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.

The stupid game

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 Cancan? 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.

Fearsome masks

I’m not sure about the theme for a bar, but these masks in the rafters are pretty cool.

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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.

Got up at 3 am, flew out of RIC at 7:10, $490, Northwest.

Arrived 2 pm, via Memphis. We checked our bags this trip because of the orange alert on liquids in carry on’s. We dropped our bags off at that office and took the same van for the airport back up to the main drag, then bus to town. Then took taxi, on driver’s recommendation to Labna. Had Yucutan Tour–steak, beans, pico deguyo, guacamole, $125 pesos. Exchange rate at airport was $10.70, on street $10.60. Great place, atmosphere. Mariachis sang Cucuroo, Paloma, Grenada, Meso May, tipped $100 pesos.

Sunday, 8/13

Had doughnuts at the resort (Coral Mar) cafe and listened to the presentation–told us that we could get $150 credit for tours, plus free transportation to where ever every morning if we listened to a timeshare demo at Sunset Hotel. So, we went directly there. Got free buffet breakfast, demo took 3 hours. We took a boat through the lagoon to a sister resort near Tortuga Mmarina. They wanted about $12k, tried to convince us our timeshare wsas worth $9,700 through some bogus brokerage service.

Took van back to Sunset, hit the beach–waves were very rough.

Took bus to town, then taxi to La Parilla for dinner. KK had Chile Rellenos, too soft for her taste.

I ordered a shot of tequila, 3 mujeres for $440 pesos and spilled the tequila before I had a sip. The waiter insisted I pay for it anyway, and the manager agreed with him. So, he got no tip and we won’t be going back. The waiter was terrible and the beer was lukewarm, anyway, so no big loss.

Monday, 8/14

Took van to Iguana Wana, only to find it’s closed permanently, courtesy hurricane Wilma. We met a lady that recommended Choco and Tere for breakfast and we walked there, but they didn’t have anything Mexican for breakfast. We left after coffee and found a place practically next door, Casa Tequila. Had chiloqutes, Casa Tequila, corn tortillas, salsa, and cheese, for $69 pesos. Very good–KK loved it. I had molletos, basically grilled bread with beans, $35, also very good.

Went back to Caracol for a while, bought t-shirts, etc. Then back to Coral Mar.

Bill, Deanne, Jeanne, Nathan, and Ty got there about 3:30.

We all went to Perrico’s for dinner. I had fajitas, pretty good, and waiters were fun, as usual. Food is still over priced, though. And all the full size paper mache scenes are gone.

Tuesday, 8/15

Ate breakfast at Coral mar, toast, bacon, and coffee for $130 pesos (for 2 people).

Took van to Plaza La Isla, did some browsing, then took bus to Kukulcan Plaza. More browsing. Bill and I drank beer at a bar on the first floor–had some great jalapeno poppers there.

Took bus to town, then walked about 6 blocks (ow) to Market 28. Girls shopped and Bill and had tequila and shrimp cocktails at El Cejas.

Ate dinner at Labna–I had pork knuckles–very tender, not much flavor.

Wednesday, 8/16

Took van to town, then bus to Chichen Itza. I sat and read while others took tour. Pyramid is still impressive. You can’t climb it any more, so Nathan was a little disappointed.

Cafeteria meal afterwards as part of tour. So-so, but filling.

Got back around 9 pm. Hit the pool and had some drinks.

Thursday, 8/17

Xcaret, van all the way, more comfortable and cooler than the bus yesterday.

River float was great. Then laid out on the beach ’til evening. Saw jaguar, manatee, and spider monkeys.

The Mayan village is not part of the evening show, but is still there, as a separate exhibit. The Mayan warriors dressed for battle were on the sides of an open path leading to the new theater. They did the ball game there.

The theater was open air, but covered. They also had seating so you could have dinner ($20 US) while watching the show.

The first half was about the Mayan people and they simulated the culture, and later the arrive of the Spaniards, battle, and then, eventually, reconciliation. The music was great and the sound system was superb.

The rest of the show was Mexican, with folk dancing, excellent singers, especially great bass backup. We liked it a lot better than the old theater. You’re up higher and can see better. Also, the floor is bigger, so it allows for more elaborate scenes. You can buy a DVD on the way out, La Extravaganza de Music Xcaret.

Friday, 8/18

Took the skipjack tour to Isla Mujeres. Basically, a booze cruise, but the trip was a lot of fun, constant drinks with snorkeling after getting to the island. Saw lots of fish.

Not much to the town, I took a nap in a chair while others browsed. Ate lunch on North Beach, buffet. Pretty good.

On the way back, they let out a swing, hanging from a sail. Bill and Ty did it, had a ball.

Spent the rest of the day at Coral mar.

Saturday, 8/19

Ate breakfast at Coral Mar, took van to Sunset. Waves were much smaller, had a good day.

Took the bus to Punta Cancun, ate lunch about 4 at Taco Factory. Tacos were $120-500 pesos, all different kinds, all great.

Rest of the day back at Coral Mar.

Sunday, 8/20

Bill and gang left for the airport at 4 am. We took the Coral mar van ($9/person) to the airport at 11 am.

Plane was delayed leaving in Memphis because of weather, about 1 hour 45 minutes. Got in about 11:30 pm. Got Taco Bell on the way home.

We were lucky enough to get the same house we had last year–it’s right across the street from the beach, so it’s a perfect location. Deanne and Bill, and Jeanne and Eddie also joined us. And a big surprise guest–Carmen, also came with them.

This was a total surprise to Tanya, as we kept it a secret until the day we arrived. And Tanya was truly shocked–mission accomplished.

Crab hunting

Of course, we had to hunt sand crabs at night–it’s the highlight of the day for the kids. You just go out with a flashlight and you’ll see them running all over the place. We collected them in a pail to take back to the house for further “research.”

Other nightly activities

Just about everybody got into arm wrestling–even Tanya and Brenden. And later on, we’d climb up to the crow’s next and yak, dance, and shine the laser. I have a green laser that I use for astronomy demos. It’s amazing how far it will go. There’s a water tower about a half mile away, and we can actually see it on reflect off the surface (with a telescope).

Sweet 16

Megan turned 16 on Aug. 31, so we had an early birthday celebration one evening, with shrimp and steak. El Jefe and Future Cop did an outstanding job of grilling these goodies up, and we feasted and partied long into the night.

Fishing report

I took Mason down to the pier a couple of times–it’s a great place to fish, but I can’t say we caught any monsters. Except for the one shown here.
El Jefe and I got a kick out of this lady one morning, though. She appeared on the pier with her son, I’d say he was about 14. She gave him his lunch sack, and said “i’ll see you about 4 this afternoon–gotta go now, I’m late.” El Jefe and I looked at each other in amazement, but off she went.

Ocracoke

We took a drive to this scenic town, south of Nags Head one day. You have to take a ferry to  get across a body of water to get there, so that was kind of neat. I’ve never driven my vehicle onto a ferry before.

The town itself was small, and pretty touristy, but you can tell they made an effort to keep original buildings, to preserve the original feel of an old fishing village. It’s a pretty good hike, about a 3 hour drive, so it’s definitely and all day activity. We ate at a restaurant on the water, but I can’t say it was great food. The view was nice, though.

Back to Richmond

Carmen had to go back on Wednesday, so we dropped her off at the airport in Norfolk, and headed back home.

We did eat at Chick’s Oyster Bar in Virginia Beach though, before we left town. This is my favorite place to eat in Tidewater. It’s right on the water and the fried oysters are delicious.

Just to spite me, I’m sure, the contingent of trailer trash (except for El Jefe), all ordered hamburgers. Oh, the embarrassment.

City of Henricus

Ond day, we visited a reconstructed village, circa 1611. The county has done an outstanding job, with several buildings rebuilt, and some good re-enactors, to tell us about the history of the original settlement.

It lasted about 70 years, and was almost completely wiped out before then by an Indian uprising. And we were also reminded that the first Thanksgiving took place in Richmond at Berkely Plantation, not Plymouth Rock, MA, as taught incorrectly in so many school textbooks.

You can see Terry here with the Arthur Ashe Stadium in the background.

Action pics

Terry and I were pretty much on the front row for all these matches. Sometimes we’d start off in the nosebleed section and work our way down as the match wound down. It was also cool to see these same players on TV the next week, at home.

First up is Djokovic, then Roddick, Tsonga, Simon, Monfils, in the order we saw them.

The lighted court near the bottom was taken from the 3rd story of Arthur Ashe Stadium. It’s Court 11, where we saw Simon and Monfils the next day.

In the bushes

The very bottom picture is hilarious. See the bushes at the far end of Court 11? This is where these kids are sitting the next day, trying to see the court from close up.

And of course, we were so close to Manhattan, we had to hit Times Square and Ground Zero.

Since I was wearing my OU shirt or hat the entire time, I had several people stop me at the matches and tell me that they were from Oklahoma, or knew someone who lived there. One lady had flown in from Tulsa just that morning.

This is the topper though–we stopped in a Popeye’s for lunch, and I asked this young lady if we could sit at her table. She said fine, then looked at my hat. She asked me if I was from OK, and said she had gone to school at OSU. She was there on a track scholarship, and was originally from Jamaica. She also said I probably shouldn’t ask to sit at someone’s table in NYC. They would consider it rude, and probably get up and leave. I was tempted to try it, just to see if I could get a rise, but decided I had better things to do. Like finding a bar and start drinking beer.

Boomer Sooner

In fact, we did just that. We passed a bar, called The Patriot, and I saw a TV inside. When I opened the door, the bartender saw my hat and screamed out BOOMER. Turns out she was from Texas, and even had it tattooed on her behind. Yes, she showed it to me.

We went to a play that night, taking advantage of the half price counter in Times Square. Unfortunately, we hit a loser–The Perfect Crime. The name of the theater should have been a tipoff–The Snapple Theater. It was supposed to be a comedy, but it was so convoluted, neither one of us had any idea of what was going on at the break, so we left.

Jedi training

On the subway back, Terry noticed that there were four 8-10 year olds sitting next to where he was standing. He noticed them, because they were all carrying light sabres. I couldn’t hear what he was telling them, but he told me later he give them an impromptu session on Jedi manners and behavior. He had their strict attention for the next 20 minutes. I did notice from where I was sitting that they were staring at him. My son knows how to use the force. Who knew?

Arriba Arriba and Serena

We ate several times at a nice Mexican restaurant close to the subway station, called Arriba Arriba. On our last night there, we met the hostess there, Andrea. She overheard us talking about The Open, and told us that she was a tennis instructor, and often taught classes on the grounds there. Her mother is connected with the open, as one of the organizers.

She also told us a story about Serena Williams. She was watching an important match one day, and Serena, who was completely unknown at the time, was sitting directly behind Andrea. Serena told her that one day she was going to be down there, the same as the players who were competing that day. Andrea remembers how convinced Serena was when she made that statement that it was going to happen. And Andrea remembers wondering who in the world this girl was.