| If you love nature and want to know more about | | | | try it, there's a high probability that none of them will |
| Mexican history, visit XCaret, an hour south of | | | | buck you off. The ones I saw were mellow, not |
| Cancun. | | | | hyper. |
| Having lived in the nearby city of Playa del Carmen | | | | Both the zoo and aviary have lovely animals that are |
| and worked as the illustrator for this company years | | | | indigenous to the Yucatan peninsula, such as jaguars, |
| ago, I spent a large amount of time there, and it is | | | | flamingos, parrots of many sizes and colors, a harpy |
| stunning. | | | | eagle, spider monkeys, and more. All animals at the |
| What exactly is this place? It's a combination of zoo, | | | | park are well taken care of. Many live in very |
| aviary, butterfly garden, amusement park (without | | | | elaborate, natural environments. The jaguars are kept |
| rides) and outdoor natural history museum and more. | | | | on an island, separated from the tourists by a deep |
| Situated within the Mexican jungle, you board a bus | | | | gorge. You can see them wiithout fear of them |
| at the main Cancun-Tulum corridor road, and it takes | | | | escaping, as they live their lives free from bars. It is a |
| you down a lush jungle road to the park. It is a large | | | | beautiful, large setup. |
| complex, so expect to spend the whole day there, | | | | The lagoon is a scenic area that feeds into the |
| and use vast quantities of sunscreen to avoid getting | | | | Caribbean Sea, where you can go snorkeling or swim |
| sunburned while there. | | | | with dolphins. There are hammocks to rest in, for |
| Walking into XCaret's main building, holding the gift | | | | those who don't care to swim. This area is so |
| shop and dioramas of major Mayan ruin sites, you will | | | | colorful, with the deep turquoise water of the sea, |
| see a snack area. Sometimes there are events that | | | | the flowers, and palm trees all around. It is truly the |
| happen in this building, which is the gateway to the | | | | full tropical experience. Stop and take a rest there. |
| park. Make sure to go to the gift shop, there are | | | | At the amphitheatre, there are various shows worth |
| many lovely nature-related items for sale. You may | | | | seeing. These actors, dancers and musicians put their |
| even find something with my artwork on it, as many | | | | whole hearts and souls into their performances. For |
| of my designs were used for novelty items. There | | | | example, when I was there, they had a showcase of |
| are posters (which I did not do) that were there | | | | the different regional dances of Mexico, along with |
| before me, and are still being sold, that are incredibly | | | | each area's characteristic costumes. It was |
| original and beautiful work. This isn't your average | | | | spectacular. They have evening performances on |
| tacky gift shop, it's impressive. | | | | different themes, expertly lit for the full night effect. |
| When you walk into the park itself, you are walking | | | | It is all educational and great family fun. |
| into a maze of exhibits and attractions, woven by | | | | When at the park, don't forget to stop by the |
| paths throughout a huge section of the Mexican | | | | numerous restaurants and snack areas. In Mexico, |
| jungle. There is an underground river cave, where | | | | the wait staff will go out of their way in grand style |
| you can go snorkeling. If you get to the park early, | | | | to take excellent care of you, so tip them well. |
| you'll be able to do this without being in too big a | | | | These jobs are in high demand, so they are taken |
| crowd. It's surreal to be carried by the water through | | | | very seriously. If you want top quality service, try |
| a real underground cave, that winds around the park. | | | | the restaurant near the ocean, for scenery and great |
| Very relaxing. This is a great way to cool off, as the | | | | food. |
| hot sun can get to you, even in the jungle. | | | | Since my time at XCaret years ago, it has surely |
| There is a horseback riding stable. The horses are | | | | grown even more since then. Whatever has been |
| gorgeous Spanish-descent creatures, with long manes | | | | added is surely innovative and educational. This |
| and elegant stature. But, when I was there, they | | | | establishment is pure class, they know how to take |
| were slow and just did what the horse in front of | | | | care of their customers and treat them right. Make |
| them did. If you want to gallop independently on the | | | | sure to see all the sights and exhibits. You will walk |
| beach, forget it. They follow eachother in a line day | | | | away with a better understanding and appreciation |
| in and day out, so they are trained to be trail horses | | | | for the Yucatan peninsula, its history and nature. |
| only. It's fine if you are afraid of riding and want to | | | | |