So many clams, so few bones

After driving an hour down a bone jarring, dilapidated (felt like it had been previously landmined) road to a bridge in the Si'an Kaan Biosphere, we took a 45 minute boat ride to meet our guide Wilberth for our day of fly fishing. We headed out for our 7 hour pursuit of permit and bonefish. It was not as productive as we had hoped, but it was a beautiful day and I caught my first bonefish!

this guard rail is actually high enough to keep our Mayan bus driver from falling in the water

Comida Deliciosa

Tulum is the last town before the Si'an Kaan Biosphere. The road is barely two lanes and there appears to be no speed limit, which is even more frightening when you opted for no insurance on your rental car (sorry Dad). You can hardly see hotel signs from the road as it is overgrown with palms and brush but when walking on the beach you see all the charming cabana styled, thatched roof hotels and restaurants. There is an an eco-chic theme throughout the town and yoga studios are interspersed among hotels along the beach.

It also has some of the best eats. A couple of transplants from New York have opened up tiny, outdoor restaurants with unique gourmet menus. Our favorite is called "Hartwood", owned by this precious couple, with pictures of this restaurant:

http://www.theselby.com/2_8_11_HartwoodEricMya/

But on day three, after a long day of fishing in Ascension Bay we went to "Mateo's" where we devoured the yummiest grilled shrimp burrito, steak fajitas, and fresh guacamole.

Mmmmm, a mango mojito- a risky move, I used to be allergic to mangoes, but was well worth the risk

Grilled shrimp burrito

Mateo's a noche

Luna De Miel

We arrived at our hotel, Casa De Las Olas (more like "Casa de las Uh-Oh las") on Saturday night. Upon arrival, we chased two cats out of our room, killed a couple of spiders, and cleaned up empty beer cans left in the kitchen. We were told we could not flush toilet paper and the water was "fresh from the sea". Ha! Have you ever brushed your teeth with salt water? But, we were in our "eco-chic honeymoon suite" and despite this underwhelming arrival, we decided to spend the night and consider our options in the morning.

Our room did have a beautiful view, secluded by palm trees with glimpses of the ocean. The wind blew continuously and made the palms sound like rain as we slept. I woke up early to windblown curtains that were lit with the morning light. It reminded me of the scene from American Beauty with plastic bag blowing in the wind when the neighbor boy says, "And that's the day I knew there was this entire life behind things, and... this incredibly benevolent force, that wanted me to know there was no reason to be afraid, ever... Sometimes there's so much beauty in the world I feel like I can't take it, like my heart's going to cave in."

It was a peaceful morning.

After a morning massage, we walked on the beach towards the Si'an Kaan Biosphere, 1.3 million acres of beautiful mostly untouched protected land. We only passed a few people on our walk (some with swimsuits, some without) and even though we covered up with SPF 70, the sun was ruthless on the spots we missed.

Si'an Kann is translated from Mayan as "where the sky is born" and as we watched the sunset from a rooftop restaurant we could see why.

It was a peaceful beginning and ending to our third day. We had relocated to a nearby hotel that offered freshwater showers, air conditioning, and was feline free.

Luna De Miel

Last Friday morning we flew to Mexico for our honeymoon, a well deserved break from our jobs, the cold, and Pokey. As my family knows, I don't have the best record when it comes to making wise decisions when traveling (falling asleep at the gate in Germany and missing my flight to meet my family in Italy, or agreeing to ride with a stranger I met in France who said he would take me to the closest train stop to meet my sister). Bucky was well warned of this imperfection of mine, but unfortunately it seems we fell into some foreseeable traps on our honeymoon despite the warnings. It was an interesting trip that had a few logistical obstacles, but all was redeemed by the 9 days we had just with each other.

We flew into Cancun where we rented a car and headed to Puerto Morelos, a small fishing town north of Playa Del Carmen. When we rented our car, a man behind one of the counters (who was not affiliated with Hertz) offered to give us directions. This would lead to our first mistake which could have simply been avoided by believing "there is no such thing as a free lunch". Our new friend gave us directions, maps, and restaurant recommendations. He even offered us a free brunch the following day at a nearby hotel that was trying to "get off on it's feet". What a deal! He said we just had to give him 10 dollars to reserve our spot and that this "hotel" would provide us lunch and mimosas and then we could be on our way. He also said we would be reimbursed for our car rental as well. Too good to be true? of course. Did we believe him? yep.

And Dad, I know you are reading this and muttering "Honest to goodness, Molly". My apologies, all I can say is "Whoops?"

But, our friend did direct us to a delicious first meal. A tiny ocean side restaurant in Puerto Morelos with plastic chairs and Dos Equis tablecloths. While waiting for our food, we walked up the dune where the moon was one night away from being the largest moon of the year. It light the waves and we had our first sight of the ocean. The wind was strong and kept us cool while we happily ate homemade guacamole, pulled sting ray, octopus ceviche, and fresh spiny tailed grilled lobster. This was the beginning of the best 9 days of eating we have ever had.

Saturday we woke up and relaxed around our hotel before heading to our "free brunch"

Morning coffee and pastries out on the porch

Peace

This dock cabana had a morning yoga class, maybe next time I will be up early enough to join

The first of many Speedo sightings. Buck saw this fellow from 100 yards away and predicted he had a gold chain necklace. To our surprise, he not only had a gold chain necklace, but a gold chain bracelet and watch to match. Really the only way to accessorize when wearing a Speedo

As far as our "free brunch" at the new "hotel", we knew something was not right when we pulled into the monstrosity that is called The Grand Mayan. The "hotel" boasted of one of the longest pools in South America, which just didn't understand how that could be so impressive with the Gulf of Mexico out the back door that boasts of the second largest coral reef in the world. We were told that Cluadio (our sales rep) would give us a brief 90 minute presentation on the "hotel" and then we would be given our reimbursement. Come to find out, The Grand Mayan was not a hotel but a condo complex and Claudio was under an extreme amount of pressure to sell us a condo. We let him know from the beginning that we were just there for brunch and had no interest in buying a condo. As the hours passed, the sales pitch progressed and at times we were uncomfortably honest, telling Claudio there was no way we would put any money down on a condo at any time. Finally, after 3 hours we reached a breaking point, and Bucky told Claudio he actually went to school to learn how to sue corporations like the Grand Mayan because he believed this land should be preserved and not replaced with Jack Nicklaus golf courses and 9 acre pools. At that point, Claudio called in the big guns, waving down his manager who resembled Tony Soprano. "Tony" began with sap story of a family who had to foreclose on a condo but now that property was available for a "remarkable rate" and he was willing to give us the opportunity cash in on this "once in a lifetime offer"... We were not being heard... And that was the tipping point. No more Miss Manners. My heart fluttered with anger. Our first day of our honeymoon had been wasted on this scam. I stared at "Tony" and explicitly explained our intentions. "Tony" looked like he wanted to give me a pair of cement shoes and take me for a swim in the ocean (a nightmare I had the next night, actually). But, it did come to an end and we were eventually out the door with our coupons in hand, feeling defeated as our first day of our honeymoon came to an end.

We weren't able to laugh it off then, but I think we are getting there. Next, we headed to Tulum where our "honeymoon suite" awaited and massages, fishing trips, and relaxation were the only things on our agenda. .

Final Stretch?

Even though we have seen little change in the temps here in Pokey, we are confident this is the final stretch of winter (the more confidence instilled in this belief the more likely it will come true, right?) and spring will be in full swing when we return from Mexico in two weeks.

This weekend Buck and I were introduced to a new trail outside of town called "Mink Creek". It was beautiful. Pine and Spruce trees with snow heavy limbs, a crisp blue sky, and so much sunlight reflecting off the snow to warm us as we hiked. It was a peaceful Sunday.

We went with a friend who cross country skied while we walked. The uphill incline did not slow him or Otis down. I wish we could say the same for me and Buck

Awkward Otis

At the top, we decided to put a take-out call into Papa John's. "Supreme pizza with extra garlic sauce, please."

Wading through thigh high snow...

The snow monster attacks

Buck is defeated

Home to a cuddly pup who had just returned from a play date with our 8 year neighbor

Buck to the cave to tie flies

and me with the pig to work on homework

But, when she is not in my lap she is in her tree house

or peeking out

Tired Totes

(Also, we realize this blog has become more of a "Postcards of Puppies". My apologies. Will hopefully have lots to report when we return from the Mayan Riviera)