The Adventures of Lobster Boy and Raccoon Girl

So Jay thought it would be a good idea for me to write this blog, so here I go.

Yesterday was a day full of fun and adventure.  Jay and I started our day waking up early, and eating some breakfast before heading out to Xel-Ha. We were picked up shortly after 9am, and were greeted by our very nice and funny tour guide Alfredo.  

As Jay had mentioned before, Xel-Ha is one of the worlds natural wonders.  It consists of salt and natural waters, creating the most beautiful natural aquarium.  It took about 45 minutes to reach our destination.  When we arrived to Xel-Ha, Alfredo gave us a brief tour of the place.  Jay and I decided it was time to head out on our own and explore this amazing place.  

The first activity we decided to try was snorkeling.  We grabbed our snorkel gear and underwater camera and headed to one of the many snorkel sites.  As we emerged ourselves into the water, we forgot that it was salt water, and got a mouth full of it....not at all pleasant.  There were a lot of different fish swimming around us, and we tried snapping pics of them, but with the underwater camera it's hard to tell if we were able to get the right shot.  Snorkeling was a lot of fun, but very exhausting.  

We then headed to one of the many resturants in Xel-Ha.  The food was ok, but it could not compare to the food we have been eating here at the resort.  

After lunch, Jay and I ventured out to find the cliff jumping area.  On our way we saw some manatis being fed, and about 10 wild iguana's.  Finally after a lot of walking, Jay and I reached our next activity, Cliff Jumping.  When we arrived, there were about 6 other tourists surrounding the area.  The cliff was about 2 1/2 stories, and below us was clear blue water.  Jay decided that I should go first, and without any hesitation I jumped.  It seemed like a far drop, and the impact of the water stung my feet.  The water was very warm near the bottom but cool near the top.  It was Jay's turn next.  He also felt the impact on his feet.  We decided to each jump 2 more times, and we will post the pics later.  It was quite the experience.

We then headed to the mayan cave.  We put our life jackets on, and headed into the cave.  Let me tell you, it was beautiful, but dangerous.  There were tons of rocks at the bottom and I banged up my feet quite a bit, very bruised.  But again, it was quite the experience.

We were told to meet up at the bus at 2:30pm to head to Tulum.  Tulum is another mayan ruin.  We toured around the area learning the history of each place.  Then we were given 45 minutes to head to the beach.  As we walked to the platform; both Jay and I were amazed at what were seeing.  The most clearest and bluest water we have ever seen.  It was breath taking.  We made our way down the stairs to do a little swimming before heading back to the hotel.  The water was gorgeous.  The waves were crashing against the rocks making a thundering sound.  After some time in the water, Jay thought it would be fun to ride the waves into the beach.  I have never done this before, so I had Jay explain this me.  We waited till the perfect wave came.  Jay yelled go.  I held my breath and stretched out my arms.  I felt the wave push me forward.  It seemed fun for about 2 seconds.  Then I panicked as I felt the wave crash over me.  I felt trapped under water. I could feel my knees scrape the sand and my bathing suit being pulled off.  Finally, my head emerged...I could breathe.  I checked myself out, my bathing suit intact, and I managed to hold onto our underwater camera.  My nose burned of salt water, and my kneed slightly bloody.  I would never do that again.  But once again, it was an experience.

We headed back to the bus, and took the 45 minute ride back to the resort.  Jay took a siesta, while I stared out the window thinking about our day.

We arrived back to the hotel, took a shower to wash all the sand off, and went to dinner.  We decided to try the oriental restaurant, it was amazing.  We grabbed a couple of drinks at the bar, and headed back to our room to relax.

The day was probably the best day since we have been here, and I will never forget it.

A&J

Xel-Ha

After a long, and restful sleep we are headed out to Xel-Ha for the day.  I got my batteries charged, and we got our underwater camera in case we run into any sea turtles during our snorkeling, we've recharged on bacon, toast and coffee at the poolside breakfast buffet.

We're ready, YAGUARS ARE JU READY, LET'S GO!!!!!!

J&A

Drunk by the Pool Day

We look like a couple of tomatoes ... drunk tomatoes.

Coba Mayan Village Tour

Woke up this morning at the crack of 6:30 am ... I know, hard to believe that I would be up earlier than noon, but alas it is true.  After slowly rising, and getting ready for our day, we headed out to one of the many restaurants on the resort for our early morning breakfast.  I scarfed down a plate of breakfast sausage, bacon and a couple of pancakes, and washed it all down with half a cup of (very strong) Mexican coffee.  Amber had some fruit and a belgian waffle, and some orange juice.

We both finished our breakfasts, and headed back to the room to pick up some more cash we thought we might need on our trip, then journeyed back to the main lodge (lobby) to wait for our tour bus.  We were a little bit early, and ended up standing in a crowd of about 50-70 other tourists waiting for their tour buses to arrive.  After most of the crowd was picked up, our bus pulled up, and our amazing tour guide Jorge greeted, and escorted us onto the bus.

We stopped off at two other nearby resorts (both of them very beautiful) to pick up a bunch of other tourists.  After the bus was full we hit the highway and took the 45-50 minute drive to Coba.  What is Coba??  Well, Coba is a Mayan ruin, well it's an area that was once occupied by the Mayan's (some still live in nearby village's).  But we took an amazing tour visiting the two pyramids in the area.  The first was a 9 level temple signifying the 9 levels of the underworld.  Near that was a "ball court" which was used in the Mayan Times as a sport that would sometimes last for months at a time.  I can't wait to post the pictures, but I'm sure you can find some online somewhere.  They weren't aloud to use their hands, or their head or feet to hit the ball, only their chests their knees, and their shoulders.  And they had to hit the ball through a very small loop at the top of a very steep rock hill.  It's hard to explain, but looking at it from where we were, I find it nearly impossible, and I dare to challenge anyone to do it!!!!

After that, we ventured about 2 miles through the jungle to another temple.  This one we were actually aloud to climb.  And I did....Amber didn't, and I don't blame here, after I got half way up, I was shitting my pants, it's very steep and VERY high.  She did go up about 3 quarters of the way, so I give her props for that.  I can't say that it was anything special up there, but it was more for the experience of saying I actually did it.  After reaching the bottom, my legs started to cramp up, and the 2 mile walk back was not fun for my stems.

After getting back to the bus we headed over to small Mayan restaurant where we drank beer, ate some incredible tortillas with unbelievable salsa, and enjoyed a wonderful dish of chicken, beans, rice, and lettuce, one of the best meals I have had so far.

After lunch, we walked across the street to a nearby beach where one of the tourists was hitting the water with a stick trying to get a crocodile to come out of the water.  I just kept my finger on the shutter of my camera, waiting for the pulitzer prize winning picture of a crocodile chomping the arm off the tourist, but to no avail, the crocks never came, and we all got back on the bus, unharmed and fully limbed.

We headed down the road to visit a small Mayan community, and it was awesome to see a completely different culture, to see how they live, and function.  These people still hunt and farm for their food and are completely self sufficient.  Most people who come here think that are poor, but in fact they aren't.  They are self sufficient so they don't need the luxuries that we take for granted every day, and really don't need.  It puts things into perspective, proving that we don't need playstations, and dvd's and televisions to survive, we need survival skills, and we need to know how to survive in our own world.

After dishing out some gum for the local Mayan Kids and snapping some pics, we go back on the bus for a little Siesta (nap) as we headed to Cenote (Sinkhole).  A Cenote is a geological formation that only exists in the Yucatan Peninsula.  The core of the eninsula is made of limestone, and faults in the limestone  create subterranean caves, wells and rivers.  Cenotes are natural water deposits that are formed when the underground waters comes up to the surface of the earth. Ancient Mayan mythology considered cenotes to be sacred entrances into the underworld.  It was an awesome experience, the water was cold, but it was a refreshing cold after being in the blistering mexican heat all day.

After our little dip in the healing waters of the cenote, we headed back to the hotel, where we got dressed, grabbed some dinner, and headed back to the room to check our emails and facebooks.  We checked out more pics that were posted of the wedding, they look awesome, thanks everyone.

Well, time to sleep.  We've decided that tomorrow is going to be drinking by the pool and spa day.  We're going to wake up early, grab some breakfast by the pool, and then start drinking early, while we bake in the sun.  We have a spa appointment at 1, for some relaxation massages, which are much needed after the daunting task of climbing ancient Mayan Ruins all day.

Well, that's about it for tonight, we're watching Lost In Translation (how fitting), as we slowly fall asleep.  As I look behind me I notice that Amber is already passed out.  Time for me to get off this thing, and enjoy the comfort of our king sized bed.

J&A

The Wedding Day & Start of The Honeymoon

Well, it's 6pm (Mexico Time), in our luxurious suite in Playa Del Carmen Mexico. Amber and I are getting ready to go out for dinner, our third as a married couple. We are staying at the Blue Bay Grand Esmerelda, and beautiful all inclusive resort on the Mayan Riviera just 50 or so minutes from Cancun.

As we relaxed by the pool today, taking a few pictures of another wedding that was happening on the beach, I realized that I hadn't yet made a blog entry. So I vowed to do so when we got back to the room. So here we go.

First off, we want to thank everyone who helped with the wedding on Saturday, what an incredible day, it was one of a kind, and I want to say I won't forget a minute of it, but we all know I soon will, it's impossible to remember every detail, of every moment. I think that is why they invented the wedding photographer, and videographers. Steve, Stacey, Adam and Shaun from Aexian studios couldn't have done a better job. I've worked with them all summer documenting everyone else's wedding, and I can't say how fun and exciting it was to have them there on our day, making sure that every moment was captured and recorded forever.

The ceremony was perfect, short and sweet, just the way I like it, the reverend was amazing, he was truly one of a kind, and we're grateful he married us, what a wonderful gentleman.

The hall was incredible, way more than I expected, when I first walked in I was totally shocked, I couldn't believe how well the colors (or lack thereof) came together to create the perfect blend of color and design.

Thanks to everyone for coming, it was an honor to spend out day with all of you, and though I may not have spent a lot of time talking to everyone, please know that you were all there for a reason, we love you all, and we are so happy that you came to celebrate our marriage, and hopefully, if you are married, we hope that you celebrated your love as well.

After the reception, we went home, packed up our things, and waited about an hour or two for Niagara Airbus to pick us up. No sleep for us, and it was painful.

We kinda slept a little bit, cuddled, and cold in the back of the bus, as we picked up a few older people on the way. We made it to the Toronto Airport at approximately 6:30am, and waited to board the plane. We were forced to watch news of the Marriott in India (I think India) on fire after a bombing, and some CFL football highlights. Half asleep, half zombies, neither of us were feeling too well, but we boarded the plane, and took off for Mexico.

I spent the 4 hour flight, trying to sleep. Amber slept for about 30 minutes before being woken up by some pretty bad turbulence. I cannot sleep on a plane, I've never been able too, I think my body is immune to it.

We landed in Cancun at about 12:30pm local time, took a shuttle bus to the resort, and were amazed at how beautiful it is here. We have a garden view room. Not the greatest view, but then again, we haven't really spent much time looking out the balcony. We did a lot of exploring yesterday, walking around the pools, going to the beach etc. Then we were in bed by about 8:30pm, we watched Mean Girls on t.v. (In English, thank god), then fell asleep.

We woke up early this morning met with our travel rep, and booked a few excursions that are going to be great. I will post more about them as we do them. Tomorrow we are headed out to the Coba Mayan Village tour. We visit one of the Mayan Pyramids, and then we go swimming in a sink hole or something, and then visit a Mayan Village. Should prove to be a great time.

Then Thursday we've book the Tulum and Xel-Ha one of the world's natural wonders. It's the world's largest natural aquarium, where fresh and salt water meet. Apparently you can snorkel through, and see sea turtles on the bottom, and fresh water fish on top, because there is literally a level of fresh water, overtop of the salt water. There are a lot of other things to do there as well, scuba diving, and cliff jumping to name a few that I will definitely be partaking in.

Well, that's sort of what we have in store for the week, I will try and post more as the week progresses, both on this site, and my own personal site. I've already got a few great pictures, but unfortunetly I forgot my card reader and usb cable at home, so we have no way of capturing them. I will post them when I return.

Hope everything back home is great with everyone, and thanks again for Saturday, it was incredible.

J&A