Puerto Morelos

This weekend Sara and I went to Puerto Morelos, as I mentioned last week. Puerto Morelos is about 30 minutes south of Cancun, on the Caribbean Sea. Man it was beautiful! We were lucky enough to get a little hut that was right on the beach. The only downfall was that the place was about a 30 minute walk along the beach from town. However, it was a beautiful and peaceful walk.

The town of Puerto Morelos was originally a small fishing village. However, in recent years a lot of development has happened. There are now huge beach homes and enormous resorts all along the beach, and everything is expensive. That's why we were so far out of town- to get a decently priced room. There are a ton of Americans and Canadians who vacations, or maybe even live there. Basically the town is become a suburb of Cancun for older people. It's a little sad to see the Westernization of the pretty little town.

Anyways, the town was really neat, and getting to see the Caribbean was an unforgettable experience. The water is so incredibly blue, it really does look like pictures of the Caribbean. It was neat to see that in person. And the beach was a white sand beach, so soft and comfy to walk on! I could get used to that!

On Saturday we went to this neat little taco place on the main square (almost all Mexican towns seem to have a central plaza). There were signatures and messages all over the wall! We found out that the restaurant has only been open since January, but the food and service was amazing. Sara and I had some really yummy tacos al pastor. At the end of our dinner, we were handed markers, and we got to sign the wall! That was fun! So now there's a little bit of Iowa represented in a small restaurant in Mexico.

On Sunday morning Sara and I finally got our chance to snorkel. We found a shop that would take us on a 3 site tour for about $25 USD. This was a great deal because most places were offereing 2 sites for $30 USD. You know how I love a bargain! The snorkeling was amazing! They took us out to the reef near Puerto Morelos, which is a national wildlife reserve. We had to wear life jackets to keep us from diving down, since it was protected. That was fine with me! The only bad part was that we couldn't wear sunscreen, unless it was biodegradable. I didn't have that kind, so I wore a t-shirt. My legs got a little burned, but not too bad. I was worth it to see the amazing reef! There were so many fish and different types of coral! I felt like I was in the movie Finding Nemo! I'm definitely hoping to go snorkeling again during spring break. It was an incredible experience!

After snorkeling we had to ride the bus back. After 2 different buses and about 4 1/2 to 5 hours of riding, we made it back to Merida. Then I had to do my homework! Ick... But the weekend was awesome! I can't wait to go back to the Caribbean for spring break!