Anniversary in Mexico, Part 3

Day 5 of our trip to Mexico was the date of our 25th anniversary. We spent the day exactly how we wanted--and it was the happiest day of the entire year for me! 

The first item on our agenda was to wake up early to watch the sunrise. Watching the sun rise over the ocean never disappoints, and I'm always extremely grateful when we have the opportunity to see it happen! This time was no exception. It was absolutely breathtaking, and Josh and I both enjoyed every second of the sun rising and seeing the skies and ocean fill with its glorious light!

The early-rising paddle boarder was a fun sight!

The sky filled with color even before the sun peeked out!

It was cool to see the silhouetted cruise ship in the distance.

Our selfie on the beach after watching the sunrise.

A view of our resort on the beach from where we stood
to watch the sunrise--it was so quiet at that time of day!

The rest of the morning and early afternoon was spent lounging on chairs on the beach. We took advantage of a beach-side hut to sit under, and let our legs soak up the sun as we relaxed, people-watched, read books, and napped. After a late lunch, we moved poolside to continue relaxing and reading. Really, the only interruptions from our lounge chairs all day were only when we had to occasionally get up to eat, drink, or use the bathroom. We were originally planning on getting another massage that afternoon (our 3rd of the trip), but we were both still sunburned from our first day in the water, that we opted not to. It was truly an amazing day of R&R!

This picture is the perfect epitome of what our vacation represented.

Josh's sunburn is still very evident on his chest!

Even during lunch, you could see how relaxed Josh was!

We finished off the day by eating at one of the two fine-dining restaurants at the resort. They are located upstairs above the buffet restaurant, where we ate the rest of the meals during our stay. We'd never eaten at the fine dining Italian or Japanese options upstairs, which had a great view of the surrounding resort. The waiter was awesome and had the chefs put a special message on our dessert, which was a nice touch!  

Day 6 was our final day waking up in Mexico. We ate breakfast, packed our bags, and chillaxed for a bit, playing some card games on our patio, before having to check out of the resort. We hired a shuttle van to drive us back to the airport. We had zero problems this time going through security or customs, thankfully. We had a layover in Denver, and it was long enough that we ate dinner at a nice restaurant in the airport. Our last flight landed in SLC before midnight. My sister Tabbi picked us up from the airport and took us back to her place to spend the night, and we drove back to Salmon the next morning. 

Our final morning in Mexico

This was our favorite trip to Mexico yet! We loved seeing the Mayan ruins, walking around Playa del Carmen, and getting multiple massages, but our favorite part was relaxing on the beach. We each read several books during the 5 days we were in Mexico! We already look forward to going there again!

Anniversary in Mexico, Part 2

Josh and I wanted to see some more Mayan ruins while we were in Mexico for our Anniversary trip, so we made plans to visit Chichen Itza. On Day 4 of our vacation, we took the day-long excursion to the ancient ruins, and it was SO worth it! We were picked up at our resort that morning, and then we rode a bus for a couple of hours to Chichen Itza. 

Another beautiful day in paradise!

It was incredibly busy, packed with tour buses and vendors and visitors. Our tour guide took us around the site, and shared insightful information with us about the buildings and the Mayan people. He spoke like 5 different languages (including English, Spanish, and Mayan), which was so impressive! We learned a lot and enjoyed walking around, taking photos of all the beautiful ancient ruins. 

A ruined portion of the Nunnery structure

Original Temple of the Nunnery

The Nunnery East Chamber

The Church

The Church is a Temple dedicated to the God of Rain

El Caracol "The Snail"

The Snail has an observatory with doors and windows
aligned to astronomical events

The Ossuary has 9 stepped blocks and a staircase on each side.

On the upper foundation of the Ossuary, 8 interlocked
snakes decorate the edge of the structure with
2 snake columns at the entrance to the temple.

Temple of the Warriors

The Temple of the Warriors is flanked
by rows of carved columns depicting warriors. 

Group of a Thousand Columns

El Castillo AKA Temple of Kukulcan (a feathered serpent),
is one of the 7 Wonders of the World

Excavations over a decade ago exposed
foundations of other Mayan structures.

The building was so impressive to see in person.
Sadly, people are no longer allowed to climb up its steps.

Each of the 4 sides of El Castillo has 91 steps, plus the
one-step platform at the top brings the total steps
on the building to 365, the number of days in a year.

El Castillo is the tallest structure on site, measuring nearly 79 feet. 
If you stand close to the stairway and clap, the echo sounds like a bird.

During the spring and fall equinox, the sun casts a shadow on
the balustrades and it looks like a descending serpent. 

Platform of the Skulls

Over 500 skulls are on its walls

The Great Ball Court

The entrance has two large columns carved with feathered serpents.

Panels sculpted with battle scenes were at
the base of the walls in the Great Ball Court.  

After we finished touring the ruins, our tour bus took us to a nearby cenote next. The cenote was breathtakingly beautiful but was SO jam-packed with people. I kept bumping into people in the water and the lifejacket kept slipping up on me, so we didn't swim for very long. 

After we left the cenote, our next stop was to a Mayan restaurant with dancers entertaining us during the meal, and then to a little Mayan shopping village nearby. 

The final stop of the tour bus was to an outdoor market at a park in a small town across from a church. We had a good time roaming around looking at all the handmade products from the local vendors. 

We rode a couple hours on the return bus trip and got back to our resort just before the sun set. That night, the resort's evening entertainment was dancers performing by the pool. It had been a long, but very enjoyable, day for us!