Cancun: Part Uno

I'm back!

From outer space!

Wait. No, that's the start of a different post. LOL. But yes, I am back! Refreshed and re-energized, and thrust back into reality with a very busy week. I was going to try to post tomorrow morning, until I looked at my schedule and realized I have an 8 am doctors appointment. Yeah, no time for writing tomorrow morning. But that's boring, let's talk about Mexico! And by the way- this post is picture heavy. 

We had the best time. Ever. We both told each it was the best vacation either one of us had been on. The beach was gorgeous (see picture above!). The weather was, eh, pretty good considering a tropical depression formed on top of us while we were there. We had a couple of either mornings or afternoons that were rainy, but we didn't lose any full days. And even though there was rain, it was still 85+ degrees, so no complaints there! I'm in love with the wildlife-

These are coatimundas. They are relatives of raccoons but waaaaay tamer. They were all over the resort. They traveled in big packs, scouring the ground and overturning rocks for bugs. And maybe potato chips :) The packs they travel in are about 20 of them, and there are usually numerous babies with them. They were so darn cute! They would eat potato chips right out of your hand. I was in love, and almost sad to leave because I wouldn't see any more of them. 

One of our first beach days, I believe this was Sunday after we got there. The weather was gorgeous. That's me and the hubby's legs, in case you are wondering. We did go with a group of 8. We went with 2 of the hubby's cousins and their wives, along with another couple. 

Hubby and I on the beach.

Nothing like a beach selfie.

I'd never seen so many wild iguanas before! They were everywhere. You couldn't walk 10 feet in the resort without seeing numerous lizards sunning themselves. They move surprisingly fast. I was startled multiple times by a large lizard running out in front of me. Of course, after I jumped 5 feet in the air, it always made me smile. The hubby and I saw one lizard (not an iguana) that ran on 2 legs, like a raptor! It was small, but it still freaked me out!

In fact, that's a large lizard right behind me.

A very small lizard. More my style :)

This is how close these coatis get to you! Actually, this was the resident restaurant coati that never leaves. The staff calls him "Poncho". He runs all the other coatis off, because the restaurant is his territory. Several mornings he was asleep on the roof, and all you could see was his tail. The waiters said he loves sweet breads and will come up to the tables at the edge of the restaurant and beg for bread.

Like this!

Needless to say, Poncho got quite a bit of sweet bread from us.

One of the hubby's cousin's wives and I soaking up the sun.

A drink in hand at all times!

The day before we left was just gorgeous. Enjoying this view for a week went so fast!

I went back to my room to nap at some point, when I noticed a pack of coati outside my room. I couldn't resist, I crushed a bag of potato chips and gave it to them. It's funny, sometimes you start out with 1 and then they call their buddies with little squeaks. Then you end up with this!

This was a little baby. I loved the baby ones so much. Another funny thing is that after they eat all the potato chips and you go inside to hide from their demanding ways, they'll all come on the porch and stare in the glass door at you. As if to say, "What are you doing in there?? Give us more food!". It's amazing how different these guys are from raccoons. There didn't even seem to be a similarity, other than kind of looking like one. 

Playing a little beach volleyball. Beach volleyball is so hard! I played regular volleyball in high school, inter mural in college, and also coached while I was in college, but let me tell you, sand sucks. It's like jumping with your legs weighed down with concrete. On the plus side, I was always dying by the end of the game, so it was definitely a good workout. And after a couple margaritas, I would dive all over that sand court! LOL. 

Crab enchiladas at the Authentic Mexican restaurant. The hubby got these as an appetizer, they were so yummy. We ate some amazing food while we were there. The resort had 6 restaurants, all different types of cuisine. We are talking Japanese, Italian, Indian, French, Mexican, and an American Steakhouse. The French restaurant was my favorite, hands downs. I tried escargot, foie gras, and a tasty French Onion Soup for the first time. I finally know what real French Onion Soup tastes like, and I'm excited to recreate it :) Oh, and the escargot and foie gras? Simply amazing. Yes, escargot is snails. But damn! They be good. And the foie gras was so creamy, salty, and delicious. It's good to step out of your comfort zone. I will say, the only meal I didn't enjoy was Lamb Vindaloo at the Indian Restaurant. I did not enjoy their red curry. I'm left wondering if I just didn't like their red curry, or if maybe I don't like red curry at all? Experiments are in order for that one. 

Kissing under the sombrero at the Mexican restaurant. 

A shot of the main pool. It might look stormy in the background, but most of the time, it was just clouds passing over. It was still super warm. Just the way I like it :)

Another ocean shot. The water was so warm and clear. A 180º difference from the water on the Oregon Coast where I grew up. 

Hubby and I taking a shadow selfie.

Hubby and I on the beach.

Our group, minus one of the hubby's cousin's wives. It seemed difficult to get the whole group in one shot. It seemed someone was always missing. Isn't that how trips go with a big group? And it's kind of the best part. You can always sneak off to catch a little alone time or a much needed nap. This introvert took advantage a couple of times too :)

A picture of all the boys. The hubby, 2 of his cousins, and the guy with his thumbs up is half of the other couple who traveled with us. I just love this underwater shot.

I apologize for all the pictures, but we ended up taking 300! There were just too many to share. In case you were wondering about the "Part Uno" part, I do have more pictures to share. The story is this: When the hubby and I got engaged, we were planning on getting married in Las Vegas and honeymooning in Jamaica. The hubby ended up getting laid off during this time period, due to the crash in the commercial construction industry in Portland. We scrapped all of our plans, got married in my parents backyard, and spent 3 days on the Oregon Coast as our honeymoon. We never got a lot of things that went along with a traditional wedding, most specifically professional wedding pictures. So we ended up buying a lot of professional pictures of the hubby and I when we were in Cancun. And on Wednesday, I want to share a few. So, look forward to "Cancun: Part Dos" when I return on Wednesday.

Happy Monday friends!