Saturday, March 7, 2009

Riviera Maya
























Ahhhhh....vacation.

James and I were invited to join 19 other couples in Riviera Maya Mexico at the Barcelo Palace Resort. We struggled with the decision because of difficulty finding someone to care for our boys. In the end, we decided to ask a former child care provider from a day care center the boys used to attend. This is only the second time we had flown away from our boys.


Sunday -

We flew out of MSP. One of the couples made a BINGO card as a game for the trip. Once of the items was "Take a picture with a flight attendant". The flight attendants were gracious with having their photos taken. We arrived in Cancun in the afternoon and had a fun bus ride with 1/2 of the couples and a cooler of Corona.


The all-inclusive resort was BEAUTIFUL! Our room was amazing - overlooking the beach and ocean.


After we dropped off our bags, we met in the lobby bar to get to know everyone. The birthday girls (Kristi and Val) had care packages with cowboy hats. The hats turned out to be a great way to locate everyone.


Monday -

Beach day. Our group camped out on the beach and enjoyed the warm sun. That night, we enjoyed "The Jaguar" discotheque.


Tuesday -

Beach day. Much warmer day. We moved around a bit between the beach and the pools. That afternoon was a fun, crazy pool party.

Wednesday -

Shopping in Playa del Carmen. I enjoyed the bartering. We found soccer jerseys for the boys. Senor Frogs entertained us for the rest of the afternoon.


Thursday -

Tullum Xtreme Over the Edge (Guaranteed Safety Approved) :)


Here is a youtube video from the company:




Over half of the group loaded onto vans and went on an adventure excursion. We started off with the rappel. The area was very flat, so we climbed a tower and rappelled. I was hoping to drop faster, but they kept it very mild. It was still fun.


Then, we zip lined. There were three zip lines. The last one was over a minute long. Here is actual video fo James and I at the end of a zip line.





Next - cave snorkeling. OK, I have to admit that I'm a little claustrophobic. The guide's pep talk did not help much. The cave was inhabited by snakes and bats - two of my favorite animals! The water was frigid! I was doing fine enjoying the limestone formations below. No fish to see - just formations. Then, we had to go through a part that had stalactites hanging down close to my head. I did survive. I did it, but I don't think I would do it again.


Lunch was good. Nice spicy chicken.


We boarded the van again to head to Tullum. Our guide gave us a quick 20 minute story about the ruins and we were free to explore. One of the other participants told us that the beach at Tullum was ranked #4 on the best beaches of the world. It was BEAUTIFUL!






After the tour, we boarded the bus back to the resort. We headed into Playa del Carmen for Senor Frogs again with the whole group.

Friday -

I wanted to get every last minute of sun. I woke up early and after breakfast went to the beach.

I am SO thankful for being able to go on the trip and for all of the wonderful people that helped care for my boys - Christine, Colleen, and Tiffeny. THANK YOU!

I'm sure I'll have more to post when I see everyone else's photos.

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