Leaving El Paraiso

This morning’s view from the lobby as we left…



We had our last breakfast which included excellent Mexican hot chocolate. Also our waiter knew we needed hot water for my mom and chamomile tea for me without us asking - he obviously knew our routine!

Today, we are returning to mid-20 degree weather back on the east coast. It was mid-70 degrees as we left Tulum and folks were saying it was cold with which I agreed as my travel outfit felt very comfortable. Oh, the irony…

Our hotel arranged our airport transfer and the less than 90 minute ride was filled with Spanish music and our driver spoke to us through his Google translate app Bluetooth-ed through the car speakers. It was pretty comical and reminded me of my mom using the same app at the beginning of the trip.

At the airport, we saw lots of Koreans and our flight time was just about 3 hours due to a tailwind. My brother picked us up and we headed to Flushing for Korean food which is a family routine when we return from a trip.

What a great trip and my first extended resort vacation. I had so much fun with my mom and Anne - I can’t wait for more in the future!

Chichén Itzá x Cenote

Mama Kim took this photo of a Cancun sunrise as we left our lovely room and view…



We woke up early today as we had a big day of going to Chichén Itzá and then to our hotel. This was today’s itinerary as we booked a private tour, so we didn’t have to make a return to Cancun and to save some time:



It took over 2 hours including a pit stop and we arrived at the same time as several buses, so it was crowded and you could hear different languages. Our guide, Theresa, helped us through the crowds as she was very detail oriented in her explanations.

Chichén Itzá is considered one of the new wonders of the world and one of the largest Maya cities. Theresa said Teotihuacán which we visited near Mexico City, Tulum ruins, and Chichén Itzá were the three most important and well-known -  Chichén Itzá is visited by several million a year. She also mentioned there are many ruins, even in the backyards of homes or haciendas, and families can choose to make ruins available to the public. So we learned about the nearby haciendas and the families that made this ruin particularly accessible.

She was also skilled in taking photos and I played with the new Apple Intelligence in removing tour groups and their umbrellas:







We learned about the importance of the serpents and saw many faces, heads, and warriors:









We visited the largest ball court where they couldn’t use their hands and tried to get the balls through these hoops. There are several theories on why they played these games - potentially to win and be sacrificed which was an honor and to also entertain the communities or as Theresa often referred to as peasants and the “John Smith’s” of Mayan society. Her phrases were pretty cute and funny including “what were they smoking?!”:





She had us take this fun panorama and Anne and I ran behind her in the ball court, so we can be on both sides:



She also positioned each of us like my mom here to look like we’re touching one of the hoops:



Here are perfectly lined up columns and an example of how the Mayans did not destroy, but rather built upon older structures, and building more platforms and levels:



An iguana which was living near an excavated site which was covered up by the archaeologists, but they showed a bit of the structures that were built upon:





Showing an un-restored side as we walked around the whole Mayan pyramid:



After seeing the main site, we walked over to the Observatory where we learned about how the priests tracked the sun, the Mayans developed their calendar, and were impressive in mathematics. There were not many people here (I didn’t have to erase them with Apple Intelligence) and Theresa insisted on a photo due to the opportunity of the lack of crowds - so I took an obligatory jumping photo:



A map of the archaeological zone:



After being greeted with cold towels by Emil and drinks back in the packed parking lot, we then drove around and through Valladolid which is apparently popular with expats and has colorful homes. Here, Theresa explains that homes have been “sliced like cakes” as they were divided by siblings who inherited the homes from their parents:



Another part of the trip was visiting a cenote, as there are many in the Yucatán peninsula. The Mayans apparently used them to collect water and make offerings. After changing, storing our belongings in lockers, and rinsing off, we descended down to Chukum cenote:





Anne and I jumped in, tried the zip line, and floated helped by our life jackets in the fresh water…









The water was so fresh and we saw lots of catfish:



Mama Kim enjoyed watching the families, us, and dipping her feet in. She didn’t want to be cold as she had recently recovered from pneumonia:



After drying off, we enjoyed a buffet lunch - we were surprised we weren’t hungrier considering it was around 4 pm. Then we returned to trusty Emil, and in about 90 minutes, had arrived at our hotel, the Conrad Tulum where we’ll be staying for 5 nights. Some are shocked that I’m doing a resort vacation for this long, but in redeeming points for 4 nights, the 5th night was free!

After unpacking and getting settled, we had reservations at the Mediterranean restaurant called Maratea. I forgot to take a photo of our salads or pizza, but we had warm breads and pita, my mom enjoyed a seafood pasta, and we had petit fours:



We walked around a little in the dark, but we can’t wait to explore the resort in the daytime!

The Jewel of Cancun

We woke up at the hotel which they nicknamed, “The Jewel of Cancun” to the sounds of birds. We also saw many on the beach too and enjoyed table side singing from this one during breakfast:



For breakfast, we enjoyed pancakes, chilaquiles, huevos rancheros, and a plethora of drinks, pastries, and fruit! Afterwards the agenda was beach and pool. Some photos below in between all the resting!



Mama Kim taking a walk….



Me in the pool…



Anne in the ocean…



And a subtle rainbow…



Tonight we had dinner at the hotel’s signature restaurant, Malpeque where we had a lovely view of the sunset…



The dinner was adventurous as we had to move inward when it started to pour, and as our waiter reminded us that we’re near the rainforest:



But the rain didn’t stop us from enjoying our scrumptious meal where we started with hamachi, soup, and Baja oysters. My mom had a delicious wagyu steak while Anne and I shared the catch of the day with a side of polenta. We finished off with the waiter’s chosen dessert which was raspberry tiramisu:



A photo before we left by a kind Texan and as we enjoyed our first full day in Mexico together!

Return to Mexico

Last year I went to Mexico for the first time when I visited Mexico City over President’s Day weekend. And this year in honor of Martin Luther King Jr day and weekend, Mama Kim and I came to Cancun for the first time! It’s a bit surprising that I’ve never been, but there’s always a first time for everything!

So with the benefit of a 2-for-1 companion ticket from Delta, I decided I needed a resort vacation at least once a year. So my mom and I rendezvous-ed at LaGuardia airport and transferred in Atlanta. I also managed to run into old colleagues in the lounge and on the plane - I guess it’s a busy travel day!

My college roommate, Anne arrived from San Francisco after us and we had another rendezvous at the hotel! Anne and I had traveled to Mexico City together last year, so we visit the country again together!

Upon arriving in Cancun, there were hundreds waiting to go through immigration and as a US citizen, we went through e-gates. We snaked through a line that took about 40 minutes, while Anne breezed through.

We met our separate Suntransfer drivers as we arrived about 2 hours apart, and arrived at the Waldorf Astoria where we are spending two nights before heading to Tulum. The view from the hotel balcony:



Our welcome drink…



In the lobby….



We made it to our room which has an ocean view with a soaking tub:







For dinner, we headed downstairs to Chaya with the lovely Victor who was an attentive server. He also obliged my mom in using her Google translate app - my mom recently learned how to use and was practicing Korean to Spanish. Our dinner included pappardelle with shrimp, crab risotto, and mango ceviche:



We headed back to our rooms and as the purpose of the trip is for some rest and relaxation, my mom and I ended with face masks before bedtime while listening to the waves!