Dog Shelter in Cancun
Today we went to see Tierra de Animales, one of the wonderful animal shelters doing heart-warming work with the stray animals in Cancun, Mexico. The shelter was started by Ricardo Pimentel Herma. He is a true hero to all animals. He has devoted his life to the shelter and to providing a happy home to over 200 dogs. Ricardo and his crew provide health care, nutrition, and love to so many animals that have been abused, abandoned and neglected.
Humans have domesticated dogs, but in Cancun many of the people that live here can barely support themselves, much less their dogs. Tierra de Animales, or in English “Animal Land”, is devoted to helping the ones in need.
The shelter is located about 25 kilometers outside of Cancun. When we arrived, I was amazed! The entire facility is well organized, clean and the majority of the dogs are happy and healthy. There are separate areas for the newcomers and special needs dogs…ones that are recovering from surgeries or other ailments.
If you are thinking of getting a doggie, PLEASE come out to the shelter…spend a couple hours helping out feeding, bathing, and giving affection to the dogs at Tierra de Animales. Let the right dog choose you! If I didn’t already have 3 of my own I would have brought several more home with me!!!
You can see Ricardo’s work in his before and after pictures. He has the most awesome gift of taking the most emaciated and diseased animals and rehabilitating them to become healthy, happy, people-loving doggies.
Seeing how he gives these dogs and cats a second chance at life inspires me to help him out by volunteering and spreading the word about the shelter. Please do the same by sharing this post with your friends and family. Ricardo can use all the help he can get!
I realize the images may be graphic, but they truly depict how dogs are neglected and abused and more importantly how these loving creatures can be saved. They are SO APPRECIATIVE and I really believe they know they are among the lucky ones that get to live at Tierra de Animales.
The luckiest dogs get a “forever home” with a family that loves them. Next up are the lucky dogs that get nutrition, health care and companionship at Tierra de Animales.
If you are considering adopting a dog or cat in Cancun, please visit Tierra de Animales and spend some time with the wonderful, loving and appreciative creatures waiting for a forever home. We had a couple of doggies that really latched onto us and they were so full of love to give it was obviously overflowing!
The dogs have lots of space, a large palapa (thatched roof for shade), and two wading pools that they use a lot on hot days.
Check out their website to schedule your visit or donate to the amazing work they do. http://www.tierradeanimales.org/
You can also find them on facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/tierradeanimales
Golden Parnassus Cancun – Resort Day Pass
Yesterday we spent the day at the Golden Parnassus in Cancun’s Hotel Zone. The day pass normally sells for $80 USD per person which gets you all inclusive use of the hotel & pools from 9AM to 6PM.
Breakfast at Golden Parnassus
from Golden Parnassus looking north to the Ritz Carton
We arrived at 9:20AM and we were immediately given wristbands and cards to exchange for towels by the pool. After we claimed our poolside lounge chairs, we headed to the restaurant for breakfast. The food was excellent! Perfectly cooked eggs to order, fresh fruit, bacon, and several traditional Mexican breakfast dishes.
Then off to the beach for drinks. We tried several, including tequila from a bottle filled with jalapeños. WOW! At the beach it was too easy to order drinks…the beach bar was mere steps from our lounge chairs.
Then it was time for lunch. I started with a little sushi and ceviche, which was nice and light and very fresh. Next I tried the chicken and “barbacoa”, which is roasted beef that was so tender it just falls apart. The barbacoa was my favorite dish.
The weather was fabulous; we could not have asked for better. About 90F, clear and breezy this morning and by mid-afternoon we were able to enjoy some cloud cover which gave us a nice break from the intense sun.
looking south from Golden Parnassus
Lunch at Golden Parnassus
Looking to the north from Golden Parnassus, we have a perfect view of the Ritz Carlton and perfect white sand beaches. Looking to the south…well, a picture is worth more, see for yourself. I cannot express in words how the ocean and the beaches are physically and emotionally cleansing to one’s body and soul. Looking at the beautiful natural settings sends a warm feeling through my body, as if being in the presence of the ocean is ridding my body and spirit of the pressures of everyday life.
Along the beach you will see fenced off areas where the sea turtles have come up to the beach to lay their eggs. Each mound of sand is labeled with the type of turtle, date, and number of eggs inside. The people in charge of helping out the sea turtles explained the process and how a little intervention from humans helps many more baby turtles survive the trek from the nest to the ocean.
As the conservationist digs up the turtle nest of about 100 eggs each, he puts them in the sand to “wake up”. People thought they were dead, until a minute later they seemed to spring to life! The conservationist has us scrub our hands with sand before we could very gently and quickly hold the turtles. The babies would be released into the sea at 9PM that night.
Turtles hatching in Cancun
Fiesty little creatures
These turtles will be released in about 30 hours.
Overall, we loved our day at the Golden Parnassus. Two more day passes has just become available so we are planning our next “stay-cation” for the first of October. Hope to see you all there!
I love Cancun!
Dermatologist in Cancun
After 38 years in the sun and poor use of sunscreen, my face has acquired several dark spots and uneven tone. I went to my friend, Dr. Judith Sam, a well-known dermatologist here in Cancun, Mexico. She suggested “light pulse” treatment, called photo-rejuvenation.
I completely trust Dr. Judith, so we went ahead with the first of possibly 4 light pulse treatments. It was not painful at all. She put a cold gel on my face and covered my eyes with black-out goggles. When the laser snapped I felt a very slight pulse and I “saw” the light even though I had the goggles and my eyes were closed.
After the treatment my face was smooth and soft. Dr. Judith warned me that in a few days I might have some dryness or peeling. Fortunately that did not happen to me. A few days later I start to notice the dark spots are slightly less noticeable. No one else would probably see a difference, but I could tell the spots seems lighter.
Dr. Judith advised to wait 1 month before the next treatment. I am looking forward to it. If you would like more information about the many services Dr. Judith Sam offers, check out her website http://www.dermacancun.com/ Dr. Judith can help you with all of your dermatology needs in Cancun, Mexico.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact her here: http://www.dermacancun.com/contact.html She speaks English and Spanish.
Hard Rock Hotel Cancun now open
The Cancun Palace hotel has been rebranded as a Hard Rock Hotel and is now open. It is located at kilometer 14.5 in Cancun’s hotel zone. This all-inclusive resort is 12 stories of rock n’ roll history on a perfect, powdery white sand beach on the Caribbean coast.
The Hard Rock Hotel Cancun has 601 guest rooms and the hotel’s signature Rock Start Suites. Each room features a spectacular view of the Caribbean sea or lagoon and a private balcony.
Hard Rock Hotel Cancun
Five restaurants inside the hotel including Italian, Japanese, Mexican and American cuisine offer excellent food, service and ambiance. There are also five bars / lounges to quench your thirst. The hotel has 24-hour room service and a 16,400 sq. foot convention center. Each night the hotel entertains guests with their “See The Show” performances with live music.
The beach at Hard Rock Hotel Cancun looked great today and lively music was emanating from the pool area. Check out the video!
Secrets The Vine Cancun
Secrets The Vine Cancun is a new adults-only hotel in the heart of Cancun’s Hotel Zone. It’s chic and elegant 495 guest rooms each offer a private terrace overlooking the Caribbean Sea or Nichupte Lagoon. Sunrises over the ocean and sunsets over the lagoon are the most breathtaking vistas in the world.
Located at KM 14.5, Secrets The Vine is close to everything Cancun has to offer: amazing shopping, famous restaurants and a nightlife that is totally unique. All this is within a short distance from the hotel.
As the name suggests, Secrets The Vine is focused on fine wines for all tastes. There is an extensive selection of wines in an on-site cellar also used for wine tastings and pairings. The hotel features eight restaurants in a casual or casually elegant atmosphere guaranteed to make everyone happy. There are five lounges / bars at the hotel, including a sports bar, piano lounge, and outdoor beach bar.
Street side of Secrets The Vine Cancun (Sandos Cancun in front)
The hotel also features an elite full-service spa. Secrets Spa by Pevonia boasts 14 treatment rooms and special spa suites for couples. Let your body, mind and spirit surrender in the capable hands of the world-class spa staff during massage, body treatment, hydrotherapy treatment or facial. Secrets Spa by Pevonia completes it’s spa boutique with a beauty salon for haircuts & styling, manicures & pedicures and more.
Wedding packages for the perfect destination wedding are available. On-site wedding coordinator can handle all the details including flowers, stylists, cakes, photography…the works! For business and company getaways, Secrets The Vine has a 17,000 sq foot Convention center meeting space for up to 800 guests.
We took a quick walk on the beach to see the hotel. Here is the video of the street side and beach side.
La Playitas Restaurant Bar Cancun
This is one of our favorite downtown Cancun spots. La Playitas has excellent micheladas (beer with tabasco sauce, maggi sauce, Worcestershire sauce in a glass rimmed with salt or chile) and other drinks by the liter at great downtown prices. Liters are served in big mugs, but drinks to go are in large Styrofoam cups. Since La Playitas is located on the way to the hotel zone, it is usually our last stop before heading out the beach.
For lunch we love the fish tacos ($18 pesos each ~ $1.35 USD) and the shrimp tostadas ($30 pesos each ~ $2.30 USD). Two or three tacos or one taco & one tostada is plenty for one person. Our good friend always gets the ceviche and he thinks it is the best in town.
They have seating inside (with AC) and outside. La Playitas is located on Bonampak Av, just a few blocks from the entrance of the hotel zone.
La Playitas seating
La Playitas menu 4
La Playitas menu 3
La Playitas menu 2
La Playitas menu
La Playitas Michelada by the liter
La Playitas 3 fish tacos
Shrimp Tostadas at La Playitas
La Playitas fish tacos
Sushi Hero & El Padrino Express
Two new restaurants in Cancun Hotel zone that are really worth checking out are Sushi Hero & El Padrino Express. From the same owner of Surfin’ Burrito, these two restaurants share outdoor seating a delivery to all the hotels in the zone.
We had the Spice Salmon Roll from Sushi Hero, the all-meat Padrino’s pizza & the chicken parmesan panini. I would go back for the pizza (really tasty) and the sushi roll was very fresh and delicious. We’ll pass on the panini next time. Total price for all three plus 3 waters was only 328 pesos, which is about $26 USD today…enough food for 3 hungry people.
Here is the Sushi Hero Menu:
Sushi Hero Cancun Menu
New breathalyzer check points to start in Cancun June 23 2012
Starting June 23, 2012 there will be a new breathalyzer law in Cancun. You can NOT have a BAC of .04 or higher. There will be four teams deployed throughout the city in high traffic areas with check points to administer a breathalyzer test.
I think this is a great thing for the city safety. There is NO reason to drink in drive in Cancun, because taxis are so cheap. You can go anywhere in downtown for less that 5 usd and to and from the hotel zone for less than 15 usd. In case you are not sure how much or little you can drink and stay within the legal limit check out the chart below.
Cemita sandwiches in Cancun
These are excellent sandwiches for a real taste of Mexico. We found Cemitas de Poblanita in downtown Cancun. It is on the sidestreet of Av. Andres Quintana Roo and Kinic (between City Club and Walmart on the other side of the street). It has newer signage that says Cemitas de Poblanita.
These are so delicious. We got the Pierna Adobo sandwich (pork leg in adobo sauce). Adobo is the sauce used for chipotle sauce. It also has avocado, papalo (similar to cilantro), queso de oaxaca (fresh string cheese), onion and tomato.
AA & NA Meetings in Cancun
Cancun offers daily meetings for Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. Meetings are in English in downtown Cancun.
View AA & NA Meeting Place Cancun, Mexico in a larger map
From the Cancun Hotel Zone, come to downtown. Go straight at the first stoplight. The next main road to the right (not a stoplight) is Ave. Nadar. Turn right, do just about a block and you will see Plaza Nadar on the left.
Meetings in English each evening at 6:15PM. In the same location is the ALANON meetings every Tuesday & Thursday from 4:30PM to 5:30PM.
ALANON phone contact: Cancun cell: 044-998-170-3261 or 044-998-141-7040
