“We’re going to be late,” I cried as Mr. T came home from work.

Never mind that our flight left at 11:30pm and it was only 8:30pm. Poor Mr. T humored me and drove like a bat out of hell to the airport, because I was convinced that we had to be there two hours ahead of time for an international flight. Of course, we got to the airport and were the only ones at the check-in counter. God bless my man for being so patient with his neurotic girlfriend. We had to leave behind a tube of sunscreen at security, because it is apparently lethal at high altitudes. But a ballpoint pen through the captain’s jugular is OK. I’m just saying…

We reached Cancun bright and early… A little too early for our liking, at 5:15am! We took the ferry to Isla Mujeres and checked into our lovely boutique hotel. Our room wasn’t ready so they allowed us to stay for a few hours in an adjoining room. People, the room had a queen sized bed suspended by ropes! It was like a giant swing! Of course we had to try it out (if you know what I mean), but it was impossible for me to control my giggling as I pictured us crashing through the wall and into our neighbors’ room! I think Mr. T even let out a Tarzan-like howl in the spirit of the moment…

We spent three blissful days and nights in Isla Mujeres, diving, eating, exploring, and sleeping. If you’re looking for a relaxing getaway, this is the perfect place! It’s affordable, the people are nice, and there are some great diving sites.

Speaking of diving, those of you who are certified should know that Mexico is THE place to unwittingly accomplish technical dives you wouldn’t be allowed to do at home without proper training. I’m an open water diver and when I got to Isla I had about 10 dives under my (weight) belt, but the first afternoon we dove, I ended up scraping my way through some pretty tight caves. We also did a drift dive, but let me tell you, a Mexican drift dive will test your mettle!

So, we get to one of the island’s dive shops and tell them we want to do a drift dive. How hard could it be, I rationed. I have good buoyancy control and I’m pretty nimble underwater. Unbeknownst to me, a Mexican drift dive consists of diving up-current and drifting down-current (sounds good up to now, doesn’t it?). But then the dive master turned around and made us swim back up-current underwater!! Does anyone know how hard this is? You’re low on air, tired from the precise attention required during a drift dive, hungry, and the bastard decides that it’ll be great fun to swim against the current! WTF? (For those of you who don’t dive, a normal drift dive has you moving along with the underwater current, while the boat follows you from above and conveniently picks you up when you surface down-current).

Luckily, I had my darling Mr. T to help me along. He held onto rocks and I held onto him, and together we made our way slowly and painfully back to the boat. When I got to the surface and climbed on the boat, my head was pounding and my legs were burning. To make matters worse, the seas were very choppy and my normally sea-savvy stomach wasn’t cooperating. As we were gearing up for our second dive, with my BC and weight belt already on and a heavy tank strapped to my back, I couldn’t hold it anymore and lunged sideways to feed the fishes. I instantly felt better and dove only minutes later. I’m such a trooper! 🙂

We left Isla Mujeres and took the ferry back to Cancun for the remainder of our stay. If you haven’t been to Cancun, let me just say that it’s like Vegas with a beach and no casinos. It is ridiculously expensive and very boring if you’re not into expensive beer and cheap women. We had to be there for Mr. T’s conference, but we really didn’t have a fabulous time. I’m sorry, but $50 for two buffet breakfasts is a little over the top, don’t you agree???

We stayed at a supposedly very hip hotel called ME by Melia (a Spanish chain). They had nightclub-type lounge music playing in the lobby, pool, beach, and elevators 24 hours a day, and the management ran around looking self-important in outfits better suited for a night on the town. As a former hotel manager, I was not impressed.

Wherever we went, waiters, store clerks, and street vendors kept asking if we were honeymooners. Apparently Cancun is a hot place for newlyweds, but it would be way down on my list of honeymoon destinations. Right next to Iraq.

We got home just in time to ready the house for the arrival of Mr. T’s 10 and 13 year old nieces. I just realized how unprepared I am for motherhood and how much sacrifice is involved. But that’s a topic for my next post…