OMG! That Seagull Has a Sea Turtle!

Every autumn, mother sea turtles visit Cancun's beaches to lay their eggs in the sand. The eggs hatch and each baby turtle flips and flops its way down the beach and scrambles into the water, where he or she is swept into the safety of the ocean. In theory...

To assist these adorable little creatures, many resorts in the Hotel Zone (including the Royal Sands & the Moon Palace Resort) collect turtles on the beaches at night (if you see flashlights or vehicles on the beach at night that could be why) & allow their guests to release them in the evenings. [Jen blogged about this here.]

Snorkeling with Turtles? Bring some Cabbage!

During our trip to Belize, Jen & I snorkeled with some turtles. It was amazing swimming a foot away from these magnificent (if funny-looking) creatures! 

More recently, I saw an article (posted below) in The Economist about loggerhead turtles loving the smell of rotting cabbages (because planktonic algae often release a substance that degrades into a rotting-cabbage chemical when they are eaten).

I think we actually had some rotting cabbage in the fridge at home. If we ever go back, I think I'll bring some with us.

Green turtle

Sharks in Cancun II - Creepy Shark Encounters!

I recently posted another entry about sharks in Cancun. It's easily my most popular post & it's not bad, but when I wrote it I hadn't met Dan Garcia...

Black tip sharks in a feeding frenzy!

Día de la Raza (Columbus Day) in Mexico

Today marks the 520th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas!

Many countries in the New World and elsewhere celebrate this anniversary (which occurred on October 12, 1492) as an official holiday. The event is celebrated as Columbus Day in the United States, and as Día de la Raza in many countries in Latin America.

Big Score at the Dubai Palace Casino!

I've blogged before about the Dubai Palace Casino here in Cancun.

Every M/T/W they have a promotion: buy 5000 "vouchers" (for 500 pesos) and receive 2000 free! You must play through the vouchers, converting them into credits, before you can cash out. 
Considering that (so far, on average), we are winning back well over 75%, that seems like a pretty good deal, though I personally haven't done very well on the few occasions I've done this.

Anyway, Jen and I went last night, after she saw a post on Dubai's facebook page announcing that for the next hour, anyone who bought 500 pesos in credits would receive X free credits, where X was a random, surprise amount. This made the deal potentially even better. We planned to ask some of our friends (who go there every day) how many freebies we were likely to get and decide on the spot.

Top 5 Reasons to Shop at Walmart in Cancun

I'm not a huge fan but I find myself shopping at Walmart for the same reason most people do. It's hard to argue with the convenience (yes, there's a McDonald's in our local store) and those "everyday low prices."

So here goes my...

TOP FIVE REASONS TO SHOP AT WALMART IN CANCUN

Is it Safe for Tourists to Visit Mexico?

I just did an interview for blogexpat.com (yay! -- I'll add a proper link when it's published). They asked me to name a myth about Mexico & I recalled a funny story that I forgot to blog about..  

Funny Mexican Phone Call Blooper

I just did an interview for blogexpat.com (yay! -- I'll add a proper link when it's published). They asked me how I communicate with home & I recalled a funny story that I forgot to blog about...

Google, Google, Google! Google video chat is reliable & free. I also use Google to make local calls. It’s about 50% cheaper than Skype.

Is Spanish less efficient than English?

In my quest to broaden my knowledge of Spanish I've been reading Webster's Worldwide English-Spanish Dictionary. I know that sounds a little odd, but this dictionary is riddled with examples of word usage, each translated into Spanish.

Now THIS is what I should be reading!

Ants Ants Ants... Damn Ants in my Cereal!

I know I've posted about ants before but when you're sitting at your PC wondering what to write about... and you realize that you're eating your breakfast cereal with your hands, one bran flake at a time, because the tiny ants that plague your kitchen somehow wiggled through the tiny cracks in the rolled up cereal bag and crept into your cereal... well, what choice do you have, really?

From now on we're fumigating (or at least spraying some OFF around the kitchen) once a week & keeping our cereal in the refrigerator!

I know the ants were here first & we're just visiting "their" jungle, but if Jen & I ever go insane, that could be the reason.

Lookout! Flying grass & dust!

For 2 hours this morning, workmen were tending to the park outside our house. They pruned some trees and collected garbage, but most of the work seemed to comprise cutting the grass right outside our house.

At the beginning of hour #2, I went out to see what was going on. Though our house has nice big front windows, I coudn't see through them on account of the flying grass & dust, & because we had to keep them closed: Jen, who is still sitting here with a mask on, has asthma. She was not amused.