been there a few times but Derek has never really seen the island because he has always been diving.  I felt like a local tour guide since I knew my way around.

We started at Playa del Carmen where we enjoyed sunny skies as we got ready to board the ferry that would take us over to the island.  I love that the water in the next few pictures is all different colors - it's not different lighting, the water really does change to all those colors depending on how far out to sea you are.  The water is one of my favorite things about this part of Mexico.

No sooner had we docked in Cozumel it started to rain - a lot!  I mean a lot, a lot!  Some of us took cover in the rental car store while others (the boys of course) paraded around the streets enjoying every minute of the down pour.  I'm sure it will be a great memory.


There was lots of splashing in puddles.
Our main reason for going to Cozumel was to visit this orphanage.  We got to spend some time with the kids that live here (12 total) and the women that care for them (4-5 women)  The kids were adorable and loved the lollipops that we gave them.  We also took bathing suits, underwear and other clothes to them but I think the candy was the big hit.  I'm glad we had this experience with our kids.

After the orphanage we hopped back into our rental car - this time with top down because the sun finally made an appearance.  I love this car!  If safety laws were not an issue and I wouldn't be pulled over for squeezing my family of 6 in this car I would so drive one of these.  With Mexico's anything goes attitude our family fit in just fine (luckily my "safety mom" of a mother wasn't there - she would have freaked)
We found a great little restaurant right on the beach where we enjoyed some nachos and guacamole.  I seriously think this could be heaven - sand, warm beautiful water AND guacamole - does anyone really need anything else?
Right below our table there were a bunch of hammocks where the kids ended up for a bit of a rest
After our meal we headed down to the beach to do some snorkeling and hunt for shells.  So I have been on this beach 3 times and we always find the most amazing shells.  I'm not talking little broken shells that you find at our California beaches - we're talking big mama conch type shells.  The kids dug it!
Every beach we were at Luke always made time for some sand castle building - he loved it and would spend hours building.
It was a fun day on the island - it rated right up there with the day we visited the Coba and Tulum ruins.  I loved every minute of family time we had on this little island - I'd go back in an instant.

I've gotta end with this shot...
I want this blown up for my house.  Not sure what it is about this photo but it's one of my favorites from the trip.

trip report - cenote

My kids will be leaving for college by the time I get our Mexico trip all posted.

After sweating all day at Coba and Tulum we decided to do some swimming at a local cenote.  It was refreshing to say the least - the water was chilly!  It was also a beautiful area.  I mean really beautiful.

When we all finally got brave enough to get in the cold water we swam out to the rocks in the center of the cenote.  This picture is bad but it will give you an idea of the set up.  Cenotes are water systems that run underground.  The rocks we are sitting on in the picture below are actually the collapsed roof of the cave.  This whole water area was underground until the roof collapsed.  There are tunnels and caverns off of this cenote that is why there are a couple of scuba divers in the water.  They were practicing their cave diving.
The kids happy to be out of the sweltering heat of the ruins
Not sure what it is about this picture of Luke but I love it.  How cool is the water?


Remember one of my first trip posts about cliff jumping?  This is the same area where we jumped. Derek was the lucky water chauffeur that got to drag a kid filled life preserver from the entry point of the jump to the stairs out of the cenote.  This reminds me of a camping trip we took and Derek spent a ton of time getting kids fishing poles untangled.  The dads always get the hard, dirty work while the mom giggles behind the camera documenting all the "fun"
Finishing off our cenote swim with big smiles on everyones faces.  This was a great conclusion to an already great day.  
Note to Derek...remove wallet from swim trunks BEFORE diving into a cenote.  When we got into the taxi after our swim Derek passed out wet, soggy bills to all of us so that we could hold them up to the sunny windows to get dry while he spread out the rest on the dashboard.

trip report - tulum

After spending a few hours in Coba we hooked up with with our taxi driver for the day - Victor. He ended up being our driver for most of the trip giving us his cell number so that we could call whenever we needed him.  It proved to be very convenient in that we didn't have to wait for taxis since Victor was always waiting for us.

We sped off from Coba and headed to Tulum stopping for lunch on the way and inviting Victor to join us.

After lunch we did a quick reapply of suntan lotion.  Maybe I should rephrase that - the kids and I did a quick reapply and then waited for Derek to apply his sunscreen.  I'm not sure if it takes so long cause he's whiter then the rest of us or because he's whiter and taller - I guess it takes a while to get those long legs covered.  We love him anyway :)
To get to Tulum you can take a shuttle (I'm sure it's over priced) or do what we did and just take a walk.  It seems like a bit of a walk because of the heat but still doable.  Besides we were able to stop and see some cool things that we wouldn't have seen from the shuttle.  Can you see what Luke is running towards?
It was this little guy.  They were everywhere and they creeped me out a bit.  I kept thinking about the movie Holes and the scene with all the creepy crawlies climbing on the two kids in the hole.
As beautiful as the beaches and water are in this part of Mexico I think the jungles are equally as beautiful.  This part of the walk was amazing - I loved traipsing through the foliage - it brought out my inner Indiana Jones.
After you walk through a bit of jungle you get to the wall of the city.  
Tulum is a must see site - it is beautiful.  we like to refer to it as the Newport Beach of the Mayans.  Can't you see yourself living in the structure behind us?  Just tell me when I can move in.

I loved being at all these archaeological sites with my kids and seeing their interest. I thoroughly enjoyed the fact that Nate couldn't stop talking about being an archaeologist one day.

My one disappointment with Tulum is that it has changed a bit since Derek and I were there last.  All of the structures are roped off now where they weren't before.  I understand the reasoning - so many people visiting these sites can quickly deteriorate them but it is such a cool experience to walk on and feel the structures.  
Look at that water!  The pictures don't even do it justice.  I know I have already said it in previous posts but this area of Mexico (Yucatan) is on of my favorite places - it is beautiful!

At this point in the day we have now spent literally hours climbing pyramids and exploring in the heat of the sun at Coba and Tulum. Luke's face sums it up best - he was done!  Our kids never complained and they went along with everything we did this day so this picture cracks me up because it shows his true feelings.  We were all feeling a bit like this - we were ready to be out of the sun!

trip report - coba

Better late then never...an update on our summer trip.

We spent one of our days exploring the history of the area.  We started the day with a trip to the archaeological ruins at Coba

Coba is where we took the picture I posted about.
The Mayans must have been some tiny folks because although the kids could walk uprightly through must of the tunnels and walkways

Derek and I could not.  Derek especially would have been a giant amongst these people.  

Let me throw in a disclaimer here...it was beasty hot and humid where we were.  Yes we are dripping sweat in all these pictures making us shiny and repulsive to look at it.  I apologize for subjecting you to such horror and disgust.  However these posts will soon be part of our family blog journal and so the hideous pictures must stay for posterity - avert your eyes if you must. This one of Derek and I is especially bad because not only are we a sweaty mess but we look possessed of the devil.
After climbing a few smaller ruins we headed off for a walk in the jungle.  At this point we sang praises because of the shade (although we still sweated like pigs - nice visual, huh?)  The walk was beautiful.  It was neat to see un-excavated areas amongst the trees.  A majority of Coba has yet to be unearthed.  We would see big hills and mounds all around us that were evidence of more ruins since the area is naturally all flat.
We also saw lots of cool little wonders - this spider being a highlight.  His yellow color was amazing. 
After the walk we arrived at more ruins.  This skull was in the ground in the middle of a Mayan ball field used to play an ancient game.  Stories differ but from what we've heard either the winner or the loser of the game would get a part of his body pierced with a sword or knife (yes, that part of the body) and then be put to death.  eeekkkk!

Note:  I decided to see if I could find anything about this ancient game.  If you are interested you can read more here.
We finally arrived at our destination - Nohoch Mul.  Derek and I have climbed this pyramid before but we were anxious for the kids to have the experience.  This is us before we headed up to the top.
I love the texture of this sign that is on the top of the pyramid off to the side of the temple entrance. Not sure what it says - probably something about plummeting to your death.
At the top - after a steep, hot climb up crumbly stairs that are not remotely safe.  See the little dot off to the side of Emily's shoulder?  That's another pyramid off in the distance.
The whole family -proof that I sucked up my fears long enough to get to the top.  Unfortunately going up isn't the worst part.  On the way up I just didn't look anywhere but up - coming down is a whole different story.
This is us towards the end of our descent.  The pained look on my face is fear that at any moment one of us is going to slip and fall and sacrifice ourselves to the mayan gods.  While my whole family walked down the pyramid I slid down it on my bottom.  The only time I stood coming down was to take pictures.  Looks like I'm not alone though.  See the guy behind me? He came down behind me and spent a good deal of time on his bum as well.  So there, now I feel better about myself.
After the climb our sorry selves were not up to the long jungle walk so for $6 we hitched a ride down the long jungle path.
Our mode of transportation?  These sweet little bikes powered by some tougher than me folks. Biking tourist back and forth in the heat and humidity doesn't seem much fun but we are grateful that there were nice men there willing to do it.  It made for a much more enjoyable trip back to our cab.
For anyone thinking about going to this area of Mexico add Coba to your list of must sees.  It's one of my favorite places even though I must risk death to fully appreciate it.