My Trip to Cancun..... I suggest you get very comfortable
Oooooooookay... so this is the story of my trip to Cancun...
FRIDAY JULY 15:
My family and I left around the afternoon and arrived in Cancun around 7ish. Not much to do since the day was gone so we went to a Mexican restaraunt to eat. Then headed to sleep at our so-so hotel, Krystal.
SATURDAY JULY 16: The Calm Before the Storm
Woke up around the crack of dawn... got ready to go on a tour around the peninsula and to Chichen Itza, which is the landmark of old Mayan ruins. It was a 3hr bus ride and there was a tour guide to tell us about the history of the cities and how people work to make money. First stop was a market where there were tons of blankets, serapes, sombreros, jewelry and some good tasting tequila made from today's Mayan people. We then headed to an area where they had a cistern, a GIANT waterhole that you can swim in. We had the chance to watch a guy spray paint some amazing pictures... I'll try to get them on here.
We left after half an hour and went to a small Mayan hotel where they fed us authentic mexican food. We watched Mayan children dance... they had bottles balanced on their heads too! Then we made our way to Chichen Itza, passing villages on the way. Man... so poor and so sad :( I'm grateful for all I have. We arrived at the ruins and followed our guide all around to see ancient Mayan playing fields, temples, and churches. The coolest things were the astronomocal building where they made their discoveries and learned about the stars, constellations, and the orbit of the Earth.
After we got to the giant pyraimd, built with 365 stairs, one for each day of the year. What was amazing was that the Mayans built it to where the sun hits on March 21, the solar equinox, and shines on the side of tyhe pyramid. It was built to show a serpent with head at the bottom and tail at the top. This was one of the gods.
So yeah, we climbed it and OMG, talk about quad work out. I got to take a pic from the very top, looking at the bottom,
and also catching the arrival of Hurricane Emily ( that biatch.)
We raced back down and to the bus but before we got under any shelter it poured!!!! Got so wet, good thing I didn't wear a white shirt ;-) Anywho, we made it back safely and went back to the hotel. We ate... come to find out the Hurricane decided to redirect it's path right for us.. OH JOY! So we had to wake up around 6 to get ready to evacuate the building by 7.
SUNDAY JULY 17: It's A Twister!!! Kinda... well, in Water
Soooo wake up early, blah blah. Get ready and evacuate to a school in the middle of the city where they said was "LOTS OF SPACE"... HA! There were plenty of buses that were ready to get us out ASAP so we could prepare for the long night ahead. We rode the bus about 30 min to a small elementary school and started finding rooms b/c believe it or not we were going to stay there for 18 HOURS... not minutes.. HOURS. So we found a room..
Little did we know that we were going to really get along w/ everyone in there. So the process of preparing started... moving in some chairs, sheets(not blankets) to sleep on, VERY FEW mats that we didnt get b/c too many people were there, crappy food but at least it was food, bottles of water ( you cant drink the water in mexico, gross!), and nailing big wooden boards to the windows to keep out debris and other things.
Lunch was crap... bruised apples, ham with cheese that had been left out, and a warm coke.
AND get this, we had to file in line just like at a homeless shelter. That entire day we were homeless :-/. We go back and cram into the room with about 26 other people. Then the power had to go off b/c winds were picking up and kept turning it on and off anyways. THEN the news about no water... not drinking water, but like for plumbing. In Mexico, they shut off water after a certain time to keep from using the reserve... so now water for plumbing. Instead there was a huge kids pool filled with it and to go to the bathroom you had to fill up a bucket and dump it in the toilet tank.
EVERY TIME SOMEONE went... you have to flush it down and not let gross human waste sit in it. So that sucked too. Seriously, it felt like some sort of concentration camp. Ugh, awful!Then dark came and around when Hurricane Emily was supposed to hit... it was a 4 and our area happened to be where it was going to be the worst. JUST OUR LUCK. So we get in the rooms, turn off all air (OMG so humid and hot, you feel claustrophobic and like you cant breathe), and close the doors. We were sitting and waiting for like EVER until around 10 when the storm picked up. Winds got stronger and rain started pouring, OH IT WAS SO SCARY! You could hear trees breaking and falling all around the school. It was so uncomfortably crowded and hot, and no one was able to sleep but my brother Matt. The storm got pretty bad around 1 and was loud and terrifyingly violent. It was pitch dark and you could do nothing but hear what was going on outside. Around 3am it started to calm down, so we all got out of the room to breathe fresh air and cool ourselves off with the rain. It was not dangerous then, I promise. Then we headed back inside and tried to get some rest.
JULY 18th: The Aftermath
The hotel crew started bright and early picking up debris, the tree that fell on the other side of our room, and taking off the boards from the windows.
We received news that the hotel was going to try and start sending us back around 12 or so. We packed up and headed for the gate. As soon as people saw the bus coming, they ran, pushed, and stepped on everyone to try to be first in line. It was definitely a “survival of the fittest” moment. We were relatively close to the front, but as time went by, people kept pushing infront and trying to be sneaky to get ahead of the line and TOTALLY selfish/rude to ones already patiently standing. Some people opted to take a taxi/public bus and signed a waiver that made them responsible instead of the hotel. Of course some said they would go, but spotted the bus and decided to hop on. UGH THAT MADE ME SO FREAKING MAD! I was about to rip them a new one… but I had to remain calm. Oh, by the way, there was only ONE bus this time and 2 small vans, so it took much longer to get everyone back as it did to get everyone there. Sure enough, my family being nice, we were one of the last to leave… so that sucked, but it was good to sit down after standing so long. We got back to the hotel FINALLY and spent the remainder of our day showering, sleeping, and eating good food.
JULY 19th:
We spent a good portion of the day making up for lost rest, then ate, got ready and headed to the flea market nearby. We shopped for a couple hours and decided our time would be better spent at the beach. Soooo we went and beached it up!
It felt good to get in the cool water and it was funny watching my mom get slapped by ginormous waves about 10 feet back after she’d tried so hard to walk beyond the shore. My daddy got stung by a jellyfish, lol. Ok, it’s not funny, but kinda. Anyways, after getting stung in our eyes by the salt water and its taste, we decided to go up to the pool. I’m sure yall know how the water is so salty… ewwwwwwwwwww GROSS! ;-) They swam, I tanned, we took a nice family pic, awww. Then we went back to the room and got ready for a boat cruise my parents booked. It was called Captain Hook and supposed to be dinner and entertainment. We took a taxi, got to the dock, and boarded the Red ship. Lots of cute pirates!! Omg and there was a Mexican Weeman, he was sooo funny! His name is Tattoo- we took a picture with him and Captain Hook.
They sat us down and started the line of free drinks for the rest of the night, oooh so AWESOME! The pirates made jokes, danced, and told the story of how Hook lost his hand, which was cut off by his sworn enemy. We went inside rooms for dinner: lobster, chicken, steak, baked potatoes, salad, rice… sooo good. Afterwards, we headed back to the main area where they had games planned out: 4 guys (US, Japan, England, Mexico) had to turn in 5 circles and crawl on all fours to the other side of the boat to sip a cup of beer through a straw- sure enough US WON!; 4 women (2US, Japan, Mexico) had to gather as many shoes from the audience as they could in the time span of 5 minutes- Japan won, but its ok, she was cute; the kids played musical chairs; last game consisted of about 5 couples that danced with each other and listened to the commands of Ct. Hook. When he said ‘tequila’, they had to touch each other’s nose and dance; when he said ‘rum’ they had to touch each other’s knees as they danced; when he said ‘kahlua’ they had to dance butt to butt; when he said ‘whiskey’ they had to find someone else to dance with from the audience. So lucky me, I got picked to go first, then picked an old man who looked like he was about to have a heart attack haha, but we had fun! Everyone was dancing when suddenly Ct. Hook’s enemy approached on the green ship. They got ready to battle and shot canons, jumped from boat to boat, and fought with swords. Meanwhile, we were screaming “GREEN SUCKS” and waving red flags with a skull and cross bones. We managed to get the treasure and pulled away. WE WON!!! They played music like Macho man, We Are the Champions, and the Na(x8) Hey Hey Hey Goodbye song. THEN it was clubbing time! OMG, they played the Numa Numa song, that was the greatest part! (I’m sure you know what happened if you know what I’m talking about ;-) ) They even played “Yeah”, OOOOOOH how I love Usher!!! There was a variety of music like hip hop, reggaeton, Mexican fiesta songs, oldies- we had a conga line around the whole boat! Then for those of you reading this that are Chevals, they had the “Follow the Leader” song.. haha oh and it’s kinda funny when you’re the only one that knows what comes next. We got the picture we had taken and then headed back to the hotel.
JULY 20th: Heading Home... FINALLY!
Woke up early, packed to be ready to check out around noon. We headed to the flea market one last time to get souvenirs. After 2 hours or so, we headed back to the hotel in time to catch the bus that would take us to the airport. After about an hour drive, we arrived, did the whole immigration and customs thing, then waited for 7pm to come around. We boarded the plane and started the journey back to good old Dallas. OH HOME HERE I COME! As soon as we saw the lights from the city, I whipped out my camera and took tons of pictures of Dallas from up in the plane (what Andrew called trigger-camera happy) hahaha!
Oooooh, coming home has never been so sweet… got luggage, drove home, and HERE I AM!!!! Oh man, home Sweet home. Thanks for those of you praying for my family to keep safe during Hurricane Emily, it sure helped and is much appreciated.
FRIDAY JULY 15:
My family and I left around the afternoon and arrived in Cancun around 7ish. Not much to do since the day was gone so we went to a Mexican restaraunt to eat. Then headed to sleep at our so-so hotel, Krystal.
SATURDAY JULY 16: The Calm Before the Storm
Woke up around the crack of dawn... got ready to go on a tour around the peninsula and to Chichen Itza, which is the landmark of old Mayan ruins. It was a 3hr bus ride and there was a tour guide to tell us about the history of the cities and how people work to make money. First stop was a market where there were tons of blankets, serapes, sombreros, jewelry and some good tasting tequila made from today's Mayan people. We then headed to an area where they had a cistern, a GIANT waterhole that you can swim in. We had the chance to watch a guy spray paint some amazing pictures... I'll try to get them on here.
We left after half an hour and went to a small Mayan hotel where they fed us authentic mexican food. We watched Mayan children dance... they had bottles balanced on their heads too! Then we made our way to Chichen Itza, passing villages on the way. Man... so poor and so sad :( I'm grateful for all I have. We arrived at the ruins and followed our guide all around to see ancient Mayan playing fields, temples, and churches. The coolest things were the astronomocal building where they made their discoveries and learned about the stars, constellations, and the orbit of the Earth.
After we got to the giant pyraimd, built with 365 stairs, one for each day of the year. What was amazing was that the Mayans built it to where the sun hits on March 21, the solar equinox, and shines on the side of tyhe pyramid. It was built to show a serpent with head at the bottom and tail at the top. This was one of the gods.
So yeah, we climbed it and OMG, talk about quad work out. I got to take a pic from the very top, looking at the bottom,
and also catching the arrival of Hurricane Emily ( that biatch.)
We raced back down and to the bus but before we got under any shelter it poured!!!! Got so wet, good thing I didn't wear a white shirt ;-) Anywho, we made it back safely and went back to the hotel. We ate... come to find out the Hurricane decided to redirect it's path right for us.. OH JOY! So we had to wake up around 6 to get ready to evacuate the building by 7.
SUNDAY JULY 17: It's A Twister!!! Kinda... well, in Water
Soooo wake up early, blah blah. Get ready and evacuate to a school in the middle of the city where they said was "LOTS OF SPACE"... HA! There were plenty of buses that were ready to get us out ASAP so we could prepare for the long night ahead. We rode the bus about 30 min to a small elementary school and started finding rooms b/c believe it or not we were going to stay there for 18 HOURS... not minutes.. HOURS. So we found a room..
Little did we know that we were going to really get along w/ everyone in there. So the process of preparing started... moving in some chairs, sheets(not blankets) to sleep on, VERY FEW mats that we didnt get b/c too many people were there, crappy food but at least it was food, bottles of water ( you cant drink the water in mexico, gross!), and nailing big wooden boards to the windows to keep out debris and other things.
Lunch was crap... bruised apples, ham with cheese that had been left out, and a warm coke.
AND get this, we had to file in line just like at a homeless shelter. That entire day we were homeless :-/. We go back and cram into the room with about 26 other people. Then the power had to go off b/c winds were picking up and kept turning it on and off anyways. THEN the news about no water... not drinking water, but like for plumbing. In Mexico, they shut off water after a certain time to keep from using the reserve... so now water for plumbing. Instead there was a huge kids pool filled with it and to go to the bathroom you had to fill up a bucket and dump it in the toilet tank.
EVERY TIME SOMEONE went... you have to flush it down and not let gross human waste sit in it. So that sucked too. Seriously, it felt like some sort of concentration camp. Ugh, awful!Then dark came and around when Hurricane Emily was supposed to hit... it was a 4 and our area happened to be where it was going to be the worst. JUST OUR LUCK. So we get in the rooms, turn off all air (OMG so humid and hot, you feel claustrophobic and like you cant breathe), and close the doors. We were sitting and waiting for like EVER until around 10 when the storm picked up. Winds got stronger and rain started pouring, OH IT WAS SO SCARY! You could hear trees breaking and falling all around the school. It was so uncomfortably crowded and hot, and no one was able to sleep but my brother Matt. The storm got pretty bad around 1 and was loud and terrifyingly violent. It was pitch dark and you could do nothing but hear what was going on outside. Around 3am it started to calm down, so we all got out of the room to breathe fresh air and cool ourselves off with the rain. It was not dangerous then, I promise. Then we headed back inside and tried to get some rest.
JULY 18th: The Aftermath
The hotel crew started bright and early picking up debris, the tree that fell on the other side of our room, and taking off the boards from the windows.
We received news that the hotel was going to try and start sending us back around 12 or so. We packed up and headed for the gate. As soon as people saw the bus coming, they ran, pushed, and stepped on everyone to try to be first in line. It was definitely a “survival of the fittest” moment. We were relatively close to the front, but as time went by, people kept pushing infront and trying to be sneaky to get ahead of the line and TOTALLY selfish/rude to ones already patiently standing. Some people opted to take a taxi/public bus and signed a waiver that made them responsible instead of the hotel. Of course some said they would go, but spotted the bus and decided to hop on. UGH THAT MADE ME SO FREAKING MAD! I was about to rip them a new one… but I had to remain calm. Oh, by the way, there was only ONE bus this time and 2 small vans, so it took much longer to get everyone back as it did to get everyone there. Sure enough, my family being nice, we were one of the last to leave… so that sucked, but it was good to sit down after standing so long. We got back to the hotel FINALLY and spent the remainder of our day showering, sleeping, and eating good food.
JULY 19th:
We spent a good portion of the day making up for lost rest, then ate, got ready and headed to the flea market nearby. We shopped for a couple hours and decided our time would be better spent at the beach. Soooo we went and beached it up!
It felt good to get in the cool water and it was funny watching my mom get slapped by ginormous waves about 10 feet back after she’d tried so hard to walk beyond the shore. My daddy got stung by a jellyfish, lol. Ok, it’s not funny, but kinda. Anyways, after getting stung in our eyes by the salt water and its taste, we decided to go up to the pool. I’m sure yall know how the water is so salty… ewwwwwwwwwww GROSS! ;-) They swam, I tanned, we took a nice family pic, awww. Then we went back to the room and got ready for a boat cruise my parents booked. It was called Captain Hook and supposed to be dinner and entertainment. We took a taxi, got to the dock, and boarded the Red ship. Lots of cute pirates!! Omg and there was a Mexican Weeman, he was sooo funny! His name is Tattoo- we took a picture with him and Captain Hook.
They sat us down and started the line of free drinks for the rest of the night, oooh so AWESOME! The pirates made jokes, danced, and told the story of how Hook lost his hand, which was cut off by his sworn enemy. We went inside rooms for dinner: lobster, chicken, steak, baked potatoes, salad, rice… sooo good. Afterwards, we headed back to the main area where they had games planned out: 4 guys (US, Japan, England, Mexico) had to turn in 5 circles and crawl on all fours to the other side of the boat to sip a cup of beer through a straw- sure enough US WON!; 4 women (2US, Japan, Mexico) had to gather as many shoes from the audience as they could in the time span of 5 minutes- Japan won, but its ok, she was cute; the kids played musical chairs; last game consisted of about 5 couples that danced with each other and listened to the commands of Ct. Hook. When he said ‘tequila’, they had to touch each other’s nose and dance; when he said ‘rum’ they had to touch each other’s knees as they danced; when he said ‘kahlua’ they had to dance butt to butt; when he said ‘whiskey’ they had to find someone else to dance with from the audience. So lucky me, I got picked to go first, then picked an old man who looked like he was about to have a heart attack haha, but we had fun! Everyone was dancing when suddenly Ct. Hook’s enemy approached on the green ship. They got ready to battle and shot canons, jumped from boat to boat, and fought with swords. Meanwhile, we were screaming “GREEN SUCKS” and waving red flags with a skull and cross bones. We managed to get the treasure and pulled away. WE WON!!! They played music like Macho man, We Are the Champions, and the Na(x8) Hey Hey Hey Goodbye song. THEN it was clubbing time! OMG, they played the Numa Numa song, that was the greatest part! (I’m sure you know what happened if you know what I’m talking about ;-) ) They even played “Yeah”, OOOOOOH how I love Usher!!! There was a variety of music like hip hop, reggaeton, Mexican fiesta songs, oldies- we had a conga line around the whole boat! Then for those of you reading this that are Chevals, they had the “Follow the Leader” song.. haha oh and it’s kinda funny when you’re the only one that knows what comes next. We got the picture we had taken and then headed back to the hotel.
JULY 20th: Heading Home... FINALLY!
Woke up early, packed to be ready to check out around noon. We headed to the flea market one last time to get souvenirs. After 2 hours or so, we headed back to the hotel in time to catch the bus that would take us to the airport. After about an hour drive, we arrived, did the whole immigration and customs thing, then waited for 7pm to come around. We boarded the plane and started the journey back to good old Dallas. OH HOME HERE I COME! As soon as we saw the lights from the city, I whipped out my camera and took tons of pictures of Dallas from up in the plane (what Andrew called trigger-camera happy) hahaha!
Oooooh, coming home has never been so sweet… got luggage, drove home, and HERE I AM!!!! Oh man, home Sweet home. Thanks for those of you praying for my family to keep safe during Hurricane Emily, it sure helped and is much appreciated.