New Year's Eve "Toshikoshi Soba"

2011 was a year of pain.

May 2012 be better for everyone in Japan and around the world, filled with peace and love.

Trip to Riviera Maya (Day 7)...Already Final Day. We will be back!

I was feeling much better in the morning. So, I could have big breakfast at hotel’s restaurant and got ready for the last fun activities before going back home. Our flight going back to LA was in the late afternoon.


We took a long walk on the beach, swam in the ocean, and went back to the pool to relax more.


Last ceviche and taco lunch. We thanked the chef for all the yummy treats he had given to us in the past days.


Then, we had our second lunch(!) by the pool…beef taco was great!
We had a truly amazing time in Riviera Maya. The food was all great, and the people were all so sweet. We want to come back here very soon…and over and over.

Viva Mexico!!

Trip to Riviera Maya (Day 6)...Sick Day

December 27 (Tuesday)

Something unexpected happened. I caught a cold. I was already feeling under the weather a day before, and it became “official” in the morning. Jason was just recovering from his cold when we arrived in Mexico, so it’s obvious I got it from him.


So, I spent all day just lying down on the beach and tried to recover.


Nevertheless, my appetite was still there. So, I could manage to join the pool-side lunch. As soon as I saw what they were cooking, I just couldn't resist to try. Fantastic.


I was feeling even worse in the evening, but I didn’t want to miss their good food. So, we went to a seaside restaurant at the hotel for a quick dinner. My salmon was excellent. They really know how to cook well here. With all the good food I was eating, I was hoping I would be better the next day.

Trip to Riviera Maya (Day 5)...Adventure Day

December 26 (Monday)

A day after Christmas was our adventure day.

As soon as we woke up, we were greeted by our buddies from woods.

We joined a tour to Ek Balam. Our pick up came at a little after 7am in the morning.

Ek Balam is about 2 hours by car from Cancun. It’s one of the most recently discovered and restored ancient ruins in Mexico. Ek Balam, which means "Bright Star Jaguar" or "Shadow Jaguar" in Mayan, was one of ancient Mayan cities and is also the only one which remains 100% Mayan, while other ancient Mayan cities (including Chichen Itza) had their architecture altered by the cultures that took over the empire. Its construction was considered to have been started about 100BC and continued into 700-900AC. (I found good information about Ek Balam here.)

We climbed up to the top of the tallest tower. The view from the top was magnificent.

We were so impressed by all what we saw.

After Ek Balam, we went to the largest and deepest underground spring called, Cenote Maya, in Yucatan Peninsula. We did the cave repelling from the ground level all the way down to the water. The cave was so deep and I was originally scared, but once I started going down, it was rather fun!

The water was very cool and also pure. We were told it’s also the drinking water for the people who live in the area. The cave was massive and magical.

We also did zip-lining. It was fun.

After the water activities, we had sustainably-farmed Mayan lunch, made by the locals. The children were doing Mayan dancing, while adults were making corn tortillas. Lunch was very nice.

We came back to the hotel in the evening. After dipping in the pool for a little while, we went back to their Pan-Asian restaurant for dinner. I wanted to try Sushi made by Mexican chef!

The quality of seafood was no doubt outstanding. Everything was so tasty.

And, some nightcap in the lounge, of course.

Trip to Riviera Maya (Day 4)...Best Christmas, Tropical Style

December 25 (Sunday)

Sunny Christmas morning. After big breakfast, we worked out in the gym. Then, we went swimming in the beach. We were told that the hurricane in late October left a lot of damage in the beach and it would take many more months for it to get back to normal. But, it was still beautiful and the water was very nice.

For lunch, the hotel threw a "surprise" poolside Christmas fiesta...I saw seafood after seafood...wow!

In a huge pan, they started cooking crabs. The ceviche bar had different kinds of very tasty ceviche. My first dish was a fresh seafood appetizer plate.

A chef was cutting fresh-caught grouper...some of which was directly dipped in batter and fried, and some were added to the pan. So decadent.

I just wanted to eat everything. Paella was also very nice. In the big seafood pan, chefs kept adding more seafood and kept deglazing with more white wine! The huge clams were their local "chocolate clams". They were not only very pretty but also so juicy and tasty.

More fish was fabricated and more were cooked. The fiesta lasted for a few hours! The food was just so incredible (with a lot of margarita:-) and I totally had a food coma from trying so many dishes. I couldn't believe such a generous hospitality they gave us. It was the best Christmas meal!

After all the fun beach and pool activities, we had nice spa treatments. I did chocolate body wrap and facial...my body smelled like chocolate after the spa:-)

For dinner, we tried "Japanese" teppan-yaki at one of the restaurants at the hotel. I was so amused by the classic "oriental" look it had like from an old American movie. My seafood teppan-yaki was quite good.

After dinner, we had more drink.

Then, we came to our room to find another surprise, from our concierge. Champagne and chocolate strawberries. How sweet!