Last month we celebrated our two-year wedding anniversary by going to the Mexican Caribbean. It was an experience full of excitement, drama, action, and crazy Mayan ladies. It all began early in the morning of August the fifth. We made our way from Washington DC to Cancun, Mexico via Miami. Upon arrival we were warmly greeted by the Caribbean 90+ degree weather. After getting rid of people trying to get us “free” buffets and rides we got our “luxurious” rental car (that is right, we paid more for it so it could have an automatic transmission). It was a GM compact car that is only made in Mexico, I guess we should be grateful that it worked and that we had AC (for most of the time).
Our first destination was a small fishermen village 15 minutes South of Cancun called Puerto Morelos. Our good friend Erika recommended the place and, as a matter of fact, we based most of our itinerary on her recommendations. Puerto Morelos is situated between a lagoon and the Caribbean.
Church at Puerto Morelos
Upon checking in our hotel (Posada el Moro) we made our way to the beach which was only one block away. Katrina could not believe the color of the water nor its warm, warm temperature. We spent a good hour wading our booties, enjoying of the evening Sun, and then we made our way back to our inn. Our inn was not the Hilton but it was very lovely and comely. In fact, the whole town was quaint; quite different from the extravagances of Cancun.
Caribbean Blue
You are not in Puebla anymore Tonio
Lighthouse at Puerto Morelos (evening)
That night we went for dinner in one of the most unique restaurants we have ever been: La Panza es Primero (The Paunch is First). It has a theme of Mexican wrestlers from the golden age of wrestling. Since Katrina is a big Nacho Libre fan, she loved the restaurant and what we loved even more was their Coconut Flan. We loved it so much that we went back the next two nights just to grab dessert.
La Panza es Primero
Coconut Flan! Mmmmm! Yummy!
The next morning the Inn’s owner hooked us up with a retired fisherman named Carmen to go on a snorkel tour of the second largest coral reef in the world. We went early in the morning because that is the best time to see fish and we had an incredible time. We purchase a water-proof camera in the local market and we were able to take some shots; however, our pictures do not give justice to the beauty we witnessed. We saw lots of fish, a lobster, and even a runaway turtle.
View from snorkeling boat
After snorkeling, we made our way to the Cenotes (Cenotes is Spanish for Cenotes). We went to this place called Siete Bocas (Seven Mouths). It was basically seven underground, partially flooded caves connected to each other. We bought our own snorkel and mask and we were able to see the fish swimming in them. Cenotes are very deep so there is no way you can see or touch the floor which makes the whole experience the more exciting.
Sign to Cenote Siete Bocas
Katrina after her 20 foot jump.
The next morning we made our way to the beach and got a little too much Sun. After lunch we decided to go to the Jungle Spa. Our friend Erika said that it was an amazing experience because you get treated like a king by those Mayan women. After a little bit of struggling, we finally found the Spa, it was truly in the Jungle. Upon arrival we noticed that no one came to greet us so we made ourselves at home and walked onto the property. We saw a screened room in the center of the lot where the Spa is full of people around a large table. Once we entered we were greeted by two tiny Mayan women who did not speak much Spanish. We asked where we needed to sign up for a killer massage and they pointed us to a Caucasian-looking lady sitting at the head of the table. We wish you could have seen her; she resembled the pure spirit of the 60s with long, white hair, white gown, and a very strange look, in short, a living hippie. We asked her whether we could get a massage and she replied, in a rather mumbling fashion, that they were booked. She said some other things but we were only able to make up those words. It was almost like talking to an ancient Jungle Elf speaking some forgotten language.
Disappointed, we made our way back to the Cenotes. This time we went to a Cenote called Verde Lucero (Green Star) which is considered an open Cenote (meaning it is not underground but rather like a swimming pool). Katrina loved this Cenote because there was a zip line people could use to jump into the water. The Cenote also had a rope where people could sit or hold on to since, like any other Cenote, there is no way you can touch the bottom. A great thing about this Cenote was the amount of sunlight it gets. Thanks to it we were able to see a large number of fish of many types including the Kat Fish, ha ha, ha. In addition to the zip line, there was a 20 foot tall platform from where people could also jump. We saw the cutest little fat boy (maybe 5 years old) jumping into the water over and over again. Each time he would scream in the funniest way to his dad asking him to catch him. Katrina of course, jumped at least five times. Tonio only did it twice since he needed to keep the car key safe.
Just looking pretty
What is happening hot stuff?
We left Puerto Morelos on Sunday morning (our anniversary) to go to Cancun. But that is a story for another time… Stay tuned for Part Dos.
Bye-bye Puerto Morelos
