Just Another Manic Fantastic Monday!

Perfect lounging by the pool

I thought there was no better feeling than waking up on a Monday morning and not having to work...that was until I experienced waking up on a Monday morning in Mexico and not having to work. We got up fairly early to enjoy our last full day at the resort. Tomorrow is an all-day tour to Chichen Itza, and Wednesday is a half-day of snorkeling. We moseyed on over to the buffet to get the daily servings of our three most important food groups: chocolate, carbs, and bacon. 

We spent some time at the pool before being persuaded by resort staff members to head down to the ocean for a beach party. We enjoyed reggae music and the party's limbo competition from the comfort of our lounge chairs. After the crowd from the party died down, we grabbed some snacks and margaritas and migrated to the pool to see what activities were going on up there. 

Apparently it only takes us a couple margaritas to again be swayed into thinking that pool games and dance lessons are a good idea (flashback to Saturday). First, Sydne and I enrolled in a ping pong tournament. We mostly did this as a joke, and were the only one who brought our drinks to the courts. Funny enough, we both beat older men in our first games who were not too happy about losing to us. I beat Sydne in the next round, advanced to the finals, and was sadly defeated by one of the best players I've ever seen. The Star Friends then convinced us to participate in a basketball shooting contest. Each person got 3 shots from the pool deck into a hoop floating in the water. I must've retired my jump shot back in high school (or it was the margaritas). Anyway, neither of us advanced to Round 2. Next up was dance lessons, this time the salsa. I had a lot of fun learning the bachata, so I was easy to convince to go dance. Sydne was a little tougher, but our friend managed to drag her along. We learned 3 steps, and were then partnered up to practice with another person. Sydne and her partner, a woman who she had been goofing off with the entire lesson, left soon into the dance to go take tequila shots (typical). I wanted to kill her for leaving me up there alone, but they were pretty funny to watch over at the pool bar. I was partnered up with our Star Friend, Gabriel, and ended up liking the salsa better than the bachata because it was easier to follow the music. I was actually getting the hang of it.

Outside of our building

The pool games ended and the sun had retreated, so we went back to the room to shower, rest a bit, and go get some dinner. We decided to venture to the resort's shopping plaza for food. The plaza included gift and clothing shops, a spa, burger diner, taco restaurant, creperie, and the Star Wars Galaxy club from last night. We opted for the taco restaurant, which served authentic Mexican tacos a la carte style. Mexican-style tacos are smaller, and the tortilla is slightly sweeter than in the US. I had the Cochinita pibil (slow roasted pork-a favorite from my last trip to Mexico), Al pastor (pork with pineapple), and Arrachera (seasoned skirt steak). Oh, and a Dos Equis! As you can see, the tacos were delicious and we will be back for more. After all of the spiciness, we needed something sweet..perfect time for the creperie. One of my favorite restaurants in Wilmington serves wonderful French dessert crepes, so I couldn't wait to try them here. We shared a chocolate and caramel filled crepe with strawberry ice cream-delicious! With full bellies, we were ready for a nap.

A short nap gave us enough energy to get ready and head to another nightly show. This time the theme was movie night, and the Star Friends and dance troupe again performed. There were snippets from Shrek, Spiderman, the Matrix (my favorite), and more. I could watch the dancers all day. Still slightly tired from the nap, we walked back to the room to get some rest. We have a big day tomorrow- a 12-hour tour to the colonial city of Valladolid, the Ik Kil cenote, and the Chichen Itza Maya ruins. We're both very excited to learn more about the rich history of Mexico.

Adios!