vacation

Cancun vacation, day 6

A sad day was upon us: time to go home.

After room service breakfast on the balcony (of which I didn’t take a photo, but it was much the same as on day 2), we checked out and caught a shuttle to the airport.

There we had Margaritaville for lunch (not super Mexican, but the best available option):

They had some interesting decorations:

After a stopover in Houston, where we were able to complete our Global Entry applications, we caught the connecting flight to Portland, which we had upgraded to first class:

Though I was stuck with a coach meal (oh the humanity!):

Sighting Portland:

Now we’re home.

It’s been a most enjoyable week, and we’ll certainly look forward to future trips to various places in Mexico.

Cancun vacation, day 5

Today was pretty much the opposite of yesterday: just lounging by a pool, instead of a long excursion.

We had a buffet breakfast, and I enjoyed the fresh-from-the-comb honey:

We then spent the day lounging by the pool, facing the beach:

An iguana visited us:

And a number of birds:

One of several cocktails:

A gazebo over the water:

Dinner at an open air restaurant:

We reluctantly head home tomorrow. It’s rare to not be ready to go home after several days away, but that’s how we feel now.

Cancun vacation, day 4

We had an all-day excursion to Chichén Itzá and a few other places today: about 11 hours round-trip.

Chichén Itzá is a collection of Mayan ruins on Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula.

Here’s the famous wonder of the new world, El Castillo:

The ball court:

Stone carvings of figures:

Inside the ball court:

More of the ball court:

A wall of skulls:

Feathered serpent heads:

The top of the pyramid:

Steps:

Ruins:

Observatory:

Hole:

More ruins:

Iguana:

Pillars:

The pyramid again:

Next we headed to a local village for a tasty lunch (plus sangria and horchata, rice water):

Lunch entertainment dancing:

Then we headed to a cenote (water-filled sinkhole)… with more dancing on the way in:

The cenote has a tunnel path to the water level, so people could go down to jump in to the frigid water:

It was certainly a long day, but definitely interesting.

Cancun vacation, day 3

Another day in paradise!

This morning we went for breakfast at a neighboring resort that is owned by the same company, and had a tour. This one is only a year old, and very nice. Like the one we’re staying at, this is an all-inclusive, adults-only resort. It is divided into three main pool areas:

An overview of the “Preferred” area:

We’re enjoying our vacation so much, we decided to join the club. Like a wine club, we can enjoy their 60ish properties, plus hundreds of affiliated ones, at a discounted rate:

A champagne gift:

After a casual lunch, we sat on the beach for a couple of hours, enjoying the view:

Then had a dip in a pool near our room:

These birds are always hoping someone drops something tasty:

Finally, a mediterraean-style dinner: