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Published: June 30th 2014
.....there was this lady who thought it might be a good idea to go to South America and work with some kids. Along the way she met lovely families, made lots of new friends, saw fantastic animals/mountains/ancient sites, had some scary moments, got lost a lot, spent heaps of money, walked, walked, walked, fell over a couple of times, dropped things, laughed till she cried, felt sick, felt strong, and was amazed but grateful for all of the opportunities that came her way.
She missed her children and her friends back home very much, but never enough to make her want to end the journey before its time.
On the very long flight back home, images of the hugs and kisses she would receive (especially from her little grandson), filled her with anticipation. How could 3 months have already been and gone? How could all those wonderful times be just a memory now which would need to be pricked by a photo, a food or smell, a laugh, or a topic to bring it back to her mind? Would she be able to maintain all those wonderful friendships to people in faraway places? Is there
a chance that she may go back to visit those special places?
As she got off the plane and fought her way through customs and baggage carousels, the need to see those most dear to her almost exploded. As she wandered through the sliding doors to a sea of faces all looking for their special person, tears of joy filled her eyes as the hug was realised.
Yes, it was very good to be home.
BUT
BOY! did she have fun in Cancun before then!!
A fantastic room, beautiful beach, exciting excursions, wild nights at the nightclubs, lots of cocktails, delicious food, warm pools and great fun people.
First night, met the lovely Mona and fun Andrew! Chatted for a while at the bar and then as it was Mona's last night decided to hit Coco Bongo. What a blast! The most amazing show after drinking a spectacular shot at the nightclub next door. 4.00am finish didn't stop me from hitting the beach before 10! The next day it was a full day at the Mayan ruins starting at 7.30 and returning at 8.45pm. So hot but saw Mexican dancers, swam
in a sink hole, ate ice cream at a quaint town and of course wandered about the temple grounds.
SWIM WITH THE WHALE SHARKS!!! It was the scariest thing I have ever done but an unbelievable experience. Also got to see mantra rays breaching which was totally unexpected. We swam in pairs with a guide who instructed us to jump in on the count of 3. Armed with snorkel, flippers, a life jacket and a whole bunch of nerves in I jumped. The first jump was a bit of a blur as I realised I wasn't going to drown in the swell, get sucked into the mouth of the whale shark or belted by his enormous tail. After swimming as fast as I could to keep up with him (as instructed) it was time to return to the boat and the next couple went in. On my 2nd swim, I got a little ahead of the count and slithered into the water on '2' as the wake of the boat hit my flipper. As the guide laughed and gave me instructions to swim with the shark, I put my head down in the water to see a mantra ray
The snake slithered down the temple at each solitise to advise when the seasons were changing
The temple was designed so that the shadows caste at the change of the season looked like the snake's body.to my left while the shark swam to my right. So exhilarating! The 3rd swim was where I realised the full enormity of what I was doing and totally took in the spectacle of this magnificent creature.
On returning to the resort, I made sure anyone who asked was told of my amazing experience. The next day, was beach day and when I met Kelly of 'the 5 amigos'. Sitting at the swim up bar about to order, Kelly asks if I would like to do a shot with her. 5 shots and 1 hour later, we decided that it was time to get ready for dinner. I never made it to dinner.....realising that when you report you wallet stolen when in fact it is safely stored in your safe, the best thing to do is stay in your room! Ah, the wisdom of age LOL. Could have used this at the 3rd shot of course. The most redeeming thing about this episode is that Kelly also ended up in her room for the night.
Having a coffee back at the resort was the opportunity to chat with Lana. Then it was party time with Andrew, Lana &
No climbing allowed
Up until about 2 years ago you could but now special permission is required. Polina, with the best DJ in Cancun (or so we were told!) Thanks to Andrew we had a table right near the action and the drinks didn't stop flowing. Another late night but I needed to be up early to....... swim with the dolphins and yes Simon, I have got
that photo! I met the lovely Diane and her daughter Laney and we had a great day.
The night before I left Cancun, I partied hard with Cheryl and Tim at the Foam Pond nightclub, Mr Frog's. I resisted the urge to be immersed in foam but managed to bogie with the bar staff pretty effectively.
I had a fun day shopping with Polina where we also had our feet treated to fish eating and a massage. Never expected that one either!
Thank you, Kelly, Brian, Michael, Cara, Caitlin, Polina, Andrew, Lana, Mona, Cheryl & Tim and all the other 'randoms' that I spoke with until the wee small hours of the morning. I am now fully trained up in drinking cocktails, shots and not going to bed until 4.00am but still managing to eat a breakfast and get to the beach by 10!
Folks this
The jungle
The temperature is so hot and humid. is the last blog. I hope you have enjoyed my ramblings but I want to thank all those who have been with me on this journey. It meant that I never felt truly alone and ensured that I captured those special moments.
Until I can convince Helen to let me have 3 months off for the next adventure..........Adios!!!
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