wildwahinepaddler

Just hanging out

Yesterday was so windy……so I hoped it would be calmer today.  I got out a full hour earlier than yesterday and it was really nice!  I could see that it was pouring rain out in the distance but the wind was blowing from the north, so I knew it wasn’t going to come in.  I headed down to the boat ramp.  Just as I was passing Kam II, I ran into a paddling friend so we paddled together down to the boat ramp.  I was happy to have made it down that far, but the wind was still looming.  Only two turtles made hasty appearances….but neither stayed long enough for me to  get a photo!  We decided to not linger there very long because of the threatening wind….so we headed north.  I had paddled ahead of my friend so when I got to Kam II, I sat back on my board to wait for her…..but suddenly I saw white caps starting to splash and so I kept paddling.  By the time I got in, the wind was really blowing!  I was able to hoist my board up onto my racks and get it secured though.  I decided to go for a swim.  A few minutes into my swim, the wind backed off and it got really nice!  I swam down to the reef and saw lots of fish, including a couple of Unicorn fish!  It was a nice swim back too.  The wind played games and came in and out until it was time for me to leave.  I think I will try to get out paddling even earlier tomorrow!  It sure was a beautiful day!

View from the water

We got home late last evening from being gone a month.  After just beginning to acclimate to the time zone differences in Mexico and then California…..now we are back to Hawaii’s time zone!  I started laundry last night and needed to get up and finish it this morning….. so I didn’t know about paddling today…..until I checked the beach cam and it was perfect!  I hurried as fast as I could but it was 10:00 a.m. before I made it down to the beach, only to find that the wind had come up!  I contemplated not going out until my husband reminded me that I would have been overjoyed in Mexico for five minutes out on a board if I could have found one!  He was right…….even if I didn’t paddle for long, it would be worth it.  Well, it was bumpy as well as being late, so I decided to just paddle north.  It felt wonderful to be out on the water on my board!  I paddled down to Kalama Park but I didn’t see one single turtle.  The wind was changing from blowing south to north and back….so I turned around and paddled against the wind down to Kam II.  The sky was getting overcast and it looked like it was raining out in the distance so I paddled in.  It wasn’t long before the ocean was a sea of white caps!  Oh well, it was great to just get out on my board after a month away from it.  Maybe tomorrow will be calmer….. I can hope!

BelAir Collection Xpu-Ha

We left our bungalow on the beach at Tulum….. And headed to Xpu-Ha.  This place is a Nature Park with cenotes, bird sanctuary, plant garden, and a zoo!  The sad part was that they had lions and jaguars and some other large wild animals in enclosures that were too small and I felt sorry for them.  The crocodiles, tortuga and smaller animals seemed happy and the parrots chattered noisily on their perches throughout the park.   The entire resort was surrounded by jungle which was neat…… But our place was a ground floor unit and we kept killing little black spiders!  We both got bites and I suspect they were not mosquito bites!  The unit was very neat with a big jacuzzi tub and a nice deck complete with lounge chairs, table, chairs and a hammock ( which I usually started out each day in….).  We got smarter near the end of our stay and stuffed a bath mat under the door to keep the spiders out and checked the bed each night before retiring!  It was a pretty neat place and kayaking, swimming, and snorkeling in Cenote Estero was great!  We even snorkeled one day when it was thundering!

I wasn’t able to post for days and I don’t know why.  I’m only using my iPad and my phone on this trip so that might have something to do with it.  Xel-Ha is an amazing place!  We had fun swimming and snorkeling in all of the lagoons and although the water wasn’t as clear as last year,  it was great fun!  We hiked and swam most of the day only taking a mid day break to have lunch at the buffet.  The mixed cerviche was so tasty and we finished off with some ice cream for dessert!  We were exhausted!  This is one of our most favorite places to visit in Riviera Maya…… A true natural wonder!

Xel-Ha

Tulum

Driving back from Chichen-Itza….. We took the free road and drove through all the Mexican towns and then ended up in Tulum.  It was great to see the beach again and Tulum is one of the nicest!  We were road weary and just relaxed but it was windy.  We headed down to Akumal and had dinner and it started raining!  In a couple of days we will be staying in a little beach bungalow right on the beach in Tulum for five days.  A new adventure awaits!

Big cenote!

After a great morning touring the ruins at Chichen-Itza….. A nap….Lunch buffet complete with Mexican dancers…..we headed to the cenote that was just down the road.   “Ik Kil” is what it is called and it was a giant cave filled with 150 feet of water!  It had several water falls spilling into it and it was cool water so very refreshing.  Too bad that it was so commercialized and crowded.  I am looking forward to some more local cenotes by the beach to enjoy.   The big cenote was amazing though!

Amazing!

Well it’s not stand up paddling ( seems I’ve yet to find a board here…) but Chichen Itza is a magical place!  No wonder it’s called “one of the seven wonders of the modern world”!  It’s so amazing that the Mayans were such successful astronomers and mathematicians.  It was a hot day but our guide Jose did a great job of sharing all the Mayan history with us.  Later we visited a big cenote called Ik Kil….. It’s a giant hole in the ground filled with water and it sure was refreshing!  Unfortunately…… It’s pretty commercialized and so it was crowded.  Tomorrow we leave to go back to our other resort but we plan to take a side trip to a town called Valladolid.  We are having a great time here in the Yucatan!

Turtles, Stingrays and Fish…oh my!

I’m getting very attached to this beach!  Since I haven’t found a stand up board yet…… Swimming and snorkeling are my things right now and the sea creatures are getting me hooked!  Yesterday there were at least a dozen turtles to swim with and today I had six turtles!  Some of them friendly enough for me to rub their shells!  They sure love to munch the sea grass.  Today I floated with about five turtles, two stingrays and a long silvery fish with a long pointed snout!  When I swam in I ran across a small turtle in shallow water and it swam by me so I got to rub its shell too!  Usually the smaller turtles are quick to leave you in the dust but this one stuck around.   The skies still threatened rain but at least it waited until we left the beach.  I hope the weather improves……..I am pretty bummed out that our trip to Lake Bacalar got cancelled.  It is one place I know for sure has stand up boards!  Oh well…….

Thank goodness for the fitness center!  After our workout we headed for Playa del Carmen.  We walked the tourist streets full of stuff people were trying to sell and finally made it to the restaurant we were looking for……100% Natural Restaurante!  We got the table next to the waterfall and ordered the Shrimp and Veggie skillet and a pitcher of homemade lemonade & lemongrass.  The lemonade was great!  The shrimp skillet was just okay…… very healthy though.  Then we walked back and stopped to sit at the town centro for a while.  The cloudy skies persisted and it sprinkled rain intermittently but it was a nice outing.  We just might have to head over to the resort store later and indulge in some Gelato!  I hope the weather clears up by tomorrow……I’m anxious to get back out on the beach…….

Sitting by a waterfall

Well….. We woke up to an overcast stormy looking day so we headed for the fitness center and Spa.

T