Grand Sirenis Riviera Maya - All Inclusive Akumal

... Did I mention the road was already flooded outside the gate?<br><br>Am officially freaked out, tour group breaks for lunch, temporarily distracted of thoughts of potential imminent demise with display of dancing women and children spinning around with beer and glasses on their heads, spinning leads to more hurricane like thoughts. A quick dip in a beautiful Cenote (natural occurring sacred pool) is lovely, our guide confirms ...

... much. I got to the edge of the reef, and explored the world below, with its tree-like formations and schools of fish of every color of the rainbow. I even snapped a few pictures. Tomorrow, however, I will come prepared. Mario even said he will come with me! Hourray! We lazed on the beach most of the afternoon, soaking in some much-needed sun. We did attend a little class in basic Spanish, put on by the animation team. It was cute ...

... like some touched the water. Boats were coming and going so I guess they must be benign. After a time we decided to walk down to the public beach at Akumal bay. Just as we started walking down the road, it started to rain hard. We ducted for cover at the Dive Centre. It kept raining and raining. We decided to head back to the resort. Hailed a cab. This cost us $200 pesos with tip.

Well, it`s been a pretty busy week and time is just flying- I only have four more days left in this tropical paradise!! And so much to cram into them; on Friday I started the Rescue Diver practical, which was awesome, but pretty challenging and actually pretty hard work- we have more to do still, and more complex stuff, but it`s great fun (I may review that opinion after the exam on Monday...). This week we are doing the Cavern Diver course too, in one of the ...

... huts are comprised of 3 bunk beds so 6 of us share one hut. We only sleep there - there are no facilities for bathing or bathroom use. For that, we head toward the main camp. Recall showers are out of a bucket - and they are the BEST showers! Who would have known that showering outside with a bucket of well water, overlooking the most beautiful beaches and sunsets I have ever seen, would be so great?? The diving is wonderful!! The ...

... view and the room had a nicer layout. Plus the shower was fully tiled and felt cleaner. It still had superficial problems like small bugs crawling around the countertops and smelly bedspreads, but like I said originally - we didn't care too much. After unpacking we had some snacks then changed and got ready to drive up to Playa Del Carmen for the evening. PDC was awesome and we'd even like to stay there sometime. It is a half hour from ABR. We liked the scene because there ...

... basically eggs and bacon. I have ordered the Mexicano, which is one of my favorite south of the border breakfasts - Juevos Motulenos. For those who don't know what this is, I could tell ya - but then I'd have to . . . OK, so I'll tell ya. Motulenos, is tortillas topped off with your fried eggs, ham, peas, and sauce with cheese, tomatos, and other stuff. Very tasty. (If you find yourself over on Cozumel in the morning ...

... to the menu, as it was a little dark and I didn't have my contacts. Luckily I landed on the 4 cheese pasta. It was quite tasty. Apparently I've lost any memory of much else from this night, so I'll just wrap and say a Good Buzz was had by all. Hopefully J &amp; C do move to Austin, as we had a great time with them this evening. They drove us back to Copal and we showed off our modest accommodations, via flashlight.

The four of us went to the Turtle Bay Cafe for breakfast. Keegan and Paul left shortly after for diving in a cenote/cave. (No, I'm not worried.) Kyla and I took a long walk on the beach -- carried our shoes as we knew we would hit rocky areas. Ran into Alan and Jean, and walked with them for a ways. Checked out many of the villas (from the beach, of course), most of which seemed to be occupied ...

... had coffee and they had pastries. It rained off and on. We played "Guessing Countries" and it would have been very pleasant but for the periodical interference of a nasty brine smell.<br><br>In the late afternoon, Paul took the kids to the lagoon for a swim. No one else wanted to go. Rained most of the afternoon. I sat inside and read and wrote. Turned cool. Kids said there were more fish in the lagoon than in the sea.