I was in love with this tree all week--so symetrical, such clean lines.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Final Mexico Pics
Here's a daylight shot of some of the lovely landscaping at our resort:
I was in love with this tree all week--so symetrical, such clean lines.
I was in love with this tree all week--so symetrical, such clean lines.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Inevitable deliciousness
We've been having so much fun experimenting with local ingredients in our condo kitchen. Dinner tonight included fresh shrimp that we picked up at the market in town. It's been lime and avocado madness all week.
Every morning has started with a blessed tropical fruit shake full of sweet, orange goodness. After many confusing moments with various kinds of produce, I came up with the all-time best combination: banana, mango, papaya, guave, yogurt, and a few ice cubes. I wish I were drinking this right now.
Every morning has started with a blessed tropical fruit shake full of sweet, orange goodness. After many confusing moments with various kinds of produce, I came up with the all-time best combination: banana, mango, papaya, guave, yogurt, and a few ice cubes. I wish I were drinking this right now.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Dusk at the Club Internacional
Two shots from our balcony:
Our balcony is on the second floor on the right:
The other pool, and the restaurant--notice the pirate ship cruising in the distance:
The beach by night:
The swim-up bar on the opposite side of the restaurant:
Our balcony is on the second floor on the right:
The other pool, and the restaurant--notice the pirate ship cruising in the distance:
The beach by night:
The swim-up bar on the opposite side of the restaurant:
Cancun artisan market
A quick visit to the artisan market tonight--the recession and low season are making for a rough time; we couldn't walk more than 5 feet without hearing "lady! passele! now it's your turn to come to my store!"
On the left: muffin with fruit loops. In the middle, muffin with cocoa crispies. And on the right, muffin with cornflakes. What a truly beautiful ethnic appropriation of a few American staples.
On the left: muffin with fruit loops. In the middle, muffin with cocoa crispies. And on the right, muffin with cornflakes. What a truly beautiful ethnic appropriation of a few American staples.
Out and about in Cancun
Kristin and I painted ceramics at the resort this morning...
I found Sawyer like this during his nap:
We lost one of Sawyer's sandals somewhere in the city...here he is being fitted with nuevos zapatos.
The great corn husking of 2009:
Playing on a local playground...
I found Sawyer like this during his nap:
We lost one of Sawyer's sandals somewhere in the city...here he is being fitted with nuevos zapatos.
The great corn husking of 2009:
Playing on a local playground...
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Isla Mujeres
On Tuesday we made our way to Isla Mujeres. Ever seeking to experience things the local way, we skipped the overpriced ferry that left straight from the zona hotelera, and instead took a local bus downtown, where we caught a "collectivo" (informal van-shuttle that runs longer routes and charges less than a bus) to a ferry dock further up the coast, with the shortest, cheapest and most frequent departures to Isla Mujeres. I was transported back to Africa during this ride in the collectivo--if only you could see how many people were actually crammed in this van...notice that Noel is sitting on Kristin's lap.
Here's a shot of the port as we leave Cancun for Isla:
The boats are very luxurious--an airconditioned cabin inside, with comfy seats, TV and a full bar.
Up top is a deck where you can enjoy the beautiful views during the 15 minute crossing.
Looking out over the water en route to Isla...
And here's the dock as we approach the island:
We spent the first half of the day wandering the charming streets--very peaceful and low-key compared to Cancun, though the hard sell on the snorkeling adventures at the ferry dock does remind you where and who you are. While wandering we stumbled upon this beautiful cemetery.
Turns out the best way to get around the island is to rent a golf cart--about $35 for the day. We toodled around on that sucker all afternoon, and were able to see pretty much the whole island.
Here is Sawyer giving a kiss to his first-ever vacation souvenir:
A beach shot taken from the cart while cruising the strip:
Of course the main destination was Garrafon, for snorkeling. We paid a little to get into this excellent beach club, which provided the usual amenities, and access to a great snorkeling spot. We saw much multi-colored sealife, including one creature I dubbed 'snakeskin fish.'
Noel shows us how it's done:
In addition to a Barracuda ("ooooh, Barracuda!"), Chris found this starfish:
On the boat ride home this guy came to serenade the passengers. For a minute I thougt I was in the Paris metro.
Here's a shot of the port as we leave Cancun for Isla:
The boats are very luxurious--an airconditioned cabin inside, with comfy seats, TV and a full bar.
Up top is a deck where you can enjoy the beautiful views during the 15 minute crossing.
Looking out over the water en route to Isla...
And here's the dock as we approach the island:
We spent the first half of the day wandering the charming streets--very peaceful and low-key compared to Cancun, though the hard sell on the snorkeling adventures at the ferry dock does remind you where and who you are. While wandering we stumbled upon this beautiful cemetery.
Turns out the best way to get around the island is to rent a golf cart--about $35 for the day. We toodled around on that sucker all afternoon, and were able to see pretty much the whole island.
Here is Sawyer giving a kiss to his first-ever vacation souvenir:
A beach shot taken from the cart while cruising the strip:
Of course the main destination was Garrafon, for snorkeling. We paid a little to get into this excellent beach club, which provided the usual amenities, and access to a great snorkeling spot. We saw much multi-colored sealife, including one creature I dubbed 'snakeskin fish.'
Noel shows us how it's done:
In addition to a Barracuda ("ooooh, Barracuda!"), Chris found this starfish:
On the boat ride home this guy came to serenade the passengers. For a minute I thougt I was in the Paris metro.
Playa del Carmen
On Monday we made an excursion to Playa del Carmen, where we strolled the beautiful waterfront, oggled the turquoise waters and sweated out every last drop of moisture from our parched bodies. I think we're all a little surprised just how hot it is.
After lunch (tacos, tacos, tacos--what else is there worth eating?), the boys took off for a subterranean snorkeling adventure near the ruins at Tulum--hopefully we'll get a few pics from the underwater camera up here before too long. In the meantime, Kristin, Sawyer and I strolled the beautiful streets of Playa, and fell in love with this amazing textile shop--especially Sawyer; he insisted that I buy three scarves.
After lunch (tacos, tacos, tacos--what else is there worth eating?), the boys took off for a subterranean snorkeling adventure near the ruins at Tulum--hopefully we'll get a few pics from the underwater camera up here before too long. In the meantime, Kristin, Sawyer and I strolled the beautiful streets of Playa, and fell in love with this amazing textile shop--especially Sawyer; he insisted that I buy three scarves.
Cancun date night
On Sunday night Noel and Kristen were kind enough to watch Sawyer for us so we could go out for a date night (oh rare, rare opportunity!). Various resort employees recommended a place further down the strip called "La Isla"--a huge new mall with tons of restaurants and shops, a total hub for nocturnal activity. I'm still trying to believe that we actually went to the mall for a date. The whole place is kind of a cross, design-wise, between a Venice-shaped amusement park and the Denver airport. Chris managed to get a few beautiful shots that, when we look back at them, almost make us believe we went to Italy instead of Cancun.
One of the activities available to mall-goers is this aqua-hamsterball. We watched this kid for about five minutes--he looked totally exhausted and frustrated most of the time.
After dinner and a movie (we saw 'The Hangover,' or, in Spanish, 'What happened yesterday??'), we walked along the strip until we got the the spring break-iest portion, where all the debauchery goes down. September is apparently the lowest of the low seasons--there is practically no one here. So it was kind of funny to see coyote ugly girls dancing on the bar in empty clubs.
One of the activities available to mall-goers is this aqua-hamsterball. We watched this kid for about five minutes--he looked totally exhausted and frustrated most of the time.
After dinner and a movie (we saw 'The Hangover,' or, in Spanish, 'What happened yesterday??'), we walked along the strip until we got the the spring break-iest portion, where all the debauchery goes down. September is apparently the lowest of the low seasons--there is practically no one here. So it was kind of funny to see coyote ugly girls dancing on the bar in empty clubs.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
