Tuesday, November 25 (Tulum)

A full day of rest and relaxation in Tulum. This resort is pretty amazing. We started the day with a buffet breakfast at the Vela Norte restaurant, and it was excellent. I tried to sample a little of everything (didn't come close) so I could focus on my favorite things next time. 

Then we changed into swimsuits, slathered up with sunscreen, and spent the rest of the morning and afternoon by the pool. We swam mostly in the ocean. It's a beautiful beach, and the girls dove around with their goggles on. The water is so clear. There is a rocky barrier that keeps the waves from getting too wild. We went in and out of the ocean throughout the day, read in our pool chairs, dipped into the pool, ordered food from Seasalt the pool bar. Lucia and Greta are both obsessed with the hamburgers. They both had one for lunch. Lucia also polished off two plates of chips and guacamole. 

Mom had a brief spell of illness today, caused by something she ate or drank or maybe just from the heat. But by later in the day she felt much better.

In the afternoon, the girls and I hopped on a golf cart and went to a churreria. We saw a raccoon along the way. 

We saw a good selection of wildlife today--the raccoon by the churreria; several large iguanas by the pool; lots of hermit crabs of all sizes; another raccoon by the pool; and, the highlight, a coati, underneath the palm trees by the pool, gnawing on a hermit crab. People were gathered around, taking pictures and videos. It is a strange creature, raccoon-like but with an elongated snout and a very long, thin tail. Its claws were long and sharp, and it was using them adeptly to crack the shell of the hermit crab. 

Molly and Luca arrived later in the afternoon, and we all swam in the ocean for a while. Thanks to a timely Amazon order, Molly was able to get me a fabulous caftan to complement hers, and we'll be able to go full White Lotus for the rest of the trip. 

We all at some point went to get coffee and snacks at a 24-hour snack bar whose name I can't remember right now.

Dinner tonight was at Maxal, a Mexican chop house. We tried a little bit of everything--flank steak (Andrew and Greta), shrimp tacos (Luca and me), pork chops (Lucia and Dad), shortribs (Molly and Mom), plus salads and appetizers. 

A great Tulum day. Tomorrow we're going to explore some cenotes.