Isla Mujeres - Or Our Last Adventure

On Monday, the last day before we parted ways, we decided for one last adventure to Isla Mujeres, a very small island off the coast of Cancun. We took the ferry over and had planned to get the recommended golf cart to tool around the island but we couldn't find one that seem to be reasonably priced, or the price quoted by the person on the street was not the same price we were told to actually pay. 

What sounded fun was a several hour snorkeling tour around the island stopping at some pretty cool spots. We were interested, but then we remembered that many of us suffer from sea sickness, and we declined. We wandered aimlessly for a while, still trying our luck to rent a golf cart, sit by the ocean, or just decide what to do with our time. Eventually we made it back to the guy offering the snorkeling trip and this time we accepted. So glad we did. Interestingly enough I got the most nauseous bobbing around on the sea while snorkeling then in the boat. But the fishes were interesting, the coral was cool, and the underwater sculptures, were fascinating. It's called the the underwater museum. Look it up.

What I loved about our tour, other than finally getting to use the snorkel mask I bought special for the trip, and meeting the fun families sharing the day with us, was the other spiritual connection I made while snorkeling. When you are snorkeling, and I found this out when I went snorkeling with my college roommates in Maui a few years ago, it is so very easy to get separated from your group. You get so interested in looking down that you can lose track of what's going on on the periphery. I quickly learned that if I wanted to stay with my group I needed to look up from time to time and course correct when necessary. This made me think of just how important taking the sacrament each week is for me. And it made me think of a quote I heard years ago:

"… No man goes away from this Church and becomes an apostate in a week, nor in a month. It is a slow process. The one thing that would make for the safety of every man and woman would be to appear at the sacrament table every Sabbath day. We would not get very far away in one week—not so far away that, by the process of self-investigation, we could not rectify the wrongs we may have done. … The road to the sacrament table is the path of safety for Latter-day Saints. …" - Elder Melvin J. Ballard

I think we are supposed to look down and really get into what we are trying to get done during the week. It's why we are here on earth and why I went snorkeling - to experience something really cool. The trip would have been wasted if I had spent the whole time looking for my guide. It's why we are told to be in the world. It's why we aren't asked to live cloistered lives spent in quiet study and contemplation. But if I had spent my whole time "experiencing" I would have gotten lost and potentially harmed. It's the magical mix of both, the marveling at the wonders under the sea and reorienting myself to my group that made the trip so worthwhile and safe. What a cool realization for me that added yet more dimension to the trip.

Once we were done with our excursion, we headed off in search of souvenirs to take home to our families (well not me, I had already spent my wad on our Mayan Ruins day) and then I wanted to do a bit more walking. So fascinating that on one side of the island you have so much beautiful sand and gorgeously colored water. On the other, not even a half a mile away, you get rocks and coral and zero beach. What you trade for the beach is a lovely pathway to walk along in the shade. It was the perfect, calm way to end our time on Isla Mujeres.

By the time we got back to our hotel it was time for the sunset, and after a week of being in Cancun and not taking proper pictures of the sunset, we finally made it a priority as a group. 

It was such a beautiful evening to cap off a memorable trip with my darling sisters. With four women who were all blessed with very strong personalities, there was so much potential for drama, and yet there just wasn't. We had meaningful conversations, made amazing memories, played LOTS of card games, and enjoyed being together. It was perfect.

And now I'm ready to be home with my darling family. Until next time sister dears.

XPLOR

Be prepared for picture overload. At the strong suggestion of several people, we put Xplor on the itinerary. I am so glad we did. Definitely worth while. I loved not needing anything we owned all day long. I loved eating an early lunch and an early dinner so we wouldn't have to worry about figuring out what to eat after we got back to the hotel. I loved that there were virtually no lines and that we had just enough time to do everything there was to see before the park closed. I loved that we stayed together for the whole day, even when I banged up my knee and needed a bandaid. My sisters were sweet enough to follow me to the first aid station and wait while I got put back together. I loved seeing things and doing things you don't find in the states. I loved just about everything there was, maybe the ATVs. I didn't love the ATVs but I did love giggling with Nichole.

Megan really wanted the photo package, and Nichole didn't take a ton of convincing, so we made sure we got our monies worth.

We did the ziplines. First injury of the day when I learned that you can touch the building under you. My feet were very sore for a while after that.

We did the rafting trip. I definitely used my arm muscles on this one. Also, navigating a 6 foot raft through narrow areas was difficult.

Us on the underground river swim. I don't know why I cared, but it was surprisingly difficult to finagle a picture all my onesies. Also, we saw bats. Melissa was very scared. I thought it was cool. Plus, the water was cold. I think it helped my banged up feet. But then I injured my knee on a rock. It's a good thing I basically iced in that cold water for half an hour.

Us and our ATVs. It was fun trying to catch different expressions in each of the cameras.

Us in the underground exploration which was quite possibly the most random attraction and my favorite. We walked through water, we walked through a cave, we went down a slide, climbed around rocks and through "downed" logs. It was the oddness and the variety that really spoke to this girl's heart. I loved it.

And in between eating and doing all the things, we took pictures at all the other stops along the way. So many pictures. But such a fun day. Definitely worth our time and money.

Mayan Ruin Tour

 Today we toured the ancient Mayan ruin cities of Tulum and Coba. I loved wandering around the sites marveling at the obvious skill and study that went into both designing and building them, but also to understanding them over a thousand years later. I will never have a passion for any of that, but I'm so grateful for those who do so that I might benefit.

Tulum, was especially busy as it sits right next to the ocean and offers some pretty gorgeous visits. I can understand why so many flock to see it. What I found most meaningful about the experience though was seeing all the tour groups with nametags, not with their names on them, but the name of their tour guide. Obviously, it would be a lot easier to identify others within your group and for your tour guide to identify that you belong if you have her/his name on your shirt. I thought about how this is such a power metaphor for taking Christ's name upon ourselves. He is the way, the truth, and the life, our ultimate tour guide leading us back to our Heavenly Parents. Through Him we see all the sights there are to see in life and understand the meaning behind them. 

To take the analogy a step further, there were times when I didn't want to follow our guide. I wanted to take some extra time to look at the thing he had just been explaining, or I wanted to explore a different part of the ruins. There were times when I looked up and didn't see him and instead had to look for the other members of my group to help guide me back to where I needed to be. We all do this - get caught up in distractions, and I am so grateful for family, friends, and leaders who have, over the years, lovingly pointed me back to my Savior.

The structure in Coba with the amazingly carved and preserved stone in front of it. Fun fact, instead of building new buildings, sometimes they just built on top of existing structures. That's why archaeologists cut strips into the steps - to test the theory.

Us in front of the temple? Maybe it was a tomb? I can't remember, it was cool though.

We also visited a Cenote, which is an underground chamber or cave which contains permanent water. I jumped in, twice. I was so proud of myself. Of my sisters, only Nichole and I jumped in, I was super brave.

Our tour group. The man standing next to me was our tour guide. The people standing next to him are his biological mom and her husband with whom he has reconnected with in the last couple of years. It was pretty amazing to be able to share the day with them.