Justin's jetboat/snorkle trip/Interactive Aquarium

5.26.08
This was a day Justin and his dad were taking a jet boat excursion around the island and were going to go snorkeling. Marie and I were going to hit up the local mall which also had an “Interactive Aquarium” in it. I had read about how the mall was very close to the ocean and how neat the aquarium was and thought this would be a great day for Trey. My first adventure with Trey and Marie was finding a bus stop and dodging the traffic along the “Zona Hotel” strip which sometimes offered a sidewalk, sometimes not. We passed a huge truck/trailer carrying a boatload of Army Men. I got a bit nervous; not only for my safety, but also for maneuvering around their vehicle with taxis, busses, and rental cars zooming past us. We made it to a bus stop and then realized what a challenge it was going to be getting the stroller on the bus. Finally, the bus driver helped me lift the stroller onto the bus and then placed it in a little nook beside the bus door. Each time he would open the bus door, the stroller would look as if it was going to fall to the ground.


Trey standing on the bus

About three stops after ours a man got on the bus with a water bottle in one hand and a Karaoke type of contraption in the other. He was our entertainment for our bus ride and he serenaded us with a Spanish love song which Trey thoroughly enjoyed. He sported a smile from ear to ear, where I just bowed my head in embarrassment. I couldn’t stand to look up, considering we were sitting in the second and third row from the front, where the man was standing, singing his little heart out. When he was done, Trey applauded for him as if he had just one a Grammy, and I just giggled.


Can you believe this interactive aquarium is in a mall? Look at that view?!



Trey and Grandma Marie at the Aquarium

At the aquarium, Trey and I got to touch a stingray, a shark, and a turtle.

Feeding the stingray









Watching the sharks swim


Trey touching a shark

The highlight of the experience was watching the Dolphins interact with the swimmers.



Watching the dolphins from a distance

You could pay $165 to “swim” with the Dolphins, and after watching for a few minutes, we realized the swimmers didn’t exactly get to “swim” with the Dolphins. I felt so bad for Trey, he really, really wanted to swim with the Dolphins, but we didn’t get the chance. Marie pointed out that he probably would have been too scared, and I think she was right. Luckily, on our way back, there was a bus stop right across the street from the mall which we easily boarded without waiting and the stroller situation was solved by just setting in the isle. I was already standing in the isle, so Marie and I both held onto the stroller. We arrived back at the hotel just after Larry and Justin and we enjoyed listening to their adventures. The afternoon was spent reading (Larry and Marie) on the beach, or playing in the water and sand.











I had to take a picture of the seaweed. It looked so much like grass


Trey's plumber crack!


Trey's attempt at sampling the sand. Didn't taste so great!

Marie joined us for quite some time in the water, which was so warm; almost like bath water. The evening was spent wandering the market streets of Cancun.





We put Trey in a baby Kelty backpack, and I honestly think people in Cancun have never seen a contraption like ours before. They kind of gawked at us, but I think Trey enjoyed their stares. As we would walk by, people would whisper ,”Muy Bonito” as they stared at Trey. His blonde hair and bright blue eyes were really attracting attention. Marie and I found a fabric store (which we then realized was not an uncommon thing. That and shoe stores, they were on every corner!) and we ventured inside to see what they had . Marie was amazed at their prices. I was looking for interesting fabric for my burp cloths and found a few bolts I liked. When I asked if I could purchase some fabric, a smart, well educated young man with VERY strong English skills said, “The whole bolt?” I realized he was joking and I said, “No, a yard please.” He then asked if a meter was okay. Joann’s Fabric would have a heart attack if they saw how this boy cut my fabric. He made a little slit in the fabric, and then grabbed each side of the fabric and tore the rest of the fabric in half. So quick and easy, I was impressed! Justin then bought some sandals because he found that morning, his new sandals he had just purchased, the day before our trip at Cabella’s were two rights instead of one right, one left and we found a cute soccer jersey top and bottom set for $7.00! It said Mexico on the back and was green! So cute! We took Trey into a McDonald’s to get some Chicken Nuggets (I asked for small chickens, in Spanish, and they got the idea!) before we headed off to our dinner and he had a great time with three little boys in the play equipment. It was so interesting to watch them interact. The boys kept asking him his name in Spanish, you could tell they wanted to communicate, but they just ended up growling and making silly animal noises at each other and chased each other around. It reminded me of Trey and his friends at Miss Michelle’s. They are always pretending to be some kind of animal. Even though they didn’t speak the same language, they still found ways to communicate, and how interesting it was that they weren’t too different from each other.




The three little boys from McDonalds. This was the only picture they would let me take of them!

After visiting the market place and wandering the back roads of the town, I realized you could never go underwear-less, shoe-less or fabric-less in this town. They sell shoes, underwear and fabric like it is going out of style.

We at dinner at the nicest, classiest, café called Pasteria. The only other American’s in the café had a Stephanie Meyer book, the Eclipse sitting on their table. It was a book in a series we read for bookclub, one book I really didn’t enjoy, but I just had to get a picture nonetheless for my club.



I thought they would find it just as interesting as I did, being in Cancun and seeing that book everyone else seemed to really enjoy. Not only did I take a picture of that couple with a book, I also took a picture of our meals because they were beautiful. Larry and I both got crepes (Larry’s was fruit filled, mine was ham and swiss filled) and I loved every bite of mine. The café had orange accents everywhere. I knew my mom would have loved this place, she loves the color orange.


Trey


Justin and his meal


Grandpa Larry and his yummy, sweet dinner! My kind of dinner. In fact, I secretly wanted a sweet crepe but didn't know what my inlaws would have thought. I should have ordered it darn it!




My crepe that was DELICIOUS!

The night was spent on the beach, playing in the sand, watching the Pirate Ships float by and entertainment from the "spray paint artists." The artists were amazing!





We purchased this print but unfortunately it was ruined in our suitcase.

Tulum and XCaret

5.27.08

The agenda for today: Tulum to wander around the ruins, and XCaret (pronounced ish-car-et).
Justin drove us to Tulum which were ruins next to the ocean. We read in our Cancun and The Yucatan for Dummies book told us to ride the bus to the ruins, the walk was supposed to be .75 miles to the ruins. The book was very wrong, but Trey enjoyed the train pulled by a tractor.


Enjoying the shade of the tractor ride






Trey playing in a ruin



The view from the ruins was breathtaking, the water was beautiful. There were “Iggy’s” everywhere, so Trey was in heaven.





As I was taking Trey to the restroom at the end of our excursion of Tulum, a lady came up from behind me and said, “Are you LDS?” I said, “Um, yes I am.” She said, “I could see the smile through your shirt. (I was wearing a white shirt and I guess she saw my garment line through my shirt.) Did you take an LDS tour?” I told her “No, I didn’t know they were offered.” I asked her her name, it was Alma, and told her I wanted to introduce her to my family. She informed us there were 25 LDS tour guides at Tulum, 2 of which were her brothers (named Moroni and Helaman!) and that they were always willing to take LDS groups through. She pointed out several things we saw engraved in the ruins and also gave us a Tree of Life engraving. So sweet, it was a very spiritual experience for us. Justin’s dad even gave her a hug and thanked her for her time.
After a yummy popsicle, we were off to XCaret.









XCaret was specially built ecological and archaeological theme park and one of the most popular tourist attractions. They say it is the closest thing to Disneyland in Mexico you can get. It offered an underground river which was about a mile long, a jungle setting with palm tree lined beaches and snorkeling lagoons.


The first set of animals we came across in Xcaret were beautiful birds


We began traveling down the underground river. We borrowed life vests, and should have gotten the flippers they were offering, but we are used to the Lazy River at Roaring Springs where you don’t need a thing. The current takes you where you need to go. NOT for this river, we actually had to paddle our way through the river, and swimming with Trey attached to you, the men in our group had a hard mile ahead of them. The river was pretty amazing. Justin and his father, both engineer minded men, had a difficult time deciphering which parts were completely natural and which were not! (I guessed the huge room with the stained glass ceiling and the Enya music piped into the walls of the room was NOT natural, but that was ONLY a guess.) We could see wildlife as we cruised down the river, deer and birds. Trey was such a trooper, he was so nervous, and very cold in the 62 degree water temp, but he seemed to enjoy it. There were people taking pictures along the route and lifeguards checking in on you every once in a while. We did end up getting out early, the last stretch of the river was through a jungle-y looking area which was a little too creepy for some of us.
The park offered baby chicks just hatching in one of the gift shops, baby turtles, HUGE, HUGE turtles swimming in little bays, tigers, pumas, monkeys, and an aquarium. Trey got to touch a starfish and a sea cucumber.


Trey touching the Seacucumber


Trey and his "Iggy" hat Justin found for him


We bought him a visor at the beginning of our tour around XCaret that had an “Iggy” on it. He barely took that visor off.
The evening was filled with watching dolphins swim and playing on the beach while we waited for their nightly show.


Trey and Grandma Marie enjoying the Dolpins


Our family watching the nightly show


The show was very entertaining and nicely done. Their costumes were very detailed and the music was all live bands and orchestras. All of the narration was done in Spanish, so we figured most of the tourists we were probably the minority watching this show.


As each dance was announced, the crowd would get so excited. As I watched each performance, I kept thinking to myself, “If this was a show in America, what dance would they perform or showcase that would get us all on our feet?” The Soulja Boy, the Chicken Dance, the YMCA or better yet, the Macarena? Seriously, I couldn’t think of a dance we could really call our own. I am sure there are some out there, but as I was mentioning it to Marie, she had said there was one or two dances America can call there own, but I hadn’t heard of them. Kind of sad.
Dinner was the Auto Mac, which was the take out for McDonalds. That was the best Big Mac I had ever had, Justin got a chicken sandwich, Marie a single hamburger, and Larry, a McFlurry and some kind of pie. He had asked for an apple, but by how long it took them to make it, they either had to pick or peel the apple before cooking it for Larry, or they just slopped any kind of fruit in the pie because Larry said it definitely wasn’t apple. I was guessing Mango possibly, but who really knows.

Sailing and Isla Mujeres

Our family on the Sail Boat named, "Lupita"

5.28.08
Justin’s parents have picked up the hobby of sailing for the last several years, and really wanted to take a sailing trip to an island. The island of choice: Isla Mujeres. The Isla Mujeres, a real Mexican beach town across the narrow channel from Cancun, is one of the most popular, and has said to be one of the most “pleasant” day trips you can take from Cancun. They say it is about 10 miles from Cancun, but by sailboat, it seemed much farther. We boarded “Lupita” the sailboat with about 20 or 30 other passengers, ranging in all languages and nationalities. The crew consisted of a bartender (open bar for everyone, even Trey Man!), the captain, Video man, an “odds and end crew man” and the tour director. Everything he said was first in Spanish, then in English. I was really enjoying the ride, Justin, not so much. I had packed motion sickness patches for him, just in case, and thank heavens he brought one on the boat and put it on within about 10 minutes. Bless his heart, he kept asking me how I was doing, but I have a feeling he was doing much worse then I was. We weren’t wearing life vests, so I was clinging tightly to Trey. About 5 minutes after putting the patch on, I find Justin’s head in my lap, slumped over like he is going to die. Here is Trey on one leg, Justin’s head taking up the rest of my already crowded lap (considering my belly and Trey’s booty!), I really didn’t know what to do at that point! I just stroked Justin’s hair and prayed he wasn’t going to get sick on me. 3 minutes later, he sat up, looked at me a little surprised and said, “I don’t remember lying across your lap.” WHAT? He said he felt like he was going to pass out, and the next thing he knows is he is in my lap. He seemed fine after his little “nap” and he reassured me the patch was working. The Tour Guide started handing out life vests and said we were going to be stopping for snorkeling, get on the vests and be ready. I passed on the snorkeling, figuring I was feeling fine and didn’t need to get in the bumpy waters to make me feel ANY better. So, the family suited up to snorkel, even Marie who is deathly afraid of fish, and they were bailing off the side of the boat to go snorkeling. Marie, didn’t bail off, basically sat on the edge and lowered herself into the water, but I understand, she had her contacts in and with the fear of fish, who would want to disturb them with a huge splash? As the boat docked and Trey and I sat, moving with the waves of the ocean, I began to feel a little sick to my stomach and realized I should probably take this opportunity to use the facilities. I quickly gathered Trey up and carefully trudged my way across the top of the boat, holding onto Trey’s little hand and watching my every step. As I made my way down to the restroom, I got a bit lost and yelled for directions, thankfully the Video Man was down there already and steered me in the right direction. I noticed the restroom was too small for Trey to come in with me so I pleaded with him to sit outside the door for me. He said he would, and then the Video Man said not to worry, he would keep his eye on Trey. This Video Man ended up being my Savior on this trip! As I used the facility, I could hear the Video Man ask Trey questions like, “What is your name? How old are you?” Trey began telling him about his upcoming 3rd birthday and the Pirate Party he was going to have. I didn’t hear speaking after that and so I called out Trey’s name, praying this Video Man didn’t take him up on top and try to steal him. (I am sorry, but we were in a foreign country and strange things happen!) Trey didn’t answer, so I was getting a bit nervous as I was quickly washing my hands. Then I heard the Video Man say, “Trey, your mom is calling you,” and Trey answered me. As I tried to flush the toilet (I was told to pump the handle 6 times and it should flush) after pumping the handle about 25 times, the Video Man said, “Don’t worry. No problem.” I quickly said, “Thank you,” to the Video Man and hurried Trey back on top. I couldn’t stand the rocking of the boat any longer and I needed my plastic bag I had asked for at the beginning of our journey. I got on top and made full use of my plastic bag. Breakfast, Coke product, I had ordered on the boat, and probably the dinner from the night before, all emptied from my stomach. Sweet Trey, he grabbed his little cup of Orange Juice and offered it to me, saying, “Here Mom, this is medicine, drink it!” So caring, always trying to make me feel better. At this point, I wanted off this boat, if it meant jumping ship and swimming the next 3 miles to this island we were heading to. The most frustrating thing about being docked was that I could see the island so clearly, but there was no way for me to get to it but on this nasty boat called the “Lupita” which was making me sicker than a junk-yard dog. Before the people who went snorkeling got back on board, I quickly tried to hide my barf bag so there would be NO evidence that someone, ME, got sick on board while they were away. I think I did a pretty good job of it, although Justin didn’t need to see the evidence in order to know I wasn’t feeling well. Once everyone was seated, the tour guide got on the loud speaker and said, “Just a reminder to all of our friends on board, the toilet paper does NOT go in the toilet! We now have a toilet that is NOT in service, so if anyone needs a restroom, you will have to wait until we reach the island.” I just about DIED. Of course I didn’t remember the toilet paper rule, no paper in the toilets, as I was crammed in that little restroom. I was worried about Trey being kidnapped for heaven’s sake. I could have jumped ship at that point. Larry looks over at me and says, “Were YOU the toilet paper Amigo?” I just nodded in shame. It was pretty obvious who had clogged the toilet, and for the sweet Video Man, he knew exactly who had done it. Do you THINK I could have rid myself of the shame and embarrassment of the Video Man and the Tour Guide, knowing, Yes, the pregnant one with the little boy was the Toilet Clogger? NO! They followed us ALL day long! Don’t worry men ,I will ALWAYS remember your dumb countries rule about toilet paper. The next stop? Touching a shark. I really, REALLY wanted to do this, so I gathered my bearings and was able to sail a bit more until we reached the dock where Trey and I met “Monica” the Shark.


Entering the waters with Monica, the Shark!



Showing Trey that it was safe to touch the shark (as I am praying it doesn't turn around and take a chunk out of my thigh!)



Trey said the shark felt "scratchy," like sandpaper!

Trey was so brave, being the youngest one on the boat and coming with me so willingly into this little cage, in the ocean, to touch a shark. I almost felt like Steve Irwin, holding his small baby boy in front of an alligator or Michael Jackson dangling his baby “Blanket” (I think that was the babies name) over the Hotel’s balcony for the photogs to take a picture. I was putting my child in danger just like these crazy men, but I figured it was a chance of a lifetime and Trey would hopefully enjoy it. He did of course, and so did I! (I think I also enjoyed being off that stupid boat “Lupita” and on some more sturdy ground!) We finally, and just in the nick of time, reached Isla Mujeres and were taken to some shops where Marie bartered for a nice pendant and Trey used the jewelry stores restroom because I clogged the boats toilet. We were then led to an “all you can eat Mexican Buffet” (which just sounded NASTY to me, but was pretty nice!) where we enjoyed some “American” music by two singers and a Casio Keyboard player. Trey LOVED their music and danced his way through our lunch. He tried some rice and beans at this lunch, and then had to call Grandma Bend to tell her what he had just ate. (He PRETENDED to call and tell her. Before our trip, she had made the greatest “sticker chart” for him to fill out when he ate something out of the ordinary. When he got enough stickers to fill up the chart, he got either gum or candy! So perfect mom, Thanks!)


We have the cutest video of him dancing to the music while pretended to call my mom.




The best video I got, but then had to erase it from our memory card due to lack of space was their rendition of “New York, New York.” The singer actually had a cheat sheet he read the lyrics from as he sang away. HILARIOUS! He wasn’t the best of the two singers, we actually really enjoyed the 2nd singer. At lunch, we were offered a bottle of beer and we told them, “No thank you.” The Crew Member offering us the beer said, “No, you don’t have to drink it.” He turned the bottle of beer over, and there was the greatest picture of our whole family, after touching the shark, but we couldn’t justify purchasing the beer bottle.





I took some pictures of it though. I think the picture was stretched a bit to fit the bottle’s length, and I think the stretching was in my favor! After lunch, Justin and his parents went off and shopped while Trey and I enjoyed lounging on the beach. I wasn’t about to walk around in the heat and shop, I chose to sit and relax in the water, and I am so glad I did.



The water was so refreshing, the sand was breathtaking, and Trey had the best time looking for fish.


I wasn’t looking forward to our trip back to Cancun, but Justin reassured me it shouldn’t take as long, and he was right. It seemed to go much smoother. They played great music as we traveled, and Trey was our form of entertainment.



.

He literally danced his tail off for all of the guests. He is so brave and outgoing, he amazes me. I know I wasn’t that outgoing at his age! Just before docking in Cancun, the boat stopped and let out a sail. It was for Spinnaker sailing, I guess, but it was also for entertainment. Brave Justin attempted this feat and was amazing. This sail took him up in the air, as he sat on a swing type seat, and when he wanted, he jumped off it into the water.








Justin’s dad asked if I was going to try it, and I said, “Heck no!” I just enjoyed watching and screaming!




We arrived safely at our hotel and had Domino’s for dinner. They actually delivered to our hotel. I was still recuperating from my sea-sickness, so pizza wasn’t probably the best thing to eat, but Trey LOVED it and Justin seemed to enjoy it.