Le Honeymoon

Relaxing at Xel-Ha.

We're home!

What a lovely and relaxing holiday. Great wedding, wonderful honeymoon. Everything's bitchin'. And I'm sunburnt. That part ain't so grand, but otherwise I'm feeling spiffy.

I got burnt the last day I was there. I'm not sure how. I had sunscreen on and I spent most of the time in the shade. But I got crisped all up my thighs and around my armpits. The backs of my hands are also very red. When I got home I made a matcha tea bath and soaked, hoping it would take my burn down. It did cool my skin, which was nice.

But let me describe the week. Every day was something special and fun. Sunday we had a special honeymooners' dinner after spending the day relaxing by the pool.

Monday we went to Tulum and swam in the warm teal waters by the ruins. That was wicked. However, I think I still have sand in my hair. Afterwards we ate some good Mexican food at a nearby restaurant and took the Collectivo home.

Tuesday and Wednesday we went to the spa. We had $1,500 resort credits and spent them all at the resort spa. Massages, facials, wraps, etc. And it was a huge spa experience. Usually with the day spas I go to, you go to the spa, get your service and go home. At this place you can show up an hour early and do the hydrotherapy.

You go in the sauna, then a cool spray in the shower. Then the steam room, cool spray in the shower. Then the hottest hot tub. Then a walk through the cool mineral water. Then the other somewhat cooler hot tub. Then the mineral foot soak.

And after all that, you go in for your service. You leave feeling like a new person.

Thursday we went to Xel-Ha. It's a natural aquarium-type place. You can cliff dive, swim in cenotes, snorkel, zip line and so on. You can eat and drink all day. It's gorgeous and immaculately clean. There were hammocks and beach chairs all over, parrots and lizards, grottos and inlets. There were many walking trails and a bike path. You could ride the river down the park, through this beautiful canopy of vines and tree branches.

I attempted to do the cliff jump. It was 4 metres high and I couldn't do it. I was gung ho, thinking, oh yeah, I got this. See, I thought it'd be like the 3-metre diving board at the pool. But it wasn't. I physically tried to jump, my heart was in it, my brain said yes. My body said no. I felt my body restrain itself against my decision.

So weird. But I think I've reached a point in my life where my ability to take these sorts of risks has passed. Self-preservation has kicked in and leaping from cliffs is not doable. I've never been the person who did extreme things and I'm thinking starting in your 30th year is not really going to work out.

I realized also that bungee jumping and sky diving, thoughts I'd entertained, were definitely now not going to ever happen. If you can't jump 4-metres into water, water that is deemed deep enough and marked for your safety, then anything higher is not gonna fly. Oh well. There's always rollercoasters.

Our last day was Friday. It was the Dude's birthday and he did a spa treatment, and that's when I got burnt, while lounging by the pool, listening to A Game Of Thrones on my iPod. We went out to dinner, had the Mayan coffee,which was a performance in the making of it, and sadly packed our bags. We were being picked up at 7:05 the next morning.

The trip home was a real bummer, not just because we were leaving, but because the transportation was 40 minutes late and when we got there our plane was delayed by two hours.

And now we're home, relaxed and calm. I'm feeling ready to re-tackle my work with renewed energy, the Dude is readying himself for a busy month and we're really mellowed out.

I kept up my no shampoo commitment as well. It was hard, with the sands of Tulum haunting my scalp, but I managed.

And now back to the real world.