XCARET Thursday September 30

Xcaret was about one hour from our motel and little Tate and I got sick on the ride over. Poor Tate had to sit on the side of the road for about 10 minutes. I wasn't sure if I was going to like it because my hair dresser didn't like it at all. Last year we went to Xel-Hah, which is similar and the thing I liked so much about Xel-Hah was cliff diving. There would be none of that this year, so I was prepared not to have fun.

By the way, Xel-Hah reminded me that Hah means turbulent waters in the Jaradite language. In the Book of Mormon you'll notice that after they got the Jaradite plates they put Hah on the end of a lot of names. Nephihah, Ammonihah. Pretty cool information we learned in Mexico.


These birds greeted us as we entered the park.

Tate and Taylee are just not too afraid of animals.

The first show we saw at Xcaret was a Venezuela Rain Dance. If you'll notice their apron and sash, and the flowers on the apron, you might wonder if they had the truth, at one time. These men danced around in a circle while one man played a flute and a drum.

Next they climbed a long, skinny pole high up in the air and tied a rope around their ankle and their waist.

Next they hung upside down by their foot as they spun around and around. It looked like the cruelest torture treatment I had ever witnessed or could ever imagine. At this time I was so hot and still a little car sick. These men spun upside down for a very long time. They must have been absolutely desperate for rain.

The cute spectators of the rain dance.

Another cute specTater.

After the show we visited a huge aquarium. It was fascinating. We got to see sharks, dolphins, turtles, jelly fish, eels, starfish everything.

Tate posing with a very large lipped fish.

A cool blow hole. Xcaret had it all. It was incredible and it didn't take long for my attitude to change. It was 100 times neater than Xel-Hah. Mike and Debbie kept saying that they would come back to Xcaret next time they were in Mexico. Their was too much to do and see in one day.

Tate's first experience in a hammock. They had the most amazing area filled with butterflies. I didn't know places as beautiful as this existed anywhere. I don't think the Garden of Eden was this beautiful. It was spectacular.

Tate was a little discouraged he hadn't caught a butterfly yet.

Wow! Look at the butterfly whisperer.

Like father like son. Mike spent a lot of time helping Tate learn how to catch a butterfly.

Just a glimpse of the Garden of Eden.

Even Taylee got to hold some.

A Juagire

An Iguana

We got to snorkel in an underground river that was indescribable. We would go through caves and then it would open up in to fascinating rooms where they had stain glass windows, carvings, etc. Just amazing. Tate is quite the snorkeler. He's a pro. Taylee loved it for most of the river and then she was so tired she began to cry. She was reaching for tourists that were walking above us to take her out of the water. She fell asleep in my arms as soon as we wrapped her in a towel out of the water.

A Mayan friend Tate made while snorkeling the underground river. It was a good thing he didn't find an enemy.

Posing with the birds.

A huge tortuga. (Turtle)

Doug getting reprimanded by the bird trainer for taking pictures. No photos allowed. It worked. We bought one of his.

When it got dark they had a huge arena where they put on a Mayan show. We didn't get any pictures of the ball game because it was too fascinating to watch. But another game they use to play was fire hockey. They would drench a hard ball in some kind of fire starter and roll it to the players. The fire ball represent the Sun, power, deity. It was coo

The rewarder of death. To the Mayans it was an honor to die.

After the Mayan show we walked to a different arena to see a Mexican show. A long the way they had Mayan dressed up doing different rituals, ceremonies, etc. It was very entertaining getting from one place to another. There was always something to see.

Along the way.

This was a beautiful arena with a cave behind them filled with water. Some of the performers would ride on boats to get to the stage. At other times in the program they would sent candles floating on the water behind all of the performers.

I was sure we would not have very happy campers this late at night that would want to sit still and watch entertainers. I was so wrong. It was so beautiful it completely captivated them.

I've seen the BYU dancers perform a lot of these tradition Mexican dances but they did not compare to the dancers and entertainers in Mexico. I was completely shocked. I thought BYU dancers were the best in the world but I was proven wrong. It was amazing.

Taylee wanting to be a movie star. She made friends with a couple behind us that were on their honeymoon. Usually honeymooners don't notice anyone around them but each other, but they really liked Taylee. This man did not mess up once. He didn't skip a beat. It was perfection!!!

Bravo!!! I just kept wishing my dad, who served in Chile, and Matt, who served in Mexico, could have been there. Xcaret was an A++++++.