We are back from another wonderful vacation in one of my favourite places in the world! Mexico was great (as always) aside from a few minor annoyances... the main one being returning home to cold, snowy Edmonton.
We left for the airport Saturday with levels of excitement that shouldn't even be possible so early in the morning. Upon arriving at the check in counters we were informed that our flight was delayed by 2 hours. We could handle that. We'd have breakfast and wander the airport shops. As the day progressed, the delay lengthened to a total of 6 hours. 6 long, boring hours that could have been better spent at our resort drinking pina coladas. Eventually, our plane landed and we departed for glorious Cancun.
By the time that we arrived, exhausted and thirsty, the bar was already closed for the night. We resorted to room service and had a quick meal before bed.
The next day would be much better. We were finally on vacation, and celebrating 2 years since the day we'd got engaged. After a buffet breakfast it was off to the pool to soak up the sun. Flying to the arctic, I've sure missed the warmth and sunlight that lasts past noon. Once the bar opened we were quick to order our long awaited pina coladas... well worth the wait! The highlight of my day and perhaps of my week came that afternoon. The resort activities co-ordinator informed us that they'd be releasing baby sea turtles and invited us to help dig them out of the sand. I was instantly thrilled at this opportunity and ensured that we were there on time with cameras in hand. Before the rush of other tourists wandered over, I had pulled a tiny, amazing baby turtle out from the sand. I was in awe. It was certainly one of the coolest things I've experienced, ever. I named my turtle Michelangelo and watched him crawl around the sand until it was time to put him and his siblings back into a bucket for the resort staff to care for until night time. They'd be released into the water when it was too dark for birds to see them shuffling along. When night time came, we watched as the turtles instinctively made their way to the water to begin their long journey. I was giddy with excitement and had a newfound obsession with sea turtles.
We woke up on the second day of our vacation and went for a walk on the beach. The water in the Cancun area is so stunningly blue and perfect and no matter how many times I visit I can never get over it no matter how many times I visit.
We spent the day swimming in the ocean and pools, drank a few cocktails and got dressed up for a fancy dinner. Our resort had one restaurant that required reservations and formal attire. I was quite concerned as our reservation time approached and I was still not feeling hungry, but I figured I'd find my appetite once plates of food were in front of me. I was wrong. I began to feel sick and halfway through the meal I was forced to leave my husband alone to finish dinner while I went back to the room. It didn't help that we were at a restaurant that created rather inventive dishes. I'm normally adventurous, but it pushed me over the edge that night.
I curled up in bed shivering and feeling nauseous while my worried husband put a cold towel on my forehead and persuaded me to drink water. Food poisoning got the best of me later that evening, by far the least pleasant part of my vacation.
I still felt sick throughout the rest of the day following. I ate small pieces of bread and fruit, a long shot from my usual Mexico binge. For the majority of the morning I couldn't get out of bed. My wonderful husband pushed the bed over to the window so that I could enjoy my ocean view and feel the sunshine on my face without having to stand up.
There was a brief period in which we ventured outside to lie on beach chairs in the shade, but it wasn't long until we retreated to the room for more sleep. I'd tried to convince Ryan to go enjoy his day, but as stubborn and sweet as he is, he refused to leave me all by myself.
I finally started to feel better the next day. We woke up at sunrise, and although I now was coming down with a cold, it beat feeling as ill as I had. We had a lazy day at the beach, playing in the waves and sipping cocktails. I was up for more of that night coughing and sneezing, miserable at my luck. I get sick once or twice each year, and it happened to fall perfectly in time with my vacation.
After another beach day the next day, we caught the bus into town to go to Walmart. We stocked up on cold meds and snacks and wandered every aisle.
On our second last day we woke up early for a full day of adventures. We caught the bus to Playa del Carmen, where we'd got married almost 8 months earlier.
We strolled past our resort and pointed out our wedding spot. Afterwards, we caught the ferry to the island of Cozumel, where we caught up with one of Ryan's friends from university who happened to be on a cruise. Him and his wife live in Texas and it has been years since they'd last seen each other. After lunch with them, we spent the rest of the day touring Cozumel before taking the ferry back to Playa del Carmen.
We shopped on 5th Avenue before bussing back to Cancun and returning to our resort just in time to eat before the buffet closed.
I was sad to wake up the next day once the realization hit that we'd be going home that afternoon. Fortunately, we still had several hours to enjoy the beach, food and sunshine before we left. I was up bright and early to watch the sunrise over the ocean.
Later on, Ryan drank several beers, while I got in a few last minute fruity cocktails. It was time to return to reality.
We flew home, landed to a cold wintery night, and just like that our vacation was over. It had been a great week and an almost perfect belated honeymoon. Mexico, as always, did not cease to impress.
On the bright side, we were home and reunited with our beloved puppy, who was thrilled to see us again after a long week apart!
