The Adventures of the Amazing Coco Bongo

Do you like looking at pictures and videos of other people's vacations while being told long, meandering anecdotes?  Perhaps you are curious to see pictures of me without a shirt.  If you fall into either category, then this is the post for you!!!  Welcome to Riviera Maya!  Where my wife and I enjoyed a beautiful honeymoon!  Join us for all the adventure and romance as I highlight a few of the trips... ummm... highlights.  The first thing we saw in Mexico was an add for 'Coco Bongo'.  We didn't know what 'Coco Bongo' was at the time, but throughout our vacation we would see that the adds for  it were always accompanied by a picture of Spider-man.  Sadly, this is the most significant cultural impact that Mexico had on our lives; to this day we still call Spider-man 'the Amazing Coco Bongo'.

If that story doesn't whet your appetite for adventure, certainly tales of the legendary Chichen Itza will enthrall your imagination.  Chichen Itza was once a very important spiritual site in the Yucatan Penninsula.  They had an astonishing mastery of mathematics that they applied to the design of many of the temples in the area.  There was a ball court where teams played against each other to decide whether or not the Gods would favour them that year.  The acoustics in that place were such that everyone would be able to hear the chieftain speak wherever they were in the football sized field.

The Temple of Warriors

Mayan Obersvatory

According to our tour guide, Mayans from all over the Penninsula would come to see the temple in Chichen Itza during the summer solstice.  The mathematically inclined Mayans designed the temple so that during the summer solstice, the sunlight hitting the dark side of the temple would give the appearance of the snake god Kukulcan slithering down the side of it.

Kukulcan coming to visit

Here is a picture of a cenote not far from the ruins at Chichen Itza. The water was cold and teaming with catfish.  It was not a pleasant swim but one of those things I told myself I would do regardless.  I think it's a feather in my cap, don't you?

"Can you see me??? I'm swimming in the cenote?!"

The adventure continued as my wife and I braved the coral reef off the coast of Cancun.  If you do go to the area I would highly recommend the Aqua World Jungle Tour.  They give you a boat and you drive out to the reef at what I consider death defying high speed.  Now that's adventure!  You can tell because I'm wearing my adventurer hat.  Of course I drive my boats the way I drive my cars:  Like a 70 year old man who's not too sure where he's going.  Afterall, I saw no reason to go careening through the jungle like I'm the Amazing Coco Bongo or something!  Safety first!

I'm on a boat!

The reef itself is beautiful.  When you get there, you jump off the boat suit up with flippers and snorkling gear and go for a nice swim in the ocean.  We were able to take some pictures underwater with a newly purchased camera.  Yes, the camera can be submerged in the ocean.  Welcome to the future, my friends.  Look at the fish!  Look at the squids!  Look at various people's rear ends!

The resort itself was beautiful.  We stayed at the Excellence Riviera Cancun Resort.  They made the room all fancy for our honeymoon.  There were swans made of towels, rose petals and a bottle of champagne! Romantic?  I think so!

The vacation reached a turning point when I had trouble deciding whether or not to order ribs or filet mignon for supper.  So I ordered both! This became a trend, possibly a very unhealthy one
 as I ordered every meal with a side of steak : ribs and steak, lobster and steak and of course shrimp and mahi mahi .... and steak!

I didn't have steak for breakfast though a decision that was probably much appreciated by my arteries. Mornings at the resort usually involved staying in bed watching cartoons and ordering room service.  I discovered a new Looney Toons cartoon as well as my new favourite cartoon, Adventure Time!

Watching cartoons in the hotel room.

 There were activities and shows at the resort.  There was a Michael Jackson band, Madonna impersonator.  A few times after dinner we would walk outside to see fire jugglers in the main plaza.

I hope my wife didn't notice me checking out the hot girls.

It didn't seem terribly safe.  I kept imagining one of their flaming nunchucks flying into the crowd or one of their fiery staffs getting someone in the face.  After all, they did drop their flaming accoutrements more than once.  Of course, any country that would let me drive a boat without a license can't be too preoccupied with people's safety.  Good times. 


The keen adventurers that we were we thought we had earned some downtime at the resort.  Taking strolls, talking to our friend Sanchez the Iguana.  It was all a very relaxing experience and was much appreciated. 

The wife looking mighty fine!

Romantic Dinner

Me doing an impersonation of the Amazing Coco Bongo

Chilling in the pool

 Drinks were on the house and off the hizzy!!!  One of the pools had a swim up bar. And you know how I like the hard stuff :  Pink and red stuff... Stuff with the word 'virgin' in it.  Yes, I got very krunk.

 It was hard to leave and go back to the realities of work and cooking for ourselves.  But we soothed ourselves by appropriating a few souvenirs from the hotel room.  Best vacation ever!  Would be nice to go back some day.

Time to go!!!  Let go of that post!!!

Here's a bright idea.  Let's steal the lamp.!

I don't know if this will fit in my bag.