We took a red-eye midnight flight out of Salt Lake late Sunday night/Monday morning. I've only ever flown once before. As the plane started to take off I was like a five year old on Christmas morning- it was so fun! I love flying!We had a 3 hour layover in Atlanta and attempted to take a nap but the airport was so cold- it was snowing outside but they still had the AC on-brrrr!
Here's our first view of Cancun- Gorgeous!
Cody and Shannon got there a day before us. Shannon got us these tasty treats at the airport in Dallas. Dried crickets and worms- yummy! They really weren't as bad as they look, they tasted like potato chips.
Jake and I soakin in the sun on the beach at resort we stayed at. Nothin better than sun, sand, the ocean, and strawberry daiquiris!
The first town we visited was Playa del Carmen. It was cool to see all their Christmas decorations. We went to the Wal Mart in Playa. So different than the ones here. They don't refridgerate their milk. It comes in boxes and is on one side of an aisle. They don't drink near the amount of milk that we Americans do. We loved their produce section. Jake was finding all sorts of fruit that he ate on his mission for us to try. I tried starfruit and guava for the first time. I'll pass on the guava next time- not my favorite! Their pastries looked delicious so we bought some to try with our breakfast. The biggest section at their Wal-Mart was the alcohol section- those Mexicans love their tequila! After we were done loading up with breakfast, lunch, and snack foods to hopefully last us through the week we went to dinner. I got ceviche and a pinata-virgin pina colada. We drank those every day! So good! By dinner time Jake and I were so exhausted from being up 48 hours straight! So after dinner we drove back to the resort and Jake and I were asleep within minutes of stepping through the door! I slept so good every night we were there! Best sleep of my life! I woke up between 6-6:30 to some birds that sounded like squeaky brakes every morning, but that was an ok alarm clock and I felt so refreshed every morning I really didn't mind the birds.
The next day we visited Puerta Moreles, our resort was located half way between Playa and Puerta, we tried out this little fish taco stand Jake had read about on the internet. It was delicious! Two fish tacos for $1.50!
And some yummy ceviche!
Geckos on the wall while we dine:) I thought they were cool lookin- I'd never seen a gecko before.
We went back to the resort and watched the entertainment there. This strange Mayan circus type play thing. It was kinda cool.
There were iguanas everywhere. This guy really wanted his picture taken:)
The next day I got to swim with dolphins! It was amazing- I felt like I was dreaming!
At Dolphinus they put me in a group with about nine other people and they have us get in the water and spread out so there's room for the dolphin to swim in between us. We got to pet the dolphin as it slowly swam by us. It was pretty surreal. We spent a half hour swimming with the dolphins. Then we each got to hold onto the dolphins dorsel fin and let it pull us a little ways. At the end we got to pose with the dolphin for pictures and the dolphin gave me a kiss on the cheek! I've always had a fascination with dolphins since I was in elementary- I wanted to grow up and be a marine biologist! So this was definately a dream come true for me!
They had us line up in the middle then the dolphins swam under us and then jumped over us! We had no idea what was happening- it was quite the surprise!
We had rented a car so it was nice to be able to just go wherever we wanted. Jake works with a lady who stays at this beach in Akumal every year. We decided to go check it out- not another soul in sight! It was nice to have the whole beach to ourselves:)
It was pretty breezy that day so we were a little reluctant to jump right in the ocean. I was still trying to get warm and dry from my dolphin adventure.
Shane was the bravest of the bunch so he jumped in first to do some under water exploring. Jake decided to go next.
I finally decided that the water was warmer than the air!
Jake found me some cool sea shells.
There are these cool raccoon lookin things running aroud all over the place over there.
Cody trying to touch the racoon thing.
Shane just about touched it.
Nothing better than eating dinner with your toes in the sand!
The next day we took the ferry from Playa to Cozumel to go spear fishing!
On the ferry waiting to leave Playa.
I loved riding on the ferry. I loved being out in the ocean- I seriously loved every second of this trip! It really felt like a dream!
Watched a guy out parasailing- it looks like so much fun!
Shane, Jake, Cody and Shannon all spearfished. Geana and I snorkled- we got to be right out there with them watching every thing they were doing. It was so cool. They took us by boat to different coral reefs then we'd just jump out in the middle of the ocean and try to shoot different fish- so surreal! I saw a barracuda and a fish that walked along the ocean floor. I love snorkleing-it is sooo awesome!
This is the first fish that Leo, the spearfisherman, got. Just as he was about to throw it into the boat it got away. He watched it land in some rocks on the ocean floor so he dove back down to try to get it. When he got there an eel was already eating it.
The beautiful sunset from the spearfishing boat just off of Cozumel.
Juan, the driver of the spearfishing boat, made us the best guacomole I've ever had.
We ate a platter of fresh fruit along with the guacomole- best lunch ever!
Jake and I after spearfishing.
Another picture of that same gorgeous sunset.
This is my favorite picture of Jake and I from the trip.
One of my jellyfish encounters while snorkleing-Ouch!!!
Shannon kissing the Trigger fish that Leo caught. Jake, Shane, Cody, and Shannon all were able to shoot at fish- but never did get any. It's a lot harder to judge distance under water. Leo let us keep this fish and we took it to a restaurant in Cozumel he recommended and they turned it some delicious ceviche.
Leo, Shannon, and Juan in the background.
A cool pirate cruise ship.
This pelican really wanted his picture taken.
Gorgeous Cozumel.
One of the biggest cruise ships in the world.
Our yummy trigger fish ceviche at La Morena Cozumel.
I ordered coconut fish- it was delicious!
Geana was really diggin the ceviche!
The owners of La Morena asked us to pose in these sombrerros for their facebook page.
Shane, Geana, Shannon, Cody, Jake and I in Cozumel before we board the ferry back to Playa.
Jake and I in front of the three bird statue in Cozumel where we met Leo.
Goodbye Cozumel!
The next morning I got up before the sun and saw this family of Mexican phesants-that's what I called them anyway.
The view from our hotel room balcony.
Watching the sunrise.
Jake and I spent Friday by ourselves and found this beautiful white sand beach in Puerto Moreles. Jake spent half the day sleeping on the beach. Shannon had given him a dramanine on the ferry because he was getting a little sick. Apparently it made him very groggy.
I got bored of taking pictures of Jake sleeping on the beach, so I decided to take a picture of me not sleeping:) Then I went snorkleing by myself for awhile.
We pretty much had the whole beach to ourselves.
Jake finally woke up!
Toes in the sand!!!
We ate lunch at a little local restaurant in Puerto that served this soup with whole shrimp thrown in- eyes, legs, everything! Jake just popped the whole thing in his mouth!
That night we went back to Puerto Moreles with Shane, Geana, Cody, and Shannon. They were having a Christmas program with Mary riding on a donkey down the middle of the street- it was cool to see.
Jake and I at a little park in Puerto.
Saturday at the beach at the resort.
My handsome hubby!
We took a bike tour of the resort and got to see some alligators.
a cool looking, really big iguana.
We also got to see some flamingos
That's our bike tour guide, Hugo: Aka Geana's boyfriend;), behind us.
We went back to Puerto, it became our favorite little town, and we found a fruit truck selling these yummy mini banannas. Jake was excited to buy some because they grew these same banannas in Vanuatu where he served his mission.
Shane and Geana playing soccer on the beach in Puerto.
Shane and Geana eating tomales on the beach in Puerto. 
Nothin better than strolling barefoot on the beach as the sun goes down!
I thought this little beach front restaurant behind us was cute.
Getting ready to take off for the flight home!
Cotton candy clouds.
I like this picture of the moon and clouds from the air.
Cody and Shannon got there a day before us. Shannon got us these tasty treats at the airport in Dallas. Dried crickets and worms- yummy! They really weren't as bad as they look, they tasted like potato chips.
Jake and I soakin in the sun on the beach at resort we stayed at. Nothin better than sun, sand, the ocean, and strawberry daiquiris!
The first town we visited was Playa del Carmen. It was cool to see all their Christmas decorations. We went to the Wal Mart in Playa. So different than the ones here. They don't refridgerate their milk. It comes in boxes and is on one side of an aisle. They don't drink near the amount of milk that we Americans do. We loved their produce section. Jake was finding all sorts of fruit that he ate on his mission for us to try. I tried starfruit and guava for the first time. I'll pass on the guava next time- not my favorite! Their pastries looked delicious so we bought some to try with our breakfast. The biggest section at their Wal-Mart was the alcohol section- those Mexicans love their tequila! After we were done loading up with breakfast, lunch, and snack foods to hopefully last us through the week we went to dinner. I got ceviche and a pinata-virgin pina colada. We drank those every day! So good! By dinner time Jake and I were so exhausted from being up 48 hours straight! So after dinner we drove back to the resort and Jake and I were asleep within minutes of stepping through the door! I slept so good every night we were there! Best sleep of my life! I woke up between 6-6:30 to some birds that sounded like squeaky brakes every morning, but that was an ok alarm clock and I felt so refreshed every morning I really didn't mind the birds.
The next day we visited Puerta Moreles, our resort was located half way between Playa and Puerta, we tried out this little fish taco stand Jake had read about on the internet. It was delicious! Two fish tacos for $1.50!
And some yummy ceviche!
Geckos on the wall while we dine:) I thought they were cool lookin- I'd never seen a gecko before.
We went back to the resort and watched the entertainment there. This strange Mayan circus type play thing. It was kinda cool.
Our resort was the nicest place I've ever stayed- way fancy!
There were iguanas everywhere. This guy really wanted his picture taken:)
The next day I got to swim with dolphins! It was amazing- I felt like I was dreaming!
At Dolphinus they put me in a group with about nine other people and they have us get in the water and spread out so there's room for the dolphin to swim in between us. We got to pet the dolphin as it slowly swam by us. It was pretty surreal. We spent a half hour swimming with the dolphins. Then we each got to hold onto the dolphins dorsel fin and let it pull us a little ways. At the end we got to pose with the dolphin for pictures and the dolphin gave me a kiss on the cheek! I've always had a fascination with dolphins since I was in elementary- I wanted to grow up and be a marine biologist! So this was definately a dream come true for me!
They had us line up in the middle then the dolphins swam under us and then jumped over us! We had no idea what was happening- it was quite the surprise!
We had rented a car so it was nice to be able to just go wherever we wanted. Jake works with a lady who stays at this beach in Akumal every year. We decided to go check it out- not another soul in sight! It was nice to have the whole beach to ourselves:)
It was pretty breezy that day so we were a little reluctant to jump right in the ocean. I was still trying to get warm and dry from my dolphin adventure.
Shane was the bravest of the bunch so he jumped in first to do some under water exploring. Jake decided to go next.
I finally decided that the water was warmer than the air!
I had never snorkled before this trip. We snorkled a little the day before at our resort. So this was my second time.
It is so awesome to check out all the cool fish and creatures under the water! It's a whole new world under there! I loved every second of it!
Jake found me some cool sea shells.
The hardest part of snorkleing for me was trying to get out of the water. The waves were getting strong and every time I tried to stand up a wave would knock me over! I felt like a beached whale!
There are these cool raccoon lookin things running aroud all over the place over there.
Cody trying to touch the racoon thing.Funny story- Cody and Shane have an obsession with picking up and touching every little sea critter they see in the ocean. Cody found this big sea urchin and was holding it in his hand and he was talking about how he wanted to take it back to the room and boil it and eat it. Right at that moment the sea urchin stabbed one of it's poky spines clear into Cody's hand! It left a big old purple streak in Cody's hand. Cody said his hand felt weird for a few days after that!
Shane just about touched it.
Nothing better than eating dinner with your toes in the sand!
The next day we took the ferry from Playa to Cozumel to go spear fishing!
On the ferry waiting to leave Playa.
I loved riding on the ferry. I loved being out in the ocean- I seriously loved every second of this trip! It really felt like a dream!
Watched a guy out parasailing- it looks like so much fun!
Shane, Jake, Cody and Shannon all spearfished. Geana and I snorkled- we got to be right out there with them watching every thing they were doing. It was so cool. They took us by boat to different coral reefs then we'd just jump out in the middle of the ocean and try to shoot different fish- so surreal! I saw a barracuda and a fish that walked along the ocean floor. I love snorkleing-it is sooo awesome!
This is the first fish that Leo, the spearfisherman, got. Just as he was about to throw it into the boat it got away. He watched it land in some rocks on the ocean floor so he dove back down to try to get it. When he got there an eel was already eating it.
The beautiful sunset from the spearfishing boat just off of Cozumel.
Juan, the driver of the spearfishing boat, made us the best guacomole I've ever had.
We ate a platter of fresh fruit along with the guacomole- best lunch ever!
Jake and I after spearfishing.
Another picture of that same gorgeous sunset.
This is my favorite picture of Jake and I from the trip.
One of my jellyfish encounters while snorkleing-Ouch!!!
Shannon kissing the Trigger fish that Leo caught. Jake, Shane, Cody, and Shannon all were able to shoot at fish- but never did get any. It's a lot harder to judge distance under water. Leo let us keep this fish and we took it to a restaurant in Cozumel he recommended and they turned it some delicious ceviche.
Leo, Shannon, and Juan in the background.
A cool pirate cruise ship.
This pelican really wanted his picture taken.
Gorgeous Cozumel.
One of the biggest cruise ships in the world.
Our yummy trigger fish ceviche at La Morena Cozumel.
I ordered coconut fish- it was delicious!
Geana was really diggin the ceviche!
The owners of La Morena asked us to pose in these sombrerros for their facebook page.
Shane, Geana, Shannon, Cody, Jake and I in Cozumel before we board the ferry back to Playa.
Jake and I in front of the three bird statue in Cozumel where we met Leo.
Goodbye Cozumel!
The next morning I got up before the sun and saw this family of Mexican phesants-that's what I called them anyway.
The view from our hotel room balcony.
Watching the sunrise.
Jake and I spent Friday by ourselves and found this beautiful white sand beach in Puerto Moreles. Jake spent half the day sleeping on the beach. Shannon had given him a dramanine on the ferry because he was getting a little sick. Apparently it made him very groggy.
I got bored of taking pictures of Jake sleeping on the beach, so I decided to take a picture of me not sleeping:) Then I went snorkleing by myself for awhile.
We pretty much had the whole beach to ourselves.
Jake finally woke up!
Toes in the sand!!!
We ate lunch at a little local restaurant in Puerto that served this soup with whole shrimp thrown in- eyes, legs, everything! Jake just popped the whole thing in his mouth!
That night we went back to Puerto Moreles with Shane, Geana, Cody, and Shannon. They were having a Christmas program with Mary riding on a donkey down the middle of the street- it was cool to see.
Jake and I at a little park in Puerto.
Saturday at the beach at the resort.
My handsome hubby!
We took a bike tour of the resort and got to see some alligators.
a cool looking, really big iguana.
We also got to see some flamingos
That's our bike tour guide, Hugo: Aka Geana's boyfriend;), behind us.
We went back to Puerto, it became our favorite little town, and we found a fruit truck selling these yummy mini banannas. Jake was excited to buy some because they grew these same banannas in Vanuatu where he served his mission.
Shane and Geana playing soccer on the beach in Puerto.
Shane and Geana eating tomales on the beach in Puerto.
There was a lady giving massages right on the beach, so we all got a massage- amazing! This was Jake's first time getting a massage, he says that he would way rather have me scratch his back-aahhhh!
Nothin better than strolling barefoot on the beach as the sun goes down!
I thought this little beach front restaurant behind us was cute.
Getting ready to take off for the flight home!
Cotton candy clouds.
I like this picture of the moon and clouds from the air.
I love flying! It is so amazing to me! Just such a fun and new experience I have a hard time finding works to describe how magical it is for me! I feel like a little kid!
This trip was honestly the best vacation I've ever had- I loved every second of it! It was so nice for Jake and I to spend some time together to reconnect. Our life has been so hectic the last few years. We really needed a trip like this:) I can't wait to take another:)
2 comments:
YAY!! you posted! It looks like so much fun! I'm glad you finally decided to share your photos with us! :)
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