On February 1st Tracy and I headed down to Mexico to witness two of our best friends getting married. There were over 50 other guests who came down as well which made for an absolutely great trip. We met many new friends and also reunited with some old ones.

Our resort, the Ocean Turquesa, was just south of Cancun near a little town called Puerto Morelos. As you’ll see in the photos, the resort was beautiful and had everything that one could want. We were close to a lot of different activities so you were definitely not trapped on the resort property. We took a trip into the jungle to a little market/spa and into Puerto Morelos one day. We also went down to Playa Del Carmen which was about 45 minutes away and spent the morning along the shopping area and beach. Near the end of the week we visited a little zoo/sanctuary that was close to the resort called, Crococun Zoo.

Crococun Zoo, was set up as a refuge and breeding program for the crocodile population in the area because they are being forced out of their natural habitat by all of the resorts which are being built up and taking over the swamps and mangroves. Over time they became a refuge for all kinds of exotic pets which were confiscated by the authorities or given up by owners who didn’t realize that it might be hard to take care of a 16 metre (50′) python… They had a group of wild monkeys in the area as well who love to hang around because the tourists have food so they get a steady diet of fruit and vegetables.

The day before we headed home Tracy and I went for traditional Mayan massages at The Jungle Spa. On Sundays the property has a local market which we visited earlier in the week but they main business is a spa staffed by local Mayan women. The business was started by a woman from the US who wanted to give the local women a way to support themselves without having to work for one of the giant resorts (who only pay between three and seven dollars a day). 75% of the proceeds go directly to the women who provide the services which gives them a livable wage which they can support their families with. Tracy found out about this spa before we headed down and thought that we should give it a try. I’m so glad that we did as I’m sure I will never forget the experience. They have a style very similar to massage therapy that you would receive here in Canada. It was a little painful but so worth it as over the next couple of days you could feel everything loosen up.

We took advantage of the resort as much as possible as well, just relaxing by the pool, wandering the property, and catching up with friends we don’t get to see as much as we would like. Almost every night there was a group of us going for dinner or we would all meet up at the lobby bar and share some laughs and stories about our various adventures.

The wedding couldn’t have gone better; the weather cooperated nicely and the setting was gorgeous. After the ceremony Brad, Marie and I set off to take some portraits around the property. They asked me if I would do their portraits as they trusted me over the other options provided by the hotel. It was fun to spend time with them on their special day and I was more than happy to help out. Also a big thank you to Tara who took great photos of the ceremony while I was just standing around…

I would have loved to get this post and pictures posted sooner but the six weeks since returning have not been kind to me. I returned home with a case of salmonella poisoning which lasted for over two weeks and then just as I was feeling better I came down with shingles… which I’m still fighting. So editing and sorting photos took a little longer than expected. But the good news is they are all done and ready for viewing.

I broke the photos down into three galleries. As always there are few photos included here but the full gallery/slideshow can be seen with the links.

Hope you enjoy!

The Trip (slideshow, gallery):

The Wedding Day (slideshow, gallery):

The Resort (slideshow, gallery):