Rio Secreto

We usually plan our trips far in advanced. Normally, we would have researched places we'd want to see and things we'd like to do. Due to the busy-ness caused by both work and school, I resorted to playing this trip by ear. Two days before our departure, I stumbled upon Rio Secreto's website while surfing the 'net. Upon our arrival in Mexico, we immediately met with the concierge and booked this adventure.

Both Marc and I have always wanted to go spelunking. What better way than to do it in an underground river? Our tour guide mentioned that they had just discovered this place three years ago and had just recently opened to the public in the last 6 months. We felt so privileged to visit such a new discovery. To get there, we had to ride a van across a road-less jungle. Translation=off-roading. The 45 minute bumpy ride was definitely worth it. We were greeted by the pouring rain and the friendly staff who instructed us to strip down to our swimsuits. Following that, we had to run across a wet jungle towards fresh-water showers. With both the rain and the cold shower, we were like icicles by the time we made another dash across the jungle to get our wet suits. But once we made our way down through the collapsed entrance of the cave, not a hint of wind or cold air could be felt. All the hassle proved to be worth the splendor we would experience underground. My favorite part was going to the deeper pools (about 7 feet deep) and floating on my back as I admired the natural crystal-looking ceiling above.

Don't be fooled by the lighting. Without our headlamps and random flashlights placed throughout the caves for photo-opps, it was pitch-black inside!

Thank goodness for a personal photographer and portable flashes spread throughout the caves.

I accidentally kicked Marc as I was startled by a catfish that swam by.

In the dark.

The two pictures above show us participating in a Mayan ritual of observing complete silence. We had to turn off all lights and observe the sounds around us. Nothing could be heard except for the drops of water coming from above-ground. Then when the lights came on, we marveled at the beautiful stalactites above and rubbed our hands with the sulfur below. It was like a personal spa treatment!

Somehow, I lost a leg in the cave. Not quite sure how. Ricky, our tour guide, is on the right in the black wetsuit.

I learned that the stalagmites and stalactites would cease to form once touched. As a result, we had to be very careful when walking through the caves. This experience made me more aware of the true meaning of conservation and preservation. I would be really sad if my children would not be able to experience this one day due to our carelessness. On a brighter note, if you're ever in the Riviera Maya, you must visit Rio Secreto. It definitely is an adventure of a lifetime!

Only in Mexico

I love traveling! Best of all, I love traveling internationally. Getting my passport stamped upon arrival at a new country makes me all giddy. Since I got married this year, I had to get a new passport with my new name. Oh how I wish I didn't have to as I would have to start from scratch in my 'stamp collecting.' This trip earned me my first stamp on my new passport. Now I'm even more motivated than usual to jet-set across the globe. Who wants to sponsor me by sending me some free airline tickets? :)

Our vacation was quite relaxing. While we spent most of the time in our private jacuzzi while catching up on movies, we took the time to enjoy the sun during the 'rain breaks.' We did so by exploring the streets, laying on the beach and passing time on hammocks. I'm more of a "let's explore the city" type of girl so for me to just kick and back and relax is unusual. But I'll admit that R&R was much needed this time around. It sure is great every once in awhile.

Anyways, here are a few more photos from our trip.

A trip to Mexico isn't complete without sampling some street food. This hole-in-the-wall proved that $1 can still take you very far. Marc concurs that the $1 was well-spent!

Individually-owned stores were at liberty to close whenever they wished.

What do you think? Can I rock the sombrero?

As tempting as it was, we did not go to Mexico for pizza.

I kid you not-there were scorpions in these bottles of Tequila.

I encountered my first luchador at a local gift shop.

Mayan hot chocolate-very pure and spicy. I loved it!

I've entitled this photo,"The morning after." Lol!

Colorful bar stools at a closed bar. It did end up opening at around 2pm-the beginning of "happy hour."

A live Mariachi band serenading a cute couple on the streets.

Coco Bongo discoteca!

Mexico's equivalent of Starbucks. They were scattered everywhere!

His and hers. :)

Definitely an 'only in Mexico' kind of thing.

I felt very rich with all my pesos.

Thanks for letting me share my adventures with you. My next post will be about our amazing spelunking adventure. Stay tuned!

Holiday update

Do not be fooled by the Christmas trees. This picture was taken in the tropics, I promise!

I am definitely enjoying my two weeks off and have been doing anything and everything to make it all worthwhile. I spent the first five days in Mexico with Marc. We had such a wonderful time even with the on-and-off rain that decided to pour during our stay. The Riviera Maya is such a pristine place filled with so many natural wonders. I'm so grateful that we had a few days to indulge in such a wondrous landscape. We stayed at the luxurious, adult-only, all-inclusive Royal Resort in Playa del Carmen. The staff members were super sweet and so attentive to our needs. I can say that we truly did feel like "royalty" at this establishment and would highly recommend it. Here are a few pictures.

We were upgraded to the master suite for the first night since they didn't have a room ready for us when we arrived. Boy, did we feel spoiled!

It was amazing! Our junior suite looked exactly like this except without the living area, 2 balconies, foyer, bar and extra bathroom. Haha!

A fully stocked bar. If only I knew this would be there, I would've invited you all to party with us. :)

Bulgari bath products are the best!

The view from the master suite. Yes, that is the Caribbean Ocean. We had 2 balconies to enjoy this view from. So breathtaking!

Breakfast delivered to the suite. Oh the luxuries of vacationing!

Even though the rain was pouring, we were still so happy to be there!

From this terminal, you can take a ferry to the island of Cozumel.

Strolling through the streets of Avenida Quinta (5th Ave) where shops, restaurants, and bars lured in both weary travelers and curious tourists.

During one of the sunnier and warmer days. This is the view from our super comfy cabana.

Marc read while I played around with the camera. Typical us! [below]

Merry Christmas!

Another early Christmas

A few years ago, a group of friends got together and started a tradition known as 'game night.' It used to be that once every 2 or 3 months, we would all get together and bond over board games. Cranium became our signature game and to date, we have played about 4 different versions. Due to people moving away and the clashing of schedules, we have had less game nights in the past year. Despite that, we all make it a point to get together at least every December around since that's when everyone seems to be home. I will always treasure game nights as it was the perfect disguise to our surprise engagement party last year. :)

Claudine hosted this year's Cranium match and it was a success!

A new icebreaker game was introduced by the beautiful Mariel. It's like the game 'telephone' except with pen and paper. It was so much fun to see how a 'hobo' turned into Janet Jackson somewhere down the line.
Games get pretty intense especially when you have to draw with your eyes closed....
...or if you're given a tough piece of trivia to solve...
...but the best part is watching your friends in their attempt to act.
Thanks for hosting Claudine! 'Til next time!
*note to self: i desperately need a hair cut*

We leave for Playa del Carmen tomorrow morning and I cannot be anymore excited! Last night, I took out all my cameras to prepare for the trip. I had a few mishaps.

1) I realized I was low on Polaroid film. Made the trip to Urban Outfitters only to find out that they stopped selling the film as soon as they ran out last month.I knew I should've stocked up.
2) Broke the winder of my Chaika 3 as I tried to figure out how to load the film properly.

I guess I'll have to make do with 2 cameras instead of 4 this time. :) Oh how I love vacations! Wishing you all a fun and safe weekend! I will be back by Christmas Eve so the posts will continue thereafter. Take care dear readers!

An Early Christmas

The Jimenez clan decided to celebrate the holidays a bit early this year. This past weekend was the only weekend that some of my cousins from out of state could make it. My Tita Susan was gracious enough to host this year's holiday party at her home in LA. We ate lots of food and indulged in some delicious drinks. We told stories, laughed, had a scavenger hunt, played games and had our traditional white elephant gift exchange. I spent three years of my childhood in the Philippines and I clearly recall my family celebrating in this manner. I'm thankful that we can still continue such traditions here. Although, I must admit that Christmas in the Philippines is definitely a lot livelier and more festive than it is here in the US. We still had a blast and I'm hoping that we'll be even more complete next Christmas. My secret wish is to be able to go back to the Philippines for the holidays next year. It has been over 10 years since I've made the pilgrimage! I'm sure a lot has changed since then. What are your family holiday traditions?

For this game, we had to create a Christmas tree with just our bare hands. To make it even more difficult, we had to have the paper behind us so we couldn't see what we were doing. Mine (2nd from the left) looks like a giant arrow. Probably the worst of the bunch.

The queen of games, Claudine, had each of us feel and smell this giant stocking and guess the objects that were inside. It had everything from a pair of scissors to ornaments. Who would've guessed?

Another tricky game! Partners had to nicely wrap a gift using only one hand. The catch? We had to wear oven mitts! Marc & I lost this one big time!

The stash of presents for the white elephant gift exchange.

Marc had to open a total of 4 gifts since people kept 'stealing' from him. Here he is, ready to get another stolen and yes, he did eventually lose the coveted Khalua!

Ate Rea (Kuya Von's wife) carefully tries to depict one of the many Christmas carols in a round of Christmas pictionary.

My aunt bought some delicious Moscato d'asti from San Antonio Winery. It definitely was a favorite!

The cousins + spouses. Can't believe 3 of us are married now!

Here's a shot of my family. My siblings are taller than me. No fair!

The girl cousins minus 3.

I will try to sneak in one more blog post tomorrow. Our apartment looks like a mess from all the packing we've had to do for our upcoming trip. On top of that, we've been busy trying to get Marc's grad school apps out the door. Thank goodness that's all done now! Tomorrow is my last day of work before a two-week break and I am so excited! On top of that, we just found out today that Marc passed all of his CPA exams! That was my one Christmas wish and I'm so thankful!

Congratulations hubby!!!