Jaquie's trip would only be complete if she had coco con chile, sal y limon (coconut w/ salt, lime and chile powder). Luckily our only trip outside of the resort to the ruins in Tulum, gave us the opportunity to savor this refreshing snack, which is native to the Yucatan. While Jaquie was in the bathroom of a hole-in-the-wall tourist bodega, I asked the guys to chop up some coconut using the machete sitting at the entrance. After we drank the water, the machetes were blazing and the hard round coconut became what you see above. Laced with habanero chile powder, salt and limejuice, this plain ol' coconut was the highlight of Jaquie's trip and a new experience for me. A fun fact: Coconut was named after the Spanish word for boogeyman "el coco" because of it's three spots and hairy surface.

















I love animals... I couldn't fight the urge to post a picture of my iguana buddy. We saw dozens of them in addition to nutrias, raccoons and countless exotic birds in the jungle pathways of the resort. Even though we didn't venture out much, we met a taxi driver that promised us discounted tours of the cenotes (caves and underground rivers) and other places where the classic authentic foods of the region are best prepared. Expect a post detailing the sequel of this journey after our trip in January ’10