Marvelous Mexico

Our next (and last) port was Cozumel, Mexico.

We went to a place called Paradise Beach. We paid a small fee (like $2) to be there and rent a lounge chair, then another $12 if we wanted to play with the toys. Ryan and I took out a canoe (and miraculously didn't tip over, even though my balancing skills are lacking) and I had fun lounging on these pads.

There were all sorts of bouncy toys and trampolines out in the water...

...and lots of beautiful sand and coastline.

The water was warm too! Have I mentioned that I love the beach?

I loved this pier with the straw thatched hut at the end.

They had lounge chairs set up in perfect rows... you can see Ry with his camera trying to capture all the fun everyone was having.

My best pina colada ever... I swear the waiters laughed (at least inwardly) every time I asked for a frozen drink without alcohol.

The chips and guacamole were to die for. They were so good I just might have to plan another trip to Cozumel so I can eat them again. Yum.

My favorite part of this beach was that they had a tent with a couple of massage tables in it. For a low fee ($30 for 30 minutes) a lovely woman rubbed the upper, back half of my body. Swimsuit? No problem, she slid it on down. I would generally not appreciate lying half-naked on a massage table out in the middle of such a public place, but there was a sheet covering things that needed to be covered, and once she got the scented oils and her hands going, all of my cares melted away.

Ryan found this (creepy) bird. Coleman kept asking us for pictures of wildlife, but they we didn't see too many animals, so he had to take pictures when he found some!

I liked this pelican. He hung out on the pier for awhile.

Ryan got a couple of good photos of him too.

And an action shot! I know you were all waiting for that one!

Ryan went out in a parasailing boat and saw this turtle... it's a little hard to see, but it's right underneath the splash...

...and he went parasailing! He said it was fun to do, but wasn't as exciting as he thought it might be, and even got a tiny bit boring coasting up there. The others in the boat said he was a pro and made it look easy.

Gentle touchdown :).

Then it was decided that the HM Corporate Staff (spouses included) needed to go on a team building activity on the water weenie. Good times.

I have to say that being flung off of this in the warm, salty water off the coast of Mexico feels a whole lot different than being thrown into the cold, clear water of Bear Lake. I like the warmth much better, but the salt, not so much.

After our fun day at the beach Ryan went back to the ship to edit pictures and work on a presentation while I spent some money at all of the shops. I haven't decided if my Spanish helps me or hurts me in those situations... but it was fun to speak it with so many different people. I found some great silver jewelry and some fun things for the kids. I also (finally!) found a nativity set that I liked. They had all sorts of nativities made out of fish bones (which I'm not opposed to in any way... but I didn't love the way they were carved) and I finally asked a guy who took me "upstairs" to another big shop. I talked my way into a comfortable price and came home with this beauty:

Nothing wrong with displaying a couple of nativity sets in February, right?

I loved Cozumel! I would love to go back and spend several more days there.

**Have you been parasailing (or do you want to go?)?
**Would you be comfortable getting a massage on the beach?
**Do you want to make me a pina colada?