'It sounds so simple, I just got to go.
The sun's so hot I forgot to go home.
Guess I'll have to go now.'
I was dragging my feet when it was time to pack up to go.
I kept thinking, 'What have I gotten myself into?'
I really do not like to travel, especially to foreign lands.
I was anxious and worried about the many things that could possibly go wrong. And thus, my digestive tract was already acting up and my nights were restless.
But boy, were my worries needless.
Wednesday 3/2 - Jack and Mary had invited us to join them at their two
bedroom villa at the Puerto Aventuras Club Lagoon in Quintana Roo. And
because Joe really wanted to go, I agreed to go along too.
So we flew from Nashville to Charlotte NC and then took a three hour flight down to the Yucatan Peninsula (southern end of Mexico), landing in Cancun. On our second, longer flight, we each had the luxury of having our own row of three seats, at one of the airplane exits, so we had tons of leg and arm room. It was wonderful.
Getting through immigration was quicker and easier than expected.
Then we caught the pre-paid shuttle Joe had arranged for
us. The driver offered us beer or water. We didn't accept any right
away, but later took him up on a beer.
The shuttle was a 95 minute, somewhat hair raising ride to Quintana Roo, where we were dropped off at the Aventuras Club Lagoon.
The picture below shows a pink arrow to Jack and Mary's second story villa. We were let off in front where you see the white car parked.
This second photo, from Aventuras Club Lagoon Resort website gives you another view of the villa. We had accesses to the beach, lawn chairs, little boats, and pool you see in this photo.
Jack and Mary greeted us with open arms, open heart, and an open house. They are such a sweet, loving, gracious couple.
After we dropped our bags off in our room, we headed out on a much needed walk. This is the Caribbean Sea behind us.
There were lots of things to see, including interesting insect life.
We called these 'Zipper Spiders' because of the zippers in their webs.
Just below our balcony these bees were busy pollinating these interesting flowers.
After a wonderful pulled pork dinner, we went for a tour (in the golf cart) of part of Puerto Aventuras. Tito, the schnauzer they rescued two years ago from here at Puerto Aventuras, came along with us.
We stopped by this beautiful house that Mary's daughter's family is renting for two months.
This was a quick view of the golf course.
Then we went to one of the two marinas and walked around for a bit, had pizza, beer, and later ice-cream. It was well after dark when we headed back to the villa, and, tired from travel, we did not stay up too late.
Thursday 3/3 - It was a beautiful morning. I kind of slept in so missed the sunrise.
Tito loves looking through the rails of the balcony at the action in the yard and pool below.
Mary and I took Tito for a nice long walk. And again, we saw lots of birds and other wildlife.
There were iguanas everywhere.
We walked around the marina (seen to the right in this on-line photo) and then Dolphin Discovery (in the center and left of the photo).
Here is a better aerial photo of Dolphin Discovery. There were several 'tanks' of Dolphins, one of seals, and one with a manatee.
We walked around these enclosures, watching the dolphins swimming around, as they were watching us.
It was so interesting to watch them, such intelligent creatures.
Tito was very curious about them, as they were of the dog.
Even the manatee was curious and swam over to check us out.
We had a pretty relaxing day, just laying out and swimming at the pool...
...taking the kayaks and paddle boards out in the lagoon...
We wanted to treat Jack and Mary to a fancy dinner but they ended up picking up half the tab.
Anyway on our way to the restaurant, we saw people feeding this spider monkey in the street.
Then, a few more houses down the road, a monkey caught my eye climbing down from the side of a building. And then we watched several come down into the trees and cross the street right behind our golf cart (video). They were headed towards the other monkey who was eating the banana (video).
We watched snorkelers out in the reef and some wildlife
that came to visit.
This is an Agouti, which took bread right out of our hands (video).
Walking to our golf cart after dinner, we went past a duo who were singing and playing our era of music, and doing a very good job of it. So we pulled up some chairs and enjoyed the rest of their set until they were done for the night.
And yes, there was a little dancing that also occurred, and we had fun interacting with some of the other people in the crowd.
We all hit the hay soon after getting home.
Friday 3/4 - The sun rising and shedding light on the lagoon beyond our back balcony.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, it remained dry, but cold. This is Amiga on the frosty morning.
Parm wishing he could go out and join Jean on the morning chores.
Later in the day, Wanda and Maggie joined Jean at evening feeding time.
Mary had pickleball to go play, so she took off in the golf cart. Meanwhile I joined the men on a long walk to the grocery store.
We were trying to figure out what this was, a giant nest of some sort, or the tree's reaction to an irritation such as a bacterium, or defect such as a hollow decayed spot or a crack.
Below, taking the walking bridge over the highway.
We did a good job of filling the cart, and once we checked out, Jack hailed a taxi which took us the mile+ distance home with our stash.
This is a good picture that includes almost all of the Puerto Aventuras 'compound.' It is a giant gated community with only one land entrance along the coast of the Caribbean Sea.
Soon we were off (in the golf cart) to the beach where we tried to rent two solar powered boats to go around in the Bahia Chan Yu Yum, the largest bay you see in the center of this photo.
We eventually learned that the second boat was under repair and wouldn't be ready today.
So we went back to the villa and enjoyed an afternoon of more swimming, sunning, and boating.
Tito enjoys the good life (Pura vida) with his humans.
Late afternoon we were off for a full body massage. I was a little leery about this because I can be kind of ticklish and sensitive to others touching me.
The massage therapists were running a little behind at the spa, so we had time to kill and went and watched this cute family swim with the dolphins.
My massage ended up being a great experience, very relaxing, and the masseuse got some kinks out for sure. She did an absolutely wonderful job.
We went straight home to shower off our greasy bodies from the oils used during the massage. Mary and Jack cooked us a great chicken meal, and then we watched an exciting, scary intriguing murder mystery called 'The Weekend Away.'
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Jean and Patty had invited several of the saddle sisters out for a bonfire. In this photo, Amiga and Zorro are tasting the new delivery of hay Jean was making.
With the fire going, the 'girls' cooked hotdogs and enjoyed a meal (including a salad Jean made).
This is Shirley, Judy, Carol, Karen and Patty.
I was feeling a little envious, wishing I was part of this party, because these crazy horse ladies are a lot of fun.
But I was also so thankful Patty and Jean initiated this and they had a great time. Spring is in the air = parties, bonfires and fun out at the ranch.
Saturday 3/5- Jean reported going on a hike with Maggie and seeing these daffodils at the back gate.
Jack and Mary had rented a car, so about 8 o’clock we loaded up, took Tito to a pet sitter, and then headed south down the Yucatán peninsula coast to Tulum.
This is an internet picture of part of the Tulum ruins. 
Tulum is the site of a pre-Columbian Mayan walled city which served as a major port for the ancient city of Coba. It was built on a bluff facing the rising sun, and is the site of the only Mayan settlement located on the beaches of the Caribbean.
It was a little confusing as to where to park, but once we got that taken care of, we walked into the Mayan ruins, got a tour guide and proceeded to walk around and see and hear all about the ruins. Our guide spoke good English and gave us information about Mayan history and many of the structures.
Tulum means 'wall', referring to the large (3 to 5 meters in height) barricade that surrounds the settlement.
The guide took us through this entrance to get inside the city.
Here are some of the photos I took.
In the right photo, Jack and Mary are walking to the next structure to see. It was quite breezy, which was nice, otherwise it would have been very hot.
He told us about Mayan history, culture, and religion.
The more affluent people in the community had their houses on the cliff where they had a view of the ocean.
Tulum is believed to be about 820 years old. Think of the people who stood on this cliff and looked out at the Caribbean Sea over that span of time.
There were iguanas everywhere. Mary had brought some apples with her and fed some while we were in the ruins.
We were stepping 'over the line' so we could have a photo of us in front of one structure, as we were heading out of the village.
It was about a 15 minute walk to our car, parked back at the beach.
We were hungry, hot, and tired, but decided since we were parked at the beach we had to take advantage of it. Chips and beer really hit the spot while we sat out at a table, soaking up more sun and watching the waves. What a beautiful coastline.
We saw this bird of prey way up in the dead tree on our way back to the parking lot. I took a close up of it, and it appeared interested in the small bird that had just landed near by.
We drove the rental car to La Buena Vida, a fun restaurant also located at a rocky shoreline of the Caribbean.
We sat outback in a fairly shady spot and enjoyed the sounds of the ocean waves hitting the rocks and the Latino music.
Service was a little slow, but we all got our fill of food. After a little shopping across the street, we hit the road.
Next on our bucket list was to swim in a cenote. The Garden of Eden one was closed on Saturdays so we picked the next closest Yax-Kin Cenote. It was in a beautiful location, with crystal clear water. The vegetation all around was pretty, and hardly anybody was there. Mary, Jack and Joe all took off snorkeling, but it was a little too cold for my liking and I’m not a fan of the face mask and snorkel tube.
I cooled off in the shallows, and then walked a
limestone creek looking at fish and snails until I came out around at the other end of the pool where Mary, Jack, and Joe were now at. They said there weren’t a lot of fish varieties or very colorful ones, but they did see a turtle and some other wildlife. We weren't sure what kind of lizard this is with one line down its back. We lounged on the available chairs while drying off and then headed for home.
(Below is a photo from earlier, of Mary feeding the iguanas while we were waiting for our tour guide at the Tulum ruins entrance.)
We left Yax-Kin Cenote just before they closed at five and it was close to 6:00 by the time we picked up Tito and got home. We were all pretty tuckered out and had had a late, big lunch, so we just snacked for dinner and then watched a movie - The Lost Daughter. None of us ever did really figure out what was going on even at the end of the movie. LOL. It was very strange and kind of creepy. But we were entertained for a few hours before hitting the hay.
Sunday 3/6 - It was a planned, and much needed day of rest. Mary had caught a cold, so needed some down time, which was another good reason to take it easy. Jean had another day off work and reported taking Maggie for a long walk again.
Joe and I hung out at the pool, sat down on the beach of the lagoon, and did a little more kayaking.
I caught this Agouti up by the pool munching on something. What strange animals they are.
Mid-afternoon we went for a golf cart tour of Central Park (video).
It is a very cool park with lots of playground equipment, pickle-ball courts, basketball courts, etc. The only difference from our parks back home, this one had no grass. It was all jungle between the golf cart paths and play areas.
There was a swing set for big kids we took advantage of.
Then we toured more of the Puerto Adventura community by way of golf cart.
We went to the newer section of the resort, where homes and villas were being built.
And we hiked back on a trail that took us to a remote area along the coast.
We actually saw this little ruin, tucked away at the edge of the jungle by the coast here.
The lighting in this photo is not too good, but you can get the idea of the path through the jungle.
We stopped in at a little sport's bar to listen to the lady who had been playing a few nights earlier. We sat out in the back garden area and enjoyed happy hour and some appetizers while waiting for her to start (as it turns out, we were an hour early).
(Joe's video) We also went right out through the back of the garden, to play with the dolphins for a little bit. I just love these intelligent creatures (video).
And there just might have been a little dancing.
When we got back to the villa, Jack
cooked a wonderful skirt steak dinner that had been marinated. It was
tasty and tender.
Then we watched the movie Vicky and Her Mystery.
Monday 3/7 - We had two solar powered boats reserved at 10 o’clock so went to the larger beach, and rented a palapa (an open-sided dwelling with a thatched roof made of dried palm leaves) that would be our 'home base.' Then we meet with the boat rental man. As it turns out, one of the boats still wasn’t working, so we decided to just take the one for two hours and take turns.
When Jack and Mary headed out first, the boat rental guy suggested they do a little test driving not too far out. They weren’t out more than 10 or 15 minutes when one of the engines failed. So all they could do was go in a circle. They basically had to kind of paddle and walk the boat back to the beach. What a bummer, but they did get a 15 minute ride for free. LOL
So, we ended up spending several hours lounging under our palapa. The way the rental works, you pay a fair amount up front, and they bring you lounge chairs, and then as you order food and drink during the day, it is deducted from the money you have paid in advance.
My view from the palapa.
There were these other shelters from the sun that were also available, but at a higher cost than the palapas.
We all got in the water to cool off at various times. Look at the beautiful aqua color of the water and at how crystal clear it was.
We enjoyed a long walk on the beach, lunch, drinks, popping in and out of the ocean, reading, and naps. It was quite lovely laying in the shade of our palapa.
Once back to Mary and Jack’s villa, we showered and cooled off in the air conditioning.
Then we took the golf cart down to the touristy boardwalk area and had dinner at this place with a wonderful three piece band.
The neighboring table of about 14 people was quite rowdy. They were celebrating a birthday and an anniversary. Some folks got up to dance, and so did Jack, Mary and Tito. LOL
The waiters did a little fire show (video) as part of the celebrations for the party table.
When the band took a break, we went for ice cream and then tried another bar with a different band. Then it was off for 'home' and bed because we were too tired to play a game or watch a movie.
Tuesday 3/8 - This was our last full day in Mexico. I had reported to Jean that we were having another beautiful day of sunshine. She sent this photo to say it was warm and sunny there but too cold for swimming and that the pool was probably not ready anyway.
Patty also reported that Rose had shown up for the first time. She looked pretty good, although a little dirty.
It was a much calmer day so we figured the ocean would be a little easier to snorkel in. At about 9:30, we all headed down to the same beach as the day before.
I was not interested in getting totally wet in the salty ocean water and offered to stay back and watch the valuables on the beach.
Joe, Mary, and Jack prepared to swim out. Jack was helping Joe with the mask and snorkel he was borrowing. They later reported that it was pretty good snorkeling, although Joe came back early because he was having troubles with his equipment.
I enjoyed watching a mother with her three young children (all under age of five) playing on the beach and in the water.
It was a much calmer day, but very hot because there wasn’t a breeze, so I got in to cool off a few times.
Once back to the villa, Joe and I went to sit by the pool, while Mary and Jack made some calls. This on-line photo does a good job of showing the pool and beach area. There is a kids wadding pool at one end and a hot tub at the other end.
While nodding off for a nap, we got a message from Jean about our new ranch neighbor (Jim). It was somewhat urgent that he get a hold of us.
Jim had gone to the ranch house and interrupted Jean while she was on the clock working. He asked if she would sign a paper he needed for a permit to get water and electric to the house he was adding. (Of course she wouldn't, so he needed to talk with us.)
Jean also sent this photo of the work being done next door... the footers for the new home were going in.
Joe called neighbor Jim and the issue that came up was concerning to us, but not urgent.
We needed to do some research so Joe made another call, and realized we would need to do even more research before we would be willing to sign on a dotted line. It could wait till we got home, but was concerning enough that we couldn't block it from our minds while we tried to enjoy our last day of vacation. Uggh!
We had started a game of Mexican dominoes after lunch, then took a break to swim again. We continued the game until it was time to get cleaned up to go to town for dinner.
Once home we finished up our game of Mexican dominoes and then took Tito for a walk before hitting the hay.
I could not sleep due to pre-travel jitters and concerns about what was going on next door at the ranch. I tossed and turned and maybe slept some, but got up in the middle of the night for a few hours, and worked on this blog.
I had gotten a message and this (video) from Jean. Bats in the belfry? Nope, undoubtedly a chewing rodent, probably a squirrel that we definitely need to evict. Just more to worry about. 😜
I got up again at 6am, definitely feeling sleep deprived. A shower and food kind of helped settle my nervous stomach and clear my head.
I packed my bag and in no time we were off for the airport in our prearranged shuttle.
Seen right is the airport at Cancun.
We had a three hour wait before our 1½ hr flight. We sat in row 32 (second from back of plane), and luckily were in no hurry to catch our next flight.
It took quite awhile to get through immigration at the Miami airport (seen left). The long line of people you see in front of us on the right of this photo, snaked around and back and forth until going into another area (seen where I drew the yellow arrow), which had an even longer line of people. Good thing we had lots of time.
This time we were in the middle of the plane (row 20) which was a good thing because we had to hustle to catch the last midnight shuttle to the hotel we had parked at.
I slept during much of the drive home. Arriving right at 2am, we both were quick to go to bed.
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