Guacamole adventures 2014 part tres

The day after the last blog post my sister Kati and her boyfriend Makia arrived. Just before their arrival, I started getting notifications that there was fraudulent activity on one of my credit cards. It turned out that it was a credit card that I had not used in over a year and was supposed to be safely locked in storage back in Colorado. I looked up the activity on another card that was also supposed to be locked in storage and there was recent activity on it as well. Needless to say, I spent that entire day cancelling credit cards, reporting all of the fraud, freezing my credit report, and talking to Kati about the storage facility. The facility was in her name, but they were already at the airport and headed down here when I found out about it. She did not have anything of value stored there so we decided there was nothing else that could be done until we got back. 

They arrived with no other issues and for their first day in Mexico we decided to go to the beach. We had a great day at the beach and were ready for dinner by the time we left. Steve and Kati had left their phones and wallets in the glove compartment of the truck while we were at the beach. When they went to get them on the way back home the only thing in the glove compartment was Steve's wallet, but it was about half as thick as it had been before. It turned out that someone had broken into the truck and stolen the phones, credit cards, cash, and ID's while we were at the beach. Two burglaries in as many days, not a good start to their vacation. The rest of that evening was spent cancelling everyone else's credit cards. The next day was Kati's birthday, but we were all a bit subdued from the international crime spree inflicted upon us. We made the best of it by going to the beach, going to a nice seafood restaurant for dinner, and finishing the evening with a delicious cake. 

One day we went to the beach and the waves were the biggest we had seen since our arrival here. I took the opportunity to use the boogie board and Steve took the opportunity to sit on a tube and try not to get rolled by the waves.

We also took a walk downtown one evening where it seems that they are always having a festival for something or other. There is a very cool lighted display of a Mayan calendar right near El Centro.

I would like to thank Makia for taking most of the pictures on this blog since Whit and I do not take nearly enough (plus he is a way better photographer than either of us). We visited Muyil once again and I got some good pictures of termites building a nest. There are termites everywhere here which is why almost everything is built out of cement. I also found bats and a scorpion in a cave at Muyil.

We spent more time at the beach watching the various sports involving parachutes/kites and soaking in the sun before getting them safely back to the airport.

Next, Whit and I took a long day trip to one of the seven wonders of the modern world, Chichen Itza. The central pyramid is pretty spectacular as you can see in the picture with Whit posing at the bottom. I only wish we were able to climb it, but that is no longer an option. 

The stonework and artistry of the Mayans is incredible. It makes me wonder what it looked like 1000 years ago when it was at it's peak. Everything would have been smooth and painted, so it must have been very colorful and even more detailed than it is now.

Unfortunately, even after the Mayan culture had been on the decline, the Spanish came and conquered them. After decimating the population with disease, converting them to christianity, and systematically destroying their art and culture, not much has survived of a once rich and vibrant culture.

After Chichen Itza, we went to a beautiful cenote just down the road called Ik-Kil. It was very commercialized and touristy, but we still had a good time and the water was clean and cool after a hot day at the ruins.

On the way back, we passed by a large old church in downtown Valladolid and snapped a quick photo. 

We spent a week or so after that making/eating lots of guacamole and torturing Nala.

My aunt, cousin, and his friend arrived last week for a vacation from the frigid weather of Idaho and Colorado. They have been having a great time on the beach and seeing ruins. We went for a fishing trip and I caught a good sized Barracuda (Steve caught a wee one).

We had the captain of the boat filet the larger cuda and were looking forward to a delicious fresh fish dinner. Unfortunately, Tommie ruined our plans by researching and finding out about a toxin called ciguatera that can be present in Barracuda, especially the larger ones. I must say thank you to her for saving us from a delicious meal and possible poisoning.

Today is Steve's birthday and then the visitors will be headed home tomorrow. We only have two weeks left before we have to head back home as well. Until then, we will be getting in all the beach time we can and going to a few places we still have not been. By the next blog, we will be back in CO with our noses back to the grindstone. Hopefully we will not have as cold and snowy of a reception as we did last April.