Cancun, Mexico (November 2018)

Cancun, Mexico is a popular destination for many people. Why not? it has turquoise colored water, endless beaches of white sand, and soft sea breeze that caresses your skins. I thoroughly enjoyed lying down on the beach lounge chairs.

Thanksgiving Dinner
We as a family choose to meet at a different places for our family gathering over the Thanksgiving Day. We resumed this event in 2016 when we met in Dallas, and continued it in 2017 in Palm Springs and this year in Cancun, Mexico. So the highlight had to be the Thanksgiving Dinner.

We stayed at World International Vacation Club Coral Mar. It was a small resort, facing a small lagoon at the elbow corner of the number "7." Although small, the front garden and swimming pool area was fantastic with sea breeze. We even saw a full moon one night.

It was said that lagoons have 2-3,000 crocodiles living in there. That is why no swimming is allowed. Yeah...? But, water sports were allowed including jet skiing. Hmmmm...

Cancun
Shaped the number "7" Cancun is a collection of islands that are connected through bridges. The Hotel Zone looks like a mini Las Vegas at night.

Cancun is located at the north eastern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula. It is said that many Koreans came to work in the sugarcane fields. You could find the family name "Kim" often but we never ran into one. They look like Koreans in appearance, but are normally unable to speak Korean.

The Playa Delfine was a popular beach where you can find white sand beaches and the Cancun landmark. The view was panoramic and beautiful.

Amanda arrived one day earlier than Joyce and left one day early. After Amanda left, we visited Museo Maya de Cancun located in the Hotel Zone. It displayed interesting objects that explained about the Mayan history in comparison to other eras.

Cancun and the neighboring area produce chocolates.

Cancun has access to Gulf of Mexico as well as Caribbean Sea.

Tulum
Before Amanda and Joyce arrived, we made a day trip to Tulum by rent car. It was said to be a popular destination. It is the only Mayan ruin located by the shore. At the shore, there was Paradise Beach.

The Tulum ruin site was full of Iguanas that appear to be guarding the site. 

Playa del Carmen
On the way back, we stopped over at Playa del Carmen, a beach town closest to Cozumel, a popular island where all cruise ships dock and disembark tourists. I was told that the island can have up to 6 cruise ships a day. We did not have time to visit Cozumel.

Chichen Itza
After Amanda and Joyce arrived, we made a trip to Chichen Itza, one of the most famous Mayan ruins in the Yucatan Peninsula. Chichen Itza was one of many Mayan Kingdoms that spread all over the peninsula and beyond. Noteworthy is the Kukulkan Temple that was the most outstanding structures of the former kingdom. Kukulkan was a god who promised to return. Sounds familiar?

This site is one of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

People used to climb the temple but the climbing up is no longer allowed because:

• The slope is pretty steep and some times people fall and get hurt;
• Far too many people are climbing, thus resulting in excessive wear and tear;
• They found some graffiti works in the temple.

It made sense. One side of the temple was severely damaged. There are known to be thousand columns at the site.

On the way back, we stopped over at Cenote Ik-Kil. Cenote is a natural pit or sinkhole that gathers fresh and clear water. It could be in a cave or open to the air. Cenote Ik-Kil was open to the air and we could see the clear water from the ground. People were jumping from a high point and swimming. None of our party wanted to swim so we left after taking a photo. For some reason, Yucatan Peninsula was full of cenotes.

Isla Mujeres
One day, we also made a trip to Isla Mujeres, meaning Women Island, not that you can find a lot of women but the name was originated from a group of sculptures of women at a temple. But they were almost completely destroyed by a hurricane called Gilbert. So they said a man swept and destroyed the women.

We took a fast ferry, called Ultramar, from Port Juarez. It took 23 minute to get there. The ferry runs every 30 minutes. You could take your car, but the larger ferry runs only at 1lam and returns at 4pm.

We agreed to use a taxi driver as a tour guide to explore the small island. We stopped by a shark statue,

a turtle aquarium,

a place where you can hold a shark,

a Mayan ruin with sculpture park and the statue of Iguana,

a small church with a view towards the ocean,

and the beach area.

Joyce wanted to do the scuba diving, but had to compromise for a snorkeling trip. She said she saw a lot of coral reefs and tropical fish. Kris and I stayed on the boat.

Mexican Foods
Both Kristin and I enjoy Mexican foods, almost all kinds. We never get tired of eating Mexican foods. It was one of the greatest delights to eat different Mexican dishes.

More To Explore...
We have not been able to visit MUSA, an underwater museum located at 3 places, but it looked quite attractive initially but when I learned that they are man-made, my interest level diminished fast.

There are a lot of other places to visit, including Xcaret, a water paradise with an underground river floating, Xelha, Xplor, Xenotes, Xenses, Merida, Coba. Probably we want to come back to explore and experience more. It was a memorable trip. - Jeffrey