And they say romance is dead....... (Part 1)

Imagine, if you will, a place where crystal clear turquoise waters lap pristine white sands. Welcome shade is provided by the coconut palms that grace the water's edge. This, dear blog mates, is the scene that greets me each morning as I rise, Venus-like from my  slumbers. I felt compelled to comment on the above to JB, who gazed at the scene for some while before replying, "Yes, the sand is very white, its a bit like cement". Truly, inside that gruff exterior there beats the heart of a poet. Though obviously unpublished.

La Isla Bonita

Madonna once warbled,  in one of her more catchy tunes , "Last night I dreamed of San Pedro". Well, I'm proud to say that I can go one better than Madge because last night I dreamed IN San Pedro. And very lovely it is.  We're  in San Pedro, on Ambergris Caye,  for a few days, chilling out in our beach front hotel, sipping rum and watching the sunset. It's not all landlubber based fun though. This morning we went on a snorkelling trip out to the barrier reef  (2nd largest in the world if you do know) and had the immense pleasure of swimming with  nurse sharks and Southern stingrays. (To be fair, I think the pleasure was mostly on our part. The sea creatures looked like they'd seen it all before, but at least they didn't try to eat us.)

Mosquito watch

No. days on the road: 6
No. mosquito bites : 19
No. incidents involving charging headlong into semi-closed shutter of greengrocers shop: 1

The Mayan pyramid temple at Coba. Proudly not sacrificing since 689.....

A selection of the birds actually available to him

JB dreams of the riches awaiting him on the fabled Isla Mujeres

Welcome back!

Welcome back blog-mates. You find me in Mexico. More specifically, the Yucatan peninsula. Even more specifically, Tulum. Firstly, a couple of things I've learned about Mexico so far. 1. The Mexicans most definitely DO NOT dance on their hats. And they tend to frown on you trying to. Especially when they're still wearing it. 2. Tequila, though still a vile brew, can be rendered almost palatable when served in a Margharita. (Plus you get the added salt- always a bonus in hot climates.) We began our odyssey in Cancun a couple of days ago. It has been said that when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life. I say that when a woman is tired of Cancun, she has probably been there about 36 hours. (The downtown bit anyway.) We took a boat trip over the exotically named Isla Mujeres (Island of Women) Imagine JB's dismay on arriving, only to find that whilst there were indeed women on the island, they were mainly of the larger variety or accompanied by strapping brutes. In a vain attempt to cheer him up, we visited a turtle sanctuary, where we saw turtles (who would have guessed?) and a shark. Later still, we repaired to a beach where I swam in the Caribbean. (not with the shark) Now we're in Tulum, and it's been Mayan ruins all the way. We climbed a 42 metre pyramid this morning. Disappointed to note that ritual sacrificing appears to have died out some 1500 years ago as there were several annoying children in the vicinity.