Excursion Sign-Up ...LAST CALL!

REMINDER TODAY ....

is the last day to sign up for excursions with Alex

You have till 5pm when her office closes!

Great big thank you for all those who were so wonderful to respond with your answers and keep up with me through my correspondence and articles...YOU ROCK!

And again Alex thanks for your diligence and commitment to get us all on board for some exciting and fun times. You did great!

Photo provided by Flickr. comedy_nose

CHICHEN ITZA Excursion Anyone?

Two of our friends from Hawaii, Naomi & Joan are interested in an excursion to Chichen Itza during this trip. My guess is that this all day excursion most probably will be held on Monday, March 7, Thursday, March 10 or Friday, March 12 as Naomi & Joan has enthusiastically signed up for all our activities.

Alex has directed Naomi to check the resort Concierge for this excursion trip as they would make the accommodation for pick up and return to our resort. I am not sure what the pricing would be but if you are interested, please contact Naomi. I recently sent everyone an email contact list so that you can communicate among one another. So please check your email for this information or ask me to send you another copy.

If you have any other questions...I'm here for ya -- Thanks!

Diana

Photo by Flickr. Mike_fleming

Our Guest List Updates...in case you wanna know!

Alright, so you heard my words on going with the flow, accepting changes & outlook and life in general during the creation of this event blog, right? Well wanted to update you on our current status & changes of our guest list and who you might be hanging out with or not. Yes, we are truly on countdown mode mi amigos.... so here's the scoop to keep us connected!

With much regret and hard decision on both Alex and Ted's part...Ted had to bow out - So sorry! His new 'venture with his 'Flavor Rush' gourmet truck has required his full speed momentum and so decisions had to be called upon and responsibility beckoned. Ted will unfortunately NOT be able to join us. We will miss you Chef Ted, but totally understand. On the upside however...count Alex as a solid YES, she'll be there! She wants you to know that she is still available for a cold cocktail at the bar. Just say when?

On the sweeter note our friend Dell will be joining us. Dell and Laura are together and you are gonna love them. Stay tuned for the possible surprises that may very well occur, if history holds true! More on the two of them upcoming - check our blog article on Roger's Spotlight series. Of course Ted will be shattered now that Dell has joined us...bummer boys! Ask Roger or Alex to share the story about Ted & Dell from the Davis' Med Cruise. Now if you're hearing this with cocktails, you might very well want to confirm the validity of the story with Dell or email Ted when you can. Welcome Dell!

Lastly with much sorrow...we received report of two couples whom cancelled... Duane & Linda AND Julie & Jerry! Both couples send there regrets. But we respect their decision and will look forward to thinking of them with warm wishes from the warm beaches of the NOW Jade Resort & Spa.

Okay, I think that's it for now...as of today, we have 22 days till departure on March 5th, Yahoo!

Meet you on the beach....

Snorkeling...view the sea's garden!

One of the treasured jewels of the Riviera Maya & the Caribbean is the turquoise blue sea and the white sand beaches. As I've written in previous articles in the blog off the coast of our NOW Jade Resort & Spa is the 2nd largest reef in the world also know as the National Marine Park.

At some point on our days at our resort, we will probably decide to go snorkeling. Although our resort is on the beach. Good snorkeling needs coral not sandy beaches. So if this is of a possible interest please send me an email so I can try and figure out how many of us might be in a group as I am working with Alex to offer an option for a snorkeling excursion.

As a reminder Alex's Scuba Diving Excursion is NOT for Snorkelers. So we will have to 'venture our own sea garden tour. I am finding that snorkeling is anywhere between $25 - $40 per person, not including tipping our guide. Saw this particular link Puerto Morelos Snorkeling that utilizes "Diving Dogs Tours". Cute name, huh? There were a few things that looked intriguing to me, smaller group of 8, accommodated beginners as well as expert snorkelers. Plus it promoted an educational ecotourist approach to saving the coral, enlightening tourists with education, conservation & understanding the importance of co-habitating sea life, it's environment and visitors such as us.

In my research it seems getting your own mask might be a good thing. Many of the masks that are offered are not the best and it seems the rentals leak, which can be annoying. Life vest are a must on "Diving Dogs Tours" which indicates to me their safety and also their concern that the fragile coral are kept safe from destruction. I also checked out some reviews on tripadvisor and the past guests had good things to say about "Diving Dogs Tours" so let's see do we have at least 8 for a morning snorkel on Tuesday, March 8? I know why morning? Well the waters tend to be calmer, less crowd and competition. Roger and I are interested in snorkeling the 2nd largest reef in the world...great prelude to the Great barrier Reef, 'ey mate?!

Email me, so I can work with Alex on this opportunity. The Diving Dogs Tour is one of many operators. Because of the national park, we will need to go with a certified operator. And that's where Alex is doing her thing to help me out. Hope you can join us - snorkeling doesn't require certification as scuba does and it's a lot less equipment as well.

In the meantime checkout the link below & remember email me of your interest....

Puerto Morelos Snorkeling

http://www.puertomorelossnorkeling.com/

TravelYucatan.com

http://www.travelyucatan.com/mayan_riviera_maya_snorkeling.php

LocoGringo.com

http://www.locogringo.com/dynamic/services.cfm?type=Dive%20Shop&location=Puerto%20Morelos

Photo provided by Flickr.ahisgett

CENOTES: 2 Swim Opportunities.... by Alex

Beneath the Mexican Penninsula of Yucatan lies an enormous and unique labyrinth of water. Through the cenotes you can enter fascinating caverns, caves and underground river passages. The Mayas gave the name cenotes to these underground chambers filled with fresh water. For them, these were the entrances to the underworld and places for spiritual activites. The caves were formed about 1.5 million years ago. The labyrinth of Yucatan has lain underwater ever since and everywhere there are holes in the ground containing collapsed cave ceilings, shafts, water basins, pools, lake and lagoons....the cenotes.

Best time of year for diving and snorkeling in these Cenotes is Dec-May....how perfect is that for us! Visibility is 65-260 feet! Water temperature is a refreshing 73-79 degrees.

There are many cenotes to choose from. Our tour operator goes to a different one everyday. The cenotes that are best for snorkeling are different from the ones that are best for diving, so these 2 activites cannot be done at the same location and will be provided in 2 excursion opportunities:

Excursion 1. TULUM/COBA/CENOTE & Excursion 2. CENOTE SCUBA DIVE

Details will be forthcoming....so stay tuned so you don't miss the deadline date for sign-up.

Photo by DoCancun.com