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AKUMAL 2005

 

It had been nearly twenty years since we had been to the Yucatan.  We remembered it as an unspoiled paradise, so we were a little worried whether development had taken its toll.  Happy to report that at least Akumal is still special.  Judging by the crowd at the Cancun airport, other parts of the Yucatan may not have fared as well.  

We were invited by Jesse and Lois Stuart to be part of a group of eight bridge players to stay in their house on the Caribbean.  All had a great time.

(note - click on the pictures to see them full-size)

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Every house on the beach has a name.  This is the name of the one in which we stayed. 

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A family of iguanas guarded the back entrance to the house.
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Jesse relaxes in the palapa.
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Walk out the back door of the house, past the iguanas and you find a beach.  Although the beachfront has been developed, the beach is still relatively deserted..
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Jesse's mother Beth at age 89 takes her son out for a snorkeling lesson.
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A five minute walk from the house is a real paradise - Yal-Ku.  Snorkeling in this lagoon is like swimming in a tropical fish aquarium.
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Here is a backyard that doesn't need mowing.  From back yord to Caribbean is about two steps.
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Pat and Bill Muir, one of the other guests at the house, disguised as tourists at Tulum, one of the great archeological sites in Mexico.
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We had an outing to Puerto Aventuras, about 10 miles north of Akumal.  It's a lot like the Riverwalk in San Antonio.  Here Pat and Lois scope out the area.
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Just as we wee getting ready to leave, a beautiful bird flew into the house.  Our departure was slightly delayed as we coaxed the bird out of the house..