I made it!

I made it!

After a very lengthy delay, I was finally able to return to the Caribbean Sea. Isn’t it beautiful? This picture is my proof and my reminder that whatever it took to get there, was well worth it. *big smile* I am so in love with the ocean. White sands, Caribbean blue waters that were almost as warm as the air . . . it was incredible. By 8:30 A.M. Annie and I were at the beach, and we returned later in the afternoon for more fun in the sun. When we headed for the dark spots in the water, we discovered miniature coral reefs, where we found tiny colorful fish swimming in and around the coral. All this without even having to snorkel. One day while I was floating on my back, I was startled when my hand hit something. When I looked down, there was a school of pretty white fish all around me. As I moved away, they followed. Then I saw another girl who was being surrounded too. Her boyfriend said it must be that the fish liked our black suits, because we both happened to have black on, and he didn’t, so this must be why they didn’t bother with him. I laughed and said that I thought they just preferred shaven legs. After that, each day until we left these fish appeared and kept me company. (even when I wore my non-black suits) That had to be one of the highlights of the trip. I tried reaching out my hand to touch them, but they would only let me get just so close. What fun!

Annie wasn’t able to experience my new friends. On the day I discovered them, she was sick. She didn’t drink the water, but she sure did eat something that disagreed with her. The last 3 days of our vacation, I went to the beach alone. I met quite a few nice people on my own though. One thing I have found from this and other trips to Mexico is, the local people are all friendly. And when I say all, I mean it. There was not one person who did not smile, or offer help when asked. You don’t see this in many other countries.

We stayed in Puerto Aventura, which is about an hours drive south of Cancun. Highway 307 is a straight shot from Cancun to Puerto. There are many resorts along the way. When you think about how these developments are constructed, it boggles the American mind. Right next to us a new condo was being built. Everything that was being done, was with manual labor. When a semi arrived with a load of cement blocks, each block was taken off by hand. As the blocks were being used, the workers walked each one up a hand made plank. After so high, they’d tie a rope around a block and heave it up the side of the building by hand, and one by one. I watched one worker use a hammer and chisel, carving away what would be the swimming pool behind the building. It was humbling to watch them work as hard as they do for what I know to be very meager wages.

So now, how do I go back to describing how much fun we had driving around Puerto in our cool little golf cart, having lunches in outdoor cafés, shopping in the many small shops in Puerto, enjoying a pirate ship dinner cruise around Cancun, bartering in Market 28 for a better price on silver?

It is, what it is. If I were to give this serious thought, I can imagine that in the final analysis, their lives (the lives of the average citizen) are indeed easier and simpler, even as much as I try to keep my own life simple.

So I’ll continue to go back when I can, to enjoy their beautiful country and lifestyle, even though I have a feeling I’ll be traveling alone once again, as Annie says Mexico is not the place for her. Well, I guess that’s what makes us unique. What floats my boat might just be appalling to you.

Maybe next time I’ll write about the shopkeeper that offered to sell us some muy bueno Acapulco Gold. *wink*

Wish I had a tree like this in my back yard. 🙂 ————->