Our friend, Keri (and Doug!), is getting married at the Excellence Resort in the Riviera on June 24, 2016. How could we turn down that wedding invitation? Of course, sign us up! And since we don't often find ourselves enjoying an all-inclusive summer vacation....why not book us the upgraded Jr. Suite with swim-up pool too?
This might just be the first wedding I'm actually looking forward going to.
This is home for the next six nights. Pretty much fit for a king (and my queen). Notice the jacuzzi spa next to the bed. If it weren't for the swim-up pool right outside my door.....I might just take advantage of that thing!
But really? Who's gonna be spending time in their room when you've got 95 degree weather and a pool bar just waiting for you? We actually have our beer mugs reserving us a spot at the pool bar as I type this blog. This isn't our first all-inclusive rodeo!
Let's not forget about the beach! Just around the corner from our room is quite a view......
Did the travel agent forget to tell Keri that it's the rainy season in Cancun right now? Geesh! I don't know if you can tell by the picture above, but we had quite a few tropical storms blow through during our first two days in Cancun. The wind alone nearly blew my &%$@ right off my pool bar stool! Hopefully Annie's right.....and the sun comes out for Keri's big day on Friday. It ain't lookin' too good right now! I can't even hide under the pool bar it's raining so hard!
Luckily.....we have Melinda and George to hang out with! Melinda is part of the bridal party and also teaches with Keri and Jenesa. George is just one cool dude. If it weren't for these guys.....we'd be going bonkers!
.....for better for worse. For richer for poorer. In sickness and in health. Till death do us part.
Yada yada yada! I know it's the big wedding day, but the sun is finally out! Let's get this show on the road and hit the pool! Good thing for Keri that this turned out to be the nicest day of the week so far. Speaking of nice.....I decided to break out one of my snazzy Charlie Sheen shirts for the wedding. I think this is only the second time I've worn it in 10 years.
We all squeezed under the beach pergola and awaited the bride and groom to make their entrance. We've never been to a beach wedding before.....so this one was the best one we've ever been to. We were among 50+ other guests who flew to Mexico for this special occasion. Did I mention the sun was finally out? Where is the bride and groom?
Congratulations, Mr. & Mrs. Douglas Snyder!
Next, we're off to toast the bride and groom at a quick cocktail hour and reception. While waiting for the reception to start.....the boys nearly got themselves dizzy toasting themselves with Blue Lagoons!
Please don't tell anyone I've fallen victim to a blue tropical drink.....but damn they're good! We just couldn't stop drinking them! And then they started coming around with little appetizers of crackers and crab meat. I definitely had way-too-many-to-count. Somebody slap me!
While the boys were pigging out on appetizers and Blue Lagoons.....the girls were behaving themselves (at the moment) and posing with the bride. Take notice of the pretty green bridesmaid dresses (Sarah on the left and Melinda in the middle)......because approximately 90 minutes after this photo was taken one of those dresses ended up in the resort swimming pool! And the bridesmaid was still wearing it! AWESOME. I won't reveal her name, but George certainly had his hands full for the rest of the day!!!
*** Additional wedding photos can be found on the Wedding Page.
Before leaving for Cancun we just happened to be surfing the internet for things to do while in Mexico. We obviously wanted to leave the resort at some point and find some activities to do during the week. We are always a little adventurous on our travels.....and BAM! This adventure would certainly make a great blog post (I think?).
SNORKEL WITH WHALE SHARKS!
Who the hell does this? It's a whale. It's a shark. And you want me to jump in the water with it? Okie dokie! We actually did something similar a few years ago in South Africa. We had the opportunity to Cage Dive with Great White Sharks. It was definitely an experience of a lifetime. But the only reason I agreed to do that was the fact I would be in a cage! Of course, we survived that adventure....so I guess it's time for a new one.
We certainly lucked out on this trip! After spending the first hour (or two) searching for the whale sharks.....we hit the jackpot. They were everywhere! Enormous fish swimming right up beside the boats and tourists snorkeling right beside these monsters.
I was a little queezy after the long boat ride, but Jenesa and I were picked to snorkel first! So we donned our flippers and jumped right in with our snorkeling gear. It wasn't long before a giant whale shark appeared right beside us in the water. It was up to us to keep up with it and swim along its side.
There were rules for swimming with the whale sharks. 1.) No touching them. 2.) Do not go in front of them. 3.) And stay clear of their huge tail in the back!
We booked this adventure through Cancun Whale Shark Tours. They were highly rated on Trip Advisor and we had a great time. They even served us some pretty good ceviche for lunch on the boat ride back to the marina. All in all....a great time. Right, Jenesa?
***Check out ourWhale Shark Pagefor more pictures of this awesome Cancun adventure.
Ever since those first two days in Cancun.....the weather has been absolutely beautiful. My friend Nick has a great motto back home. Sun's out guns out! Leonard took this sunny opportunity to flex his gun's in the pool today. Woohoo!
When I'm not in the pool.....George and I can be found on the beach playing volleyball. Although after a few days those volleyball games quickly became a nightmare. Some people just shouldn't be allowed near a volleyball net. And others needed their mouths washed out with soap!
And, these resorts keep you hydrated no matter where you are! Jenesa hooked me up with a Coco Loco on the beach. Nothing quite like a refreshing drink (or two) while relaxing in the sun!
After visiting Machu Picchu last summer in Peru.....we weren't overly anxious to see the Mayan temples or pay to do an ecoarcheological adventure in Mexico. Believe me, nothing was going to top Machu Picchu anywhere in the world.
But if you throw in kayaking, zip-lining, and rappelling into cenotes (sinkholes) where you can swim in hidden caves....I may change my mind. During this trip we would also visit a few temples and the Nohoch Mul, the tallest temple in the whole Yucatan Peninsula. From the top of this temple you can enjoy breathtaking views of the amazing jungle that surrounds the site.
Even though it was nearly 100 degrees.....I managed to climb to the top of this pyramid. Jenesa camped out in the shade at the bottom and awaited my return. Hello from the top!
It's no secret that I'm pretty cheap! But today was no day to squeeze the Lincoln off a penny. It was frickin' hot! So Jenesa and I paid $10 to rent some Mexican boy to transport us back and forth (2.5 total miles) from the temple to our awaiting tour guide. It was worth every cent!
Unfortunately, this is where our adventure begins to unwind. I am all set to take pictures of our zip-lining experience and cenote rappel into the caves.....except when we get to the location we are told no cameras or photographs are allowed. The tour company would "provide" a photographer who would take your photos throughout the day.....and then you could "purchase" them after the tour was over for a whopping $75!!! Are you kidding me? This is exactly why Donald Trump wants to build a wall! The Mexican's love to rape American tourists for every cent in our pockets!!!
You cannot imagine how angry I was when our tour guide told us to leave our cameras in the van. I was able to snap one quick photo of Jenesa all geared up in her zip-line/rappel outfit.....but that's about all I got on this adventure.
We've zip-lined and rappelled before in Costa Rica....so we do have photos from those experiences. But I really wish I could've gotten a picture of the cenote. After rappelling into the sinkhole, we spent the next 20-30 minutes floating around on inner tubes and swimming in the dark cave. I would recommend you try it sometime if you get the chance!
I pulled the following pictures off the Coba Maya Encounter Alltournative website to showcase what we did during our adventure. Unfortunately, I cannot (ever!) recommend this tour company.
This little afternoon activity was a quick break from the pool on our last day in Cancun. Jenesa did not actually carve the above pineapple face.....it was actually our reward for completing the Banana Dolphin carving project pictured below.
STEP #1
Prepare/organize your equipment
STEP #2
Make precise cuts to sculpt your dolphin
STEP #3
Pose with your final masterpiece! Notice the side flipper and top dorsal fin.
She was the absolute life of the party during our entire week in Cancun. She was part of the bridal party and made us laugh so much that I just had to include her in this blog! We miss you already, Kristen!
Even though this was not our usual extended summer vacation trip.....we loved being a part of Keri and Doug's wedding and also hanging out with some friends in Cancun.
Hey George! I don't seem to get channel 48 back here in York, PA. How about you?
We are just two 40-something teachers from Pennsylvania looking to explore the world. No kids. No money. No worries! There is always something new to experience and see every year. And, whether by plane, train or Harley Davidson...we want to experience and see it all! So we're off again....
