Cancun Recap

I'm back from Cancun and have survived my first week back to work. Thankfully, most people seemed to pay attention to the out of office message I had set up so I didn't have a huge pile of email to wade through, but I still had to play catch up. Now I can work on getting my crap put away from my trip!

Anyway, I promised a recap and here we go!

First and foremost, I did NOT get a sunburn! Diligence and good sunscreen served me well. I hope I'm as fortunate when I'm back in Mexico in June when it's much, much hotter. I actually had people at the resort on Thursday say to me, "oh dear, that sun is strong out there...be sure you wear sunscreen or you'll fry!" Then I told them I'd been there since Sunday and they were always a little shocked. I'm telling you, if you want to avoid a burn it's possible! Hooray!

Okay, back to the trip. The resort, the Golden Parnassus, was pretty much perfect for our group. We had 18 people that were all very different so it was important that we had a resort where everyone felt comfortable. It was kind of no-frills, but it was clean and the staff was great. We had a lagoon side room (329 to be exact) and while the view wasn't fantastic it was at least quiet. The pillows were a bit on the hard side but after a full day in the sun with booze I probably could have slept on a concrete slab.

The restaurants were just "meh" in my opinion. My favorite restaurant there for dinner was Sumo, the sushi place. But the buffet for breakfast and lunch wasn't bad either. The french toast with cinnamon and sugar with frosting and caramel were delicious! Also, the view from the buffet area was great.

We spent pretty much ever evening at the bar at the pool with the best bartender ever, Jose. Bringing the insulated mug was a good idea, too, because the heat melted drinks instantly and who wants to take a bunch of trips to the bar when you're comfy in a lounge chair? I spent most of my time people watching, reading, and just relaxing. That's exactly what I had intended to do with my time! The entertainment staff worked hard to get people involved and provide games and activities for the guests. We had some...interesting...experiences with them as I think we were the youngest group at the resort at the time. For the most part they realized when to try and involve people and when to leave them alone though.

We only took one off-resort excursion and we went to Tulum and Xel-Ha. Both were awesome! I'm super excited to see the photos from the waterproof camera that we took while snorkeling at Xel-Ha!

View of Tulum

Xel-Ha

So, this wasn't the most in depth recap ever, but it'll have to do cuz I'm spent! Feel free to ask me any questions at all!

Oh, btw, my camera was AWESOME! It did such a great job with all of the beach photos! I'm so happy I made that purchase!

Cancun Calling

12 more days...I keep telling myself, "only 12 more days!" Seriously, I cannot take this winter anymore. Had I been in Gobblers Knob when good ol' Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow I may have led the crowd in a rush to strangle his furry little ass. This morning, my need to get out of this ever-growing snow drift of a state was made all the more clear by my iGoogle homepage. That's right...not only is it snowing here but it's 81 degrees colder than in Cancun. *sigh* 12. More. Days.

There is a sanity saver in my near future, however.

Cancun! Specifically a 5 night, 6 day adventure with 18 other people at the Golden Parnassus resort! Ahhh, I feel better just looking at the photo! It's apparently a smaller, older resort but very clean and smack in the middle of the hotel zone. That's fine by me!

This is my first rodeo when it comes to not only Mexico but an all-inclusive resort and I'm excited! I'm also worried that my pale ass will burst into flames that close to the Equator but that's why I loaded up on copious amounts of sunscreen for this trip. I even have my friends on "burn watch" so then can tell me to go hide inside for a while if I'm starting to look pink. Burn watch may be derailed by the free flowing booze, however, so I'm best to rely on my own paranoia when it comes to reapplying the SPF 100 (seriously).

I really didn't have to buy too many new things for this trip, but I got a few. I bought a new camera because mine just wasn't cutting it anymore. After lots of research and standing behind some dude at the U2360 show in Chicago that was taking sweet pictures I decided on the Canon SX200IS. I got it in plenty of time to practice, but I still think I have a lot to learn. I think it'll do a great job with the beach photos and the nighttime scenery photos that I've always had a hard time with before. And if my camera doesn't do a great job there will be 18 others in our group that will hopefully capture a few good ones! And probably some unflattering ones of me in swimwear so I hope we get veto power over each others photo sharing. :)

Aside from the camera I got a few assorted summery pieces of clothing, some camera accessories, and as mentioned before, copious amounts of sunscreen. Behold, the stash. I did some research and found that La Roche-Posay does a great job blocking both UVA/UVB and has a slower rate of breakdown in the sun. It's also kind of on the pricey side. So, I got a deal on two of those on Amazon and then got my old standby of various Neutrogena products. I've decided I'm only bringing one of the expensive ones and the other I'll save for Mexico trip #2 in June (more on that later)! I also have a bottle of biodegradable sunscreen on the way for a trip to Xel-Ha. Not exactly something you find at the pharmacy in Iowa in the dead of winter. I went with the BurnOut brand after reading several comparison reviews. Sounds like it'll do the trick without going on chalky and making me look even more pale than I already am!

Even if didn't have 5 sunscreen bottles I'm taking with me I doubt I'd be able to travel carry-on only, but it's always the sunscreen that does me in. I would rather not buy a new bottle every time I go somewhere and I most definitely need more than 3oz for more than a day of sun exposure so I'm always doomed to check bags on vacation. And anymore that means checked bag fees (bastard airlines). After having a lost luggage experience a while back I'm always paranoid I won't get my bags back once I hand them over to the person behind the desk.

Anyway, that's enough for now! I tend to ramble...I'm wordy, I can't help it! Stay tuned for the next post where I'll brag...ehm...share about my travel experiences as Mexico virgin!