Posted January 1, 201015 yr Well someone's partner had been planning and saving for a surprise trip during the holidays. Yep, Christmas in Cancun - I mean, the water was no Lake Erie and it was too warm to wear my favorite sweaters but I guess it was alright ;-) We stayed in the Hotel Zone but managed to get around a little bit. It was nice to be able to practice mi español. *Heads up to anyone viewing this from work - quite a few photos of the beach; nothing really racy but letting you know. Some music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UE-ZRs6AoJ0 View of the lagoon (west of the hotel zone) The beach - note the change in elevation; Cancun's beaches were wiped out by Hurricane Wilma. There's a $200M+ restoration effort underway with new sand being pumped in - I guess the idea is that between beachgoers and the waves, the "cliffs" will wear down eventually. I thought it was kind of cool with a "mezzanine level" :-) View from our room: We were flying out on the 29th, so no partying with the Kardashians for us! Photos from the hotel zone: Lobby of the Riu Palace: Pool of the Riu Palace - a lot nicer than our hotel, but their beach was waaay too small: Someone with serious $$$ was in town: View from our room at night: A few spots in the hotel zone are like this - probably the combo of the economy and Hurricane Wilma: We decided to check out the Mayan ruins at Tulum; our first stop was the central bus station in Cancun. There were a few spots for military checkpoints - one of these guys came aboard our bus, glanced at a few people, touched a backpack or two in the overhead compartment and got off. They successfully held up traffic for 30 minutes and p!ssed off a tourist or ten, but hey we're winning the war on drugs, right? :roll: Anyway, finally made it to the ruins of Tulum - note to Mexican tourism spots - when you have 500 people waiting in 88F heat, you MIGHT want to consider having more than one ticket window open. Ah well, here's the entrance - the wall surrounds the ruins. Iguanas were pretty much everywhere. The ruins of Tulum sit high above a beautiful (but crowded) beach: The main building (aka "El Castillo"): Outside the ruins (but still in the immediate vicinity), these voladores perform. More info at http://www.playa.info/playa-del-carmen-info-mayan-ruins-of-tulum.html The main drag of Tulum: My partner and I joked that this place might be nicknamed "Hostel MissingKidney" (looked a tad creepy) :-o But back to Cancun we went - stopped in the main square to see the Christmas decorations: Woke up the next morning - time for the beach! Part of the beach restoration is construction of a breakwall at the northern end of the hotel zone. Stopped in the atrium of the Hyatt: But it was time to head back home: South of Cancun: Main stretch of the hotel zone: Between the hotel zone and Cancun proper: Cancun proper: And back into the States - we got a great view of Dallas (and yes, we hummed the theme from the TV show): Happy New Year! clevelandskyscrapers.com Cleveland Skyscrapers on Instagram
January 1, 201015 yr Thanks Pumpkin. I'm glad you didn't get montezuma's revenge and had a good time!
January 1, 201015 yr I (and my digestive tract) had a wonderful and relaxing time. :-) clevelandskyscrapers.com Cleveland Skyscrapers on Instagram
January 1, 201015 yr Looks like a gorgeous place and a relaxing time! Compared with my short bike ride this afternoon in 18-degree temps and a headwind on the way back, I think I'd prefer a warm, sunny beach. I speculate this photo has UO's urban explorers packing bags and making reservations:
January 1, 201015 yr Neat! "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
January 2, 201015 yr Lucky you, now welcome back to CLE where it looks like we're having an eclipse. p.s. The breakwall construction at the beach is the coastal equivalent of putting up aluminum siding on an art deco building....bad!!!!
January 2, 201015 yr Just curious (since my knowledge is mostly focused on where to lay out and picking up shells), what's wrong with what they're doing? clevelandskyscrapers.com Cleveland Skyscrapers on Instagram
January 2, 201015 yr Depending on where the breakwalls are at, it can expedite deterioration and erosion on other parts of the beach.
January 2, 201015 yr Shermie or Surf, had you guys been to what was left of the beach after the hurricane? It was completely gone. Imagine one day having a sprawling beach. The next day having a bluff like Cleveland's lakefront behind city hall. Gone! I think they are using that to protect and keep the sand that is shipped/dredged in from flowing back out.
January 2, 201015 yr Just curious (since my knowledge is mostly focused on where to lay out and picking up shells), what's wrong with what they're doing? Well honey, you could have brought back that chocolate hottie for me. I'm sure he would have fit in your luggage! LOL
January 2, 201015 yr The most dangerous areas are the border towns, and the most dangerous activity is to be involved in the drug trade or law enforcement that's fighting drug trafficking. The heavily touristy areas (aka the Mayan Riviera) are mostly safe for anyone with an ounce of common sense in their head. clevelandskyscrapers.com Cleveland Skyscrapers on Instagram
January 3, 201015 yr OH I envy you, but I ain't a hater. Great pics! I definitely have to check out Cancun soon.
January 3, 201015 yr What Sherman said. The breakwalls are kinda like a shell game vs. nature that you can't win. The absolute worst case scenario is what we have here in Ohio, lots of erosion control, very few beaches. But I completely understand that the locals may seem them as the best alternative. The developeed city is reliant on the beaches stying stable, in place, where naturally there is no such thing as a stable beach. Anyhow, thanks for the pics MayDay, seeing them makes it's nice to at least pretend to be warm!!!! Shermie or Surf, had you guys been to what was left of the beach after the hurricane? It was completely gone. Imagine one day having a sprawling beach. The next day having a bluff like Cleveland's lakefront behind city hall. Gone! I think they are using that to protect and keep the sand that is shipped/dredged in from flowing back out.
January 6, 201015 yr No It'a all about this one! HOT! lol, can't you just say "tha black dude" ... and not have to go to MS Paint? God, I love Cancun ... expensive as hell though. Our currency gets jacked up to Manhattan standards there. btw, I say I'll take these two ...
Create an account or sign in to comment