New Year's Eve! Last day of 2014.....

Wow, where did 2014 go?! Is it already the last day of the year?

So much has happened this year. This year started off with my grandpa being hospitalized and me flying over to Japan to see him, followed by scuba diving lessons and testing, then finding a house and making an offer on it, onto our first trip to Cozumel and Mexico (for scuba diving), to come back to more waiting for court dates on our house, to winning the house bid, through escrow, then through a grueling, pull-my-hair-out 2.5 months of bathroom and kitchen renovations, then another month of clean up and prep for our big move, then the actual big move during Thanksgiving weekend, then unpacking and living in boxes for a few weeks, then Christmas of course wigh family, then finally here we are. Last day of this year and we are still fixing up and working on the house. We are still living in boxes and probably will be for another few months. Wow. WHAT. A. YEAR.

Here are some words to best describe this year:

busy

hectic

roller coaster

stressed

new beginnings

constant movement 

scared

grateful

heartbreaking 

patience

surprised

Like Little P here in this picture I am hopeful and looking up towards 2015. I hope it's filled with happiness and health for the Man and I as well as all our family and friends. 

Hopeful 

The Lady

Having Diving Withdrawls....

Okay....Lady here. Having scuba diving withdraws today. I was thinking about all the things I miss and don't miss (well kinda miss) about diving.

Miss:

1. The exhilarating feeling of first descending down from the surface

2. The sound of your own breath in a regulator 

3. Swimming through someone's bubbles. Just gorgeous 

4. The feeling of floating. It's like you're flying with no gravity. 

5. The wind in your hair as the boat flies over the waves 

6.  Looking up to the surface from a deep dive and seeing a light blue surface glimmering and moving rhythmically
7. Hearing the DMs say "Pool's Open!".....I just love that :)

Don't really miss:

1. The unforgettable, repulsive smell of fuel from the boat when trying to grab onto the boats ladder and rope (nauseating)

2. How funny water taste after you've surfaced from a dive (it just tasted so strange)

3. Nervousness of first falling backward from a boat to get into the water

4. Putting on a wet wetsuit (ugh!)

5. A stinky wetsuit

Dos Ojos Cenote

We almost didn't make it to Dos Ojos, mostly due to transportation and the confusion of how to get there. Thank goodness the Man convinced me! He's more of the "go with the flow" kind of guy. I'm glad he's my partner in life because if it weren't for him, I don't think I would be as adventurous. The Man loved this place. In fact, he probably wanted to come here again. Actually, what he really wanted to do was go diving in the Cenotes. We only got to snorkel at Dos Ojos, but next time I think the Man's going full blown Cenote Diving!

We took the collectivo (a van that locals take, which is really cheap ($30 pesos) and runs along Hwy 370) from Tulum to Dos Ojos. We were pretty nervous about the collectivo, but it worked out just fine and dropped us off at the entrance. We didn't have a car so we needed transportation to the Cenotes. Admission plus transportation cost $400 Pesos ($300 for both of us, $50 one way transportation). I expected a car to take us to the Cenotes. Nope, this is Mexico. Basically a piece of crap bicycle/motorcycle/rickshaw/whoknows took us to the Cenotes (about 4km/2miles) and let me just tell you, it was a scary, bumpy (when I say bumpy, I mean hold on to dear life!) ride!!!

(Entrance to Dos Ojos off Hwy 370, about 20 minutes from Tulum)

(a rusty makeshift rickshaw-looking ride, super ghetto!!)

Once we got to the first Ojo, we were mesmerized and forgot all about the ride in. Crystal clear blue fresh water. A natural cave, full of clean cool water! Gorgeous! Go early because it really does get crowded quick. It's not a very big pool, we spent maybe an hour to hour and half there. The Man wished he went scuba diving there. It was awesome to see the divers descend into the water then make their way into the caves with their flashlights. Really awesome. It was almost like they were explorers going into a dark abyss. Pretty amazing stuff here.

The second Ojo is much bigger and longer, but a little darker. Not as much sunlight in this cave, due to it's smaller opening. Lots of people here too. Because the second Ojo is in a round formation, there's a nice little courtyard area, which is kind of jungly. The Man spent a lot of time in this one, went far into the darker back areas, went all the way to the end, which is the Seco (dry) Ojo. The formations of the limestone underwater are the most amazing thing ever. They are all sorts of shapes and sizes, some smooth, some bumpy, some sharp. There were numerous stalactites growing from the cave ceiling, some hung low, some were huge! You kind of had to be careful when you surfaced from a snorkel to make sure not to hit a stalactite because that could do some real damage to your head.

Being underwater in a Cenote and look at all the limestone formations and stalacitite made me realize, what we see with our eyes is only a small percentage of what is really available to see. There is a whole different world, whole different scenery and experience down below the caves than what is up above the water. It truly was mystifying and sort of spiritual and spooky at the same time.

(First Ojo)

(First Ojo, clear blue water)

(First Ojo, cool fresh water, gets crowded quickly!)

(First Ojo)

(The Man freediving in the Cenote)

(Sign underwater that states "forbidden to cross with snorkeling, diving only. 80 minutes long cave")

(Scuba divers getting ready to go into the caves)

We realized it was about close to 5pm when we were done with the 2nd Ojo. We walked back to the entrance gate of the Cenotes to find that the guy at the station/kiosk was gone already!!! We were supposed to call for a ride back to the entrance entrance. Now we were stuck!! And I sure as hell was not going to walk that dirt road, 2 miles back in wet clothes!!

Thankfully, a nice lady who rented out snorkel gear was still there, and she manage to call the front desk for pick up.....she then tells us in broken English (but very nice), they will be here in 10 minutes in a white car.........10 minutes rolls by, 20 minutes rolls by, 30 minutes rolls by, 40 minutes rolls by. Now she is even getting anxious, packing up her stuff to leave for the day. Thankfully, she calls the front desk again and probably ask what the heck?! They said they'll be there soon....she kept saying "andale" which means hurry, which is all I caught. She then leaves us to go home for the day. Now we are really abandoned with no phone or transportation.......fantastic!!!We waited for another 10 minutes, no one came for us. Thankfully, a taxi happened to show up!!! We didn't risk it, paid 50 pesos and got the hell out of there! We didn't care about getting a refund for our transportation, not that anyone was there anyway.....

Other than the customer service hiccup with transportation, all in all, this was a fantastic day and experience. I would highly recommend the Cenotes to anyone adventurous. 

Adventurously, 

The Lady

(The Man and the Lady, a funny selfie of us where you can't even tell we're underwater)

Tres Pelicanos, our Dive Op

Where do I begin, where do I begin. I have nothing but amazing things to say about this Dive Op. Tres Pelicanos is truly an amazing, kind, patient family feeling Dive Op. I cannot wait to dive with them again!!

(Servando and Chan Fran probably discussing where to go today)

Being freshly certified, I was a bit hesitant and anxious about diving in general. I signed up for a refresher course with Servando, and that all disappeared in a flash. There are probably not enough nice adjectives to describe what kind of a person Servando is. He is so friendly, so sweet, so patient (really patient), so understanding and outgoing, down-to-earth, and clearly, enjoys his job and has a great passion for diving. You can just see it in him, the moment I met him, I knew he was a great DM. They don't call him the Maestro for nothing!! During the whole week of diving with him, we passed many boats and they always shouted out "Maestro"...a neat nickname!

 

   (Servando the Maestro)

 My first diving experiences were not very good (in SoCal) so I had a bitter taste in my mouth about diving. Even wondering if it's really for me. That all vanished when I hit the waters of Cozumel. Warm, crystal clear, abundant with life. It was astonishing. This is what diving should be like. This is why people are hooked. Servando was my personal DM on our first boat dive, and he was phenomenal. He showed us all the nooks and crannies and where to find all this sea life. He even took me down to about 110 ft, which I didn't notice until later. I was really surprised and exhilarated! Before Cozumel, I didn't go any where beyond 30ft!! He later said he took me that deep to overcome fear and anxiety, that 110 ft is just the same as 50 ft. No difference in the water. We spotted a barracuda, sea horses, turtles and many different fish. It was just mind-blowing how wonderful and life-changing this experience was.

We dove the whole week with Servando and the very last day with Jorge. Did I mention the Tres Pelicanos staff is a good majority of the reason why this Dive Op is so popular and amazing?! Chan Fran, oh my goodness. Heart of gold. This man will smile at you and radiate your whole day. An amazing captain navigating the choppy waters. He's so great, I cannot even begin to describe. He always took my BCD from the water before I climbed up the ladder to get into the boat, he always knew to find us after The Man and I surfaced, he always assembled my gear swiftly and promptly, and most of all, he was also laughing and smiling, even on the rainiest days. You cannot ask for better customer service than that. 

(Chan Fran on Skinny Shark, replenishing tanks for the next dive)

In fact, the whole staff is like that. From Servando to Chan Fran to Willie and Pony, they are all great. The last day, we got to dive with Jorge for a change, and though his style is alittle different than Servando's, he's a sweetheart just as much. He'll always check on you with his little rattle thing in the water, always made sure that I had enough air for my safety stop and made sure I was okay. Our last dive was at the Santa Rosa Wall with Jorge, and I must say, that was the best dive out of all the dives we did that week. It was so calm and quiet (the drift), and there was so much to see. It was probably also me finally feeling comfortable enough to dive confidently, but gosh, it was gorgeous.

(Jorge with the weights)

The DMs really know where to take you and what to see. They have been navigating these waters for a really long time and know exactly where the good stuff is. They work with all levels, both beginners (like myself) to seasoned divers and everyone in between. I really could not rave about Tres Pelicanos any more. The Man had a great time diving with them too. He also did a night dive with Servando, which he states was the best dive so far. Way different than a day time dive, much more marine life. The Man was so thrilled about all these dives that he is already thinking of getting Advanced OW certification!

Epiphany: I cannot wait to dive again in Cozumel and dive again with Tres Pelicanos. It's amazing to hear stories of fellow divers on the boat, who have followed Servando around as he changed Dive Ops over the years. It makes sense. I would do the same!

Bubbles,

The Lady

   (The Lady, photo credit The Man)

Scuba diving in Cozumel

Our latest obsession is Scuba Diving.

After a painstaking and frightening experience getting Open Water certification (at least for me), we finally went on our first scuba diving trip to Cozumel, Mexico. I was a bit nervous of course, but heard many great things about Cozumel diving. It is supposed to be one of the best in the world. 

    (On the boat looking out at the ocean before our dive)

And it sure did not disappoint. Ever ounce of fear, hesitation, anxiety, fear, fear, fear (of death and drowning, did I mention fear?!) disappeared in a flash. This is how scuba diving should be. This is how it should feel. Not in a hood and a 7mm full wetsuit in 58 degree cold ocean water in SoCal. Scuba diving should be in a 2mm shorty in 80 degree warm ocean water with a slight drift. Perfection.

    (The Dive Master and the Lady passing through some corals)

Epiphany: One of the beautiful and life changing things about scuba diving (other than the beautiful sites) is meeting new people. Making new friends, meeting fantastic Dive Masters, hearing fellow divers' stories and experiencing diving with divers of all levels from all over the world. I came to a realization at how wonderful this new experience is. It's really life changing. How many people get to meet and rub shoulders with people from England, Brazil, Alabama or Colorado at once? How lucky are we?! It brings me great joy that this new opportunity has come into our lives! 

   (On Skinny Shark, the Tres Pelicanos' dive boat) 

So blessed,

The Lady

Okay, let's go!

Well here goes!

We love traveling, the beach, the mountains, the metropolitan city, we love food and all kinds of it, we love movies and music and our beautiful home town, Los Angeles, for its always gorgeous weather, its eclectic diversity and all its nooks and crannies. We love our families and our little pets and our friends. Our lives are so blessed to have the ability to travel and create all kinds of memories, here in LA and around the world. Follow our journey!

Affectionately,

The Lady