Last week Rick and I took Skylar & Sarah and Brach & Kendra to Cancun. We left Saturday the 16th and gotback last Saturday night. It was a wonderful vacation! The kids shared a two bedroom condo while Rick and I had our own just a few doors down. We stayed at the Casa Maya at the top of the hotel zone and it was a really great place to be. The beach there was fantastic and we made good use of it! This picture was taken just after we had dinner in the hotel's beachside restaurant.
On Sunday we went to church. Rick had been in touch with the Bishop of the ward before we left the States because we wanted to take some clothes for someone in need. Come to find out the Bishop of the ward (Bishop Garrido) was Rick's Zone leader from the Moneterrey Mexico Mission all those years ago! We had a fun time visiting with his family and looking at old mission pictures. (all but his youngest son spoke English)
They are a really awesome family.
After church we got to go to the home of Dayana Cervantes and her children Arturo and Sasha. Dayana is a single mom and earns her living by making sandwiches each day and taking them out to sell on the streets. The Bishop felt like she could use some help so we visited with her and dropped off some food, clothes, and a few pesos. Brach had packed his mission shoes in the clothing and gave them to Arturo who is nine years old. He explained to Arturo how he wore them on the streets of Phoenix, Arizona and that in just a few years he could plan and wear them on his own mission. Sasha (who is seven) was a happy little girl and loved showing us her little toys. The kids were so amiable and happy to have visitors.
This was just an exeptional experience for us all.
Monday we drove out to the Ek Balam ruins and enjoyed climbing the ancient buildings.
A view from the top of the highest building.
We had a fun time exploring but only stayed an hour because it was hot and humid and the kids were anxious to get back to the pool:) (except for Brach.....he wanted to stay longer but got outvoted)
Tuesday was a beach day. Our hotel had a fantastic beach.
We had fun playing in the waves and tossing a nerf football around.
In one of the marketplaces Skylar found a cool ball that skims across the water.
The kids loved playing with that!
Skylar and Sarah snorkeling in the surf. There wasn't much to see here at the hotel because there was no reef but they did spot an eel and a baby ray. Oh, and Skylar found a dollar:)
This day was fun because the spa at the hotel was offering a 2 for 1 deal on massages so Sky, Sarah. Kendra, and I got to get a massage. Also, everyone but me went parasailing.
Here's the Boman's ready to go!!
Up, up and away!
Next, it was the Phelps' turn.
Woo Hoo! Sarah was so scared the whole time! Rick told everyone of a parasailing freak accident just before they went up. I'm not sure what he was thinking on that one!
Since I didn't want to go Brach got to go up another time to balance out Rick. He really loved it! He said the water was so clear that he could see some good sized fish from way up there.
Wednesday afternoon we stopped at Crocun Zoo and got to see some exotic animals. Everyone got to hold a baby croc:) The bad thing about this place were the mosquitos. A word to the wise....citronella spray does NOT work!
On Thursday we drove to Playa Del Carmen to catch the ferry over to Cozumel. We wanted to get in some good snorkeling so we went to the Chankanaab National Park. The water was clear and the tropical fish were plentiful. Rick took crackers to feed them and they were swarming everywhere! Kinda freaky! The boys saw a huge barracuda and another eel. The coral was also very cool!
We rented mopeds to get around on the island.
Friday was designated as another beach day at the hotel (the kids loved to order drinks and food as they lounged on the sand). Before we went out Rick and I took a drive down the hotel zone to the beach to the south. I just love the Caribbean waters!
The white sand just makes the water so beautiful!
This was such a fantastic trip for us. We ate a lot of good Mexican food and got to enjoy being together! Indeed, a very memorable trip for all of us!
