Finally got my tickets

Air Transat is a strange carrier. I paid for my tickets almost two weeks ago and only now did I get my ticket. I'm sure this may be normal, but I'm one of those people; when I pay for something and the money has changed hands so-to-speak, I want something tangible in return. Ah well, alls well that ends well - I've got them now.

So that means, all I need to do is figure out how to book a bus ticket for Cancun to Valladolid, which to my research is pretty much impossible. Sure hope I can get a seat on a bus as soon as I land... would hate to lose a few hours in Cancun waiting for a bus with seats...

Just about a month left until departure - jazzed as all hell! Tamales, Chilaquiles, Tinga, hmmm... not to mention Modelo, Dos Equis and Tequilla Blanco chico! :)

That's a relief!

My flight insurance finally went through ~ I guess there was a problem, internally, with RBC insurance, so my cancellation and baggage insurance hadn't been processed. Got word yesterday from my agent that it finally processed and got the paperwork via email. Load of stress off my mind... now if only Air Transat would send me my bloody tickets. I gotta ask myself, what kind of airline takes your money immediately on booking, but doesn't send you your e-tickets until a few weeks before your flight leaves? Mental...

On another note: Finally gathered all of the gear from the India excursion that I'll be taking into the Yucatan this year. Of note, the mosquito net! LoL! Feels weird to look at all of that gear and remember it's use or non-use at this time last year. Nostalgia, from a mosquito net - incredible! :)

A few items left to purchase and I can call it a done deal. Of note, the USB charger that plugs into the wall. $50, but oh so worth it! My camera can charge overnight now instead of me having to sit in an internet cafe for three hours waiting for it to charge, like I had to do pretty much every day while in India...

Dear Family Members...

Do me favour will you? Keep Nana calm - she's all stressed out about me getting shot or beheaded in Mexico. No amount of me telling her this won't happen is making her feel any different or any better.

Thanks! :)

I must be crazy!

No really. I haven't even left on this trip to Mexico yet; I haven't even put all of the money into it that I will by the time it concludes - and what am I doing now? Thinking about the next trip afterwards. And where might that be, you ask? Beijing, China. Another Wonder of the World, the Forbidden City, Xi-an... and all of that amazing chinese food! Too much to do in life, not enough life to do it all in! LoL!

And then of course, there is a *very* up in the air trip to somewhere in the Caribbean in the winter next year too. My poor bank account and passport...

Posada los Mapaches - Tulum

Booked my stay in Tulum this morning. Going to be staying at a place called Posada los Mapaches, which has a 96% overall rating from backpackers the world over on pretty much every travel site I've looked into. What sold me was that its a 5 minute bike ride from the ruins and the beach (bikes are free at the hostel). Also included is free wifi, breakfast and computers for internet use. $70 Canadian for four nights too ~ not shabby. Did I mention the rooms are huts on the sand?

Yes, thrilled indeed! Might be a little far (10-15 minute walk) out of main Tulum, but then, who wants to be dropped into the middle of the madness that is a tourist town? I can get to where I need to go without any hassle at this place. And the adventure continues... one last night to book in Cancun before coming home and all will be set ~ aside from the transit between destinations, since I cannot book them online.

India was awesome and everything...

... but I gotta tell you, the more I dig into the things I can do, see and eat while in Yucatan and Quintana Roo is blowing my mind! I've found a few little things today that I just *have* to do. Vague, yes, and I won't be spoiling it now! These are gonna make some amazing shots for the 2012 video! The only thing I am not liking so much is the Bull Shark they caught off the coast of Tulum (look below):

Holy fucking creepy ~ and I wanna go diving???

Bull sharks aside, the chance to encounter manta rays, moray eels and sea turtles in the wild is just too much to turn away from - and hell, there's a one in a million chance of seeing a whale shark??? Sign me up!

As Winnie the Pooh would say...

...there's a rumbly in my tumbly. Just been thinking about all of the amazing street foods I am going to get to chow down on soon, and I gotta tell you, I'm completely stoked! All those roadside taquerias serving all of my favourite crunchy, munchy morsels of beefy goodness. Oh my... I'm almost starting to think the Wonder is second to the food on this one, although Chichen Itza is something in and of itself.

Speaking of pyramids - found out yesterday that aside from Coba, you can climb the pyramids at Ek Balam as well. Should make for some amazing photo and video opportunities. And thinking about it, I might just add a 3rd night at Valladolid to fully appreciate the town and it's environs before heading south to Tulum. It won't change much of my plan, just make arrival in Tulum the next morning, rather than the night before ~ and who wants to check in at night and not see anything anyway?