A Few Extra Photos From Our Trip

      Here are a few extra photos from our vacation in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico.  Beautiful sunsets; rainbows above the resort following a rain storm; dinner on 5th Avenue with my parents; night on the town with my husband and our new friends, Shawna & Rob, who we met at our resort.  It was a great trip!

Xplor Adventure Park

      Xplor Park was definitely something that Spencer and I wanted to do as soon as we learned about it.  It offered so much adventure and was worth every penny.  It was so much fun!!! 

 

Here is a list of the park's attractions:

 

Go through two circuits of 7 zip-lines each.

Swim along 430 yards in a Stalactite River.

Drive along 6.2 miles through two circuits with Amphibious Vehicles.

Explore caves with stalactites and stalagmites.

Enjoy an unlimited buffet and beverages.

Tulum & Coba Mayan Ruins

Tulum Ruins:

      Tulum was beautiful!!!  It is the only Mayan city built on the coast and was literally built on a cliff, overlooking the Caribbean sea.  Our tour guide told stories of a civilization from the 13th to 15th century who perfectly matched the description of another civilization I have read about since I was a little girl in the Book of Mormon.  Everything he said felt familiar to me and it only strengthened my testimony.  I loved it! 

 Coba Ruins:

 

      The Mayans flourished in the city of Coba between 400 and 1100 A.D.  It being one of the largest Mayan cities during this time period was home to some 50,000 inhabitants.  Coba is also home to the tallest pyramid in the Yucatan Peninsula standing at 130 feet.  It is the only Mayan Ruin left that visitors are allowed to climb.  Spencer and I of course had to climb it, and while I am glad I did, I was scared out of my mind once I reached the top!!  I literally had an anxiety attack and didn't know how I was going to get down.  The view from the top was worth it though.  Thick jungle as far as the eye could see.  Unfortunately, the battery on my camera died before we climbed the pyramid so the blurry photo was taken from my phone.   

Cenotes & Akumal Beach Tour

“Cenote” is pronounced, say-no-tay 

 

      A combination of various geological events and climate changes created an incredible and unique ecosystem in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. These caves and underground rivers were created naturally over 6,500 years ago. Over the past 20 years, experienced scuba divers have explored these caves discovering more than 300 miles of interconnected passageways and caves that make up this amazing one of a kind ecosystem. These cenotes, only found in this part of the world, offer a unique experience to snorkelers or divers who wish to venture through caverns full of crystal clear water, stalagmites and stalactites.

 

      I stole the above description off the internet because I had no idea how to explain a Cenote.   They were really cool though and during our stay we had the opportunity to visit and swim in two of them.  To be honest, I get really freaked out swimming in caves and deep water, but I made myself go in the below cave, and as long as you follow the red rope you won't get lost.  Inside the cave there were tons of stalacites.  There isn't a huge amount of fish living in this water because of it's mineral water, but mineral water makes for some pretty colors found all around.    



      Okay, every time I look at this picture I can't help but laugh!!!  When we arrived at our first Cenote, Monica told us the only way to see the bottom was to jump off the cliff (about a 20 ft. drop).  My Dad and Dianne were freaked out!  But they also wanted to see it so ultimately they took the plunge.  After swimming around for a while they noticed a family walking down a pathway that led from the top to the bottom where we were.  We had such a good laugh when Dianne realized she got conned into jumping off the cliff!  Hahahaha!!!!

Akumal Beach

 

      Monica took us to Akumal beach for snorkeling.  It's an area where fresh water percolating through ground limestone meets salt water and creates a nutrient-rich habitat for marine life.  It is also a habitat for endangered Green Sea Turtles, which was definitely the highlight!  Snorkeling was amazing here because we were able to swim with sea turtles and sting rays.