Friday, January 11, 2008

Playa del Carmen, Mexico


The LEEP group was ready to leave this cold Minnesota winter weather and was excited to board our airplane to visit the crystal blue water and white sands of Playa del Carmen, Mexico. We landed in Cancun and took our scenic ride down the Maya Riveria to view miles of some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. We arrived in Playa del Carmen and were shocked at how beautiful our all-inclusive resort was. We were greated with champagne glasses of orange juice while we checked in. There were numerous pools, scenic overlooks, restaurants and bars. Buffets were available all around the hotel grounds and we sure did our fair share of eating. The food was awesome and there was a huge variety to please all our different tastes.

On our vacation, we did so many exciting activities. Our first stop was to get our feet wet in the ocean. We enjoyed the beautiful weather and sand, while we all took a dip in the salt water. The water was the most amazing, turquiose blue! We explored the oceanside while sipping on strawberry smoothies. We also spent some time at the pools where we enjoyed Mexican music and played pool volleyball. On another day, we took a shore excursion to Xcaret which is a huge ecopark. We snorkeled through underwater caves and down a secluded river. The tropical fish were absolutely amazing and we were so close to them that we could reach out and touch them. We also toured parts of the park to view the manatees, sea turtles, flamingos, and more. Then we took a walking tour through the jungle and finished the day off with a boat tour out to the reef. On our fourth day, we did some authenitic Mexican shopping at their markets. Everyone did some bartering and ended up with great souvenirs. We then boarded a ferry and took a ride over to the island of Cozumel and did more shopping and sightseeing. Mexico is one of the most beautiful and amazing places in this world and we all decided that we want to visit again!