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Viva Mexico! Cancun 2009
Submitted by: Jim Ford - 03/03/10 1:47 pm

Viva Mexico! Cancun 2009
Last summer my then girlfriend Debbie and I planned a trip to Cancun, Mexico to have a little fun in the sun, soak up the culture, eat some great food, and let our worries go for a few days. As it turned out we had broken up by the time the trip came around the first of October. But the passports, flights, and all-inclusive resort had already been paid for and we decided to go as friends anyway! Yes, there were some ups and downs but we had a lot of fun and came back alive so it was all good.

Don't forget to check out another 20 pictures and the rest of this story, Cancun 2009, una Mas Fiesta!.

I'd been to Cancun once before in 1994 with my first wife Melanie and boy has it changed! Mexico has spent an ungodly amount of money to make this place much nicer, albeit much more expensive. One morning we took a ferry ride to Isla Mujeres (Island of Women) for some shopping and snorkeling. Here are a few pictures of us racing to the dock to make the ferry in time, me trying to look funny (and failing!) on top of the boat, Debbie and I chillaxin, and finally the welcome sign at the tiny outdoor bar greeting us when we reached the island.

We bought tickets for a snorkel trip off the reef later in the day and decided it was just too hot to go any further without a beer or 4. Hey, it's vacation! So here you see me rolling up to the little beach bar, talking shop with one of the snorkel guides like I'm the first guy to ever do that (I'm told beer is a relaxant), and then waiting for the snorkel boat by the pier.

So we made our way through a maze of shops, flea markets, street vendors, and outdoor restaurants while we wait for our turn to snorkel. I REALLY wish I'd have bought the decorate hanging lamp made out of a gord that looked like a disco ball jellyfish from a thousand years ago, but the shop owner wouldn't haggle at all so we moved on. Many of the restaurants were actually kinda pricey and touristy so we found this hidden little place above a non-descript shop with no one in it. They treated us so well and the food was fantastic! We ordered a couple of Sol (sun) beers, and I tried a big plate of octopus. It was fantastic! Debbie ordered us chips as appetizers with what she thought was chili dip. It was actually super spicey jabenero salsa/relish. You shoulda seen our faces when we took a bite! Ha ha.

We realized we were about to miss the snorkel boat and raced through the streets. We get to the boat where they offer us more beer, gotta love this place! We were half lit and having the times of our lives. The rules are we had to wear canoe-style life jackets but my guide says, "You look like you're in shape, take your vest off and I'll let you dive with me". So I did and we dove down about 20 feet in the clearest water. Maybe not the smartest thing I've ever done after 4 or 5 beers because I had trouble holding my breath and my ears were popping, but it was SO COOL. He had me stick my hand in the little dug out hole and and octopus (which I hadn't seen because it blended into the ocean floor) scurried past my fingertips into the hole to hide from me. Unreal! We snorkeled for a good hour or so and the fish, squid, and sea life was amazing. Note to self, coral hurts! Oh, and yeah, the salt in the eyes and nose... not a big fan of all the stinging and snot. I can taste it now just thinking about it!

We then headed over to Isla de Tortuga (Island of Turtles) for more drinks, watching people hold a shark in a tank, and some great relaxation. Saw this great shot of birds on old pier stumps as the boat pulled into the slip, this old guy playing spanish guitar for us at the table, and then lo and behold a friggin LIZARD just rolls right by our feet... I mean inches from our toes looking for food. I guess it wasn't his first rodeo because he lazily walked around till he found a spot he knew we could all toss him bread and chicken. We finally headed back to Cancun after an awesome day and I took this shot of a rainbow that came out overlooking the weather flag on the beach.

And this was just the half of it! Wanna see and hear about more of the nightlife? Check out another 20 pictures on the next story, Cancun 2009, una Mas Fiesta!.

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