Tulum

Well, I am finally decompressing from 2 whole weeks of traveling and exploring around the beautiful Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, unfortunately while I was there I got a major cold that I am still not 100% over.

It's been 6 years since I left Tulum in 2004, after been living there for almost 3 years. During my time there, I can probably say those were some of the best years of my life; worked at a very nice hotel, spent lots of time at the beach, did quite a bit of diving in some cenotes, visited many archeological sites but mostly I made some very special lifelong friendships.

Being back after all this years was simply wonderful. On my way there I can probably say I had a mix of emotions; excitement, wonder, hope, happiness, expectancy, but those feelings were rewarded in all good ways as Tulum is still the magical place that I once was part of, and my friends are as special and unique as the day I saw them last.

So I am very happy that after all this years Tulum is still the same place I left, of course it's grown quite a bit and "progress" has taking its course, but in a way it's still the same rustic place full of color, full of Mayan flavor and with very friendly people everywhere.

Here are some pictures of the beach areas in Tulum....

funky beach house

perfect spot

lonely beach hammocks

boat

 

 

See what I'm talking about? It's a wonderful place... I heart you Tulum!!!

Back-cation

We are back home in Grand Cayman after 2 wonderful weeks in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, had a fabulous time, managed to really disconnect from work and daily life.

Spent time at some wonderful beaches, visit amazing cenotes, archeological sites but I specially loved sharing this dear place with my husband and catching up with my friends.

I took tons of pictures and videos and I think I have over 500 to go through, so I am not sure how long is going to take me, but I will be sharing as much as I can, as soon as I can.

One thing that I am sure of is that it feels good to be back home and realize that my life is still so wonderful, I am a very blessed person, I have a amazing husband who I love, love my house, my dogs, the place where I live and even my job.

I am not back to work until Monday so I will try to catch up on my blogging this weekend.
Have a wonderful weekend!

Mexico Photo Diary 1

Not much time to post, so at least while I am here I'll be sharing some of my pictures

palapa roof

catching up with my best friends

relaxing time

one of many Mexican folk art

Llegamos!

We are finally in Mexico and it feels like a dream come true. It's been 6 since I was last here and I am simply delighted to see my friends again and to visit such a magical place that is Tulum.

So far, it looks like taking the weather with me has worked, we've had a couple of fast showers but nothing very major, cloudy most of the time but with a few rays of sun to keep us hoping for more.

Just today we hang out by the beach in the morning, had 2 breakfasts and visited one of the many beautiful lagoons of the area. Tomorrow we are moving to a friend's hotel and the probably visit some cenotes.

Sunday will be the ruins, World Cup Final and most important event of that day is my husband's birthday. There is Wi-Fi (and free) at most hotels, so I might be able to share more adventures soon!

'till then...

taking the weather...

On our way to Mexico today...

Here in Grand Cayman it's not raining and although it was a little overcast yesterday, I am expecting to do like the Crowded House song and "Take the weather with me"... So please, join me in this little prayer so we can get some good, sunny weather during our vacation.

"Dear father, thank you for the rain that gives so much nurture to the soil and the plants. Thank you for the sun that gives warmth and energy to all living things. Send us some of that precious sunshine to keep us company during our holiday, but mostly thank you for everything everything you gives us everyday. Amen."

Until we meet again in the cyber world, I will be around here...

See ya'...

travel ready

Remember the time with people actually used to dress up to travel? I don't think I ever did, I always go for comfort over glamour and now with even more reason, since going through security is something like this:

Stylish girl getting to the gate... 

The she reaches security and...

Like I said this is never me, I am barely stylish in my daily life, so you won't see me traveling like that, although I can totally relate to the two colors socks, LOL!


So, "All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go..." 

It's so exciting to finally go away on a long vacation, I really cannot remember the last time I went away for a whole two weeks of just vacation while visiting other than family.

Back in 2007 we went to visit my husbands family in Maryland and Ohio, and that was fun but it was 100% family time, which is cool, but nothing like an actual vacation, just the two of us, with a few friends around to visit, but still, us together, at a hotel with our own itinerary and time management, lovely!

Well, tomorrow is the day, and I am so grateful to God for giving us this opportunity, I am going to make the best out of it and enjoy myself to the fullest.

I dunno what the internet accesses situation will be and whenever I can squeeze in a post I will totally do it, I will have my notebook with me but, no promises. I do promise lots and lots of pictures and stories for when I come back... so stay tuned and I'll keep you posted!!!

Blessings to all!!!

Sunny Tuesday

Well, I guess my sun salutation post from yesterday was enough to encourage a day of sun on the island, now time to go out and thaw from the past rainy days, oh no wait a minute, I have to work today and tomorrow, but then is off to Mexico... yey!

We went to visit my brother and sister in law yesterday afternoon, their house is very nice and such a big improvement from a 1 bedroom apartment they used to rent before... Had a great time; good company, delicious food, good wine, and a nice place... can't get better than that! Oh, yes they even had a chocolate cake for my husband for his coming birthday that we are going to celebrate while in Mexico.

Mau & Gaylene's new Cayman Cottage

But I guess besides the sun reading my blog the following Kitty decided to put the Sun Salutation to the test... isn't he adorable?

Today is also my older brother's birthday, so a BIG shout out to him (even though he doesn't read my blog), hope he is having a fab day and that God blesses him for more years to come... Love you bro!

(mark, me, The birthday bro Gian, his wife Tracie)

So, lots to do today and then is off to Mexico. can't wait I am so excited, have a nice day!

here comes the sun

The entire weekend was raining, on a off and with very strong (at least 30 miles p/h gusts) winds. There seems to be a disturbance located southwest of us and unfortunately heading towards the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico for the next two days, hopefully it would be passed that point by Thursday as we are heading that way on vacation.

So on today's post I figure it might be better to put some sunshine somewhere, how about a Yoga Sun Salutation to send good vibes to us as well as our next vacation destiny?

If you have never tried this series of movements I highly recommend them, they are great for your heart, your coordination as well as your balance. Better to practice them very early in the morning, but don't worry if you feel awkward or you think you are not flexible enough, the more you do them, the better you get, and the benefits are fantastic.

You don't even have to kill yourself and do a lot of them, with at least 3 sets once a day or every other day, I'm sure you'll see a difference and feel more energetic.

Today is a holiday here on the island (Constitution Day) and I am working from 9am to 3pm, then we are going to go see my brother and his wife as they just moved to a new place, hopefully it won't be raining too hard!

Happy Weekend and stay dry!

be FREE Friday

God loved the birds and invented trees. Man loved the birds and invented cages.
Jacques Deval.

After posting a picture of some beautiful free birds enjoying the afternoon sitting on an electric wire, I couldn't help but feel sad when today I was at a local convenience store and the had this 3 beautiful parrots in these conditions

I can't help it, but things like this make me so sad... I wonder what crime these parrots committed to deserve this life sentence behind bars? How can somebody get pleasure and happiness by having animals in these conditions when those birds could be in a much better place, enjoying the breeze and the woods, while having the opportunity to be happy, free and reproduce?!?!?

I would like to see the owner of these 3 parrots in a small cage like this, spending her days staring into the unknown... Now, that would make me happy! Just kidding... but in reality if there was a way to have this person experience being taking behind bars against their will and spend time in a corner just for the sake of people looking at him/her, maybe that would open their eyes, maybe not...

Anyway, it's Friday and even though this parrots and many other animals around the planet don't have the same opportunity we have of being free or even freewill, we do have it, and this is a power that used well could gives many chances to help others while bringing us many wonderful blessings...

Have a happy and Free weekend!

Final countdown

When I was a little girl and we were going to go on a trip, a week before the actual departure date I will make sure to tell everybody that we were in the "final countdown", so today I am happy to announce that once again, I am in the final countdown to a very well deserved, long overdue vacation. In fact this will be our official honeymoon since we got married in May 2009.


So, in exactly 8 days, the 8th of July we are going to

We are going to Tulum which is located in the Yucatan Peninsula and where I lived for 3 years. I haven't been back for 6 years but it feels like forever. I miss and love that area so much and when I lived there I had a wonderful time, felt like I belong and all the locals made me feel right at home.

Can't wait to get there, see my friends and show my husband how amazingly beautiful this whole area is, we are going to be visiting tons of very nice place, Mayan Ruins, Cenotes, swimming with Whale Sharks, relaxing at the beach... you name it!

I am super excited and can't wait for the final countdown to be over, just 8 more days/7 night, yey!

Happy Thursday : )

Birds on a wire

The bird of paradise alights only upon the hand that does not grasp. -John Berry

 

Happy Wednesday!

our new idog

Since this is the era of technology and everything is an "i" something; ipod, iphone, ipad... we felt the need to upgrade one of our dogs, so now we have an idog!

 Sheba, before she became an idog!

On April 12th of this year, we participated on the Annual Kiwanis Dog Walk, both our dogs had a great time and at the end there were a few raffles and my dog was lucky and won an Avid (American Veterinary Identification Device) Microchip.

So on Saturday under the stormy weather I put her in the car and drove to the Vet's office to get her "bionic".
The procedure was very fast and easy, took about 2 seconds as the "chip" is inserted with a needle with a shot, the chips is the size of grain of rice, I am sure she didn't even feel a thing.

So as of today, look out, we have a bionic dog taking care of our premises and if she ever gets far from home it would be easier to find her!

Have a great Tuesday!

Saying goodbye

Lord, you have come to the seashore,
neither searching for the rich nor the wise,
desiring only that I should follow.

Refrain
O, Lord, with your eyes set upon me,
gently smiling, you have spoken my name;
all I longed for I have found by the water,
at your side, I will seek other shores.

Lord, see my goods, my possessions;
in my boat you find no power, no wealth.
Will you accept, then, my nets and labor?

Lord, take my hands and direct them.
Help me spend myself in seeking the lost,
returning love for the love you gave me.

Lord, as I drift on the waters,
be the resting place of my restless heart,
my life's companion, my friend and refuge.

The above song was my grandmother's favorite song to sing in church. 

Today if I even try to start singing it, I get all chocked up and tears start coming down my eyes.

Today, at home, right about this time while I write this, most of my family is gathering to say goodbye to my grandma for the last time. 

In a way I feel sad that I am not able to be there with her, but also I know it is going to be a very emotional and hard day for many of us to say goodbye to the pillar of my family.

From here I pray that God gives strength and serenity to everybody that is there today to honor such a wonderful woman, pay their respects and pray for her amazing soul to be close to Him enjoying his glory.

I love my grandmother, she was and will always be a very big and important part of my life and who I am, it makes me sad to think that I will never hear her voice again, get to hug her and look into her eyes, but it makes me happy to know she is in the best of places close to God.

God Bless you Tita Lety, today and forever, I LOVE YOU!

R.I.P. Tita Lety

  my grandmother on her wedding day circa 1940

Today is a very sad day in my life, my grandmother Leticia (aka Tita Lety) passed away after years of being in very ill, so in reality yesterday was the end of her physical life but in spirit she was gone for few years already, she was 93 years old.

What makes me sad is not only that she is gone, but the fact that I have missed to share so many wonderful things with her for the past 4 years, specially my wedding day.

Last year in Aug. was the last time I saw her, at the time she had period of lucid intervals when she would say words or even recognize people, well that last time I visited her, she actually saw me and said my name; which to me is a sign that love doesn't get affected by any strokes or diseases of the body.

But that last visit made me realize that the grandmother that I grew up with, was long gone, and was left was only a shadow of the amazing woman she was; strong will, active, caring, loving and many more characteristics that made her unique.

I remember so much of my life around her, always caring, always taking care of me like an angel.

So, as of today I have another guarding angels taking care of me from heaven. God has received Tita Lety with open arms in heaven and from there she is looking after her loves one and spending eternal life with her youngest daughter (my mom) and her husband among others that have been called by God already.

I love you Tita and your memories, teachings and love will remain with me for as long as I live and when we meet in heaven I will give you that hug and kiss I am not able to give you now in physical life. Love you forever.
Your granddaughter, 

Mariasol

Friday advice

No matter what you, it's always more fun when you share it with someone else, so this weekend, go out, have fun and maybe even try something new for the first time!

the unexpected plan

Nothing like coming home to a "kennel trained" dog that has gotten sick during the day, and she couldn't help the get diarrhea inside the kennel, uugh!

Yesterday I left work early (for a change). It was a very slow day and the manager needs some personal hours today, so we decided I could leave early on Wed. and she will leave early today to take care of her stuff...

So I left to go home at about 2:30pm, on my way home I started thinking about all the different things I could do with so much extra time; like going for a swim at the hotel close to the house, taking the dogs to the beach, catch up on my reading, take a nap...

But what I didn't plan was for the unexpected plan, the one that was already waiting for me, the accident on the kennel...

After about 1/2 an hour of cleaning this:

Lots of this:

The dog in question was feeling refreshed (at least) but unfortunately still sick for a few hours, gave her some medicine for the "d" and finally we were "accident" free for the night.

Note to self: "always plan for the unexpected plan and accept everything that comes your way as a blessing, because just the fact that you are able to try to make plans, it's a blessing in itself!".

Sings in the Sky

Sometimes I wonder if there are hidden messages in the sky? Because if so, then I have some very nice things to look forward to, specially since Sunday's Sunset was like this

Yesterday we had a nice sunset too, but the main colors were at the East instead of the West (where the sun was actually setting) and there was a huge cloud completely light up

So, my questions would be: Is the sky really trying to tell me something? Cause if so, then I can only interpret it like good news, specially after this morning sky was like this

Yes, this morning we woke up to some light rain but this beautiful rainbow on the West.

Happy Wednesday!!!

As seen on this blog

When you live on a island like Grand Cayman where pretty much every single item has to be imported from somewhere else, of course the prices most of the time sky rocket and you end up paying double or triple the price that you'll pay in the country of manufacturing or on the internet.

Well, on Saturday while doing some errands, I stopped by a local "all in one" store called "Reflections food 4 less", initially I just when in to buy one item, but while browsing through the aisles couldn't help but noticing some "Aqua Globes"...

I started reading the description on the package and remember my Mom used to have something just like them but in the shape of frogs.

Basically what the "Aqua Globes" do is you fill them up and insert them on the dirt of the plant and then the plant drinks the water as they need it.

Since we are going away in a few weeks and some friends are already taking care of our dogs and our plants, I feel pretty bad asking them also to be on top of our indoor plants and water them as well, so the "Aqua Globes" will come in handy for that!

Of course, like in many cases while you are shopping I couldn't find a price on the globes and I thought, so I walked to the register to find out the price, and I got a very pleasant surprise once they scanned it and the price came to $2.29 KYD= $2.86 USD, pretty cool, uh? Dunno know if it was a mistake or not, but I sure got a great deal on them...

In fact, this is probably THE BEST bargain I've ever gotten on the island since I've lived here, LOL! Of course our lovely plants are now enjoying some very well deserve drink even as you read this.

Have a great day!!!

where the wild things are

This past weekend looking at some pictures of our dog Sheba I realized how wild she really is.

Disclaimer: All characters appearing in this post are real, although any resemblance among each other is purely coincidental!

                          Hippo's Jaw                                    Sheba's Jaw
                           

Sheba

                                                                                              Dessert Fox

Sheba's paw

   Lion's paw



See what I mean?

But don't worry about us, even though she might appear like a "wild thing" she really only is a furry bundle of love and joy.

Have a wonderful week!

new Friday, new Husband

My husband left early this morning, but in the afternoon my new husband arrives.

Yeap, I've been married to and American boy resident of the Cayman Island for the past 391 days, but this evening my new (and improved) British Territory naturalized husband will be at home waiting for me.

Lucky me, it's not every wife that has the opportunity to be married to the same man but with two different nationalities, LOL!

For those who don't understand, my husband was given the Cayman Island residency more than a year ago as he's been living on this islands for more than 13 years, now the next step is to be naturalized as a British Territory citizen, so as of today he will start the process for his British Passport.

I am so happy and excited for him, he loves these islands and has given the community so much that is the best to feel appreciated, hopefully in a few more years, he will receive his full Cayman Islands status and then he will officially be one of them!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Cambios

Change is (most of the time) always good, isn't it? I believe everything in life has to evolve at some point, if it doesn't grow, change, or at least moves, it simply gets stuck...

When I was a little girl I loved to be able to change the layout of my bedroom, I will change my bed direction every couple of months and it made me feel like I was in a completely different place.

Now in my house our bed can't really be moved to any other way, so I guess from that point of view I am kind of stuck... Will have to figure out a way to fix that in the future!

So, the reason why I am all about change today is because I just changed my blog image (again) as well as some of the colors for the blog itself, what do you thing?

If you've been reading my blog for a while you probably remember that I used to have this image before, well, sometimes change is all about recycling, right?

Please let me know your thoughts about the "brand new, second hand" image, thumbs up or down???

Have a wonderful day : )

Guilty Pleasure

It's been a while since my last Wednesday Movie Post, so today's post is about a movie I just watched last night at the movies with a few girlfriends.

I guess this movie is like a guilty pleasure, the closest thing to a modern fairy tale; full of love, friendship, relationships, glamour and fashion.

I guess if there's such a thing as a mother ship of "chick flicks" this movie and part 1 would be it.

Even though this last one is the sequel, I have to say it is the perfect ending to a wonderful tv/movie series, and I am talking about not other than SEX AND THE CITY 2.

Anyway, if you've never watched the series and decide to get into it, just watch the two movies and you'll have an idea of what's all about, if you a woman there's got to be something that you can relate to in any of these movies or the tv series, I know I can relate to a lot.

So if you haven't seen any series episodes or the movies, do not think this is your average "desperate housewives" (full of envy, deceive, murders and all those horrible thing that do happen in that show!), of course there is crazy stuff that goes on (I mean c'mon the whole thing is based in a city like NY) but it also takes about the daily life and struggle of 4 girls to find love but not without their love and friendship for each other...

I really enjoyed both of this movies and specially the last one, I would recommend it to any girlfriend and to guys... mmmh, maybe not!

Happy Wednesday!

3 day break

It's Tuesday but it only feels like Monday because we just had a 3 day weekend, now for the rest of the week I am going to be a day short, but don't get me wrong, I am not complaining!

The weekend was very relaxing, didn't do much, went to the beach on Saturday, Sunday and yesterday was a stay at home day, it was so hot during the day that it was just nice to be inside with the A/C on,  our outside thermometer measured 104F or 42C, pretty hot, uh?

So these are the days when it's important to

I do have to admit I'm sort of a sun worshiper myself.

I love laying down for a while, read a book, listen to music or just meditate, but I am also aware of the dangers of too much sun exposure on your skin, so I do use protection and try not to lay down everyday or at the peak hours of the day.

We have only one skin and it's the biggest organ on our body, so we need to take the necessary precautions so it would last us until the end of our days!!!

Well, time to go to work, have a wonderful Monday, oops, I meant Tuesday!!!

Holiday, celebrate...

Today I have two reasons to celebrate, the main is that Such Life in The Tropics turns a year old,

Happy Blog Birthday to Me!!!

But of course this milestone would not mean much without my followers, readers that comment and even those who just stop by to take a peek every now and then...

As of today my blog has 30 official followers (that's about 2.5 per month in the last year), but regardless of how many "officially" read and comment on my humble blog, it's pretty exciting to even think that there's somebody out there paying some kind of attention to what I write and share everyday...

From the bottom of my heart, thanks to all of you out there making a difference in my life, I hope anything of what I write and share makes a difference in yours...

The other reason to celebrate is because today is also a holiday on the island and it's a day off... The Cayman Islands are a British Colony so they (or should I say we?) celebrate Queen Elizabeth's Birthday on this day, "Long Live the Queen"!

Have a wonderful week and hope this is one of many more years of blogger life!!!

Award

Yesterday I was honored with a small award recognition by Kat at Heart 2 Heart and for that I am really thankful and happy.

Now, like most awards, for me to accept this one, I must list 7 things you don't know about me, of course this is not the first time I do this so I apologize before hand in case I already share something before.

1. I struggle to think about what to share on this blog almost every day, but it gives a reason to be creative and keep it up.

2. I am a very peculiar toast eater, I have to always eat the entire crust of the bread and then the inside last (crazy, uh?).

3. I've had my picture publish in 3 different newspapers around the world (Costa Rica, USA and the Cayman Islands) and all of them by chance!

4. I am granddaughter #13 (from older to youngest) on one side of my family and # 3 on the other.

5. My best friend in the entire world is my Mom.

6. I speak 3 languages; Spanish, English and Italian.

7. I always wanted to write a book, I guess having this blog is the closest I've ever been to fulfilling that dream!

I guess I am supposed to pass this along, but this time it's for any "versatile bloggers" out there that would like such an honor, please feel free to grab the award and enjoy it.

Have a wonderful Sunday!!!