I participated in a fundraiser for the Muscular Dystrophy Association last Spring. They had an incentive weekend where who ever earned the most on-line donations won a 'vacation pkg.' Well, with a last minute donation on Monday morning, I won!! I was thinking it would be something in the Ozarks or the Dells, well, it ended up being a week in a time share anywhere in the world (no airfare included). PERFECT prize for me! So I challenged myself to pick somewhere I've never been and after looking at my air miles, I chose Riviera Maya, Mexico! I invited my friend Sarah to come along as I figured I shouldn't go to Mexico by myself.
So off I went. Flew down on a Friday - boy, was it warm! A mix of hot & humid & sunny. The resort is south of Cancun - halfway between Cancun & Playa del Carmen. Of course I got hit up with the time share presentation...but the gifts were too good to pass up: 10% off all my purchases, free trip to Tulum, and $300 off my final bill. BONUS!! So I went & listened to that on Saturday before Sarah got there. I think they figured out pretty early on that the teacher isn't going to be buying a $53,000+ time share...bwhahahaa!
The resort is nestled back away from the road, had a huge golf course, and one of the top 5 biggest pools in the world. It also has a beach front - a bit rocky and dark coral - guess it got hit by the hurricane a few years ago and they need to fix it up. Still gorgeous!
Sunday we hit Playa del Carmen and even went over to Cozumel for the day...which was perfect since there were no cruise ships on Sunday so it was a ghost town. It was also county elections, so no one was serving alcohol on voting days...but we found a nice guy to serve us margaritas & nachos! :)
Monday we signed up for a tour to Chichén Itza. It was a full day tour (with alcohol on the bus), with a stop in Valladolid at the cathedral and a swim at a Cenote (underground pool, sometimes used for Mayan rituals). Sooo cool swimming in the Cenote - clear water, fish swimming, opening letting the sun stream in...priceless..
Chichén Itza, or Chicken Pizza for us gringos, was pretty awe-inspiring! The 4-sided, 91 step pyramid was breathtaking! The whole area was in ruins until they found it & started restoring it - wasn't destroyed by anyone, but by the jungle. Got to see Chac Mool statue, but the other impressive site was the ball court. If you've seen the movie "Road to El Dorado," they play the pelota, or ball game, in the movie. We read about it in my Spanish 3 class...so to see a real one was pretty cool for this Spanish teacher.
Tuesday we did our free tour to Tulum, a walled-Mayan city on the ocean as it was a port city. Spectacular and very well preserved. We hit Playa del Carmen for the evening...figured out to cover our resort bracelets to diminish the catcalls we got from all the local vendors claiming to be our waiters...
Wednesday Sarah left :( so I just lounged down by the beach and finished my 2nd book.
Thursday, in honor of my mom's bday, I went for a massage...and then took a nap on the beach...
Friday I went home. Got exit row seats from Cancun to Chicago. Since I only did carry-ons, I got to hit the "One Stop" line in O'Hare that combined Immigration & Customs - done in 10 min. Hit the priority security. Got on stand-by with the earlier flight and didn't have to sit in O'Hare for 5.5 hrs.
All-in-all, it was a spectacular trip. First time in Riviera Maya. It rained for a bit almost every day Although I love traveling with all my 'ducklings,' it was a bit freeing to travel solo and have some quiet time...a new experience for me. I'll definitely go back...either to Riviera Maya or try the west coast as I hear it's spectacular over there. Girls Week 2014 - woot woot!!
So there you have it, round one of July fun. Next round starts Wednesday - look for a new toe color :)
~steph :)
