Cancun Christmas trip

As some of you may know, a few years ago, Troy and I purchased this money suck timeshare through the Westin that I curse every month when I have to make the payment. It was before the recession and before Operation Money Hoarding went into effect. Anyhow we have it, we are stuck with it and when it affords me the ability to go somewhere as beautiful as Cancun, I probably shouldn't bitch about it as much as I do. Someday when its paid for, I'm sure I'll love it, but for now it is a minor pain in my ass with a spectacular view.

So, We made this reservation in April with the intention of this being the kids Christmas Present....we've been paying for it every month, might as well use it right? And then in October, Troy learned that as a result of the merger of his old copany with Agilent, that he would have to attend a mandatory meeting in Las Vegas ALL WEEK while we were supposed to be on vacation. Well, since there are about 7 million people who would be happy to take his job, should he lose it, we decided the only option was for him to skip the vacation. The Westin had no other weeks available for us to reschedule, so we were stuck.

So on December 12th, the kids and I flew without Troy to Cancun, Mexico for a week of rest and relaxation and a little local culture too. It was dark by the time we got to the suite, so I couldn't see a thing when I looked out the window out over the Carribean Ocean. The following morning when I pulled back the curtain, the picture above was my view........I knew everything was gonna be just fine. With a view like that, how could it not?

The post that follow are a few snapshots of our extraordinary trip. Me, alone in a foreign country with my children. I was a little apprehensive at first. (honestly, I borrowed some Xanax from a friend, but never needed a single one). We rallied, we made exceptions, we compromised, we found a way to make it a great trip, and there came a time when I looked out over the water and saw my 3 children playing together in the warm Carribean Ocean and I breathed a sigh of relief and I wished myself Merry Christmas. There are no words to describe how proud I was of my kids and of how I swelled with love and gratitude for the opportunity to do this with them.

Chichen Itza

Took the kids to Chichen Itza because it is one of the New 7 Wonders of the World, and really, how often do you get to see one of those?

Somewhere around 987AD and up to 1200 AD the Maya tradition of the North Yucatan fused with the Toltec culture of central Mexico and established its capital in Chichen Itza. This structure the kids are in front of is the Pyramid of Kulkulkan. This Pyramid is tied in many ways to the Mayan calender. There are 4 sets of stairs with 91 steps on each side (364 total ) plus the top step equals 356. The Mayans were very advanced mathmaticians and engineers. They paved their roads with limestone and it glowed at night allowing them to travel in the cooler hours with plenty of light from the glowing limestone.

These Mayan children were there with their parents selling crafts and jewelry and carvings. The little girl was a serious haggler and would not trade for Hershey kisses......she kept saying "Pesos, only Pesos" She drove a hard bargain but for 20 pesos I got two embroidered handkercheifs that her mother had made. The dress she is wearing is traditional Mayan dress, if she were married she would add a colorful shawl and if she were a widow, a black one. The Mayan people that we met were very sweet and are trying hard to hold on to traditions and customs that have been passed down from generation to generation.

The Group of the Thousand Columns. Believed to be a gallery for warriors and nobles.

Cenote

After or visit to Chichen Itza, the tour bus took us to this well. It is commonly called a cenote and the landowner where this cenote is located has opened it up and made it accesible to the public. The Mayans used these for water, but also for human and other sacrifices. This particular cenote has yeilded many treasures from its bottom (approx 125 feet deep) as well as some human remains.
And of course, my fearless kids jumped in......here's Vivian
and Gabriel.............
and Henderson.

Beach Day

Even the days when we had nothing scheduled were pretty fun.....we had this beautiful beach to keep us occupied. This was the hotel's beach, so the kids could play while I relaxed and read and had and cold beverage delivered to me by Juan, or Jesus, or Ernesto...just depended on the day.

Xcaret River float

If any of you ever go to Cancun, this should be a the top of your to do list. Xcaret is a natural ecopark whose main attraction is a series of underground rivers that flow to the sea. They are open to the public and it takes about an hour to float down and explore. They were georgeous. My kids loved it and I hope they remember the experience forever.
These walls surrounded us for the whole time unless we went into a cave like in the picture below. It was so cool.
All along the way were Mayan Warriors in costumes like this one.
In the cave. It wasn't spooky. we could always see the light at the other end. Although some of them were pretty long and the light was so far away. I must say that my kids did so great. They really are fearless and will try just about anything. I'm really proud of them.

Xcaaret playtime

When the river float was over it sort of dumped us out on this little beach where the kids could do some more snorkeling. They had never really done it before so every little discovery was something to get excited about.





These little yellow fish were what the kids are looking at in the first picture.

Xcaret

After our float thru the rivers we had lunch at the seafood buffet. I caught myself enjoying a nice plate of ceviche and then thought better of it. How safe could it possible be to be eating raw seafood in the middle of the mexican jungle? I waited all day for the tummy ache but it never came THANK GOD!!! I snapped this picture of Gabriel because this is so him. Eating brownies with one hand, cone in the other.

This is the view of the Carribean Ocean from the restaurant. Not to Shabby.

Leisuring and relaxing were a big part of our day at Xcaret. Henderson found the hammocks on the way to the bathrooms, and had to relax for awhile.

We staked out our spot under the palapa and snorkled awhile. About 10 feet below the kids feet was an inlet where we could do some more snorkeling. It was a beautiful little spot and we had a great time soaking up the rays and watching the marine life.