Magical Mexico Moments !

Today we arrived bright and early at the beautiful island of Cozumel, which is under the jurisdiction of Mexico.  Again, we had arranged a private tour, and we were hoping that it was going to be as good as Jamaica.

As you can see, when we first arrived, the sun hadn’t risen, and we wondered what type of day it would be !  It soon brightened up, after we picked up our ‘guide’ for the day, Miguel, and our jeep .  Sally started off the driving .. a bit trepid at first, but she soon got into it !

 

Within no time, we arrived at the beautiful coast and bays of Cozumel.  We stopped at a few of the bays on our way, which, to my surprise were quite rocky.  We didn’t stop for long though as we were headed to the islands Conservation Area.

The Conservation Area is overseen by the islands Government, as the area has been recognised as having ‘outstanding history and beauty’ .. well that was an understatement – it was stunning !

We clambered out of the jeep to face this rickety old bridge – well you can see from the photograph that the carpenters were working on it !  “Be careful of the chocrides” Miguel shouted …. huh ?!?! “They think you’re white chickens, so don’t jump” ?!?!?!?!  Huh ?!?!?!?!

So we crossed the rickety old bridge very carefully … had our photograph taken in the rickety old tower … and then ….

…. we found the ‘chocrides’   The word ‘crocodile’ had been lost in translation !!!  They followed us around, and this cheeky croc, started playing hide and seek with us !  I wasn’t hanging around for him, or his friends, to find me !

The lagoon was home to quite a few crocs according to Miguel, and its comforting to know that they are being looked after and protected in the reservation.

We were just about to jump back into the jeep, when Miguel shouted “behind you” … well after the ‘chocrides’ I wasn’t taking any chances, and jumped around …. to see this huge fella !

I can’t believe how many Iguana’s we saw that today, and even while we were driving along, baby Iguana’s were playing ‘chicken’ in front of the jeep – seriously, they must have been no more than 6” long, and they were trying to out-run us !

Next, we went to the Mayan ruins, these were very small in comparison to others on the island, however, Miguel said that they were originally lit and used to let other islanders know if they were being invaded. 

 

Next stop was the lighthouse.  As the island became more popular with Cargo ships, the island built this lighthouse to protect the ships – you could see far and wide from the top of it.  At the very top, the last two steps are slightly higher from all the others, and the ceiling drops – unless you have a thoughtful guide like ours, then these two steps are the locals’ idea of entertainment !  They think it is hilarious to hear all the bumps and squeals when visitors bang their heads on the dropped ceiling ! ha ha ha !  Thankfully, Miguel warned us !

At the base of the lighthouse was a small, but extremely interesting museum tracing the history of Cozumel.  As I said above, the island didn’t begin prospering until the arrival of the cargo ships, and the transformation since the 1900’s is amazing !

The Conservation area is also home to a Turtle reservation, and these beautiful creatures have found protection here.  This is the ‘birthing’ area, which has been surrounded in case people step on the eggs.

From here, we drove to the beach Mexican Restaurant for some rest, relaxation, cocktails and mexican food !  The word ‘idyllic’ is an understatement – I could have stayed here for the rest of my life !

I will rush the finish of the day here, because I’m scared that this is photo-heavy and might not post to Blogger !   My last photograph is of Sally and I inside our jeep.  On the way back to the port, I stood up in the back for the whole journey … it was hot … very hot … and yup, I burned my forehead !  The rest of the holiday was spent doing an impression of a Belisha beacon !

Project Life

Here’s a great video on You Tube introducing Stampin Up! and Project Life – keep your eyes peeled on my blog for Project Life updated !  Exciting times are ahead !!! YAY !!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8r2VmVJ2Zk

Other IMPORTANT Updates

There are NEW Weekly Deals available via my online shop HERE - http://www2.stampinup.com/ECWeb/ItemList.aspx?categoryid=3068
Grab yourself a bargain before they all go ! 

Also, new items have been added to the Clearance Rack HERE, and you can check them out on the link below. Again, you have to be in it to win it - these items have been drastically reduced, so grab em quick !

http://www2.stampinup.com/ECWeb/ItemList.aspx?categoryid=2698

Have a great weekend everyone !   Cal xxx