Tiger Lily 03
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Cancun 2006
We stayed at the Royal Sands Resort and Spait is within the DVC exchange with Interval International, a spectacular place.
A few Cancun photos http://www.imagestation.com/album/p...350745&mode=invite&DCMP=isc-email-AlbumInvite
A few Selvatica photos http://www.imagestation.com/album/p...350743&mode=invite&DCMP=isc-email-AlbumInvite
Saturday, May 20, 2006
We were up at 3:00 a.m. in order to leave by 4:00 a.m. Travelers on this trip were Rod, his girlfriend Rachel, their friend Chris, Ted and me. This was our first lay-over flight to Cancun. Weve flown direct flights twice previously. We arrived in Houston with just enough time to connect and only time for a potty stop. The arrival into Mexico went smoothly and we were at our hotel, the Royal Sands, before noon. Our room was ready so we had our bags delivered while our concierge walked us to our room. By that time we were all quite hungry and ready to have something to eat. When we finished eating, it was poolside and happy hour. Exhaustion took hold of Ted and me and we were in bed early. Of course the kids went to play.
Sunday, May 21, 2006
I got up at dawn in order to walk on the beach. I went for a 2 mile trek in the sand. By the time I returned Ted was up and we were off to the members meeting then relaxation at poolside. The event for Sunday was a welcome party where the entire resort played and interacted as one happy family. Rum and cokes and beer flowed freely to those who wanted. We had a late lunch/early dinner and then back to poolside relaxing and happy hour participation. Ted made arrangements to scuba Monday. We needed a refresher and signed on for that and a one-tank dive. We went for a walk to the mall next door and continued with our relaxation.
Monday, May 22, 2006 Scuba Day
We had an appointment 10:00 a.m. poolside for our scuba diving refresher. The pool was cold and the weather was not as warm as expected. We donned wet suits for this in order to remain warm through this pool part. It took a bit longer than we anticipated with five taking the refresher and we did not take time for lunch after since we were expected to be ready to leave for our dive in an hour. This refresher was well run and the dive master, Marco, was quite good. We got our water camera and the things we wanted to take with us then headed out to go diving. The water was rough and there was a surge under. We had to work a little harder for this dive than we liked. There were some struggles, Ted with weights, and me with my mask. We enjoyed the dive and did manage to have a good time. A member of the dive crew took video of our dive and we enjoyed seeing our experience so of course bought the DVD recording. On our return we were so ready to eat that we grabbed lunch at LaVeranda before going up to change. We booked our trip for Wednesday to Selvatica for the zip line canopy tour, and then went up to shower and change. We relaxed for the rest of the evening.
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Its my birthday! I was up to see the sunrise. In the morning we met with Anna Maria, our representative, to hear of the new things. We were tempted with a great offer to buy time, an offer we truly considered all week and then declined. There was a taco party for us so we all enjoyed the free tacos and beverage. We then went up to relax and change to go to a complimentary cocktail party at Hacienda Sissal. It was an opportunity to see a video of the restoration process that was needed after hurricane Francis hit the island of Cancun last year. We were treated to wine, cheese , beer or pina coladas as well as Mexican entertainment. Ted was not feeling well so went to sleep early. I sat around since it was raining and I didnt feel like going out.
Wednesday, May 24, 2006 Selvatica Trip
Today is trip day. Rod and Rachel went to swim with the dolphins at Dolphin Discovery on Isla Mujeres and Chris, Ted and I went to Selvatica. As it turned out, there was a medical emergency on the bus that was scheduled to come for us so we ended up waiting an hour until arrangements could be made to get us. We were scheduled to be picked up at 8:30 a.m. for our trip to Selvatica for our zip line canopy tour, bike ride and swim in the cenote, a freshwater sinkhole formed by water percolating through the porous limestone that coats the peninsula. Considered sacred by the Maya, cenotes are truly natural wonders that are primarily accessed via rappel. The travel went well after we were finally on our way. It first appeared when we turned off the main road that we had arrived because the sign and archway. There was about a 19k trip on a bumpy dirt road after we turned off the main road. This was a unique experience. The group we were scheduled to go out with waited for us to arrive. We were set up in no time. There are free lockers to stow gear between events. We were given gear, instruction, and then we were climbing the stairs to the first platform on the zip line. We were traveling about 30 feet above the ground on the lines. On the second stretch Ted injured his leg, more because of a muscle problem he has been having and neglecting than the actual strain of the event. You are hooked by a harness system and sit and slide between the platforms. There were about twelve platforms. Ted made it to the point that there was a climb down staircase at the fifth platform and walked back the rest of the route by himself as we traveled above. We saw the leaf eating ants, fire ants, geckos, and many butterflies/moths. I was a bit disappointed because there were no monkeys to be seen. I had wished we would see monkeys. We did see one crossing in front of us as we were traveling back, so I at least got to see one in its natural habitat. After the zip line we returned to the staging area, removed our harness and equipment then were off to pick up the bicycles for the next leg of the event. Ted saddled up to ride, but it proved to be a bit more difficult due to the cramped condition on the trail at first and he thought he had best not risk further injury so opted to stay behind and wait for our return. When he made it back the people at the staging area offered to drive him up to the cenote to watch or participate with the rest of the group. Ted chose to wait. The bike ride is not long. I guess when it is quite hot this is a good thing. The swim in the cenote was fun. I was not in the best physical shape to participate and should have listened to myself before attempting to hang from the line that drops you into the water. I slipped off the line almost as soon as I left the platform and landed flat on my back on the water. Ouch! That was a big back flop as opposed to a belly flop. Quite painful, but I was ok. The water was soothing after the zip line and bike ride so I stayed in and relaxed while all the young ones played jumping and flipping into the water on the line. We rode our bikes back to the staging area where we were served a nice light lunch and given water. There was water available between the events and that was definitely a necessity.
After our arrival back at the hotel, we changed and prepared for my birthday celebration dinner. We went to El Conquistador in the Royal Mayan and had an exquisite meal and great time. I was surprised by the waiters singing Happy Birthday to me. We ended with a nightcap and game of darts at our resort sports bar. Today was fun!
Thursday, May 25, 2006
I got up at sunrise and went for a 3 mile walk on the beach. It was beautiful. Ted got up a bit after I returned and the doorbell rang early in the morning with our concierge inviting our group to breakfast with Anna Maria. Since we were the only ones awake, Ted and I went. It was delicious. We were all treated to lunch compliments of Anna Maria. We relaxed either poolside or at the beach for most of the day.
Friday, May 26, 2006
Ted and I got up to enjoy breakfast and a long stroll on the beach. We were able to have another great relaxing day poolside and at the beach. We packed our things during the day as we were in and out of the room. It was the sunniest day and I made a huge mistake not keeping track of my sunscreen application. Yes, I burned! Ouch! Ted and I enjoyed dinner and then Rod and Rachel joined us so we stayed longer while they ate. I lost an evening because of the sunburn I got. We went for a long walk, but that was about all I could manage.
Saturday, May 27, 2006
We were advised of the need to be at the airport three hours prior to our flight departure so we were up at 3:00 a.m. in order to leave by 4:00 a.m. We waited for the processing counter to open for about 45 minutes. The processing was uneventful thankfully. We made it to Houston for immigration and customs processing. That is a project with all the line waiting and such. We again did not have any spare moment to get onto the connecting flight other than a hurried trip to the bathroom. Our arrival in Cleveland and trip home was smooth. It is good to be home. Theres no place like home. We slept most of the time after we got home. I didnt even unpack. Just lathered with sunburn ointment and felt miserable. I managed to develop a bit of laryngitis as well so it was a quiet evening for sure. Ted partially unpacked and caught up with the puppies and went to sleep early.
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Sunburn is still bothersome and laryngitis is improving. Events of the day were: unpacking, washing clothes grocery purchasing, working on getting photos to the computer and watching TV. Theres no place like home!
We stayed at the Royal Sands Resort and Spait is within the DVC exchange with Interval International, a spectacular place.
A few Cancun photos http://www.imagestation.com/album/p...350745&mode=invite&DCMP=isc-email-AlbumInvite
A few Selvatica photos http://www.imagestation.com/album/p...350743&mode=invite&DCMP=isc-email-AlbumInvite
Saturday, May 20, 2006
We were up at 3:00 a.m. in order to leave by 4:00 a.m. Travelers on this trip were Rod, his girlfriend Rachel, their friend Chris, Ted and me. This was our first lay-over flight to Cancun. Weve flown direct flights twice previously. We arrived in Houston with just enough time to connect and only time for a potty stop. The arrival into Mexico went smoothly and we were at our hotel, the Royal Sands, before noon. Our room was ready so we had our bags delivered while our concierge walked us to our room. By that time we were all quite hungry and ready to have something to eat. When we finished eating, it was poolside and happy hour. Exhaustion took hold of Ted and me and we were in bed early. Of course the kids went to play.
Sunday, May 21, 2006
I got up at dawn in order to walk on the beach. I went for a 2 mile trek in the sand. By the time I returned Ted was up and we were off to the members meeting then relaxation at poolside. The event for Sunday was a welcome party where the entire resort played and interacted as one happy family. Rum and cokes and beer flowed freely to those who wanted. We had a late lunch/early dinner and then back to poolside relaxing and happy hour participation. Ted made arrangements to scuba Monday. We needed a refresher and signed on for that and a one-tank dive. We went for a walk to the mall next door and continued with our relaxation.
Monday, May 22, 2006 Scuba Day
We had an appointment 10:00 a.m. poolside for our scuba diving refresher. The pool was cold and the weather was not as warm as expected. We donned wet suits for this in order to remain warm through this pool part. It took a bit longer than we anticipated with five taking the refresher and we did not take time for lunch after since we were expected to be ready to leave for our dive in an hour. This refresher was well run and the dive master, Marco, was quite good. We got our water camera and the things we wanted to take with us then headed out to go diving. The water was rough and there was a surge under. We had to work a little harder for this dive than we liked. There were some struggles, Ted with weights, and me with my mask. We enjoyed the dive and did manage to have a good time. A member of the dive crew took video of our dive and we enjoyed seeing our experience so of course bought the DVD recording. On our return we were so ready to eat that we grabbed lunch at LaVeranda before going up to change. We booked our trip for Wednesday to Selvatica for the zip line canopy tour, and then went up to shower and change. We relaxed for the rest of the evening.
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Its my birthday! I was up to see the sunrise. In the morning we met with Anna Maria, our representative, to hear of the new things. We were tempted with a great offer to buy time, an offer we truly considered all week and then declined. There was a taco party for us so we all enjoyed the free tacos and beverage. We then went up to relax and change to go to a complimentary cocktail party at Hacienda Sissal. It was an opportunity to see a video of the restoration process that was needed after hurricane Francis hit the island of Cancun last year. We were treated to wine, cheese , beer or pina coladas as well as Mexican entertainment. Ted was not feeling well so went to sleep early. I sat around since it was raining and I didnt feel like going out.
Wednesday, May 24, 2006 Selvatica Trip
Today is trip day. Rod and Rachel went to swim with the dolphins at Dolphin Discovery on Isla Mujeres and Chris, Ted and I went to Selvatica. As it turned out, there was a medical emergency on the bus that was scheduled to come for us so we ended up waiting an hour until arrangements could be made to get us. We were scheduled to be picked up at 8:30 a.m. for our trip to Selvatica for our zip line canopy tour, bike ride and swim in the cenote, a freshwater sinkhole formed by water percolating through the porous limestone that coats the peninsula. Considered sacred by the Maya, cenotes are truly natural wonders that are primarily accessed via rappel. The travel went well after we were finally on our way. It first appeared when we turned off the main road that we had arrived because the sign and archway. There was about a 19k trip on a bumpy dirt road after we turned off the main road. This was a unique experience. The group we were scheduled to go out with waited for us to arrive. We were set up in no time. There are free lockers to stow gear between events. We were given gear, instruction, and then we were climbing the stairs to the first platform on the zip line. We were traveling about 30 feet above the ground on the lines. On the second stretch Ted injured his leg, more because of a muscle problem he has been having and neglecting than the actual strain of the event. You are hooked by a harness system and sit and slide between the platforms. There were about twelve platforms. Ted made it to the point that there was a climb down staircase at the fifth platform and walked back the rest of the route by himself as we traveled above. We saw the leaf eating ants, fire ants, geckos, and many butterflies/moths. I was a bit disappointed because there were no monkeys to be seen. I had wished we would see monkeys. We did see one crossing in front of us as we were traveling back, so I at least got to see one in its natural habitat. After the zip line we returned to the staging area, removed our harness and equipment then were off to pick up the bicycles for the next leg of the event. Ted saddled up to ride, but it proved to be a bit more difficult due to the cramped condition on the trail at first and he thought he had best not risk further injury so opted to stay behind and wait for our return. When he made it back the people at the staging area offered to drive him up to the cenote to watch or participate with the rest of the group. Ted chose to wait. The bike ride is not long. I guess when it is quite hot this is a good thing. The swim in the cenote was fun. I was not in the best physical shape to participate and should have listened to myself before attempting to hang from the line that drops you into the water. I slipped off the line almost as soon as I left the platform and landed flat on my back on the water. Ouch! That was a big back flop as opposed to a belly flop. Quite painful, but I was ok. The water was soothing after the zip line and bike ride so I stayed in and relaxed while all the young ones played jumping and flipping into the water on the line. We rode our bikes back to the staging area where we were served a nice light lunch and given water. There was water available between the events and that was definitely a necessity.
After our arrival back at the hotel, we changed and prepared for my birthday celebration dinner. We went to El Conquistador in the Royal Mayan and had an exquisite meal and great time. I was surprised by the waiters singing Happy Birthday to me. We ended with a nightcap and game of darts at our resort sports bar. Today was fun!
Thursday, May 25, 2006
I got up at sunrise and went for a 3 mile walk on the beach. It was beautiful. Ted got up a bit after I returned and the doorbell rang early in the morning with our concierge inviting our group to breakfast with Anna Maria. Since we were the only ones awake, Ted and I went. It was delicious. We were all treated to lunch compliments of Anna Maria. We relaxed either poolside or at the beach for most of the day.
Friday, May 26, 2006
Ted and I got up to enjoy breakfast and a long stroll on the beach. We were able to have another great relaxing day poolside and at the beach. We packed our things during the day as we were in and out of the room. It was the sunniest day and I made a huge mistake not keeping track of my sunscreen application. Yes, I burned! Ouch! Ted and I enjoyed dinner and then Rod and Rachel joined us so we stayed longer while they ate. I lost an evening because of the sunburn I got. We went for a long walk, but that was about all I could manage.
Saturday, May 27, 2006
We were advised of the need to be at the airport three hours prior to our flight departure so we were up at 3:00 a.m. in order to leave by 4:00 a.m. We waited for the processing counter to open for about 45 minutes. The processing was uneventful thankfully. We made it to Houston for immigration and customs processing. That is a project with all the line waiting and such. We again did not have any spare moment to get onto the connecting flight other than a hurried trip to the bathroom. Our arrival in Cleveland and trip home was smooth. It is good to be home. Theres no place like home. We slept most of the time after we got home. I didnt even unpack. Just lathered with sunburn ointment and felt miserable. I managed to develop a bit of laryngitis as well so it was a quiet evening for sure. Ted partially unpacked and caught up with the puppies and went to sleep early.
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Sunburn is still bothersome and laryngitis is improving. Events of the day were: unpacking, washing clothes grocery purchasing, working on getting photos to the computer and watching TV. Theres no place like home!
