Spring Break in Mexico

For Andrew's spring break this year, we booked a cruise to Mexico. Neither of us had ever been, and everything just aligned...the ship left from from Galveston, TX (Where my sister Liz is living), she graciously offered to drop us off  and watch Asher during our 5 days away, and we found a fantastic deal.

The ship happened to be the very same one we honeymooned on nearly four years ago, which we found kind of special. We spent a day sailing to the Yucatan peninsula and first docked in Progresso, where we got a great view of authentic Mexico, shopped around in a little market, got massages, then went and saw the ruins of Dzibilchaltun. They were incredible!

After the ruins, we drove to beautiful Merida, the capital city of the Yucatan, which was a great taste of more developed, urbanized Mexico.

The next day found us in the clear waters of Cozumel - where we shopped and took a glass-bottomed boat out snorkeling to a few spots. Swimming with all the tropical fish was so much fun! One of the coolest things we've done together.

So there's a brief synopsis! We'll let our pictures do the rest of the talking...

 

 At the comedy show the night of our first day at sea

Stopped for a Coke at an indoor market early before most of the shops were open

We were surprised to see a couple fresh-caught hammerheads pass by. This guy was a total natural in front of the camera.

 The outdoor market - loved how everything in Mexico is negotiable!

 The wall of a Spanish chapel built in the 1600s during the Inquisition.

The Spaniards tore down Mayan buildings to make their own - see the recycled stone with the old carving?

A reservoir connecting their aqueducts 

 I couldn't believe how sturdy the ruins felt!

 

This structure is a large, mass tomb. See where those people at the bottom are? They're going down into the tomb which looked like this inside:

 A carving from inside the tomb

 

This is the Temple Of The Seven Dolls, so named because of seven small effigies found at the site when the temple was discovered under the ruins of a later temple pyramid by archaeologists in the 1950s. On the Spring equinox, the sun rises so that it shines directly through one window of the temple and out the other. We were visiting just a few days before the equinox - they are setting up these fences in preparation for large crowds to come.

This is a monument in Merida to the Mayan civilization

 Enjoying a meal on the square - guacamole, salsa, fried bananas, and these yummy little chicken tortillas

View from the table

 An incredible Catholic cathedral built by Mayan hands

Inside

 Standing in front of the square

The oldest home in America - built in 1542

 Chilled Mango Bisque

 We stopped at a restaurant overlooking the ocean before setting off to snorkel

Sharing a pina colada

Headed out to the ocean

 Our last night on board the Triumph

 Kelsey and Celeste, our new high school friends

Our beloved waiters - Sonya, Pablo and Gene. They were so, so good to us.

 Andrew and Pablo

 Andrew trying his hand at serving

 Saying goodbye to stateroom 7-241

And then we stayed a couple days in Galveston with Liz and Rich, who showed us a great time. Wish we could have visited longer!

 Back to Galveston and newly reunited with our sweet boy! Here we are at the monument dedicated to the 8,000 lives lost in the great Hurricane of 1900. I wanted to recreate the statue's pose, but then realized it would be completely inappropriate.

 Cousins Kenton, Wesley and Asher having a blast in the gorgeous summer weather

 These kids are so stinking cute. Makes me want to throw up.

This afternoon found them going back and forth between the pool and trampoline for hours. It was a good day.

I wish I'd gotten a picture with Liz and I, but alas, we'll have to rely on memories alone. We had such a fantastic time, and felt so grateful that she and Rich were willing to watch our little crazy while we enjoyed ourselves. So happy we seized this opportunity!