The Misadventures of Mommy Mayhem: Playa Del Carmen

On the third day, we ventured out to visit the ancient Mayan ruins in Tulum. It was nearly an hour trek to the remote area. When we got there, we were greeted with endless concession stands and souvenir shops, as if a visit to the historical ruins were a spectator sport. We hiked a 20-minute walk in the scorching hot sun to the actual ruins and in the process, I was pelted in the head by falling fruit. Or maybe it was a gigantic nut. Regardless, what matters is that the damn piece of fruit fell exactly on my head and snapped my only pair of sunglasses in two! I spent most of the remaining week squinting in the sun until I forked over 88 pesos for a cheap pair of glasses that lasted less than a day.

Once we finally made it to the main entrance, another 30-minute hike in the blistering heat ensued. By the time we made it to the ruins, it was quite apparent that no one was interested in learning about the ancient Mayan civilization of past centuries. Not that the sights weren't spectacular, but let's face it; if you've seen one ruin, you've seen the rest, as evidenced in the pictures below. Plus the scorching hot sun was frying us alive. The kids were noticeably overheating. With thick brows of sweat and inflamed red cheeks, it was time to head back to the car. I thanked my lucky stars when those concession stands sold ice-cold Cokes and ice cream bars. I even considered buying a souvenir.

One Ruin. Another Ruin. Big deal.

Daddy and Bella in front of another ruin. Whoopty-doo.

Site for sore eyes (and sweaty hot bodies)

Iguanas crawling dangerously close to my foot.

On our final day in PDC we thought to do something more adventurous, perhaps something the kids would enjoy. So we ventured to an activity park called Hidden World Park. Sounded like an amusement park to me! Until we pulled into an empty gravel-paved parking lot where a primitive shack served to welcome guests. A nearby cage housed swinging wild monkeys. The thick surrounding tropical forest and rugged terrain made it quite apparent that this was no Disneyland Park. We gathered the kids and mounted a tractor pulling an open-air flatbed with seats, and were told that the driver would take us deep in the tropical forest to the cave entrance where we would explore freshwater-filled caverns (cenotes).

The ride to the site was an activity in itself. The flatbed tossed us up and down like popcorn as it careened down the bumpiest dirt path I've ever ridden. Parents clung helplessly to their young as arms and legs bounced about and bodies hurled dangerously close off the back of the flatbed. Twenty minutes and several mosquito bites later, we arrived at the first activity: the tropical forest zip line. None of us had lunch so we asked about the concession stands or restaurants for food. Instead, we got a snicker and were directed to a mosquito-netted tent where burritos and quesadillas were prepared on iron cast pans filled with meat that had been sitting for God knows how long. The rest of the families eagerly ordered a feast, while I ordered a meal of pre-packaged cookies and chips for the Yun's. Jin shot me an agitated look as he cancelled his quesadilla order and sat down to eat his bag of cookies. "Better safe than sorry," I said smiling. Luckily, no one got sick.

After our "meal", the tour guide strapped us up to prepare for the zip line through the jungle that carried us to the cave entrance. As we began ascending the stairs overlooking the cliff, I started to panic thinking about whether this was all a good idea to dangle my first-born from a strap and zip her hundreds of feet above the ground. But once Jin and Bella were strapped in together, there was no turning back. And Bella had a BLAST!

Bella recounts the zip line experience by saying she flew through the air like Spiderman

The other kids were not as excited:

Josie and Jimmy; Kristen and Eric; Tony and Brayden

In the end, the zip line was completely safe (Grandma and Grandpa) and was really no higher than a few feet above the ground.

The next activity was descending on a rope down a hole into the dark cenote. Daredevil Bella insisted that she try this, as well, but the guide advised against it because she wasn't strong enough to hold the rope alone. Bella seemed to understand and settled for letting dad carry her down the hole via the staircase nearby. Here's a picture of the descent:

Probably not a good idea for the kids

Then, we entered the refreshing cold water of the cenote and explored the hidden caves. The caves were dark; jagged stalactites hung from the roof. Bats hung upside-down in the dark crevices but Bella wasn't afraid.

Bella suited up with a lifevest to swim in the cenote

Exploring the underwater caverns (Me, Bella, Jin)

Despite being eaten alive by mosquitoes and enduring the blistering heat, Hidden World Park was for me one of the highlights of our trip: Bella showed a daring and adventurous side of herself that we had never witnessed and Jin refrained from eating when asked to avoid the food. All in all, a memorable time!

The remaining time in PDC was spent among friends, relaxing by the pool, or eyeing the children as they played together. Although they're are all young and memories have not fully developed, I hope the pictures will remind them one day of the strong friendships that began when they were small toddlers: