Paradise Week # 5
November 20 to 26, 2022
The Sunday market was the action place again this past week, I
am not adding any photos in this post because you have seen so many already. Be assured though, I will post pictures and comments in the future of anything I see that catches my eye.
I mentioned in a previous post that there would be a couple of surprises this year...well, the first surprise is our stay at the Grand Park Royal in Cancun.
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These two photos were taken from their website.
We haven't stayed at an all-inclusive since about 2013, I had forgotten how nice it was - great food, entertainment, service and relaxation.
The reason for our stay was to visit with friends whom we haven't seen in a while. Vic and Jayne are regular Cancun visitors with their time share so we visit in Cancun several times during their stay but his son Lanny we hadn't seen in 9 years and his wife and family we had never met.
The morning sunrises were beautiful. We enjoyed them very much because living here in the Colonia of Puerto Morelos we don't get to see them unless we make a special trip to the Port. That is a little too early for my liking.
One morning we had the privilege of seeing the newly hatched sea turtles head out to sea. Apparently when the mama sea turtles lay their eggs along the beach, volunteers gather the freshly laid eggs and move them to a cordoned off area at the resort where they stay safe until they hatch. Once they are hatched, a few at a time are set free into the ocean. In the photo above you will see a hotel worker gathering the little hatchlings from their man-made nest in the sand to be released this day to their forever home, the Caribbean Sea.
The most common sea turtles to inhabit the oceans near Cancun are the Green Turtle, the Loggerhead Turtle and less common in the area is the Hawksbill turtle. They mate near the South part of Isla Mujeres in May, June and July. Their incubation period is 6 to 8 weeks and the hatch and release occurs between July to November.
I am thinking our baby turtles were Green turtles which can live for at least 70 years or more. Female green turtles reach maturity at 25 to 35 years. Every 2 to 5 years they undertake reproductive migrations and return to nest on a beach in the general area where they hatched decades earlier.
In a single nesting season, females lay between two and six clutches of eggs, each containing 65 to 180 eggs. That calculates to a possibility of between 130 and 580 eggs in a season. The clutches are laid approximately every two weeks, and the period between female nesting season ranges from one to nine years.
The Adult Green Sea Turtle grows to be 3 to 4 feet long and weighs between 300 and 350 pounds.
This was not our first experience with Sea Turtles, in 2013 we were in Costa Rica when the sea turtles were laying their eggs. That was a beautiful experience, one we will remember for years to come. Sea turtles will only lay their eggs in the protection of darkness, so they will usually lay their eggs from 11 PM until dawn.
At the resort we were staying, the community volunteers watched nightly during the laying season and as the mama turtles came to shore they stayed with them while they were laying their eggs. We were allowed to quietly walk up behind the mama turtle and stand to watch the event. The workers sat on the ground with a flash light shining into the nest and counted each egg as it was laid. They had to ensure the light was not shining at their heads or into their faces, if that happened the turtle would quit laying. When the turtle was finished she filled in her nest and headed back out to sea. The volunteers would secure the nest with a surround fencing and mark it with information including the day of the nesting and the number of eggs laid along with the expected date of the hatch. This allowed them to be at the site during the hatching to ensure the little turtles got to sea.
In our experience this year at Grand Park Royal the guide gathered 3 baby turtles into a pail and watched overhead for birds. When the birds had continued on their way in for food the guide gave us each a turtle to set free. We put them on the sand and while they scurried into the ocean we walked along behind - again protecting them from any hungry birds that may come by. The guide followed the baby turtles into the ocean to ensure their safety until they were able to get into deeper water . Wow!
The resort was well equipped and laid out with areas for family swimming, a water sports pool and an adult swim up bar pool.
We had access to quiet beach lounge chairs under palapas on the beach as well.
This was the view from our room - all rooms in the resort face the ocean. What a beautiful view.
The view from our room at night time.
This night we ate at the Chinese restaurant,
the food was very tasty but it could have been partly to do with the company we were sharing the meal with.
Allan here taking in the sights one afternoon before getting ready to go out to dinner.
Father and Son enjoying a relaxing afternoon.
Even the kids enjoy the all-inclusive life style. This young man is so happy to be in Cancun and not back in Canada right now.
Lanny and Carrie enjoying some time with us.
Allan and Jayne seem happy with the menu selections.
Thursday was American Thanksgiving, the buffet restaurant had quite the spread!
The restaurant was nicely decorated and mariachis played as we ate.
The turkey was cooked to perfection and was delicious!
Awe ----Blooming Onion! It tasted as good as it looked. I have tried to make these but they never turn out as good as this one.
The desserts were plentiful and well displayed, what I had made me want to go back for seconds. I would have but my tummy was just too full.
The day we left we had another beautiful sunrise to make the start of our day perfect.
Hasta luego and gracious to Grand Park Royal Cancun for their services and hospitality and a special GRACIOUS to the Weltons for inviting us to join them for a few days. It was great to see Lanny again and to meet his wonderful family. We left with great memories.
I believe this is a spiny or black spiny Iguana we saw on the shore line of the Cancun Lagoon just across from the Resort:
Did you know that
- A spiny iguana can grow to be 4 feel long
-Usually, an I
-The Iguana can regenerate its tail. It is possible, however, that the new tail is larger and darker than the original. Depending on the Iguana's age, it may take months for a new tail to grow completely. The Iguana's tail can be removed up to 12 times, but the majority of the time, it will not regrow it.
-Nervous and flighty, they do not make very good pets as a rule.
-Spiny-tailed Iguanas spend more time on the ground than in trees, though they are excellent climbers when the need arises.
-Young spiny-tailed Iguanas also stay up off the ground more, probably to avoid being eaten by larger specimens.
-Most species aren't particularly aggressive towards humans or other animals unless they are provoked or stressed.
-Most species aren't particularly aggressive towards humans or other animals unless they are provoked or stressed.
-Their sharp teeth are specifically created to tear plants apart, but could be really painful to humans. Fortunately, they give a warning before doing so. It will stand up on its legs, lean forward, wag its tail in a whipping fashion, bob its head up and down and hiss as a sign that they feel threatened
- They are known as the 'chicken of the trees'. This is because the black spiny-tailed Iguana is sometimes hunted for its meat in Central America.
- They are known as the 'chicken of the trees'. This is because the black spiny-tailed Iguana is sometimes hunted for its meat in Central America.
-Spiny-tailed Iguanas are omnivorous, which means that they need to eat both plants and animals to get the nutrition that they need.
- The spiny tailed Iguana is considered and endangered species
