Akumal Bay Today

Yesterday's excursion to Tulum was most enjoyable. We did not snorkel... but we did do some good old fashioned splashing in the waves. Tulum's beach is better for swimming because the coral reef is not so close. There's much more sand to romp and play in while getting tossed around by the waves. Big fun.

We toured the main drag in town, checked out the gift shops, then noticed clouds overhead just as we headed to a recommended restaurant for lunch. We ordered lunch and as we got our drinks, the rain started. Perfect timing! The funny part is that the two roofs of the restaurant does not quite connect with each other... and the rain came pouring in. It was very amusing (especially because our table was under the sidewalk overhang and we were dry). We sat by the entertainment -- a guy with two synthisizers playing lounge music -- and I did get a little worried when I saw the water from the rooftop fountain nearing his power strip (right by my feet). He did not seem to care and just moved the power strip on to the keyboard stand and kept playing. He played "Raindrops are Falling on My Head" and we all laughed. By the time we were done eating, the rain had stopped. Again, perfect timing!

We headed to the playa (beach) and rented two chairs under a palapa. After hours relaxing and swimming, we dried off and went to a nearby restaurant for dinner. It was an Asian place, and I had the best pad Thai I have ever had in Mexico!

Tomorrow we're going on a tour of the ruins at Coba. We'll be inland a bit, so no nice ocean breeze... but we will have shade. More to come!

If it's Tuesday, we must be in Tulum

Hola!

Yesterday, we went snorkeling in Yal Ku lagoon twice (once in the morning and again in the afternoon). It was a place where fresh water from underground rivers mixes with the salt water of the sea. There was coral and many beautiful fish. The Husband saw a barracuda and a sting ray (photos to come). Fortunately, the barracuda must have just eaten -- he did not seem concerned about The Husband's proximity.

Today, we're hopping on a collectivo to visit the town of Tulum. Collectivos are vans that goes up and down the main highway picking up and dropping off locals and tourists from town to town. It's cheaper than a taxi -- but we have to walk to the main highway to get one.

We have already visited the Tulum ruins, but we have not been to the city. It's a bigger city than Akumal, but smaller than Playa del Carmen. We'll check out the boutiques, eat lunch, sit at the beach and read our books, and consider sticking around for dinner.

Sunday evening was the Oscars. We went to the Lol Ha Beach Club for a charity dinner to raise money for the local school and they had TVs showing the ceremony. The buffet was delicious and they had a "red carpet" where the local "paparattzi" shot photos of the tourists as they entered the club. A local resident was the MC and she interviewed people as they entered. It was fun - and we actually watched the entire show.

Anyway, off to Tulum. By the way, it's warm and sunny here! We are always covered with sunscreen, and we still have managed to get a little pink. I am not complaining!

We are here!

Greetings from beautiful and warm Akumal!


We flew in yesterday and our journey was uneventful. We did watch the last episode of season one of Dexter, so I was happy to see how things wrapped up. It also made the almost four-hour flight more bearable.


Note: I am at CyberAkumal, an Internet place in town. This computer is in Spanish, so when I just did a quick spell check, pretty much everything is misspelled. Please excuse any misspellings or typos going forward!

Anyway... after getting settled in our hotel after a one-hour drive south of Cancun, we ate lunch and then explored town. Akumal is a very small town, so it did not take long to check out. We ate lunch at La Buena Vida (the good life). How true! Dinner was at La Pescadora, a fish and seafood place. The Husband had grouper (which was excellent) and I had octopus, Veracruz style. I loved it! After a few more drinks back at La Buena Vida, we crashed.

Now for the fun part -- snorkeling! After a quick breakfast in our hotel room, we headed out to Half Moon Bay (right outside our hotel room). The coral reef pretty much goes right up to the shore... all we had to do was put on our gear and walk into the sea. What a cool experience! I saw brain coral the size of those big exercise balls (about 2.5 feet in diameter). There were fish in bright colors - blue, silver, purple, yellow. I found a school of yellow fish hiding by a mound of coral. I sat in on the class for as long as the waves would allow. It was tricky swimming against the waves, but I took some comfort in seeing that even the fish sometimes were at the mercy of the ocean.

The Husband used his new underwater camera and took some neat shots (to be added to this blog when we return home). I will give underwater photography a try when we go back out later.

I will add more posts, but now it's time for lunch. Adios!

Life Goes On...

Well, it's finally February (the month in which The Husband and I are going to Mexico!). We are looking forward to the warmth, the sea, the food, the ruins, the warmth, the sand, the margaritas, the warmth...

I feel so fortunate to have stuff to look forward to in the near future. When we get back from Akumal, it will be March, then April, then the snow will melt, then the temperatures will rise, then the grass will grow and the birds will sing. How cool will that be?

Today's the Super Bowl. I really don't care for the Giants or the Patriots, but I do expect this to be a good game. As always, I am looking forward to the commericals more than the game. And even though I am a fan of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, I don't even know if I am going to pay much attention to the half-time show. I just want to see 30-second spots full of creativity and good humor (as opposed to the brainless ads we see the rest of the year).

My favorite ads from Super Bowls Past are the Streaker (Budweiser) and Cat Herding (some consulting firm). The FedEx ad with the cavemen is up there too (I love ads that make me laugh out loud, and that one did!).

Want to have a few giggles? Check out Super Bowl Ad Classics (courtesy of Spike TV). Enjoy!