It's been several months since my last blog entry and summer is now in full swing! First off, we just returned from a week-long vacation with three other families where we stayed in the beautiful town of Playa Del Carmen (PDC), Mexico. In order to accomodate the large brood, we decided to rent a three story vacation home near the beach and I must say, it was the best decision to do so. Not only was it more economical for the week's stay, but we were all able to stay together under one roof so the kids could play together. Click here for some pictures of our vacation home.
Bella was the oldest of the bunch by more than a year so she had her fair share of acting like the "big sister" to the other younglings. So much so, that by the end of the trip, she began to ask me when she could have a baby sister or brother of her own. When I skirted the issue several times, she decided to aks if she could "borrow" a friend's baby sister in hopes of inheriting her own permanant playmate. She also did her duty as big sister in comforting the children when they were crying. "It's ok, Brayden" she would say, as she tenderly wrapped her arms around him and patted his head. She also tried hard to keep everyone in line, especially when some of them wandered off. Here's a clip of Bella and my friend's daughter, Josie, holding hands as they cautiously explored the airport:
On our trip there, the kids all posed for a cheesy picture at the airport terminal:
Josie, Brayden, Kristen, and Bella
Surprisingly, PDC was very much like any Beachtown, USA filled with local US stores like a gi-normousWal-Mart and Mega Superstore and of course, Starbucks and McDonalds. I'm not sure what I was expecting, I guess since I was in another country, I thought I'd feel more foreign, as if in a different place. But most people spoke fluent English and I was able to get by with my rusty Spanish coupled with elaborate hand signals. Regardless, the undrinkable water, infestation of disease-carrying mosquitos, and the prospects of food-borne pathogens were enough to make this Mexican experience as authentic as I would want.
We spent an entire week together, which to some may have felt like a social experiment gone wrong, but for the Yun's, we very much enjoyed seeing the children play together and spending time with our other friends. We especially enjoyed the fact that the parents could enjoy some time to ourselves! The boys decided to take advantage of their childfree freedom one night and ventured into the local town where they partied like rock stars:
L to R: Jimmy, Eric, Tony, Jin
...or perhaps they saw it as an opportunity to catch up on much needed rest (notice the Red Bull in the foreground - obviously didn't help Jimmy's comatose state).
For meals, we wisely decided to skip as many restaurant outtings as possible so my friend Lucy hired a chef to prepare authentic Mexican meals that none of the children liked. We attributed this aversion to the fact that their inherent Asian taste-buds are in direct contradiction with most Mexican flavors. Sadly, most of the kids subsisted through the week on milk and tortillas. The adults, on the other hand, enjoyed a few delightful meals of fresh enchiladas and carne asada fajitas, chicken pibil, and some other authentic mexican dish that I later discovered was made from leftovers and frozen food found at the grocery store. Here's a picture of the first night's meal together in Playa:
L to R: Lucy, Cuini, Elaine, Jimmy doing his best soldier pose
We made it almost through the week without food incident, but mid-way through the week, Lucy developed a vicious case of Montezuma's Revenge that was traced back to the less-than-hygenic chef who prepared the meal the evening before. The chef also slashed her thumb while preparing one of our meals leaving a bloody mess about the kitchen as she continued to cook and clean. I should have felt more sympathetic for her injury, but all I could focus on was the microscopic traces of hepatitis-laced blood sprinkled throughout the food. I ate very little that meal. To Bella's delight, I decided not to force her to eat any food that night, either. Jin, however, continued to feast like a ravenous pig. Fortunately, no one got sick.
The first few days we enjoyed the sights and sounds of the local beaches and explored the nearby Fisherman's Resort in Playacar. The resort itself was nothing to write home about; it was filled with retired and wrinkled Americans who looked somewhat perturbed about being there, as if they were conned into staying at the sub-par resort through a time-share gimmick. But the kids had a blast in the kiddie pool. They took turns (and sometimes argued) over who would play with the inflatable wave ryder pool-toy that Tony inflated by mouth in one sitting. Amazing! Here's a picture of Bella and Dad with Bella hogging her time on the apparatus:
Needless to say, the beaches were beautiful and in this trip, I believe I've encountered what I consider the most beautiful stretch of beach that I've seen to date: El Paradiso Beach near the Mayan Ruins of Tulum. The pristine white sand was a texture that liquified when mixed with water and the crystal blue waters were breathe taking. Bella enjoyed the beach as much as I did, which makes me hopeful that she would one day love to explore the beautiful beaches of the world together.
Bella and me at El Paradiso Beach
The other children were equally thrilled with the new sights and sounds of the ocean, although some were more cautious when first approaching the water. But by the end of the first day, all the kids were fearlessly splashing about in the waves. Jin and Tony even built several sand compounds to protect the children from incoming waves (sorry no pictures of this).
Bella and Josie frolicking in the sand
Bella ponders the miracle of life as she stares out at the beautiful ocean
To be continued...
For those who want to see the rest of my PDC pictures, click on the Photos link at the top/right of the page to see my album, "Playa Del Carmen".
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