Hawaii - Day 2 - Snorkeling, Chilling and Jumaji 2

I love to wake up early when there is something to see!!  I parked myself outside the resort and watched the sun rise ....

 This is the tree in front of the resort ... so beautiful ...

 Well...someone was excited for snorkeling ....

 He surprised us with staying out longer than anyone snorkeling ... Isaac and I had a good time out at Makenna Landing for snorkeling but headed in to eat our lunch on the beach while Chris and Elliot kept going....

Once back home, Chris needed a nap, and I had a book to read .....

 And Elliot continued to live his best life, back in his housecoat, making Annie's mac and cheese, and playing on his DS.

 After dinner, we headed out to see Jumanji ...

 Isaac took a pic of a guy he thought would look like Chris in a few years .... lol

 Playing tag with Elliot ... while waiting for the movie to start ...

It actually was an entertaining movie -- we couldn't get 4 seats together, but 2 and 2, and they were the oversized comfy recliners ... I may have fallen askeep for a short bit ... but from what I can remember, it was a good movie ....

Hawaii - Day 1 - Maui Ocean Center and La Haina ...

We had our last of 2 nights in a separate condo because our timeshare resort wasn't until the 12th ... it was a nice enough place, but I am glad I was only there for 1 night.  We decided this morning to take in the Maui Ocean centre ... I loved this fish ... it looks like someone colored it with crayons!!

 It has been fun looking at our past Maui pictures and comparing them with current ones.....

 My favorite part of the center -- the shark tunnel .... you sit in this glass tunnel and the sharks and other fish swim over and around ...it is awesome ...

 They have expanded since we were last here and we saw a beautiful film about whales on this huge omnitheatre....

 Unfortunately, the pass to get into the center is only a little less than Disney and we were done in less than 2 hours!  Even going as slow as we could ...

 Recreating shots: the turtle in the 2019 version had been baking in the 30 degree sun all day and nearly roasted Isaac's bits off ... man we laughed ....

Then we hit up LaHaina for shaved ice and some exploring of the local museums ..

 It was then time to check into the new resort and happily watch Elliot enjoy his first of many swims in the pools!!

On my way to Hawaii to see my boys ....

After a pretty sweet morning with Jody, who grabbed me from the airport and took me home for the night .... I always come away from conversations with her with a new sense of purpose and drive ... she is one inspiring gal .... lots on her plate ...

 Waiting at the airport, decided to buy myself a new travel mug with my birthday starbucks card from Jenny ....

 The time zones are starting to mess with me, but here I am up in the air again ...

I ended up sitting in a row with a father and daughter who had tense words with eachother before we took off, and then didn't speak to eachother again for the rest of the 6 hour trip, NOR did they watch any movies or anything ... they both just stared ahead at the back of the seats in front of them ... it was super awkward......was thankful to land and get with my no-drama family .... I was ready to see them,

Final Morning .... Good Bye Zihua ... you snagged a piece of my heart .... I will be back xox

After a short combi ride, we arrived to our favorite resort where Ferrari saved our favorite loungers for us.

The time went too quickly, it was very sweet .... plane was departing later that afternoon, so we were soaking in as much as we could!

 Well look who go a hold of my phone!

And just because I love this pic of mom and I, here it is again ....

 

It never gets old, watching chickens walk around ....

 We all were sad to say good-bye .... it was an amazing week ...

I guess I did get to take in the final Mexican sunset after all ....

 Hello Calgary .... I wish I hadn't forgotten my shoes in Mexico ....

Day 6 in Zihua - Final full day ....

Roberto and I met for breakfast today (tuesday) to go over his brochures and marketing plan for his tour business.  It was a nice time ... he sure has to hustle ... if he doesn't work, no money comes in .... people really like him though .... proof of that was his ability to get us into the Parthenon on that private tour (there was another small group waiting to go in, but they were made to wait until we were done!)  It is all about relationships here....

After I got back, we took a combi and a chicken truck to Aquarena resort to see a friend of theirs sing



... the beach was beautiful but too rough to swim, so I hung out by the pool and read while they hung out with their friends .... I should have been a little more social because everyone really is so nice, I was just tired some solo time by the pool was nice.  I really liked their friend Cate ... such a free spirit, running her own bar, building a home here, loving on her 2 sweet pups ....


Here is mom making another batch of Kombucha ... they really work to stay on top of their health here ... it seems any little thing can do great damage when you get a little older and a bit more sensitive ... you don't bounce back as quickly as you did in your younger years ....

 Mom and I went for a walk through the streets this morning ... we went for coffee, tacos, street drinks .... met a few new friends along the way.  It is what I miss the most about this week ... everyone is so friendly and happy to see you and communicate with you.  This is a shot for my boys of all the fresh baked goodness they sell at their street front stores....

  We tried to make a point of taking in the sunset every night we could ....

 We spent the week trying to find a mojito and a fish taco as good as the ones we had on my first night.  Epic fail ... none compared... and we tried alot of mojitos and fish tacos!!  So, they indulged me and came back for my final dinner!!  sigh...I still dream of those mojitos ... fresh mint, sugar/salt rim ... oh boy.

Here is Felix ... he made my boys a couple of bracelets ... he said he was deported from Utah and his kids and wife are still there ...

 Watching another parade of the celebration of the virgin Mary ...

 The walk home ... lime gelato in hand and falling behind mom and dad .... even so late at night, it melted really quickly ...

 I got a kick out of this shot ... want to play?  Sure, just let me lay the baby down.....

Once we got home, mom headed to bed and dad and I stared at eachother ... not really ready to settle in ... being my last night, we decided to walk to the closest Mega store in search of snorkel gear for Hawaii ...surely it would be cheaper to buy in Mexico than Hawaii?  So, dad and I braved the dark streets and had a few adventures along the way .... google maps was not the strong suit but together we found the Mega sign .... almost got run over by a semi ... here is dad in his spanking new sandals ... we walked around the Mega, snorkel gear was all cheap junk, we walked around for awhile and ended up just leaving with a bottle of wine to drink on the rooftop when we got home.....

The walk home along the canal was nice ... almost ran into this gum tree which was perfect head height and would probably snag hair if you got too close to it.

Once home, we took to the rooftop and enjoyed our final night chatting about life together.