Cancun day 6 – Akumal and Xcaret

My throat was a little scratchy when I went to bed last night and this morning, I woke up totally sick. Barely any voice, some sinus issues, and feeling kinda crappy. I went to the gym anyway, but barely got 3 miles and most of it just walking fast. I couldn’t get my air very well.
It was then time to clean up and meet Webster. We checked out some snorkel gear from the resort, loaded the cooler and headed to Akumal. Akumal is one of my favorite places to visit while here. The beach is wonderful and the snorkeling is great. There is a fantastic restaurant right on the beach as well.

The boys headed out snorkeling first. The girls caught some sun for a bit, and then I geared up and went in search of some fun underwater creatures. Splenda had already seen a sea turtle, and a stingray amongst the many fish, and I wanted to see them too.

Not so lucky. I saw a few beautiful fish around the reef, but the wind was picking up, and the clouds were gathering so it wasn’t as great as it has been in the past. Although, there is something spectacular about floating around on the surface of the ocean and just looking at everything below you.
Lunch was fabulous, but we had to strategically place the young men in our party to face the restaurant rather than the beach.

Some lady got confused and thought that perhaps we ALL wanted to see her boobs. Really. And they weren’t great. I say, unless they are a bought pair that are perfect, and perky at all times, they need to stay indoors. Otherwise, once a gal lays down, they just become side flaps. NOT.PRETTY.

After lunch, we loaded the van and Webster took us to another Cenote. At first, Tuffy was going to be the only one swimming since the rest of us had done it the day before, but when we got there it was so clear and beautiful, you just couldn’t help yourself. Jumping in had to happen.

(SB jumping)

(Luka jumping)

(Tuffy jumping)

(WB not jumping)

I did jump,  but Splenda got it on video rather than a still shot.  I haven't even seen it yet.  Could be pretty scary!

This cenote was so fun, that we ended up spending more time than we planned and by the time we climbed out, dried off and loaded back up in the van, we were behind schedule.

Our next stop was Xcaret. Xcaret is an ecological park near Playa Del Carmen.

It has all kinds of activities, one of which is swimming with dolphins. That was to be my highlight! I was waiting for this chance all week! Of course, when we got there, it was too late. Those kinds of things were closed. Splenda reminded me that we are going to San Diego in a couple of weeks and I can do that there. Totally cool. I can wait for that.

Instead we headed straight for the underground river. This is such a cool thing. You load your belongings into a bag that they shuttle down to the end of the river. You don a lifevest and jump in. The current is strong enough that you can simply float down the river. It is underground, so sometimes it’s completely dark. Total distance is over a thousand feet. The water is cold, but it was dang fun!  Sadly, no pictures.

When we finally got done, we showered off and headed for the theater. They have a SPECTACULAR night show!

It begins with a depiction of the ancient Mayan ball game. If you have seen the animated movie The Road to El Dorado, you’ll know what it is. It’s a game they played with a ball, and you can only use your hips. There are tiny rings on each side of the stadium that you attempt to get the ball through. Legend has it, that the winning chief then was sacrificed by decapitation. It was supposed to be an honor. Of course, no human sacrificing here, instead they took the game to a new level and lit the ball on fire! Using a form of a hockey stick, they continued playing the game flinging this flaming ball around. It was awesome, and a great way to express the Mayan culture.

They then depicted the Spaniards with Cortez coming to conquer. A battle scene, and then the merging of the two cultures. After that they did a musical number or dance scene showing something well known about each state of Mexico. It was absolutely beautiful. The music, the costumes, the talent was just breathtaking. I had seen the show before 12 years ago, but this was positively awesome!

After the show, we gathered everyone together and Webster took us back to the resort. I said my good byes’s to my little Mayan friend. I kinda have a soft spot for this guy. He is so nice, honest, safe, and trustworthy. He takes us to fun little places that helps his people, and provides us with unique experiences that we wouldn’t get from a standard tour bus.

The day was long, I was exhausted and my cold was just getting worse. To bed early with the wonderful thought of NOTHING planned for tomorrow!