Sigh... Our last day in Mayakoba.
We decided to wake up nice and early today to catch the sunrise at the beach. At 6:30 am, we called for a buggy which whisked us swiftly to the waters edge. When we arrived, we weren't sure if we'd missed the sunrise due to a cloudy day...
But soon, we were rewarded in a most spectacular way, when the sun slipped quite suddenly over the clouds.
We took an early morning dip, our last of the trip. It was pretty surreal, with the sun blazing the way it does as it's rising, and with us having the whole beach to ourselves.
Soon enough, the sun was in it's normal place, so we walked up the steps to the beach club pool, and napped for about an hour before breakfast.
I was going through my "end of vacation" blues so there were no happy breakfast pictures on this day. We did, however, spend our last hour in Mayakoba enjoying our villa to the fullest- a final swing in the hammock...
... and a last minute float 20 minutes before check out.
Before we left for Mexico, all of the weather reports for the area claimed that it would rain the entire time we would be on vacation, but we were blessed with incredible weather. In fact, it seemed like it rained all around us, from Cozumel to Playa del Carmen, but in Mayakoba, they must have the ability to control the weather or something. The only rain we encountered was while we were waiting for our ride to the airport. I think Mexico was sad that we were leaving too.
The flight home was easy and uneventful, and we were promptly picked up at Sea-Tac by a grinning Shane, a good reminder of all the blessings we have here in Seattle, and one of the reasons why home is home.
This trip deviated from our previous "Big Trips" of years past. Instead of a completely planned out multi-city extravaganza that has us on the go every day for 2 weeks, this time, we basically spent a week parked out on a beach, something we haven't really done since our honeymoon to Moorea and Bora Bora. In fact, this felt much like a second honeymoon, filled with romantic moments, complete relaxation, indulgences, and lots of swimming. I don't think I've seen Jack so idle since... I don't know when. But it was nice just to see him staring off at the ocean, or napping in the sun. And you know, as much as I love planning out a good, jam-packed itinerary, there's something to be said for a blank schedule, for waking up in the morning and seeing what the day may hold. We needed this. It was a tough winter/spring, and I think this trip rejuvenated us both, gave us some good quality time together, and gives us a chance to recharge for whatever comes next.
Hopefully, there will be more Banyan Trees in our future... we've been ruined. This was truly hospitality at it's finest. It was pretty amazing that most of the staff knew our names by the second day that we were there. From Zuleyka's friendly welcome and beautiful smile, to Alejandro, our waiter who bent over backwards to make our breakfasts phenomenal experiences every single day, to the attentiveness of Erik and Federico, the two managers at Tamarind and Oriente respectively, to Mariel's exquisite knowledge of tequilas, Rubi's gentle, sweet greeting as she watched me swim laps around the main pool before breakfast and Samuel's cheerful "whistle while you work attitude" as he transported us from one part of the resort to another, we felt like no stone had been left unturned. It wasn't just that these people are really good at what they do, it actually seemed like they loved it. In fact, Samuel actually told us that he will often take over the shifts of his colleagues because he loves work so much that he never wants to leave! I can't imagine never wanting to leave work. From all accounts, it does seem like the Banyan Tree Company treats it's employees well, providing good housing options, multiple meals a day, and training locals in the art of hospitality, so that they can develop skills and build careers. At the same time, we were impressed by all of the efforts the resort put into re-developing the surrounding nature preserve, educating it's staff in protecting the environment, and utilizing a green philosophy within the resort.
At some point, as we drank cold drinks on our private beach, (or maybe it was while we were floating around in our villa pool), I asked Jack, "What would it take to be able to live here?"
He responded, "You either have to win the lottery or become a day trader."
So my question is, does anyone know anything about day trading??
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