Turkey...Burritos? A Cancun Thanksgiving, Part 2

While in Cancun, we participated in three tours: Tulum, Jungle speed boats, and Isla Mujeres.  

About an hour from the Palace is Tulum, what used to be an ancient Mayan civilization, built in the early 1500s on a bluff facing east near the Caribbean Sea.  The Mayans moved to Tulum from Chichen Itza for the sun.  It's amazing to think that this city could actually be 500 years old!  

Some interesting facts were shared by our tour operator regarding the Mayans and their history.  I found them quite fascinating.  Did you know...

• Mayans came from Siberia and Mongolia when the continents were still connected
• The blue spot on the lower back (found on Mayans) is referred to the "Mongolian spot"
• They believed in human sacrifice of women, boys and girls (under13)
• The masks with eyes and mouth open (think Nacho Libre) were used to bury the dead.  They believed in reincarnation.
• November 12 is the biggest celebration, Day of the Dead.

Our second tour was a jungle speed boat tour which was AWESOME!  In a speedboat for two, we drove ourselves through mangroves on the Nizuk River and out to the Caribbean Sea.  Of course, the day we decided to do this, it was overcast and rainy for a few minutes.  Try driving a speed boat while the rain is coming down hard, feeling like hail, dripping into your eyes WITH contacts and attempting to keep up with the rest of the group.  Super fun and unnerving but we managed to stay close.  Don’t worry, the rain finally stopped and we kept speeding away.  Half way into the mangroves, Cam’s boat had a minor malfunction.  Luckily the rain had stopped by then while we kicked it in the middle of the river jungle.  Mr. Hombre Speed Boat Tour Guy came back and got their boat up and running.  Off we went to the middle of the sea!  Once there, all but Lindsay put on their snorkel gear and went off looking for sea life.  She thought she’d look after our things and the boat while we were out.  We came across schools of tropical fish.  They come so close it feels like their touching but they’re not.  I came across an eel swimming on the ocean floor.  Crazy talk.  We said goodbye to Nemo and headed back in our speed boats.  That was a really fun experience.  I want a boat!  If there is any way to own a boat without “owning” a boat, that would be great!

Our last excursion was to Isla Mujeres (Island of Women).  We took a 20 minute ride on what I considered to be a party boat to this island.  It was a cute little island, probably where rich American man own big house.  Upon arrival we walked past an arena of dolphins.  The option to swim with these creatures was available ($$$) but why do that when we were perfectly content waving to Flipper from the pier.  Apparently Flipper had some cousins because there were quite a few of them up in there.  

We continued on to the Palace Resort on the island.  It was there we found a small but secluded beach.  It was very peaceful and the weather was perf.  Don’t worry, we managed to stuff our faces just as well there as we did at Cancun Palace.  Emmalee got her hairs did and braided.  There was a cute little set of piers off of this beach which made for awesome pictures.  

There was this cute little village, not far from the port, filled will dining “establishments” and your typical Mexican souvenirs.  Fortunately for us, having been to Mexico a handful of times, there was no need for blankets, hats, and cucarachas.  We were able to concentrate on the more authentic and unique items…and the necessary magnet.  We came across this shop that sold these fun and unique lamps made from gourds.

It took awhile to find a magnet worthy of my travel mag collection.  It’s so hard to find a magnet that has not been mass produced with a spot where the name changes depending on the locale.  I always look for one that is very unique and says something about the vacation spot.  This one time (not at band camp) we found this really neat magnet hand painted by an artist in Cabo San Lucas.  Since that find, the bar has been raised and the hunt for a worthy addition has become harder.  Just before getting back to the port, I found a magnet that spoke Cancun to me.  Whew, the task had been completed.  Whilst in the middle of our search we came across these odd items:

If you look closely, you'll see that this tree has grown through this little shop.

Huh.  French Bistro Francais...in Mexico.  Really?

The trip back to the mainland was entertaining – the three caballeros hosting the ride were super fun.  Throw in some sing-a-longs, a bottle of Tequila and a few poles, the party was entertaining to say the least.

STAY TUNED FOR THE FINAL CHAPTER...