4,3,2,1!!

4. Oasis Palm Beach ~ (We stayed at the Viva Beach, this was a sister resort.) For one, the walk to this resort was long, but fun. We started out on the street and ended up walking along the ocean on the beach for a couple miles. When we got there, a photographer got us together on a beach chair, and a photo session ensued from there (one of the pics is above!) Then, finally, we ran into some Midwesterners! A group of recent college grads from Nebraska ~ tons of fun! They even inspired us to hit up a Cancun nightclub called the Bulldog (an event that alone would not have made the top 10 list) where I danced all. night. long. Fun times.

3. SNORKELING ~ An Amazing Experience! This was at the Xel-ha National Park, with a fresh water reserve that opens up to the ocean, beautiful fish & reefs, a cave we snorkeled into, and the dolphins, manatee & parrots that I mentioned before. It was beautiful, and we spent most of the day in the water. A first time snorkeling for both of us. It was something to get used to, a little strange and freaky to be so close to so many fish, but Jermie was into it - scuba diving under and in between these crazy reefs. I was amazed by the reefs and how beautiful & complicated & alive the rocks were under water! So much beauty... Jermie was in his element, I was a little out of my comfort zone, but in the end we both absolutely loved snorkeling!

2. TELLUM ~ Mayan Ruins above Cancun's beautiful Ocean! It's one of the coolest places in the world, maybe, and we're lucky enough to have been there! I have only about a few hundred pictures to share... something to do soon. It felt pre-historic, I'm a dork, I know, but I don't know another word for it... It was just amazing! A place of wonder & again, true beauty. We were there on a cloudy afternoon. There was such brilliant contrast between everything - the greys of the ruins, the green of the palm trees, the blue of the ocean. Loved it.

1. SCUBA DIVING! ~ Can you believe it? We went Scuba Diving in Cancun!! It was a spontaneous decision. We were on a 'FunDay' boat headed to the island across from Cancun (Isla Mujeres) for more snorkeling, mainly, shopping & other fun stuff. We were approached about scuba diving, shown some great pictures and told some great stories, but didn't make a decision, didn't talk about it really. Right before we got to the island, the captain of the scuba diving adventures approached us again. Jermie confessed that we hadn't brought enough dinero along with us that day (we were on an all-inclusive excursion) but that wasn't an issue ~ he said it happened a lot and that he would just go back to the hotel with us after we were done, and if we didn't like it, no charge... Well, I had a pretty strong feeling that we would love it and a pretty adventurous spirit that day. I was waiting for Jermie to commit...but he just lingered and asked what I thought? I was already nodding - all in. I think Jermie was surprised!

So, we get to the island. We get our scuba diving mask and fitted for flippers. Then we have these 20 minutes of time to get something from the snack bar, chill out... not possible for me! I was keyed up. Jermie said his nerves were gone the minute he committed to the dive. Mine weren't gone for at least half an hour AFTER we were completely done and off the boat! :) On the boat we were split - Spanish speaking group at the back of the boat, and Jermie and I aft, receiving all our instructions from this freckled, bearded, red-headed scuba diving instructor. He was cool. Very reassuring. Very much acted like nothing would be an issue. Water in your goggles? Do this. Goggles fog over? Do this. Mouth piece comes out (!) ah, just do this... We practiced breathing, practiced a dozen different things... Before we knew it they were setting anchor and everyone was getting in the water. Jermie and I were the last in, I was actually. As soon as I was in the water, I could tell that my breathing was short and fast. Those bubbles make a lot of noise rushing past your ears! A sound to get used to... Plus, we started out on a rope, faces down, leading out to a verticle rope that was anchored down. Holding on to that rope, right by the boat, waiting for everyone to slowly move to the end of one rope and then down the other, I was up top getting pushed around by every wave in the big ocean. It was very ratteling. To get to the roap that led down was actually a relief because once under water it was very calm! Then OUCH my ears popped and the pressure was intense. I think it took me longer than anyone to 'equalize' or whatever... Then there's a learning curve to scuba diving. How to really swim under water with those flippers, how to stay at the depth you want to be at, how to get where you want to go, how to stay somewhere when the current is pushing you forward... Jermie needed extra air in his life jacket because he kept sinking, I needed an extra weight on my belt because I kept raising! Eventually we got the hang of it, and all of a sudden we were at this underwater statue. I don't know it's whole story - maybe a true Mayan ruin, maybe a piece just sunk there for the tourists? But all of a sudden the ocean floor was alive and everything was amazing.

From him we swam to another statue and then through the reefs. I chased fish but never touched any. I was shown how to touch certain pieces of the reef, and there would be this surprise reaction, like two sea shells opening up real fast. Hard to explain, but certainly cooler than heck! I saw a barracuda, above us, but Jermie didn't see it and doesn't believe me! One of the instructors took Jermie and I aside and started lifting up rocks. We thought he was crazy. I was a little scared, but we were trusting and stayed to see what he was looking for. All of a sudden we saw what I thought was a worm, and he grabbed it and picked it up for us to see - a live Starfish! We got to hold it - it was swimming out of our hands the whole time, but it was really amazing!

Jermie and I became this lovey couple underwater who were holding hands and pointing to things. We were allowed to follow everyone else, spend more time at the reefs than some of them did, and kind of do our own thing. It was cooler than anything I've ever done, maybe. (Don't tell Jermie I still don't know if this ranks at or above the Red Baron flight!?)

So, at the end we've got half a dozen people ahead of us who are going up the rope to the top. Our captain calls us over and demonstrates how you can take your mouth piece off under water. He's already got his goggles off, crazy man. Then he's showing us that he wants us to kiss underwater. Jermie looks to me - I'm all in! (Can you believe this!?) So, we take off our masks and BOOM! Instantly I have a mouth full of water and I'm swallowing the ocean. Ugh! I put my mask back on - there's a button to push to push air into your mouth, don't know how it works so well but it did and I could breathe. Our captain is looking at me with a wide-ass grin. It's reassuring. My heart rate is about a hundred million a minute (ask Gabe, that's the fastest anything can go - a 'hundred million'.) So, the next time we take our mouth pieces out I don't make the same mistake and we have this totally surreal underwater kiss with our dorky goggles hitting eachother. :)

Happy 10 Year Anniversary to Us!
It's been an Aventure, for sure!