We took our family vacation in December this year
as we were unable to line up everybody's schedule
during the summer. Here are some of the highlights
from our trip...
|
We stayed at the Royal Caribbean, near the Southern end of the Hotel Zone in Cancun.
|
They had a nicely done Nativity Scene out front, including bunnies. :-)
We arrived about 1 AM on Christmas Day, so very timely.
|
Also a nice Christmas tree in the lobby.
|
One evening we ate at Elefante (Indian food) on "the strip".
It was on the lagoon side, just above the water, (and very open)
and Nate spotted a Crocodile (pretty common) hanging out nearby.
|
Here was the scenery we had all week long.
All of the rooms at the hotel have at least somewhat of an ocean view,
but we really weren't expecting such a nice one.
|
Looking North up the Hotel Zone strip
|
The sand was nice and soft here
|
Our room faced East, but there was an open balcony facing West,
so here is a view of the sunset over Nichupte Lagoon.
|
Chichen Itza
Our first major outing was to visit Chichen Itza.
Jessica did a lot of the planning for this day-trip.
It was about a 2 hr drive from Cancun,
but worth the trip to see one of the new 7 wonders of the world!
|
The first photo-op was several Iguanas sunning themselves on the rocks and grass.
|
We had a pretty good tour guide named Victor.
He kinda' made you feel like he was a Mayan descendant.
|
The family shot in front of El Castillo, also called the Pyramid of Kukulkan.
They stopped letting people climb the pyramid in 2007, as the sandstone was beginning to erode too quickly.
(Nate & Diane weren't too disappointed ;-)
They receive over 2M visitors per year now.
|
We were lucky to get a few pics of the pyramid before it was eaten by the giant rock snake. ;-)
|
From a different angle, and catching the sun going down on it
|
With the kids (and a bit of fill-flash to give it that post-card look ;-)
|
El Caracol, aka The Observatory
|
Jessica spotted the faces (with the large, protruding noses) in this tower,
believed to be part of a church
|
Afterwards we visited (and swam in) Cenote Ik Kil. The water is about 85 feet below ground,
about 200 feet across and 130 feet deep!
|
After cooling off in the Cenote, we started heading back towards Cancun,
but stopped in Valladolid for dinner.
This was the site of several battles between the Mayans and Spanish settlers during the 1800s.
Here we are in the main center park, "Francisco Canton Rosado", named after the Governor of Yucatan around 1900.
|
We got brave and ate at a nearby food court to try to get authentic local food.
|
The San Servacio Cathedral just across from the main park
|
Isla Mujeres
We took a day trip to Isla Mujeres, a small island off the Yucatan Peninsula.
|
On our way to the Ferry, we came across this guy
selling homemade flan (and something with cheese!) from his trike.
We saw quite a few of these 3 wheelers around town and a few along the highway.
|
The entire island is just about 4 miles long by about 1/2 mile wide.
|
We passed this cool turtle monument while walking around town looking for a golf cart to rent
|
Walking thru a market while looking for a golf cart to rent
|
We went to a turtle farm near the South end of the island
|
Checkin' out the babies!
|
The Albino Turtle was very cool
|
We got to hold a horseshoe crab - they have quite a few legs and aren't afraid to tickle your hand!
|
mmmm... lobster
|
We saw several Lion Fish
|
I think the Conch is sticking it's tongue out at us
|
Nice of this guy to pose by the sign for me
|
Looking SouthWest back at Cancun, about 5 miles away
|
After hangin' with the turtles, we did some snorkeling, and came back to the North
side of the island to visit the (aptly named) Playa Norte. This is one of those
talcum-powder beaches - so nice!
|
Sunset over Cancun from Playa Norte. We ended the evening with dinner on the beach
at a tasty seafood restaurant where the locals hang out, including the "entertainment" -
a guy who seemed to be tinkering with the Casio he just got for Christmas!
|
|
We all managed to find some way to relax this week
|
Transportation on the island consists mainly of taxis, golf carts, and scooters.
We had a golf cart for the first half of the day, and it seemed like we rented
the last available one in town.
|
Our transportation to/from the island was quick and smooth.
(The UltraMar out of Puerto Juarez)
|
|
Dolphin Swim
We had a great time hanging out with Espana and Soleil.
|
Our last major outting
|
You can't really tell, but we are being pushed thru the water by two dolphins
|
|
Very fun!
|
|
They swam by us quite a bit and we were able to 'pet' them each time
|
|
The obligatory kissing pose
|
|
|
Diane did the best job with this pose!
|
|
The big finish - dancing with a dolphin
|
|
|
Overall, a great time, and definitely something that is worth trying if you get the chance
|
El Rey ruins
Checking out some Mayan ruins right on the hotel strip
|
After the Dolphin swim and hanging out at the water park,
we stopped by the local Mayan ruins on the way back to the hotel.
|
Notice the guard posted behind the No Trespassing sign
|
Again, these guys are serious about No Pasar!
|
Iguana perched up top, getting just a bit closer to the sun
|
They don't get 2M visitors / yr here, so don't seem to mind if we got into the Mayan spirit
|
Nate's turn to feel Mayan
|
We found a coconut - those are tough nuts to crack!
|
|
Heading Home
Oh sad day
|
"Regrese Pronto" - we hope so!
|
Nate kept saying "Feliz Ano Nuevos" or "Anos Nuevos" which really makes no sense,
but gave the kids a good laugh.
|
Mexico City from above before we landed for a layover there - yup, it's big!
|
Nice of them to update the map showing the Leon family in Mexico City. :)
Also on this map is a good perspective of where Cancun lives.
|
Apparently, Mexico is pretty serious about their warning labels!
|
Our final Mexican sunset for a while. (at our 2nd layover at the Guadalajara airport)
Adios!
|
|
|
-rwxrw-rw- 1 nleon staff 3071249 Jun 7 2014 06_group_dinner.jpg
-rwxrw-rw- 1 nleon staff 2179425 May 21 2014 05_jazz_band.jpg
-rwxrw-rw- 1 nleon staff 2325699 Jan 4 2014 01_wedding.jpg
The Christmas portrait
