Fire Ants at Xcaret?

Jen & I just returned from a road trip south of Cancun. Among our stops was a visit to Xcaret (which was fun but, we, felt, vastly overpriced compared to the other theme parks in the area). 

The first thing we did was the "guided jungle tour," a 1 hour tour through a few dozen metres of jungle, culminating in stops at a chicle tree (where we chewed real chicle) and a large orchid greenhouse & edible fungus farm.

At one point, I looked down & noticed a funny looking grey insect at my hand & asked the guide what it was. "Ant," she said. Then I asked her if there were any dangerous ants, like fire or bullet ants, in the area. No, she said.

Hahahaha. Jen & I have both received pretty painful bites from ants here &/or in Belize so I
didn't believe her for a second...

Dolphin Sex... That's Not His Hand!

A pair of dolphins mating, while a friend swims nearby without a hint of embarrassment

Jen & I just returned from a road trip south of Cancun. Among our stops was a visit to Dolphin Discovery. While Jen was swimming with the dolphins, I was videotaping the festivities and watching a trainer teach a youngster to fetch balls and hoops.

Jen & I both learned all sorts of interesting facts about these amazing creatures. But I just found some interesting facts (here) that they neglected to cover!

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!

Barking Dogs in Cancun

If you visit Cancun & don't stay in the hotel zone, you'd better bring some earplugs or get used to the sound of barking dogs. They are everywhere here. Stray dogs wander the streets and parks at night, but the problem is mostly the domesticated dogs and their inconsiderate owners. Apparently there are laws about making noise here, but like most laws in Mexico, they were made to be broken. Calling the police is probably useless (or worse). We haven't tried it yet, but we will, as soon as our Spanish improves.

Most people who have dogs here keep them outside, as guard dogs. And noise after midnight seems to be accepted here. A friend who runs a hotel in the neighborhood worries that the loud music from a nearby surf bar is bothering his guests, but he hasn't formally complained to anyone. We have tried to buy an anti-bark (shock) collar for Diablo & haven't been able to find one here, in a city of almost a million people (& what seems like as many dogs)!

Diablo at the beach!

I took our puppy Diablo to the beach on Sunday... (sorry I don't have any action photos)

We walked through the Parque de las Palapas & along Tulum Avenue for a while, waiting for nature to call. Of course, thanks to Murphy's Law, it didn't.

Diablo & Mr. Murphy don't get along, esp. in the bathroom dept. (Did you read this post?)

DIablo incident #11276 - poop in the park

So I took our puppy Diablo (whom I've started calling D) to the Parque de las Palapas recently. Actually we go every day, but we had a little incident recently...

Parque de las Palapas

Sharks in Cancun?

Search google for Cancun shark attacks & you get a lot of results. A scary lot.

On TripAdvisor's Cancun travel forum, travelers are asking questions and offering advice on topics like "SHARKS??? Any need to worry?".

Well, that depends...

A Surprise Visitor...

Today we had a surprise visitor, who dropped by for a chat. The conversation began with Jen exclaiming, "Oh my god! Jay! What is that!" Then, I looked over and saw what looked like a fast moving earthworm cruising along our floor.

I trapped the impostor in a plastic cup (where he is currently resting, curled up on my desk) & took this photo for your enjoyment..

Boy or girl, I'm calling it 'Millie'!

New Home for a Grumpy Turtle :)

While shopping yesterday, Jen & I found a new home for our pet turtle!



Grumpy enjoying his new pool

Puppies and Fleas and Worms... Oh My!

I've written before about the low prices here in Cancun. This generally also applies to medical expenses (though you should have travel insurance) and veterinary care.

After we brought our new puppy (Diablo) home (see this post for more on that), a couple of days passed uneventfully, by which I mean "as uneventfully as possible for the owners of a new puppy."

Naming Diablo

I've written elsewhere about our border collie puppy Diablo. But I want to dedicate a post to the subject of choosing Diablo's name.

Discovering... Diablo!

"Dogs were very highly regarded in ancient Mexico, but only as a menu item ..."
-- from Carl Franz & Lorena Havens' The People's Guide to Mexico

After flying a large inflatable kite on the beach near Marina Chac Chi one day, I cleaned the kite off in the water & looked for a clean place to roll up my kite. Luckily, there is a large abandoned hotel next door.