Ola!

I am back from Mexico with a boatload of bloggable stories!

The trip was unexplainably great. I get all choked up trying to describe it to its fullest because I just can't! The old adage "you don't know until you go" certainly applies to trips south. Right from the get go, it was a flawless operation (well, my feet swelled up like sausages, but that is minor!). So bear with me, but I'll be blogging to get the stories out of my system for weeks!

The pics appear in the wrong order (can't seem to get the hang of downloading pics where I want them on this Mac), but they were all taken during the first day. The resort we stayed at was called the Riviera Princess and totally turned our idea of all inclusive on its ear. Before: "I don't think we'd get value out of an all-inclusive". After: "All-inclusive is the only way to go!" Everything except tips and spending money was taken care of: transfers, taxes, airport levies, the works. Not to mention food and drinks, accommodations and flight! Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. Clean as a whistle, immaculate grounds, luxury rooms, friendly staff, amazing beach, great food.

We flew into Cancun and the resort was about 40 minutes away down the coast near Playa del Carmen. You can see Cozumel across the water (very faintly). They had Corona for us on the bus!!! We got there around 2pm on Sunday and since the rooms were not ready, Marilyn and I whisked to the restroom where we whipped out our bikinis and sarongs and joined the rest of the wedding group in the lobby for get-to-know-you drinks. Yes, that is me in my white bikini with my first (of many during the week) margarita. Marilyn and I took a (long) walk to the beach afterward. Ho-lee Crap, but isn't the Caribbean Sea gorgeous!

We waited for Troy as his flight was a little later getting in and then we all found our rooms. After dressing for dinner (yes, this pattern is quite civilized: dress for dinner, meet for drinks, go to dinner), a group of us found our way to one of the many buffets. A little overwhelming, really! The first pic on this post was taken after dinner on the open-concept balcony system that surrounded the main building. Down behind us is a courtyard where there was music and a whole lot of happy vacationers :) The whole resort is lit up beautifully at night, as you can see.

Keep tuning in for more adventures this week!