Viva Mexico!!

Hello everybody as most of you know I went away for a little bit to de-frost and de-stress with a bunch of relatives for a wedding in the Mayan Riviera.  How can I sum up my experience there?  FRIGGING AWESOME!

The sun and tropical heat for a Canadian in the midst of the great doldrums of our winter are simply rejuvenating.  Putting it in the simplest possible terms I experienced an almost 60 degree Celsius temperature difference the minute we stepped off the plane in Cancun, Mexico.  We left Winnipeg in the grip of a blizzard, a bone chilling minus 25 degrees Celsius, happy to make it out of Winnipeg at all.  Cancun was a tropical+28 and the humidity hit me like a brick wall after a long exhausting day of travel.

Still though we were in good spirits and raring to hit the pools and the beach the next morning. Hit them we did,  sporting shorts and mike a junkie hitting a crack pipe.  Sunblock applied, towels over the shoulder and breakfast in our bellies the pool side area was our oasis in the blazing heat.

It seemed like every other accent was Canadian also making our adventure away that much more enjoyable.  Sometimes a bit of familiarity brings comfort after all.

After a day or so in the resort area hitting the pools and the beach  we decided to venture out into Playa Del Carmen for a bit of shopping and adventure.  That’s when the heat really kicked my fat little ass. Dressed as I thought appropriate in a white cotton T-shirt with shorts and sandals couldn’t keep me from sweating buckets.  I needed something a little more extreme,  wandering into a little shop Darlene suggested a tank top or two for me.  Normally I steer way clear of that style of clothing but extreme times call for extreme measures and I relented buying two.

A few shops down the road and I completed my Mexican transformation buying a very delicate and elegant blue and white linen top.  Stylish and functional it quickly became my go to item of choice when dealing with the heat.  Along with my newly acquired upgrade from a functional straw hat to an exquisite Panama Hat I felt styling and profiling.

The next day we ventured even further abroad, booking an adventure tour package through Alltournative Adventures.  In one day we explored the ancient Mayan ruins of Coba.  Darlene climbed the highest “pyramid” in the Yucatan the Nohoch Mul temple structure.  Unfortunately I was unable to climb to the top of the temple due to the extreme heat and my wonky legs.  I have no doubt that I could have made it to the top, but I still doubt that I would have made it down in one piece.  The only bit of “safety equipment” on the structure is a rope running down the stairs in the center.

From there our hilarious and knowledgeable tour guide José drove us into the heart of the Mayan jungle for a trek in the bush.  We learned very quickly not to touch the trees, as some of them have running sap that can give exposed flesh 3rd degree burns.   We met the Mayan people and were blessed by a Mayan Shaman (Holy Man) in a ceremony that to my mind mirrored a Northern Native Peoples sweet grass blessing.   He bathed us in smoke from burning amber held in a ceremonial vessel.

From there we swam in a Cenoté (Underground Cave Pool) with water so blue and clear the likes of I had never seen before.  We zip lined, canoed and repelled into a sink hole.  It was like Disney Land in the Jungle and all authentic.  Not one bit of it contrived or touristy,  had lunch with the Mayan people and explored the village in which they lived.  Simply incredible and very humbling knowing what riches we have in Canada.

Dar and I at Jordan and Kenny’s Wedding on the beach.

We attended the Wedding of Jordan and Kenneth Curé, Snorkeled in the warm waters off of Playa Del Carman, and held hands in the sand.  What could be better.