Viva Mexico!

After a lovely, albeit chilly visit with our family to the north, Marc and I were ready to visit our neighbors down south- Mexico, that is! Our very generous employers offered up their timeshare in the Riviera Maya and we jumped at the chance. "One week or two?" she asked. Well two, of course. We're no fools!

We were determined to make it the most relaxing vacation possible. Although we had been off work since September, it seemed we hadn't stopped moving! (I realize that comment does not elicit much sympathy.) All I wanted to do was lie on the beach, devour a few books, eat amazing food, and drink some sort tropical concoction out of a coconut the size of my head. It is important to make to-do lists.

 Two sun-seekers ready for fun.

  

We stayed at the Grand Mayan, and oh how grand it was. The hotel is located within a complex of three or so other resorts. It didn't take long to realize they were running quite the operation here. The entire property ran smoothly with over 2,000 employees, several restaurants, an intricate system of pools, and a beautiful wood walkway through the lush rain forest like vegetation. 

The very friendly staff at check-in informed us that the shuttle service would take us anywhere we wanted to go during our stay. We opted to walk along the extensive walkway instead. We were one of the few who chose to walk, so most of the time we enjoyed long walks through the palm trees all by ourselves!

It always amazes me how much detail goes into these places.

Our home away from home for two weeks. 

 

 The first week we were there we stayed in a suite with a plunge pool. It was freezing! But the idea was nice.

 Both of the rooms we stayed in were very comfortable. We also loved the decorations, modern and funky.

 I got suckered into participating in a water aerobics class. These sort of activities are always more fun after a mid-morning Michelada. Marc thought it an appropriate moment to document, of course.

 

The beaches and the ocean in this area of Mexico are stunning. The water is turquoise in color
and crystal clear. Although the walk in to the ocean was a bit rocky, they had constructed a couple long piers to walk down and swim from. 

We found that these piers were also the perfect backdrop for several amateur Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition style photo shoots. This turned out to be a daily event which often attracted eager hotel employees so graciously willing to step in as cameraman. I'll let your imagination paint that picture for you.



We did a little snorkeling when the water was calm. The resort had recreated a coral reef in order to reintroduce some of the native sea life.

 

We took advantage of the inexpensive shuttle to downtown Play del Carmen. Having visited in 2006 on a cruise, we had an idea of the layout of the city. It was incredible how much it had changed in eight years! There were hundreds of places to eat and a huge shopping mall in the middle of the downtown area. Give it a few years and this place will give Miami Beach a run for its money.

 My Silver Shop.

 We had some great food in Play del Carmen. We also visited the restaurant with the world's largest menu. (Don't quote me on that, but how could it not be?)

Interestingly enough, we found some of the best Italian food we have ever tasted at La Famiglia in downtown Play del Carmen. They make all their pasta by hand, and it makes all the difference. I had Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Ravioli with Mushroom Cream Sauce, and Marc had an oh-so-decadent Seafood Linguine.

    

 In addition to pasta, they also serve hand tossed pizza, one size only, gigantic!

 What a great idea for a sink!

We highly recommend La Famiglia to anyone visiting Play del Carmen. 

The resort also had some fabulous food,

and some Alice in Wonderland sized decor.

In order to counteract our over indulgent eating habits, we walked the .75 mile long walk to and from the beach many times a day.

  Marc and his new (Swedish?) wife.

Just couldn't get enough of this view.

  Some very creative muchachos crafted this monster on the beach. 

The real ones were a bit smaller. 

 It may seem like all we did was eat...

But we enjoyed some wine as well. We found one to celebrate Nico and our friends in Uruguay!

  Marc and I have created a habit of discovering the most beautiful places about two days before we have to leave to go home. We took a long walk down the beach toward Cancun past the sprawling resorts and found a section of the beach that was completely empty. The sand was white and smooth and the waves were just big enough to do some body surfing. We brought a lunch and enjoyed having it all to ourselves. 

  The sunrises here were well worth an early rise time.

Now that is my kind of snow man!

While lying on the beach sipping our cocktails and reading our books we were often approached by what I would call the "Pump 'Em Up Staff" wanting us to participate in everything from water aerobics to a beach game where they roll you around in a large inflatable ball. 

One day Marc really got into the spirit and showed off his stellar ping pong skills and his killer soccer moves.

Mission completed. 

The only problem with going on vacation alone is that you end up with a lot of pictures like this. I promised myself that I would be better at asking people that we met to take pictures with us. I have yet to live up to this!

But alas, vacation cannot last forever. So we headed back to the frozen Midwest to celebrate Christmas while images of palm trees danced in our heads.

You can make me leave, but you CANNOT make me take off my flip flops!

Hasta la proxima vez, Mexico!

November in Canada?

I know what you're thinking- Canada? You're going in the wrong direction! We know it seems a bit backwards, but we wanted to take the opportunity to visit my family that I hadn't seen in almost twenty years. We also decided to take the scenic route through Ithaca and visit Daniel and Lane in their new city.

For this trip we were even able to recruit three more passengers. So Liz, Nico, Audri, Marc, Lucy, and I loaded ourselves and our belongings into the RV for a trip up North to see the Torringtons.

Max and Lucy were meant to stay with Mama T. for this trip to avoid any hassle at the Canadian border. We decided to bring Lucy with us at the last minute due to her recent jaw surgery. It just seemed to soon to leave her, so along she came.

I have to say that I was very proud of our travel companions. Our RV is- well, how should I put it- cozy. It is perfect for Marc and I and the dogs, but with two more adults and a child, it can get pretty tight. Nevertheless, Liz, Nico, and Audri were perfect travelers!

We were only sorry we couldn't have thrown Mama T. along in for the ride as well!

 

We ladies had no trouble finding many entertaining ways to pass the time on the road. 

We played games, read books, watched movies, took naps, and ate leftover Halloween candy. If that's not a road trip done right, I don't know what is!

 

Our favorite travel snack. Dangerously delicious.

 Lucy was a good sport as well. Even with her poor little cone head, she is still a cutie.

Somewhere along a horribly rutted Indiana highway that threatened to shake our brains loose from our heads, we blew out a tire. Huh, this seems to be becoming a habit. I guess that's what you get when you buy a twenty-year-old motor home. Fortunately we had just passed a highway exit and were close enough to slowly inch our way backwards up the ramp. Our good luck continued, we had lost our tire directly next to a tire shop. A very nice gentleman got us in and out of the shop with a new tire in less than fifteen minutes. We ladies didn't even have to leave our seats!

 

What's a road trip without a little excitement and a shredded tire?

Crisis averted!

Once in Ithaca, New York we stayed at the beautiful Robert H. Treman State Park. The camping sites are nice size and well wooded. There is also a beautiful waterfall which, in the summer, creates a natural swimming pool. We decided to stay dry this time around, just enjoying the views.

 Audri found a friend at the playground. 

              

Daniel met up with us and took us on a tour of his town. We had coffee at Collegetown Bagels. I love how green college towns are. This is great!

 

We also had DELICIOUS vegan subs at Shortstop Deli. This is a must for anyone looking for a great veggie lunch.

After a great day in Ithaca, and a pizza dinner back at the campsite, we said goodbye to Daniel. We would see him again in a few days in Canada. 

We got our first taste of Canada at a rest stop in upstate New York- Tim Horton's! Liz and I being half Canadian, we thought it only right to make a "Timmy run" as soon as we were able.

 

Now that's a happy camper!

We crossed the border with no hassle whatsoever. One may think that three Americans, one Uruguayan, one four-year-old, and a cone-headed dog missing a quarter of her jaw cruising in a 1994 Coachmen Leprechaun with Colorado plates might get a second look from Border Patrol, but we must have looked more like a traveling circus than a security threat. They waved us through with no more than the mandatory question regarding firearms or explosives.

We had three first-timers with us, so Niagara falls was a must.

  Breathtaking, eh?

We arrived in Georgetown, ON the same way we arrived at all of our destinations on this trip- in the dark. This night we had the added benefit of rain! Somehow, without the guidance of streetlights, we managed to find our uncle Marty's house. It was a welcome sight and a warm, hospitable place to lay our heads while we were in Canada. Marty, our cousin Angi, and her husband Chris were so gracious during our visit. Angi greeted us with scrumptious veggie chili and gave us suggestions for activities for the next few days. We couldn't have asked for more from our hosts. 

It was so wonderful to see family that Liz and I hadn't seen in nineteen years. Even though we were barely teenagers the last we had seen them, we immediately felt comfortable. What a great feeling to be surrounded by funny, intelligent, interesting people, who also happen to be relatives!

Our aunt Gail had us over for dinner one night, going to a lot of trouble after work to cook us a delicious meal.

  I wouldn't have added this picture, but it was the only one she would let me capture of her. You did it to yourself, Gail! Ryan, I'm sorry, you can blame your mom!

The next day we ventured to downtown Toronto for some sightseeing and some very tasty burritos.

  No day is complete without a pretty cookie.

   

Yes, you read that correctly. And they were out of this world! Marc and I had a Mac 'n Cheez Burrito. Yum!! Sounds like an off-season food truck in the making to me.

  

Tell us how you really feel.

A little more sightseeing. It was a cold day down by the
waterfront!

We ended our day at a Uruguayan restaurant, La Pasiva, that Angi found for us. With pizza and Chivitos, it was a taste of home for Nico!

On our last day in town took a walk on the Badlands in Georgetown and all pitched in to cook an extravagant family meal. 

Nico, always a whiz in the kitchen.

  Marty made a divine pork roast which he shredded for sandwiches.

           This is Nico's kind of party!

Liz and I were so grateful that almost everyone was able to make it to Marty's to join in the festivities. To those who we missed, we hope to catch you on our next trip up. It was a full night of food, fun, and laughter. 

  Audri had a blast hanging out with her cousins, Owen and Donovan.

  

It took a few tries, and this shot was still not quite perfect, but that's family, right?

This is a trip that we will never forget. It meant so much to us to reconnect with our aunts and uncles and cousins. We feel so lucky to have had this time with our loving, welcoming family. We will be sure to visit again before long! Thank you for everything!