The Seattle Invasion of Mexico Has Arrived

Two great friends of ours from Seattle, Tommy and Regina, came to visit us and we made sure to try and show them as much as possible in 1 week. Sadly for them, the water here is a bit cold right now as it is "winter" in Mexico. I think the consensus was though that it was still beautiful and much warmer than Seattle.

We managed to hit Xpu-Ha beach in Akumal, explore Playa Del Carmen for a day, drive to Vallodolid to see the city and Chitzen Itza, swim in Ik Kil Cenote, Explore/shop in Tulum, take a Catamaran trip to Isla Mujeres with snorkeling and eat many great meals!

Chitzen Itza was somewhere we hadn't been before so we were very happy to check that off our list of things we should have done but hadn't. 

We stopped at Ik Kil Cenote on the way back from Chitzen Itza and it did not disappoint. It was extremely beautiful but VERY cold. I didn't manage to get any photos but look it up online, it's worth a visit.

We were really happy they loved it here and they say they are planning to come back Summer of 2020 (it will be MUCH WARMER then!). Can't wait!

Safe travels!

Finally Visiting Vallodolid & Casa de Los Venados

Keith & I have been wanting to go visit Vallodolid for awhile now but never seem to be able to successfully schedule a time to go. Our friends, Randi & Dave, have also been wanting to go so we finally were able to schedule an outing.

The drive from Akumal is only about 1.5 hours and you drive through a few small towns filled with local art stores (and lots of street dogs).

I had read about an American couple who bought a home in 2000 and remodeled it while filling it with Mexican folk art. They now own the largest collection of Mexican folk art, which I am a huge fan of, so I had to see it. They open their home up to the public at 10am for a few hours everyday and you can take a guided tour, for free.

When we arrived it wasn't quite 10am so we wandered around a bit looking at shops. Then at 10am we went back to Casa de Los Venados to join the tour. The tour was about 1.5 hours and we were walked through the house and given lots of information on the art, the owners and the home. They wouldn't tell me what the house was purchased for and I was kind of scolded for asking... at-least I felt like I was. The guide made a comment about how he had been told it was impolite to ask about how much people make, etc... Well yeah, that is. I'd never ask that question. Asking how much a home was purchased for, especially when it had been in rubble for about 80 years seems like a fair question. The house was fully restored and they put a ton of work into it to bring it back to it's glory. If only they had redfin or zillow here...

Cathedral in Vallodolid

Anyways, I loved the tour and all of the art. I was so inspired I had to find a few pieces for our own little collection we have here in Mexico and Lake Ozark. 

After the tour we had lunch at a local restaurant suggested by Linda, El Atrio. We had hoped to have some al pastor tacos but they didn't have any. I opted for melted cheese with mushrooms and chorizo and chicken panuchos. So good!

The rest of our day was filled with touring the cathedral, shopping and walking around the main square. It's a cute town and an overnight stay would be really fun. Maybe when we get back from our 15 month hiatus... 

Our 2nd Set of Seattle Visitors to Mexico

We were thrilled when our Seattle friends, Kevin & Jessica, reached out to come and visit for a few days. We hadn't seen them since we left Seattle over a year ago so it was exciting to welcome them to our new home.

After picking them up in Cancun we took them to one of our favorite local hangouts, Jungle Fish Beach Club, for dinner. We had our first (and only) "are you Keith and Tarah from House Hunters International?" moment. We all got a good laugh at that as it made us feel like celebs, for just a moment.

On Monday we went on a float through the Mayan canals, which was a first for Keith & I. We had no idea they were even there. We drove past Tulum about 15 minutes and met up with a guide who had us follow him on his scooter down the road a bit more and then down a dirt road heading towards the water. Once we parked we walked down the road another 10 minutes to a lagoon with some of the bluest water I have ever seen. We all hopped in a boat with Felix, our boat driver, and he drove us about 45 minutes into the lagoon to a dock. We all hopped out and were directed to check out the old Mayan trading post ruins. It was amazing to see how small the doorways were - we asked about that and Felix told us Mayans were very small and the doors show you just how small they typically were. Think 8 year old height... small.

The canal had a nice current so we all popped our life jackets on as diapers and jumped in. The water was a wee bit chilly but we adjusted quickly. I kept asking about snakes and alligators but was told they don't live there... OK, I'll go with that. I wasn't able to take any photos as I left my phone in the car to stay dry but these folks have a great write up about the float with amazing photos. 

The next day we all decided to go the Xcaret for a day of swimming and eating. We had never been there either and it was more fun than I had thought. Once we arrived we had a little wait to work on getting our local discount on our tickets but surprisingly we were able to get it and our tickets were 1/2 off the normal price.

The park contains a lot of birds and animals but the flamingos were my favorite as I had never seen them in real life. They are beautiful and weird birds. Xcaret was similar to our float but their canals don't have a current. You do wear a life jacket but if you just float on your back it's less effort of swimming through all the caves. The 4 of us had a great time. 

Kevin & Jessica were off to Cozumel the next day so we drove them to Playa Del Carmen to catch the ferry. Next up for us, El Dorado Seaside Suites for a night.

Our first visit to the Veterinarian

Well, we've been in Mexico for 6 months and able to avoid a trip to the veterinarian's office; that was until this week. Chance, our little one, thought it would be a wise choice to stand in an ant pile while going pee. Let me tell you, he was one lucky pup. We must have pulled at least 2 dozen ants out of his fur and he didn't get a single bite. Just to make sure we didn't miss any of the little buggers, we decided to give Chance a late night bath. 

It was also a good time to trim the hair around his face and eyes. Upon doing so, we found a small sore on his muzzle. It was pretty red and irritated and showed signs of bleeding.

We immediately reached out to a local veterinarian that some of our friends have used. I think I should take a moment to mention that getting in touch with medical and veterinarian professionals in our area is super simple and kinda funny in my opinion...Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp. We received a prompt response and had an appointment setup in no time.

As you can see from the photo, Chance was not a big fan of the car ride to the vet. 

I was amazed at how friendly and thorough the staff was. Everyone I interacted with spoke very good English, which is a huge plus for us as our Spanish is elementary at best. The Vet made Chance and I very comfortable. She cleaned up his sore and conducted the lab work in the office while we waited. We were happy to find out that it was just a small bacterial infection. She gave Chance a shot of antibiotics and prescribed a pain medication and topical cream. The entire visit lasted about 30-45 minutes, including the less than 5 minute wait in the lobby. Best of all, it only cost $1000 pesos ($50.50 usd) total!

In the end, we have our happy little puppy on the mend and a great local veterinarian we can trust with both our fur-babies.

Filming for ANOTHER Reality TV Show

Keith doing an interview

Keith and I were fortunate enough to be picked for a popular TV show and spent the last 5 days filming. During that time, we had the opportunity to go on a sunset sailing adventure, visit a local monkey sanctuary, film in one of our favorite restaurants, explore Playa/Tulum and just have a great time pretending to be actors.

Sadly, we aren't at liberty to say what show it is just yet until we have an actual air date... once we do we will be posting more about it. 

Elenor, the Monkey on my shoulder,
who pooped on me... yeah.

The crew was really fun to get to know and we learned so much about how these types of shows are created. We repeated things many times and shot them from several angles. We may not be seasoned TV stars but it gave me a greater respect for those that are - it's a lot of work and you stand for so long... It's exhausting work!

How did this happen you may be wondering... Well, we are in many expat groups on Facebook and had read that someone was looking for a couple who was moving to Mexico for casting. I sent a message to the women who had put up the posting and she messaged me the next day. The whole process started August of 2017. We had to put a lot of it off for awhile since we were in the process of getting ready to move and then our month long drive across the US. We stayed in touch with them the whole time though as I didn't want to be forgotten.  ;) 

Once we finally landed in Mexico, we started wrapping up the process to see if we would be selected. We had to send in a video of us talking about ourselves and what we like to do plus we had a few Skype calls and sent in loads of pictures... Once we got everything done and submitted we were informed on April 18th we had been selected. Originally we were going to start filming May 4-8th but we asked to move it out due to my surgery as it would have only been a week later and I wasn't sure what types of activities I would be cleared for. They were ok with that and May 12-16th ended up being the dates we were given. My Dr. wouldn't clear me for ziplining so we missed out on that but I think the monkeys made up for that.

To be continued...

Our Scuba Obsession!

Recently, I received my scuba certification and let me tell you it was the best, most exciting thing I've ever done. The class took about 2-4 hours for 4-5 days (not including the homework), but it was well worth it. Tarah has been certified for a long time, but it's been several years since she's gone diving. This has given us an opportunity to share a wonderful experience we both enjoy. Attached are a couple videos documenting our experience. Thank you Rob and Kris King for your drone video.

https://youtu.be/t-6PjfuBHHo
https://youtu.be/fNGZtcwYzoI

Our Family Came to Visit us in the Riviera Maya

Dinner at Alux in Playa

Our family recently visited for 10 days to escape the cold weather of Ohio. Keith and I tried to be good this time and build an itinerary so we didn't wake up each morning saying "hmmm, what should we do today" to 6 different people. Surprisingly, it worked out really well and I think everyone was pretty happy.

Here is what we suggested (however, we didn't always follow this plan):

Jackson enjoyed All Inclusive day!

Monday:

Breakfast at Lolha

Tulum/Coba Ruins

Dinner at our home - we invited friends over to meet the family

Tuesday:

Xpu-Ha beach for kayaking, lunch and light shopping

Dinner at a local restaurant

Wednesday:

Day trip to Valladolid - sightseeing and shopping

Thursday:

Burrito Amor for lunch 

Pool day

Dinner at La Lunita

Friday:

Cenote Azul

Happy Hour at Lolha

Dinner at Traverna (Italian)

Cooking class was a winner!

Saturday:

Monkey Sanctuary 

The Dining Experience in Tulum

Sunday:

All Inclusive day at Bahia Principe (pool, food and drinks)

Monday:

Cooking class with Lily in Tulum

Pool in the afternoon

Dinner at Alux in Playa

Mamitas Beach Club

Tuesday:

Catamaran Trip 

Dinner in Puerto Adventura

Wednesday - Playa Del Carmen for the day:

Mamitas Beach Club

Spa day for the ladies

Beach day for the men

Early dinner at the beach club

Thursday:

Breakfast at La Buena Vida

On Thursday, everyone flew home... We think it went well - everyone was still talking to one another after those 10 days, so that's a win in our book! ;)