Honeymoon

The honeymoon was a wild success! I don't think there's anything that I would have done differently. It was a great time to relax, travel, eat, relax some more, and oh, dive, dive, dive! Here's the basic itinerary:

Grand Cayman: Dive and take lots of underwater pictures. Meet Cathy Church, one of the top underwater photographers in the world. Buy her book and get it autographed to both of us. "Enjoy the journey" is such a nice way to sign books!

Roatan: Zip line tour above the jungles. Finish by noon and realize you have more time than you thought. Secure a taxi and just ask to go to the nearest dive shop. Get sent around the island by a taxi driver that thinks buseo means snorkel instead of dive. Luck out and arrive at a place that takes us diving immediately!

Belize: Catch a small Cessna to fly from Belize City to the small island city of San Pedro on Ambergris Cay. Receive free juice and cookies from the local island school children that are celebrating Kindness Week by passing out goodies to the local shops and the few tourists that are there. Then go diving some more. Start the dive by rolling out of the boat, looking down, and seeing about 8 nurse sharks immediately below you. Wicked awesome. Make sure to not miss the other amazing wildlife (moray eels, lion fish, lots of grouper, turtles, etc.). Finish the dive and fly back just in time to get back on the cruise ship.

Cozumel: Lounge around after an early morning interview with customs. Eat more of that great food, and finally decide to get off the boat before everyone else gets back on. Take the ferry to Playa del Carmen and wander over to the hotel 4 blocks away. Do more diving. This time off the coast of Playa del Carmen, off the southern tip of Cozumel, and then in a cenote. (Cenotes are basically underground rivers. Think of caves, and then fill them completely with fresh water. Add a few holes in the ceiling of the cave every now and then for beautiful rays of sunlight, and you have a Cenote!)

Leave Playa del Carmen and go to Tulum. Relax on the beach and enjoy chilling out together. Stay up late and watch the turtles come ashore to lay their eggs. (Or at least see their tracks where they went to lay their eggs!) Hang out with the local church members, speak lots of spanish, discover the local taco hot spot, and climb the ruins at Cobà. No diving in Tulum. Just relaxing. Watch the Mexican team beat France in the world cup with all the restaurant staff, chefs, waiters, hotel staff, and oh, a french family. ha. Loyalties will be tested, but I sided with my cuñado in a showing of solidarity! Check out the ruins at Tulum, and then spend the last morning watching the sunrise on the beach together before taking a short boat ride out to see the sun cast its early rays out on the ruins of Tulum.