Back in New York

We are back in New York for our final week of travelling. The desire to return home has now passed and Xss and I have had some great conversations about where we can go next rather than flying home (mostly Canada?) and then we look at each other repeating 'shall we?' Over and again trying to establish the seriousness of the other. However, life will still be waiting for us just one week later;we don't have enough plans in place to stay away of a long time. Next time I think we might airbnb our place to help support us.

I asked Starbucks if she was looking forward to going home and she pulled a silly sad face (but it's very hard to know if we might have conditioned is response). I asked her what she wanted to do in our last few days travelling to which she replied 'go to the park and go to Starbucks'. You can take the 3 year old out of London, but she is still 3.

Its been brilliant travelling and now I feel like we are warmed up and could take these two anywhere we could continue on for quite a while I think  (except for lack of money). We have pretty much everything we need and it's working out well. I wouldn't like to go somewhere hotter than Mexico, but I'd happily take my kids to Thailand for a few weeks now.  Yippee. When we get home we will begin saving again but the next, bigger, trip will be harder to plan as we will have to take Starbucks out of school and risk losing her place. 

Better trolleys! What!?!

Home

No Internet access for a week as I went 'home'. It was glorious. It was normal. It smelt like home, it had some of the people I am most comfortable with there. We had a blast; doing our washing, eating breakfast, playing with chalks. 

I once lived in this house as an exchange student. I didn't learn a new language (well apart from words like fawcet) but i did learn what it was like to be loved, and to be listened to. Perhaps this family and their life is my soft spot but they changed my life forever. 

Best Trolley Ever

Best supermarket trolley ever? Found in Fort Lauderdale. Even shopping days are fun!

Underground rivers

Today, while the kds napped I did something great. I swam through an underground river. Granted every tourist to Cancun does, AND I paid $100 for the privilege but I did it without my kids and had a glancing half hour of bliss!

The water was clear, and cool. The right sort of cool that once swimming takes away the heat from your body. The route starts off in a cenote  (A sink hole full of water) and meanders through caves (some with accompanying bats hanging from the roof), raveens (not sure if this is the word, but it was a river with high sides going way above you at times) and lastly through mangroves (cleaner than it sounds). Basically it was like swimming through jurassic park.

And did I mention I WAS ALONE! Half an hour of being with myself.

It was nowhere near as busy as this when I went, probably a tenth if the people.

I'm not in these photos as I was busy enjoying the experience. Un fact other than the blog photos there aren't many photos of our travels at all. 

The atmosphere at Tulum

The attraction I most wanted to see when visiting Mexico was some ancient May an ruins. I didn't care which, as long as I could pretend to be in an Indiana Jones movie, imagining feather bestowed tanned natives worshiping the sun rising in perfect precision whilst offering young human sacrifices I'd be happy (racist? Me?). 

So we set off on a day trip to Tulum. It wasn't quite the place I thought it might be. Well it could have been, I'm not sure. This is how the day went (all conducted in 37 degree heat and no shade):

'We are going to follow this path to an old old house where local Mexicans used to live a long time ago....'

'Can I have this lolly pop?'

'No you just had one'

'But can I please have this lolly pop'

'No you've just had one perhaps you could have it later'

'When later?'

'Just later'

'But when mummy?'

'I don't know. Around 3ish?'

'Why?'

'I don't know. You just can't have it now'

[A sound occurs which Starbucks has perfected into the loudest most annoying fake crying sound ever. With lots of tears]

'You definitely won't get it if you cry like that'

[More of the above]

'Why are you crying?'

'Because......you.....said.....I. .can't. ...have....A. ...lolly...pop'

'I didn't. I said - oh look how thick they made these old walls- you can't have another one now'

'But I want one'
[Crying, sobbing, the odd kick in the air for dramatic measure]

'Right I'm not going to talk to you if you continue like this'.

'Daddy. I want a lolly pop..'

You get the idea. It continues the whole of the visit, over not wanting to walk or go in the pushchair, over being asked to get out while the pushchair is carried down a flight of steps, of not being allowed
a lolly pop, of not wanting the orange juice she was bought as a 'reward'...

In all honestly this isn't even a pucture of Tulum. There are no pictures of Tulum. This is another ruin from another park. 

I can't give you an opinion on visiting Tulum, apart from to say on my research on Wiki once home again, it was lived in until at least 1200's and was not mysteriously abandoned as I hoped but sensibly left as the town declined. I don't think they offered human sacrifices  (Thanks Indie), but they did dress different to us, probably due to the heat and a recognition, before  us, that everyone looks good in feathers.