The Honeymoon Trip

Our honeymoon was the best vacation of my life. Partly because my family was there to share in part of it and I think there is nothing better than being on trips with my family. Also, several of my friends were there for a few extra days after the wedding and it was super fun to hang with them as well. My time spent pushing Nephew around in his little floatie in the pool was especially fun. I’ve tried to describe the highlights below, but I am sure I left some things out. Also, this is another really long entry. You’ve been warned.

Tulum

We visited Tulum with both sets of parents and my friend, Red, and had a great time at the ocean-side Mayan ruins. It was a beautiful day and we were able to fit in a few cervezas while watching the “Men Twirling Upside Down From a Giant Maypole Show” several times before returning to the resort. I bought a wooden replica of this from a local vendor. Remind me to show this to you the next time you come over.

Chichen Itza

Mr. Skripgraf and I visited Chichen Itza with Bro#2 and his wife, SIL2. The four of us have not had much opportunity to spend quality time together given our geographical limitations, so the chance to do a day trip together was very welcome. We had an awesome time. We took a bus to the ruins and our guide was especially engaging. Mr. Skripgraf and I have done lots of these kinds of trips, and I think this guide is the best we’ve ever had. He was funny and knowledgeable. The ruins were amazing, we learned a lot of interesting facts that went beyond the typical ones regarding human sacrifice, and then we enjoyed a “typical” Yucatan lunch at a nearby resort. The resort was small and rustic and sort of buried in a jungle. There were peacocks wandering about. I was definitely for people who want to be off the beaten path and just relax. While Mr. Skripgraf and I like to relax…we also like to do the opposite so I don’t think we would ever stay somewhere so far inland. After lunch we drove to an incredible cenote. A cenote is a freshwater sinkhole formed in the limestone on the Yucatan peninsula. They are all over. This one is particularly neat because it is pretty far below ground level and is absolutely beautiful with flowering vines hanging down to the water level. I was the photographer for this part of the trip and decided not to jump in.

Evening Shows

The shows at the resort were lackluster at best. It was a small resort so I give them credit for even trying to rally the troops in the small theater to give us some evening entertainment. The exceptions were the Elvis impersonator who came one night. I thought he was really fun. He obviously loved what he was doing and he had an incredible voice. Since it was a small resort we definitely got singled out at one point for being newlyweds and he serenaded us and we were obligated to dance in the aisle. I think I’ve made it clear that I hate being in the spotlight, but this was sort of fun. Probably because I was half in the bag. Before Bro2 and SIL2 left, we were able to enjoy the Fire and Water show on the beach together. This show really took the cake. The Fire and Water people were at troupe of men and women from the US/Canada/Brazil/Mexico that danced with flaming hot nunchucks (?) hula hoops, etc. and later the water show exhibited the drummers (who drummed for the fire dancers) drumming with brightly colored water coming off the drums. Sort of like Blue Man Group. It was really impressive. I’ve never been to Hawaii, so I can’t say for sure, but other people commented that it was cooler than fire shows they saw in Hawaii. I was impressed.

Water Sports and Regular Sports

Mr. Skripgraf chartered a fishing boat before we even left for our vacation and so he was really looking forward to catching a barracuda or a wahoo or some other sort of fish. Unfortunately, it was incredibly windy and no fish were to be caught that day. Bro2 and the Cutter got violently seasick. This coupled with the fact that they were not catching anything clinched it, and they came back early. I thought it was a little crappy that the fishing charter didn’t clue them in about the fishing conditions. I am sure they knew they wouldn’t catch anything and that the waves were particularly violent.

Our hotel was walking distance from a marina which was really convenient so we booked a snorkel trip. Other times we have been to Mexico we would have required a shuttle to a nearby marina in order to do any ocean activities. We were advised to avoid the huge catamarans that take out 100 people at a time because with that many people the fish disappear, so we went out with three other couples. Our first snorkel stop had SEA TURTLES! They were about 2-3 feet across. They were super cute and very curious. They even bumped into me a couple of times. Our snorkel guide, Polo, said we could touch their shells and I did despite being a big chicken. They felt like wet velvet. I loved the sea turtles and they were probably the highlight of my vacation. Polo then took us out to snorkel along the reef. The world’s second largest coral reef (besides the Great Barrier) is apparently along the coast of the Yucatan. I have no idea how far it extends, but that seems neat to me. Polo led us out to the reef and pointed out the wildlife we probably would not have noticed. We saw squid plopping along the bottom, starfish, a baby sea turtle, giant sea urchins, and of course lots of fish. It is worth noting that the other people on our boat did not follow us out to the reef so it was a personal tour. The second two dive sites were the same way…Mr. Skripgraf and I were the only ones who got off the boat. One couple preferred to smoke when we dropped anchor. The wife smoked Virginia Slims, a cigarette I have never seen in real life. They are, indeed, extremely slim. I am not sure of the draw…perhaps they seem more feminine? Our final dive site was along some private property that had a small Mayan temple on the water’s edge. I think it would be fun to make a fake ruins in my yard and gauge people’s reactions when I give a history of it.

We did another trip where we snorkeled in an underground cave. This was extremely awesome, and I really surprised myself by not being terribly nervous about it. This was also a trip that involved zip lines and rapelling off a giant, wooden structure. I am extremely afraid of heights. (Despite my previous skydiving hobby.) Anyway, I didn’t zip line or rapel, but Mr. Skripgraf thought this was fun.

We also snorkeled at our resort which yielded enough colorful fish to occupy us for an hour or so every couple days. I thought I saw a barracuda one day. Mr. Skripgraf said this was, of course, not a barracuda. I had to agree that I didn’t see the teeth…but it definitely looked like one to me. Later when we were looking at the manatees at the marina I saw the same fish and so it was confirmed these were not barracuda. After all, there’s no way they would let people swim in a manatee pool with barracudas. This story gets funny, however, when we were waiting to leave for the snorkel trip and we saw a worker catching fish out of the manatee pool. The same big silver fish I saw the previous day. Another worker asked me if I knew what kind of fish they were…when I looked at the pile of fish in the crate and saw the teeth I knew: BARRACUDA. So, for sure, I was swimming mere feet away from a barracuda. I was FOLLOWING the stupid thing for a while because the other fish disappeared. (Smart fish.) It is a wonder everyone made it back with their digits intact. Oh, and Mr. Skripgraf told me he knew the fish were barracudas the whole time. I told him I thought there was no room in our marriage for deceptionJ

Oh, and Mr. Skripgraf (after much insistence) participated in a poolside Zumba class with me. When Mr. Skripgraf got up another girl was able to convince her reluctant husband to join in and shake it in the dance aerobics class. It was fun and I think Mr. Skripgraf is a great sport.

The Return

I don’t think I’m doing our trip any justice…even with these exceptionally long entries. Just trust me, it was the best vacation of my life and Mr. Skripgraf thinks the same. Partly because we were in Mexico in February and partly because we were there with great friends and family.

Not everything was buttercups and sunshine, however, because I got violently sick on the plane ride home and was sick for the next four days. Thanks goodness I had duty free Chupa Chup suckers and perfume to cheer me upJ