So after a long night of screaming and dancing at Hard Summer (3:00 pm - 11:30 pm), Janelle and I left for LAX at 3:00 am to catch our 6:00 am flight to Denver where we would have a 1 hour layover until our 9:30 am flight to Cancún 

Finally after what felt like days of traveling, some hard naps with half-asleep delusional eating on the plane, and a sketchy taxi driver in a worn down white van... WE FINALLY MADE IT!

9 am: alarm... snooze

9:05 am : alarm... snooze

9:10 am: alarm...snooze

...

10 am: Finally get up

Breakfast

Gym

Pool/Beach/Nap/Drink/Eat...Drink

Shower

ARABIAN NIGHTS DINNER

Sex and the City 2

Sleep

 

Every other night the hotel has a special themed buffet dinner with some form of entertainment. 

During these nights, we would be placed at a large dining table where Janelle and I would find ourselves dining with and befriending 30/40 year old couples

(oh yeah did I mention our hotel is all you can eat and drink?) 

:)

To change things up, we decided to head down to the lounge bar and listen to the live music. The band was really good (playing American classics most of the night), our waitress was super nice, and we sat in these huge ass chairs which were awesome.

We decided to be adventurous and branch out of our beach cabana to hit the streets of Cancún -

So we walked out the front door of our hotel and hired a taxi to take us 1 mile to Aquaworld.

On the 'Jungle Tour', Janelle and I, along with 6 other people, got our own little speed boats and followed a guide through the Mangrooves, then out into the ocean where we got out into the water and snorkeled in the reefs

When we got back, we felt brave enough to walk back to our hotel. So we left Aquaworld feeling accomplished for actually being productive for once during our vacation, but before we left, we needed that 3 foot mango strawberry daiquiri drink from the bar that was calling our names

And then we assumed our usual positions and took our usual afternoon nap on the beach until it was time to go in for our reservations at the Japanese shogun style restaurant

After getting stuck in Denver for a night and missing their original check-in, my parents finally arrived!

 

Since we only had wifi in the hallways outside our room, we didn't see their text saying they arrived... delivered at 4:30. It was now 5:30. So there we waited in the hallway for them to hopefully come out of their room and see our texts asking where they were. Then after waiting about 15 minutes sitting on the floor... I heard my Mom's voice. Turns out they were in the room right next to ours... and we were sitting right outside their door. 

Anyways, after settling into their room, we took off for Tulum, about 131 km south of Cancun (1 hr 30 min drive) for 8:30 pm dinner reservations at the highly recommended "hole-in-the-wall" restaurant, Cetli.

After driving up and down the boulevard looking for Cetli, and getting denied by locals if they've even heard of the restaurant... we succumbed to our hunger and chose a busy street bar/restaurant with some pretty bomb fajitas

And of course Dad was "that" tourist to feed the stray dogs 

Then after dinner we walked the main boulevard and did a little shopping/ sight seeing

Rise and shine, bright and early at 5 am to take Janelle to the airport :'(

We did however have a great view of the sunrise over the ocean on the way back to the hotel.

So the rest of the day involved Dad falling asleep in the hammock for 3 hours and Mom going to the spa all day.. and me being lonely in the cabana without Janelle

That night, at the Carribean themed buffet dinner, we met 2 couples, one from Houston, Texas and the other from Denver, Colorado who were on vacation from their 3+ kids. We spent the rest of the night bonding over stories of how amazing yet annoying their children are.

Inbetween dinner and drinks, Mom wanted to take a walk on the beach. 

Adventure Day! 

 

Stop #1: Mayan Ruins in Tulum

 

Upon entry... we, along with a dozen other tourists, huddled around this rock to take pictures of this foot long iguana

Later we found out they're actually everywhere...

After walking around under the scorching hot sun, Mom and I hurried to get some shopping done at the markets near the entry of the ruins

 

When we first arrived at the ruins, a young teenage boy came up to me holding a lemur and asked if I wanted to hold it... of course for a price. But it was so cute so why not.

 

All I could hear in my head was the voice of King Julien- the lemur from Madagascar, singing "I Like To Move It Move It"

AND NOWW!! For the best part of any story.... 

true love
 

As we were leaving the shops and heading back to the car... Mom stopped to look at the corner store where the boy had approached me. And there I saw him... staring at me with those gleaming eyes.... a 1 month old baby lion cub

As I stood there staring at him, a man with his shirt pulled up, belly hanging, showing its full glory... came up to me and asked if I wanted to hold him, as he was packing up getting ready to leave.

So $10 USD later...

The little fur ball was sucking on my index finger and I could feel all the sharp little teeth 

After a teary separation... we made our way back up north to Akumal- a beach town where tourist and locals go to snorkel with turtles.

We found ourselves cruising through the residential areas of Akumal, admiring the large villas when we found an empty piece of land with a rode that lead to a small private beach with some locals

So Dad and I decided to pop on our snorkeling gear and go take a look 

Since it was later in the day (sunset) and the water was a little mirkier than when Janelle and I went... the reefs kind of freaked me out. Just not knowing what I would be floating above and having the feeling I would sink down on top of what ever sea life was there

So as I would swim around the reefs, Dad would just be cruising on top, touching everything, and pulling some plants out here and there... exactly what our guide instructed us not to do. 

 

Sometimes I would get freaked out when I would try to follow Dad over the reefs. I would realize the reef was never ending, and find myself surrounded by a forest of coral. Then I would start sinking and I could feel the slimy seaweed all over my body, so I would spazz, lose the direction in which I came from, and wouldn't know which way to escape...

 

Finally after a long adventure filled day, it was time to head back to Cancún to rush off to bed and get up early the next morning for our flight back to LA...