With this kind of beginning, how can we go wrong?
We managed to arrange our flight time so we didn’t have to get up while it was still dark. I couldn’t pass up this photo, stopping on the way into the airport.
And it must have been a good omen–during the flight, our seats stayed bolted to the floor and everything.
Here’s a tip if you live in Richmond–leave your car at Park N Go, right outside the entrance to RIC. The cost is about the same as long term parking ($7/day), but once you park, they deliver you to your airline and pick you up when you get back. And the kicker–you can get your oil changed or your car washed while you’re gone.
Our laid back, but awesome timeshare
Our timeshare looked really good, don’t you agree? It’s on the lagoon side, so we use the pool a lot more than the beach. And the restaurant (upper left) sees us a lot, too. Happy hour every day from noon to 2 pm and 5 pm to 7 pm.
There’s a palapa just out of the picture (lower left), where you can make an appointment for a massage. KK hit that spot Thursday morning. Guess where I was?
Sunday morning, we met the in house travel agent, Gregorio, and planned our events for the week. Around happy hours, of course.
Things were going quite smoothly until Saturday night, when we decided to hit a sports bar for the OU-K State game. And oh yeah, did I tell you there was a Hooters in Cancun? TV’s, too. As far as the game…the wings were really good. And we got a kick out of the way some of the girls delivered the wings.
So many pyramids, so little time
A day without a pyramid to climb is like a day without sunshine. So, of course, I had to find one. I had read about one at Ek Balam, which is only a 2 hour drive from Cancun, just a little north of a town called Valladolid. Senor Gregorio was happy to drive us (for a few $$), so off we went Tuesday morning.
Ek Balam is close to the same height as the more well known Chichen Itza (100 feet), at 96 feet, so it was a worthy target. Of course, when I climbed Chichen Itza, I was half the age I am now, so instead of marching up the steps like a Conquistador, I made more like a large bug, using my hands to kind of crawl up the side.
Gregorio took us to a nice restaurant near a cenote in downtown. A cenote is an underground pool of water that is normally underground, but the ground above it has collapsed. They dot the Yucutan Peninsula. The Cenote Zaci is right next to the restaurant, so we could wander over to a patio that overlooked it while we were waiting for the food.
By the way, you know you’ve got a good tour guide when he’s got one of these cool handles for his shifter. And his 11 year old son is a Taekwondo black belt. And he’s seen the 3D version of Prometheus (movie). My kind of guy.
I’m not sure about the theme for a bar, but these masks in the rafters are pretty cool.
Discovery of a new restaurant
We actually met a lady who used to live in Richmond–she now lives in Cancun with her husband Jorge, and we met them at a neat restaurant called Marakame.
It’s off the beaten path, about a mile west of the center of downtown, but it’s worth the visit. It’s open air, and they’ve decorated a large tree in the middle with lights. So, between it, and the greenery around this centerpiece, it’s very inviting. You won’t find a lot of Mexican selections, but I found one–the fajitas were very good. Laura’s website is gringationcancun.com. She has some good information on Cancun and vicinity.
Finally, the beach
Near the end of the week, with the temperatures starting to really heat up, we decided to hit the beach. Of course, we had to travel to get there, because our timeshare is on the lagoon side. Fortunately, a short taxi ride and $8 got us to a free beach right behind the Coco Bongo nightclub.
As you can see, the water is just a brilliant blue–the photo doesn’t do it justice, though. There’s also a mall next to the nightclub, and they have outdoor balconies on the second floor, where you can relax, have a cervesa, and enjoy the beautiful scenery.
They also have these Spiderman statues close by, for photo opportunities. I liked the one with Kayela in front, so large it dwarfs her.
Mexican breakfast
We have been in search of a restaurant that serves a great Mexican breakfast ever since Hurrican Wilma wiped out our favorite place, Iguana Wana. We still haven’t found one, but this place is pretty good. And it’s only a block away from Coco Bongo, where we went to the beach.
We both had a Mexican omelet, with cherizo (Mexican sausage), and it was pretty good. The name of the place is Mextreme.
Fiesta night
Hacienda Sisal is a great Mexican restaurant, and they also have a floor show on Tuesday and Thursday nights. The buffet is one of the best we’ve had, USA and Mexico included. It had a very large selection of Mexican foods, and a chef was at a station to cook custom tacos. The floor show was pretty good, too, with an emcee, Mariachis, dancing, and of course, rope tricks.
The decor was amazing–the wall on the far side of the room looks like you’re sitting outside the restaurant, but you’re actually in an enclosed room, with the wall just decorated to look that way.
One price covered everything–and oh yeah, it was open bar, with tequila included. The price was $45 each, which was definitely worth the price.
This is probably our 8th trip to Cancan. And we can’t wait to go back.