day 12 and 13- swimming with dolphins

Hi guys!
So day 12 was a relaxing day, it started off raining when we got breakfast so we didn't go for our usual walk along the beach but the sun did manage to come out to play a little later so we went to the sky bar to swim and laze about.
We had room service for tea and hubby went to watch the American football while I stayed in the room as I was tired and we had to be up early the next morning.

Day 13 we got up at half 5 to get ready, and had breakfast on our room. We got picked up at the hotel at half 7 (hubby had told me it was 7) and we're taken to the boat. We were going to isla mueres, and the last time i went there we had a big boat so we were expecting the same but we actually had a catamaran type boat! Hubby and I sat at the front with our legs on the net so we got a little wet but we got talking to the Welsh people who were sitting next to us. The sun was very strong so we got really hot but it wasn't too bad as the spray from the sea helped to cool us down.
It took about 45 minutes to reach the island and once there we were given lockers and told to meet at the information centre for our first activity but the guide didn't turn up on time so we had to wait another twenty minutes for him and then they didn't have enough life jackets so we had to wait even longer.  The first activity was with manatees but these were much smaller than the ones we swam with at xel ha, and we were in a group of about 30 so it wasn't as good. We only had about 10 minutes in the water before we had to get out and wait another half an hour to be able to go in with the dolphins. Hubby got a bit annoyed as it seemed as if the people organising it didn't really know what they were doing.
We finally got in with the dolphins and we were in groups of 10. The guide explained to us some facts about dolphins and let us Stroke the dolphin a few times. Then I was picked to go first in holding the flippers and giving the dolphin a kiss on the mouth then letting it kiss my cheek! I was a bit nervous but it was fine.
I was the last person to hold the dolphin to get my photo taken and them swim out to the middle with a board, and the dolphin pushed on my foot to push me back into the group.  It was fun but it felt so weird! Hubby and I were also the last people to have 2 dolphins push against our feet so we came out of the water and basically rode them back to the group. I stayed out of the water for ages so hubby was jealous lol.
When hubby had to kiss the dolphin he got confused and thought he had to kiss it's cheek which I thought was hilarious!!
We were in with the dolphins for about half an hour, maybe 45 minutes which wasn't long at all and the guide just kept telling us the same facts over and over.

After that we went to get the photos, and then we had to get back on the boat to go to garafon where we were told there would be amazing food, snorkeling,  canoeing and a zip line. When we got there the food was nearly all gone so I only had two bits of sushi that wasn't very nice, and hubby had the last tiny bit if chicken.
Hubby went on the zip line but I didn't as it didn't look safe and also looked a bit pathetic compared to the one at xplor,  and afterwards hubby told me that they didn't have all of the safety equipment and you had to brake yourself by putting your hand through a wooden block and pulling down so I'm glad I didn't go on it!
The snorkeling and canoeing were in the same small section of the sea which was roped off so the people snorkeling kept getting hit by canoes! Altogether I think this was the worst part of my holiday and I wanted to go back to the hotel early but couldn't as we had to wait for the boat.
We went to sit in the shade for a little bit, and this is going to make me sound so boring and old, but what Happened to proper bikini bottoms? All I saw were women in thongs!! I didn't want to see people's bums! But I suppose that's their choice.
The boat ride home was quite fun as it was raining and the sea was very choppy. The woman sitting next to me was sick so we moved to let her sit next to the edge, but while moving I fell on some one else!
There was a group of Geordies in front of us and they were so canny! When we got back, they nearly fell over trying to get off the boat but they didn't mind when I fell onto them trying to get off! Hubby helped the woman who was sick get off the boat so I was very proud of him.
When we got back to the hotel I showered and then we went for our evening meal where we bumped into the two Americans from the casino night. After that we went to the sky bar for a bit but came back in when it got too windy.

That's all we did :-)

X

Day 11- xplor fuego

Hi guys!
For most of the day we just relaxed as it was raining really heavily so we didn't want to sit by the pool, and we were going to xplor fuego later.
At 4:45pm we got the bus to xplor and Ricardo the person who was in the bus with us and explaining everything about the park was so funny! He told us that as we were all adults he would probably make a lot of innuendo etc. He was Mexican but his English was amazing! Hubby and myself were very impressed! He made a lot of jokes, especially about me and hubby as we were the only English married people there, so he was saying hubby should be my slave on the rafts and do all the work and if not he would provide a whip! Ha ha was very funny.
When we got there we were given helmets and a locker.
at the centre of the park was a large red heart that sounded like it was beating, and everything lead back to that heart so it was hard to get lost which was good!
We decided to do the river swim first as Ricardo suggested we do that first as the water gets colder as the night gets later. If you don't know what xplor is its basically underground rivers with stalagmites and stalactites which you can swim and raft around,  it's also in the jungle a bit so there's a car which you can drive around in and there's zip lines (very high up) that goes all over the top of the park/jungle. 
The river was warm enough and there was two routes to choose from so we chose the longer one which would take 25 minutes to swim round. There were lights in the caves so we knew where to go and we were told not to touch the stalagmites as the oils we secrete basically stop them from growing anymore! There were only a few lights so it was still a bit dark and we could get the full experience, I think we were very far underground! There were bats flying around too which we thought was so amazing and fish in the river too! It was so amazing and hubby and I loved it!!
We then went on a double raft around another part of the river through the caves, this was a bit more stressful than the swimming as we had to paddle with hand paddles and be careful not to touch anything but the river had rose quite a bit so we had to keep ducking and moving our bodies out of the way of stalagmites.  It was still pretty though.
We then decided to get a drink in one of the two drink places, I had hot chocolate which was so needed as it was a bit cold and raining, and hubby had some Mexican drink that ricardo had told him to get as it had an aphrodisiac in it. There was a mongoose there and the waitress said we could feed it biscuits, and it ate right out of our hands! It was so amazing!!
After that we went to the part where you could drive around the jungle and hubby decided he would drive.  It was pitch black and the only light was the headlights on the buggy car thing which weren't that bright. We didn't see any wildlife but there were parts that told us to turn the lights off and when we did it was so scary as we couldn't see where we were going! Hubby loved it as it was very bumpy and he likes to drive fast but I was a bit scared we were going to crash! It was fun though!
We went to the restaurant to get something to eat and the food was quite good actually with a lot of choice.
We then decided to do the zip lines next. I was so so scared! I'm a bit scared of heights and the thought of basically hanging above the tallest trees suspended by a wire terrified me!! But I knew hubby wanted to do it and I didn't want to spoil the trip so I agreed to do it. There were 7 towers each one taller than the last, a ring of fire and a water landing. At some of the towers hubby and I were allowed to go together, at others we were allowed to go at the same time and on one of them we had to go alone and I was terrified but it was so fun!! I wanted to do it again! I can't explain the feeling but it was so amazing!
After that we did the river swim again and then went to get another drink. This time there were raccoons which the hubby fed!
At about half 10 we got changed and took some photos and then went to collect the photos the park took and we got picked up at 11:15 PM. 
We got back to the hotel at 1am and I wasn't tired so stayed up a bit watching TV.  I think it was the adrenaline still as xplor had given me a proper rush!

We had another chat and both rated xplor fuego 10 out of 10 and would recommend it to everyone! It was the most amazing thing I have ever done and so exhilarating.

X

Day 10 cancun- xel ha

9Hi guys!
Today we got up at 5am as we had to be at the hotel lobby at between half 6 and 7 as we were going to xel ha! If you don't know what this is it is like a park where there is a river you can snorkel in, a few animals like mongeese running around, there's a 'jump of courage' which is a jump off a cliff, and other activities like swimming with dolphins, snuba diving (yes snuba not scuba) etc. It sounded really good so we had decided to go. We had been told that we were all inclusive on the trip and could do all of the activities but when we got there it turned out we had to pay extra for any activities!
It took about 2 and a half hours altogether to get there, although we were on a pink bus for most of the journey which I loved!
We decided to pay for the manatee experience,  the sea trek and snuba diving.
By the time we had made it to the beginning of the river (apparently you had to start there if you wanted to go into the river even though there were lots of places to get into the river) it was time to go to the manatee experience so we ended up not snorkeling!
The manatee experience was amazing but I was really scared! There were 2 manatees and myself and hubby started with the larger of the two. The trainer told us to avoid swimming above the manatee or near the tail as every 20 minutes the manatee would go to the surface to breathe and we would get injured if we were in the way! We had to wear a life jacket and a snorkel and mask, and got to feed, stroke and swim with the manatee. At one point I lost where it had gone as I had had a problem with my mask and hubby told me it was underneath me which I panicked about! It was huge! After a while it decided it was bored and wouldn't come back to us anymore so the trainer took us to the smaller manatee which had been born in captivity.
With the smaller one we had to pose for a 'kiss' with it but for some reason it kept trying to pull me over so the trainer got a bit mad at me! It wasn't my fault though it was very strong but eventually I got a kiss! When hubby was trying to pose for a kiss the manatee kept trying to swim to me and the trainer was getting a bit panicked at why the manatee kept coming to me even though I was nowhere near them so I had to get out! Apparently it liked me ha. When we got out of the water we were given a towel and the trainers explained to us why it is important to look after manatees by not throwing plastic bags in the water as they die if they eat it, and by being careful if in a boat as they get their heads and backs cut by the propellers so they are in danger of dying out!
We had a little walk around the park while waiting for the next experience to begin. We found the cliff jump which we both did but I landed very awkwardly in the water as for some reason my legs came up during the fall so I hurt my legs, I didn't want the lifeguards to know though so I just grinned and swam anyway but once out of the water and back with the hubby I nearly cried! My thighs were bright pink and so sore and I had little cuts on one of them :-(
We had something quick to eat and then made our way to the sea trek. When we got there we were told it was cancelled due to the weather,and we would have to go back to the front desk to get our money back. Hubby went to get the refund while I watched the dolphins -they were so cute!  The man at the front desk tried to get hubby to choose a different experience but we didn't want to, so he tried to give a refund in American dollars (but we had paid in Mexican pesos and had been warned that the exchange rate meant that if we got dollars we wouldn't actually get the full amount back so hubby asked for pesos) after about twenty minutes we finally got our refund!
We had a couple of hours before the next experience so we went on the zip lines, which were surprisingly fun and only little so I wasn't scared! Hubby went on a rope obstacle course over the water and nearly Completed it :-) and then we had a little swim around the river. We had an inflatable double ring but hubby couldn't steer it properly but he blamed me so I ended up getting out and pushing it! Lol
We went to snuba diving, there was a bit of a problem to begin with as there was only enough equipment for 4 people (us and another couple) but 2 more people turned up with a ticket for the same time so the instructor had to go and try sort it out, he came back and asked us if we had cancelled ours and I said we had cancelled the sea trek but not this one and only got the refund for the sea trek, so the instructor said that he would still take us as we hadn't cancelled it. I felt sorry for the other couple as we would have hated to be messed around like that but it wasn't our fault, we hadn't cancelled it and hadn't got the money back so it was still ours as far as we were concerned and the other couple still went out just at a later time.
We had weights tied around us, and had the equipment tied to us and then we went to the water. We got instructions on what to do and then had to practice breathing out to sink rather than swimming to the bottom. I got it immediately and the instructor (daniel) said he was very impressed with me but hubby and the other couple had to practice a bit more. The woman from the other couple still didn't get it after a while so she decided not to do it but her hubby still did and we set off. It was so fun but hubby had to surface twice and I got a bit worried about him but daniel told me to leave hubby and keep diving as he would be fine. It only lasted half an hour actually diving so I wish we had longer but it was stunning and there were so many fish! Hubby enjoyed it once he got over his panic, which was good.
After that we had to go and get changed into dry clothes and go get the photos as it was nearly time to leave.
Overall it was a good day, but nothing like I was expecting and we were disappointed at not being told we had to pay extra for the activities, we suggested that it should be made clear to people as no one else had known either.

hubby and I had a chat about what we would rate xel ha and both decided about 6 or 7 out of 10.

X

Days 8 and 9

Hi guys!
So I forgot to do posts about these two days :-/
We basically swam and sunbathed during the day, and we went to the mall again to compare the prices of cameras as hubby wanted to get a new one but the one he wants worked out at about £100 more expensive than back at home so after 4 hours of wandering about shops he decided he didn't want to get it yet, especially as there is a new version out now back at home!
So, we then had to wander about the shops some more to get dridocks for our phones as my camera isn't waterproof and we couldn't find any waterproof cases for it so we decided to take our phones to the trips instead. We also were recommended by my sister to get those shoe things (I don't know what they're called) that have amazing grips on the bottom but are like wetsuit material on the top for when we go on the trips so we had to look for them too. I wanted some pink ones but the only ones in my size were blue!
We went to the casino night and hubby won at roulette (it was in the hotel so weren't playing for real money lol) while I watched and held the drinks as I don't like gambling even with fake money but I did have a laugh with the man running the roulette table and got to spin the roulette wheel too! Hubby played poker for a couple of hands and I got talking to a couple of Americans who were so lovely! They were from new York and they loved my accent! They even compared myself and hubby to Kate and will (but then changed it to Kate and Harry as the hubby is ginger! ) which I found funny and flattering! I know I don't look like Kate but it was nice to be told I do! We stood talking to them for quite a while after the casino ended which was nice as usually I am very shy and reluctant to talk to new people in case I look stupid but they put me at ease.
After a few more drinks we had to say our goodbyes and go back to the room as we had to be up at 5am the next day!

X

Day 8 cancun

Hi guys!
I feel like I'm being boring with these posts as it doesn't seem like we have done much but it is so much more fun than what it sounds!
Today we went for breakfast super early as Liverpool were kicking off at 7:30am Mexico time and hubby wanted to watch it. When we went to the sports bar there was no TV on but they nicely found the match for us so hubby was happy! There were some welcome meetings going on and I don't think they were too happy when the hubby kept shouting at the TV though!
After the match we went to the sky bar. We stayed there for a few hours as it wasn't too hot, and we love to watch the boats and jet skis in the sea. There were also some helicopters flying above us and loads of birds diving into the sea to get fish!
We had some food in the jacuzzi bit and then sat in the sun to dry off but they were setting up for a wedding and a woman with the wedding party told the staff to make us move (which we would have btw but the wedding wasn't until 6pm and it was 11am at the time) but the waiter told her we didn't have to move yet. We would never get in the way of a wedding or spoil anyone's day but when we first arrived there in the morning there was no indication there was going to be a wedding and the staff told us as Long as we weren't in the pool by 5pm it was fine.
The hubby had to see a doctor as he hurt his neck and shoulder, so that was a bit of a worry but he was told that he should see a chiropractor when back home, and until then I had to apply some cream to his back 3 times a day.
We went to the shopping malls again as hubby is still looking at cameras and now has decided he doesn't want to buy one here! We spoke to some policeman as we walked past the police station and they were just standing out the front so we just had a laugh with them.
I had a shock when a lizard ran out in front of me and the hubby videoed the lizard then chilling in the sun! Lol
Back at the hotel hubby went to the games night to see if they had fifa while I chilled in the bar and then we went to the pool bar and for a night Time walk along the beach.

How has your week been?

X

Days 6 and 7 cancun

Hi guys!
So day 6 was pretty uneventful, we went for our usual walk along the beach in the morning, went to the sky bar and pool most of the day. We had our evening meal at the Italian restaurant but neither of us were very hungry (I felt a bit ill) so we only had a main course (spaghetti carbonara). I think the waiters were a bit bemused by this as we had had to wait a little bit to go in!
The evening entertainment show was drums and fire which was really good! We took loads of videos which hopefully I will be able to upload when we get home.
Day 7 we went to the moon palace golf and spa resort for the day. As it is part of the palace resorts we can go there for free and use all of the facilities there. 
The moon palace hotel is massive and so gorgeous! There are 3 lobbies as it is so big, and each lobby has its own little part of the hotel, and there is a lobby to lobby bus running every 10 minutes.
There are loads of restaurants and pools and it has is its own section of the beach.  There are a few places to buy trips from, and it even has its own jet skis etc. There's a place to learn to scuba dive and mini golf. We had such a good day there!
There is a machine that simulates the waves so you can surf on it which hubby had a few goes of while I recorded it for him, I was going to have a go but I wimped out (but we are going back on Monday so will be trying it then...wish me luck!) We had a lovely walk along the beach and went out on the jet skis, and had some gorgeous food and generally just wandered about. We saw some massive lizards which we also took photos of and videoed as we are a bit sad like that! There were cafes where we got some ice cream but the coconut ice cream didn't taste right so I was gutted!
We were knackered by the time we got back to the hotel!We had a quick shower and went for a meal and then went to the  bar.

That's it for the two days.

X

Day 5 cancun

Hi guys!
So today was my birthday!! I refused to let hubby tell anyone though as I am shy and didn't want anyone to make a fuss!
We had breakfast in bed which was lovely, although there was too much food! And then hubby wanted to go to Walmart to buy a go pro camera and decided we had to do that today even though I wanted to relax by the pool. So we got the bus to Walmart and they didn't even sell the camera so hubby decided we should walk to the next mall which was a half hour walk away (or 4 minutes by taxi or bus but hubby wouldn't pay lol). So we walked around the middle of nowhere in the midday heat hoping to stumble across the mall, we very nearly got run over and loads of men kept driving past hanging off the back of pick up trucks which I was a bit scared by but we did end up finding the mall! Unfortunately they also didn't sell any cameras but there was a pet shop and we had to have a look! The animals looked really unhealthy and unhappy though, especially the dogs.  They kind of looked up at us and then just fell back to the floor and looked so unhappy! I felt so bad for them!
We got the bus back to the hotel, had a shower and then went to watch the American football (again hubby choice not mine) and didn't get any food! There were some Americans watching baseball and being very loud but their team won so I guess is understandable! There was meant to be an ideal couples competition but no one signed up for it so they got people to play musical chairs instead which was hilarious! And then there was live music which was really good.
I rang my mam in the morning as it is the anniversary of my grans death too as she died on my birthday 24 years ago and she gets upset still so I wanted to make sure she was okay.
That's it for today! Hope you have all had a good day!

X