Saturday, August 22

Cancun: the beach


We spent the last day in Cancun on the beach, reading, getting sunburned, watching vendors pass by with cartons of fruit balanced on their heads.

The water is absolutely amazing and the sand is wonderfully white.



Goodbye, Mexico! Thanks for some good times!

Friday, August 21

Mayan Ruins

The second day, we drove to Chichen Itza to see the Mayan ruins there. They were incredible! Even though I've seen many more beautiful architectural treasures, these (maybe because they're so old) were somehow more impressive.


The ball court, where the winner of the game would have his head cut off because it was considered an honor to go to the next life.


A tiny woman selling handkerchiefs to tourists (like my Dad).




The famous temple of the god Kukulcan. It has a staircase for each season: 91 steps each plus the top makes 365 steps total. When the spring and fall equinoxes come, triangles along one of the staircases are lit up that make a body to connect to the serpent head. Amazing!


We visited a cenote (underground pool) on the drive back. You could swim in it, but the guide book said that if you're wearing sunscreen, that could kill microorganisms. I didn't want to kill any organisms, so I didn't swim.

We decided to visit the ruins at Tulum on the way home, since it was just a little out of the way, but we didn't make it before it closed, so we took pictures through the gate.I wanted to see if we could see the ruins from the beach too. You can see them on the hill, but they're kinda far away.

Cancun!

My Dad called me up last week as I was on my way to St. Louis and asked if I wanted to join him in Cancun the next week. I thought about it for just a little bit and then said yes!

The first day was spent shopping in Playa del Carmen and snorkeling off the coast of Cozumel.
Cozumel at dusk.

Cozumel central square.

My Dad at a little restaurant in Cozumel.

Shopping in Playa del Carmen.

Saturday, August 15

St. Louis

I got to spend last week with my excellent sister and cousins. The last time we all got together was a year and a half ago!


I made Sarah and Audra experiment with into the sun shots with me. I love this one.


We spent fun times at our hotel, ate a lot of good food, visited the Anheuser Busch brewery (complete with two free tastings at the end!) and the arch. It is great to have such wonderful family!