Earlier this year my sisters in law Kim and Lisa were planning a trip to Cancun for this Summer and when Lisa got engaged the wedding became her top priority (imagine that)! So Kim needed someone to fill the shoes of travelling companion and I was the girl for the job!
It has been Kim's dream since she was knee-high to a grasshopper to swim with the dolphins! I must say, I was a little apprehensive about jumping into the bay with these girls. Has anyone seen the episode of "King of the Hill" when Hank gets a little more then he paid for with his dolphin swim?? It didn't help that most people I talked to had stories to share about dolphins reputation to have very high libidos! But as soon as I got into the water and saw how well trained these beauties were my nerves went away. It was an amazing experience! I felt so inferior, they really are so beautiful and happy! My favorite parts were being towed by two dolphins and then being pushed up and out of the water by the dolphins nose in the arch of my foot. It was definitely a trip hi-light!
This contraption is called the Sky Rider.... sort of like para sailing for the American Wuss. It was strangely very calm and quite 35 feet up in the air. It was weird how much darker the water was on the bay side of Cancun, a lot like the Pacific only a heck of a lot warmer!
So one thing I hate to admit is I was REALLY looking forward to the authentic pirate ship cruise! The cruise was from 6 -10pm and started out with a show of the pirates firing cannons and swinging around the ship 15 feet above our heads. I know it sounds cheesy and to be honest it probably was for most but I loved it! After the sun went down (which by the way is at like 6:30 in the evening down there now - weird) we had an awesome steak and lobster dinner downstairs. When we came back up on deck after dinner all the chairs were gone and the pirate ship had become a pirate party! Oh man, it was a hilarious good time.
These pictures were taken in Tulum Mexico, an ancient Mayan civilization. The ruins are some of the best preserved on the face of this Earth! The creepy lizards are like a foot long and were running around everywhere! I never knew heat until I experienced hiking in 100'+ with 95% humidity and an UV index of "extreme"! It was unbearable to say the least.
One thing I found interesting was the Mayans are all between 4 and 5 feet tall. So the doorways weren't much taller then that. Can you see the face in the corner of the 2nd ruin?
This was the beach in Tulum, reminds me of Swiss Family Robinson in a weird way.
We took a tour group through Tulum, it was an all day thing starting with the Mayan ruins, then participating in a traditional Mayan blessing ceremony, hiking the underground caves and swimming in the cenotes, biking through the Mayan city and zip lining over the jungle canopy.... no where in the small print on the brochure did it mention that this is all done in your bathing suit and shoes only! Hence, the only pictures I am posting from this incredible day are the ones that I am partially obscured from the camera lens, for your safety only!
Our tour guide, Oscar will be found in most of the pictures sandwiched between Kim and I. He was very friendly. So in one of the pictures Kim and I huddled between some stalactites in one of the caves. Kim's cracking up because I was flashing my big muscles in the first picture taken and she was a tad embarrassed! :o) The next is our tour group for the day all strapped up and ready for zip lining. They were a great group of people and one couple was even from Seattle... small world!
This last picture was taken right after I jumped off of a 20' cliff into the water below. It was a cool 75' which felt amazing in contrast to the scorching temps outside. I have to admit I was more freaked out over the death dive then I was the hundreds of catfish swimming around us.
All in all the trip was 9 days away from home and I was grossly reminded of how much I love and need my 3 boys! Adam never complained once, he encouraged me to take this trip and promised he would work out all the details while I was gone and he did! He is an amazing husband and father, I'm so thankful for him and I love him so much! Between my mom, sister and grandma the kids were very well taken care of the whole time and I realized again how blessed I am to be surrounded by people that love me and my family.
Thank you to each of you that helped out while I was gone gallivanting with the Mexicans! :o)
I.O.U.
