Off to Riviera Maya

Today we drive into Puerto Vallarta and stay overnight because bright and early tomorrow morning, we board our flight to Cancun.

We have always wanted to see the white sandy beaches, stunning blue waters, ancient ruins and cenotes of Riviera Maya, so this year we decided to do it.   We also hear the snorkeling is fabulous, so it should be a fun trip.

Over the years, giant stalactites and stalagmites have formed in the thousands of cenotes found in the Yucatan peninsula.  Cenotes are created by an underground river system and are fresh water sink holes that the Maya considered sacred.



We won't be staying in Cancun because it is just way too commercialized.  Our resort is about a 25 minute drive south of the Cancun airport.

Once again we chose an all inclusive hotel, but this time we are trying an all adult resort.   Because I booked our plane fare, room and vehicle together, I got a really good deal.

I have read great reviews about the Valentin Imperial Maya so we are booked in there for ten days.

From some of the pictures on the net, the resort looks pretty darn nice.

The resort is a located on a deserted beach between Puerto Morelos, a small fishing village, and the trendy city of Playa del Carmen.

The ruins, numerous cenotes and everything else we want to see, are just a short drive from our resort.

Time is flying by so quickly.  Before we know it, we'll be back at Casa Que Sera.  Heather and Dan will arrive in PV four days after we return from our vacation and then a week or so later, Cory, Jen and the kids arrive.

New Talavera for JJ

Up until now all of my Talavera pottery looked like the following pieces.

 



On our recent trip to Tonala, I bought several new pieces of Talavera to add to our collection.    The least expensive piece in this collection was 200 pesos or about $15.00 Canadian and the most expensive piece was 350 pesos or about $26.00. 

Many things in Mexico really are very inexpensive, especially when you think about how long it must have taken for someone to make and then hand paint this pottery.

In the following photos you will notice that my new pottery has been painted in a different design from all our other pieces.

I really like all the beautiful golden tones in these pieces.   Also the birds are very different from the ones on my older blue and white pieces of pottery.

Both the outside and the inside of the bowl in the following photo have been beautifully hand painted.

Bowls and Balls

One can never have enough bowls and balls even if they are only to look at.

The magnificent blown glass bowls I picked up this trip to Tonala ranged from 200 - 300 pesos each.  In Canadian dollars this is about $15.00 to $23.00 at today's rate.

The colour scheme in Casa Que Sera is very vibrant so these bowls and balls work perfectly to enhance my existing colours.

 

 

The balls in the previous photos will not be staying in the bowls.   I will be using them, along with all the other balls and dingle dangles in the next photo, to make something interesting and will add a photo later.

Yesterday was a holiday from school because of Revolution Day, and all the students and many teachers, from all our local schools, participated in the yearly Revolution Day parade.  Please click on the following Jaltemba Bay Life site to see the children's costumes and to see every one's happy faces.

 

http://jaltembabaylife.com/blog/2012/11/dia-de-la-revolucion-parade-in-la-penita/

 

 

 

Mirrors

It was really good of Ron and Simone to leave a few things for me to buy.

I was mainly looking for new mirrors to replace some of the mirrors I bought years ago.

Most of my mirrors were made of punched tin and hand painted talavera tiles, and the tin has rusted over the years.

I now know to coat my new tin mirrors with acrylic spray before hanging them.

We saw hundreds of gorgeous mirrors that were either made of punched tin and tile or hand painted ceramic.

I was lucky to find so many beautiful mirrors to hang throughout our casa.  You can see from the following photos that many of the mirrors capture different scenes or decor around Casa Que Sera. 

 

 

 

The mirrors I hung outside truly capture our beautiful, natural surroundings.

   

 

The mirror, in the next photo, is made of punched tin and tiny bits of pool tiles and beads of glass.

 



The blue in this mirror really complements the decor in my ensuite bathroom.

 

The mirror, in the following photo, is my living room.  It is similar to the one in the bathroom, but is a little larger.  

 

All these mirrors reflect lots of light and brighten every room.