Wet n Wild Waterpark

Last Sunday, Jorge and I took advantage of some free passes and went to Wet n Wild, a popular water park at the southern end of Cancun’s Hotel Zone. I had never been before, and Jorge hadn’t been since he was a kid. It was a BLAST!

The lazy river

I hadn’t been on a waterslide in YEARS!! It was amazing. From the top of the slides, you could see amazing views of the Caribbean, the Hotel Zone, the lagoon and the Riviera Maya. Sorry I don’t have pictures of that (my camera was in our locker most of the day).

We did a few laps around the lazy river, which got harder and harder as they day went on because of all the kids. Still fun, though.

It was a very tiring day because of all the stairs, but I gotta admit it was great exercise and so worth it!

The park is All Inclusive, and the food and drinks were pretty good! I hadn’t had an acceptable alcoholic beverage at an All Inclusive establishment in a very long time… or ever, really… but I had 3 Tequila Sunrises 🙂

My only complaint was the lack of shade. Almost all the loungers are in a big, open area with direct sun. I put sunscreen on 3 times, and still left with a pretty impressive tan. (I know a nice tan sounds good, but I’ve been trying to protect my skin lately because of all our recent day trips! Plus I have self-tanning cream at home that works just as well.)

It was a great day, with the perfect mix of fun and relaxation. We’ll definitely be back!

Spring Break Begins in Cancun

Tuesday night I went out to dinner at Carlos and Charlie’s, which is located right in the middle of Party Center in Cancun’s Hotel Zone.

I hadn’t realized until I got there that it was Fat Tuesday! When we got there around 9:30 it was pretty calm, but by the time we left at 11:30 it was PACKED.

The line for Coco Bongo

Guess who’s in Cancun right now? Ronnie! Love Jersey Shore… hate Ronnie.

A brand new nightclub called "Mandala"... looked pretty awesome (and full!)

So yeah, it looks like Spring Break is already in full swing… and it’s only the beginning of March! We’ll see if we’re brave enough to stop by any of the Hotel Zone nightclubs over the next 2 months.

Juan and Viri’s Civil Ceremony by the Lagoon

First of all, a little explanation. Here in Mexico, when you get married, you have to get married twice. One is the religious ceremony, which is the big ceremony and reception, like an American wedding. Second is the civil ceremony, where you have to say your vows and sign a paper, to show you’re legally married.

Jorge and I did the religious ceremony back in July, and we’ll be able to do the civil ceremony soon.

Our friends Juan and Viri, however, did it the other way. They had their civil ceremony last Saturday, and the big formal wedding will be in August.

Some Mexicans just go to the courthouse for their civil ceremony. Others have a small, informal ceremony and party.

Juan and Viri hosted a party at La Europea, a wine and liquor shop in the Hotel Zone. La Europea has a small tasting room in the back for events, along with a beautiful garden and balcony overlooking the lagoon. It’s a great spot. Seriously, the next party I throw will be here! haha

Me and Jorge (in the background across the lagoon is the spot where he proposed!)

Brothers... Armando, Arturo and Juan (the groom)

Looking down onto the garden ceremony area

And now for the ceremony photos (please overlook my poor nighttime photography skills)…

Viri's parents signing the papers

Placing their thumbprints on the papers

Some centerpieces Viri put together with her favorite flower

hors d'eouvres and cake! (The food was amazing, by the way!)

Me with the bride!!

After dinner, a bunch of us stayed out on the balcony for some drinks. I was lame and went home at 1 a.m., but Jorge didn’t get home until 4! Must have been quite a party 🙂

The Best Things in Life are Free

*Still not able to upload pictures on WordPress. Sorry for the pictureless posts!!*

Last night, Jorge and I went to Cancun’s Hotel Zone with our friends Juan and Viri.

We went to Plaza la Isla, where we ate dinner at Johnny Rocket’s (yay for root beer!! It’s been so long, my old friend) then walked out to the plaza’s boardwalk along the lagoon, which is lined with a few cool bars and restaurants along with an awesome fountain.

Jorge and I sat down on a bench overlooking the lagoon and some of Cancun’s skyline, and he said to me, “Do you realize how lucky we are? People spend thousands of dollars to be where we are right now.”

Right after that, my friend Viri came over and sat down, and said almost the exact same thing: “People spend so much money to be where we are right now! And we’re just 10 minutes from home!”

I guess we were all thinking the same thing 🙂

Here’s a link to a picture of where we were sitting (since I can’t upload): http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2097/2404301877_2b1934706f.jpg

This is also where Jorge proposed!

What’s your favorite place in the world?