Indiana (Bear) Jones

Guess what... another gorgeous sunrise!

 (Mama is trying to get inventive with taking sunrise pictures... otherwise they all look alike!)

 Today we are going on a tour to a Cenote and an old Mayan Ruin...

 The Cenote is first... Cenotes are big sinkholes in the ground (which is all limestone in this area). They often have water in them and you can go swimming there! First we had to walk through a bit of jungle...

 There's the sign... but they don't little little bears swim in Cenotes... plus we got to rappel down into the water and they didn't have harnesses small enough for Sandy...

 So Sandy wonders if maybe he should explore the jungle a little bit...

 Or maybe not - do you see those massive spikes on that tree!!

 Maybe he'll just hang out in a chair for a while... although it is very hot and humid out there in the sun...

 That's better... a hammock in the shade!

 After the Cenote we went to Ex Balaam (Black Jaguar), an old Mayan city with one of those big pyramids. The biggest one is at a place called Chichen itza, but it was a beary long drive and you can't climb on the pyramid anymore... whereas at Ek Balaam, you can still climb the pyramid!

 It was beary steep...

 And there were a lot of stairs...

 But Sandy made it to the top!! There is a beary good view from up there.

But then there is the big down as well... Some people actually scootch down on their bums... but Sandy rode shotgun on Mama's backpack as she scampered down....

 We went up a smaller pyramid too... we were over there on the big one!!

And there was a nice mural to round off the day... A beary long day with no suntanning...

Shopping for a Sombearo

Another gorgeous sunrise this morning...

 The morning star was even out - but is hard to see - just near the top of the picture... Sandy wonders why it is called the morning star if it is actually the planet Venus?

 Today we went on a little shopping trip to the nearby village to see if we could find a sombearo for Sandy.

They had all sorts of panthers... (no bears)...

 And skulls...

And colourful piggies (Sullivan will like those!)...

 And funny thingies that turn out to be hammocks...

 Beary colorful blankets...

 And t-shirts... but no sombearos...

On our way to another shop, there were some religious statues....

 And some scary skulls! Quite the juxtaposition with the previous statues!

 Oh look!!! Sombearos!!! Huge ones and itty bitty ones... Well, we'll get Sandy a small one... he would disappear under the big one!

There we go... a little bear with a teeny-tiny sombearo... too bad his hat doesn't come off...

 There we go - a little bear snoozing in the sun!

Working on his suntan for another day!

Bear Beachcomber

Sandy was up with the sun this morning to explore this little part of Mexico!

The sunrise was gorgeous but it sure heated up quickly!

 This stretch of the beach is famous for its sea turtles. There are also tonnes of turtle nests around. They look a bit like a grave... but are really not...

 All along the beach, there is stuff that has been washed up by the waves. Here is a bit of seaweed.

 And after a bit of hunting, Sandy found a variety of interesting things...

 There is a branch coral, some mound corals, a little sea urchin shell and then some sea shells at the end.

 This little thing is very strange though. It looks sort of like an acorn but way bigger! Maybe the mystery will resolve itself this week...

 Oh, here's a pretty mural that shows the turtles and some fishies... and is that a sting ray at the upper left??

Whew... that was a busy start to the day... Now it's time to relax on the loungers and get a suntan! Pale Canadian bear skins need a bit of sun!

Home Again and Off Again!

Well... talk about a whirlwind trip! Sandy got home from his long road trip and was welcomed by...

Snow!! Fresh snow on the ground!! Oh my goodness...

That is one happy little bear! But it was a beary long road trip and Sandy was pooped. He thought he would have a nice long sleep.

But it wasn't long before Mama was telling him it was time to get up...

The clock said 3:40... a.m. that is... ugh!! Sandy was not impressed with this wake-up call...

But Mama said it was time to get ready for Meh-hee-ko!! Which meant trying out the snorkel equipment.

Hmmm... maybe not... doesn't seem to fit him very well.

Sandy dragged his little bum off to the airport...

reviewed some guidebook material... checked out a few maps...

And boarded the plane before it was light out. See the snow on the ground!

The plane flew over clouds for a beary long time but then it was flying over irrigated cropland with big irrigation circles. Sandy thought that maybe the plane was flying over Jerry & Ben's home... but he wasn't sure... And soon it was time to land in Meh-hee-ko... but there are no photos of that... 2 hours through immigration and customs (with soldiers carrying guns)... so Sandy did his hiding in the backpack thing... Then there was a 2 hour bus ride... not beary exciting... And finally!

Sandy stands on some white stuff!! Which might look like snow... but which is really sand! Pure white sand and a blue sea and the sun going down... time to head for bed and more adventures tomorrow!

P.S. And Sandy has nothing to do with Hurricane Sandy!!! Although he thinks the name is beary nice! If Hurricanes can have "nice" names! He hopes all his US friends have battened down their hatches!

Another Scary Place

Sandy is keen for another adventure (Mama can hardly keep up)! This time, Sandy is checking out an old collection of cabins and shacks. They don't look too scary, do they?

 They actually look kind of cute set against the back-drop of the mountains and the blue sky.

 The insides are kind of yucky though. Sandy isn't going to get his boots dirty by exploring in there!

 Some of the cabins are tucked in amongst young trees that have grown up around them. The roofs are all caved in and there's no way a little bear is going to be allowed to go in there to explore!

Let's see... what else is there for a little bear to find?

 Oh here's another Fly Agaric mushroom...

And here is an interesting pile of black stuff with what looks like seeds in it... Hmmm... some big bear has been through here, but not recently!

What is that tucked in the grasses? It's beary hard to see it clearly from this angle...

Whoops! Sandy almost screamed with fright as something grabbed his legs and tripped him. It was just an old set of mattress springs, but still... a little bear could have a heart attack out here if he isn't careful!

Gulp!! It's an old truck! A haunted truck maybe? That would depend if it is named Christine or something!

Nope, it's only called Dodge... is that a tree growing in the engine compartment?

 Wow... the rest of it might be all rusted, but the chrome is standing up pretty well. Sandy can even see his reflection in it!

 This truck has obviously been here for a beary long time...

 It doesn't look drivable... that's for sure!

 Mama, thinks... based on the front grill and stuff that it is from the 1940s which means it is 70 years old... wow!

That was a beary cool place for a little bear to explore... a bit scary... but not really!