On Saturday, we visited Xcaret, one of several "Eco-adventure parks" here on the Mexican Riviera.It was a hard choice deciding which of them to visit. They're all expensive, about $100 pp, so we wanted to do only one. Besides they're an all day thing and we knew we didn't want to spend more than one whole day amidst the large crowds they were all sure to include.
Xcaret was...ok. That's about it. Different than the typical Disneyland in that there were really no "rides" per se - only 3 lazy rivers that were waaaaaaay cool. We took some nice photos of them - our fav went through a Maya village complete w/ warriors in paint, canoes in the water, etc. The camera we used was a disposable (long story but we didn't have an underwater camera for most of this trip) and it uses FILM. Remember that stuff? I didn't even know it was still available. So we now have a camera with film that needs to be developed when we get home. It will probably be added to my collection of disposable cameras that sit for years until we don't even know what was on them anymore...
There were tons of iguanas wandering around, so T was happy, and there was a rope bridge that was kinda cool to navigate. The place was HUGE though, so a lot of walking between. I'm sure it was twice the size of Disneyland. And twice as hot. Three times as humid.
Anyway, Xcaret included a cultural show that might have been worth the cost of admission if it wasn't so miserably HOT. We were sweating from start to finish. They were selling fans, along w/ gigantic bottles of beer in bags of ice.
The show included a re-enactment of the Maya Ball Game. You can see the size of the rubber ball in his hand below. The object is for each team to score goals by getting the ball through the rings seen in the middle of the photo on left (one on each side, high in the center of the court). They cannot use their hands and almost always used their hips!
Leaving Xcaret was an experience in itself. Driving on the road w/ NO lights. Dirt roads. Uphill. With a STICK SHIFT. Going the wrong way w/ no U turns then ending up in a long line for a policia checkpoint.
Yep, life is an adventure.
Early Sunday, we left Akumal and the Hacienda de la Tortuga, saying goodbye to the beautiful bird that hung out in the palm tree outside our room (below) and Roberto, the ex-Mexicana Airlines flight attendant who manages the property. What a great guy. So knowledgeable about the turtles and the whole area. Gave us great advice about everything we asked about. Like having your own private concierge (we never saw any other guests at the hotel - but there are only a few rooms).
We also said goodbye to the Coatimundi (right),
the funky animal introduced to Mexico & Central America by the Maya, who has the head of a fox, tail of a raccoon, and body of a cat.
The locals don't really care for the creatures because they're trash-diggers and can make a mess of things - like a raccoon. But they're kinda cute... They're not afraid of people, as you can see how close Erikka and Trevor are to them.
We drove to Playa del Carmen to catch an 8am ferry to Cozumel. It took about 40 minutes to get there, an uneventful trip (as it should be! In my job, uneventful trips are good).
At Cozumel, we caught a cab and drove about 15 minutes to Caleta Marina where we met our crew.
We got a short refresher scuba course on the boat on the way to Palancar Reef, one of the best places to dive in the world.
We stopped to pick up another couple from a small pier next to their hotel on Cozumel then the 5 divers, two dive masters and crew of two were off. It was a slow boat, about 45 min to the reef.
Our dive master stayed with the three of us the entire time, primarily with Trevor. He had his camera and offered to shoot photos. $40US for the cd of about 50 pictures. Actually much better than many photographers charge.
After our first dive, he said if we'd seen a sea turtle, we'd have accomplished a "Grand Slam" in diving...seeing four biggies. But we did see a huge shark,
moray eel, plenty of lobster and tons of huge fish I don't know the
names of (sorry). They were everywhere. The reef was so colorful!
We stopped for lunch on a beautiful beach, then out for another dive, this time to a more sandy, not as colorful location, called, "Santa Rosa." Tons of fish though.
Note: Both in the GBR in Australia and in Koh Tao, Thailand, we were told, "Never touch" when diving. Leave the ocean as you find it to preserve its beauty as well as the ecosystem. Its a good rule.
On this dive however, the guide picked up a lobster and the giant conch shell and handed them to us to hold. Actually, in Australia, they gave us a sea cucumber to hold too.
Generally though - we do not touch anything.
That's why we often swim with our hands clasped together, or arms folded, like you see Erikka doing below.
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And the best part: the view from our balcony.
Xcaret was...ok. That's about it. Different than the typical Disneyland in that there were really no "rides" per se - only 3 lazy rivers that were waaaaaaay cool. We took some nice photos of them - our fav went through a Maya village complete w/ warriors in paint, canoes in the water, etc. The camera we used was a disposable (long story but we didn't have an underwater camera for most of this trip) and it uses FILM. Remember that stuff? I didn't even know it was still available. So we now have a camera with film that needs to be developed when we get home. It will probably be added to my collection of disposable cameras that sit for years until we don't even know what was on them anymore...
There were tons of iguanas wandering around, so T was happy, and there was a rope bridge that was kinda cool to navigate. The place was HUGE though, so a lot of walking between. I'm sure it was twice the size of Disneyland. And twice as hot. Three times as humid.
Anyway, Xcaret included a cultural show that might have been worth the cost of admission if it wasn't so miserably HOT. We were sweating from start to finish. They were selling fans, along w/ gigantic bottles of beer in bags of ice.
The show included a re-enactment of the Maya Ball Game. You can see the size of the rubber ball in his hand below. The object is for each team to score goals by getting the ball through the rings seen in the middle of the photo on left (one on each side, high in the center of the court). They cannot use their hands and almost always used their hips! Leaving Xcaret was an experience in itself. Driving on the road w/ NO lights. Dirt roads. Uphill. With a STICK SHIFT. Going the wrong way w/ no U turns then ending up in a long line for a policia checkpoint.
Yep, life is an adventure.
Early Sunday, we left Akumal and the Hacienda de la Tortuga, saying goodbye to the beautiful bird that hung out in the palm tree outside our room (below) and Roberto, the ex-Mexicana Airlines flight attendant who manages the property. What a great guy. So knowledgeable about the turtles and the whole area. Gave us great advice about everything we asked about. Like having your own private concierge (we never saw any other guests at the hotel - but there are only a few rooms).
We also said goodbye to the Coatimundi (right), the funky animal introduced to Mexico & Central America by the Maya, who has the head of a fox, tail of a raccoon, and body of a cat.
The locals don't really care for the creatures because they're trash-diggers and can make a mess of things - like a raccoon. But they're kinda cute... They're not afraid of people, as you can see how close Erikka and Trevor are to them.
We drove to Playa del Carmen to catch an 8am ferry to Cozumel. It took about 40 minutes to get there, an uneventful trip (as it should be! In my job, uneventful trips are good).
At Cozumel, we caught a cab and drove about 15 minutes to Caleta Marina where we met our crew.
We got a short refresher scuba course on the boat on the way to Palancar Reef, one of the best places to dive in the world.
We stopped to pick up another couple from a small pier next to their hotel on Cozumel then the 5 divers, two dive masters and crew of two were off. It was a slow boat, about 45 min to the reef.
Our dive master stayed with the three of us the entire time, primarily with Trevor. He had his camera and offered to shoot photos. $40US for the cd of about 50 pictures. Actually much better than many photographers charge.
 |
| Summer school?? |
We stopped for lunch on a beautiful beach, then out for another dive, this time to a more sandy, not as colorful location, called, "Santa Rosa." Tons of fish though.
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| This moray eel was soooo long. Seriously, like 8 feet. |
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| The colors were spectacular |
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| Photographer was too close to get the whole thing, but I'm here to tell you it went on forever... |
Note: Both in the GBR in Australia and in Koh Tao, Thailand, we were told, "Never touch" when diving. Leave the ocean as you find it to preserve its beauty as well as the ecosystem. Its a good rule.
On this dive however, the guide picked up a lobster and the giant conch shell and handed them to us to hold. Actually, in Australia, they gave us a sea cucumber to hold too.
Generally though - we do not touch anything.
That's why we often swim with our hands clasped together, or arms folded, like you see Erikka doing below.
We were back at the marina by 2:30pm. A great day!
Now, it's off to the Zona Hotelera for 3 nights of luxury. Yes, I am going to admit we are trading in the wall a/c that blows right in your face for CENTRAL AIR. The quaint B&B pools for the massive ones with waterslide, bridges and swim-up bars. Not AI (all-inclusive), because we are not big drinkers/eaters, but still full of tourists like the AIs are. Plus, typical Westin timeshare activities, like Bingo, mini-golf, and stuff for kids (T just got back from the iguana feeding).
We own an EOY (every other year) timeshare at this resort...the Westin Lagunamar, where we are totally ENJOYING doing NOTHING!!
We own an EOY (every other year) timeshare at this resort...the Westin Lagunamar, where we are totally ENJOYING doing NOTHING!!
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| One bedroom unit with full kitchen |
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| Jacuzzi tub! |
And the best part: the view from our balcony.
See the small circular pool on the left? Just on the beach from there is a square shape. That's the turtle nursery! We hope to see hatchlings being released. They have turtles dig nests here too, but unlike Akumal, where they leave the eggs alone, they dig them up (you have about 6 hrs to move them after they're laid) and relocate them to the nursery. They bury them deep - too deep for the babies to climb out - then early each am, they check the nest to see if the babies have hatched under the sand (there will be an indentation in the sand mound). If so, they dig them out and release them at night where there are fewer predators.
Weird, I know.
Just 3 nights here...so we're relishing every minute.
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