May 28, 2011 - Cancun - Day 4: rehearsal dinner

We woke up pretty early (since the sun fully-illumimates our room by about 6:16am) and head out for a bike ride.

Pretty soon, the path changes from mangrove-lined to mangrove-covered.

We twist and turn (where I was focused somewhat on steering more than picture taking), go over bridges, etc

until we get to the resort nursery, where we stop for a breather.

We continue on and soon the path turns to boardwalks over marshes.

This looks promising.

The first cenote (see-NOTE-ay), from which we had kayaked yesterday [and will today, not pictured] down the Rio Pajaros (river of birds) to the ocean.

Then onto Escondido, to which we will kayak from the ocean tomorrow after absconding with the guides' kayaks.

Not altered - the cenote is this blue.

Dr. Seuss' take on an orchid, one of several around the Cenote Orchida.

This may be another; I don't know what this is.

So, every 1/4 mile we have to stop at another cenote.

One of the more straight parts of the path.

After hundreds or thousands of years (viejo = old), mangroves fill it in to the point that you can't really tell there was ever a big old hole there. So, it goes to this

from this. Amazing.

Jason had told me of this sign, so I was on the lookout.

I love these guys. They look cute from afar, but check out the teeth!

This is why we were all in bad shape for the rest of the trip (and several days after we got back home) - 4-6 hours of all-out volleyball per day.

Good fun, but you forget how hard you're jumping and hitting.

Totally worth it, but our bodies (mainly thighs - sometimes shoulders) were wrecks.

After dinner, Brooke's brother emcees the rehearsal dinner speaches and toasts.

The Colonel, as he is affectionately called (Brooke's dad) gives a speach.