Mexico Day 7.

Off to Tulum once more...this time Scott stayed at the resort for massages, and Shane and Linnea came along. This day started out on a catamaran...a 2 and a half hour cruise in the ocean, with all the free drinks you could drink. Thank goodness there was water and fresh fruit juice as well, I certainly don't mind a drink now and then, but pina coladas at 9:00 AM are a thing of my past.

We were lucky to have a small group, lots of room to lay in the sun

The water was directly below the netting, all the splash kept them cool.

I thought, at first, that the bathroom was directly right there because I could just see the top of a woman's head, and I was wondering what would happen if someone walked by and peered down. I thought that perhaps this was how catamarans worked and that everyone just went pee almost in public and that was the way it was...like when you go to hot springs and everyone is naked. I was quite relieved when I realized that the actual bathroom is to the left, and the woman I could see was just standing and waiting for her turn. *whew* I mean, "When in Rome" and all that...but I still don't want to pee in public.





 

The unisex toilet.

The weather was hot, hot, hot and the water was pretty calm. It was very enjoyable, and when one of the crew set up a couple of fishing rods, Steven's eyes lit up. All he wanted to do on this trip was to go fishing, and none of the rest of us wanted to. He asked the crew member who the rods were for, and the fellow said "Anyone who sees them move, feel free to grab on." Steven plunked himself beside one, and sat there for 2 hours....this picture might look romantic, but I think he was whispering in my ear: "If the rod bends...make sure you grab it!"

Well, you know how Fate works, Steven decided to get up and grab a beer, and sure enough...the rod bends, a crew member runs over and grabs it and hollers: "Fish! Who wants the rod?" Steven stood there, looking horrified and I took the bull by the horns, so to speak and hollered right back :"Here!" and shoved him towards the rod. I'm not sure how many other people wanted it, maybe none, but a few looked interested and I just knew that he'd let someone else take it, and always regret it. So he got to fish in the ocean in Mexico. It took a long time to reel it in, and it was just a small bonito, about 8-10 pounds, but the crew cheered him on and chanted his name and fed him beer and gave him a moment to remember. Although, the look on his his face when he saw how small it was, compared to the size he had hoped it would be, is my moment to remember.

Look at the woman behind, Hahahaha, I don't think she's ever seen anyone catch a fish before...the look of disgust on her face is priceless! (remember, you can click on the picture to make it larger, and to really get a look at the woman's face, also the man behind Steven looks pretty awestruck too!)

After that bit of excitement, the boat anchored at a reef, the second largest coral reef after the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and everyone got to snorkel out there, or, for those of us that didn't want to, we could jump off the boat and swim in the water, or even just hang out on the boat and relax. The water was so warm, and the waves were just big enough to 'bob' you around. It was pretty wonderful.

 The colour of the water was so gorgeous, even in the middle of the ocean it was so clear and blue.

After the snorkeling, we clambered back on the boat and had a nice lunch..chicken breasts, Caesar salad, nachos and salsa and guacamole and fresh fruit. Mmmm...tasty. We then took a little tender to the shore, had a bit of time to relax on the beach and then boarded a small van and went to the ruins at Tulum once more.

It was just as nice to see the ruins a second time, and since we had had "the tour" earlier, this time we just wandered by ourselves without a guide. The weather was hot and humid, and we were tired from all the fresh air on the boat, and the swimming, so it was enjoyable to be able to just meander slowly and to sit in the shady corners that you come across every now and then, and not have to keep up with the crowd. It was a fun day, and when we got back to the resort, we decided to shower off all the salt, have a rest, and head to the Mediterranean restaurant on the resort grounds for dinner. I have to admit, it was awful. Well, not awful, but not impressive. We all ordered a different dish, but we all basically got the same thing...fish in a red sauce...some had a bit of pasta tossed in, some had veggies, some had a bit more seafood (ie) a clam or a mussel, depending on what you had ordered. We ended up filling up with the salad bar, and more corn chips, nachos, salsa and guacamole...and that I could have lived on...it was everywhere, at every snack bar, buffet and restaurant, but the best and freshest I have ever had....mmmmm.....I've tried to replicate it at home, but it's just not meant to be.

We took a stroll after, found a nice outdoor coffee bar, had some cappuchino and called it a day. Slept like a log. Even the skittering of la cucaracha didn't wake me, nor the coatimundi who helped himself to the room service dish in the hallway....

One little sighting of a cockroach didn't bother me...I've seen far worse (as far as creatures in a hotel room go).