Monday, March 16, 2026
We slept in a bit longer since our day’s activity wasn’t till noon. Until then, we decided to go out for breakfast. Our condo was nice because it was within walking distance of lots of stuff. Erik and I took Ian to Les Ami for breakfast. It was an odd little restaurant owed by a very friendly Brazilian who got really excited when he found out that Erik speaks Portuguese. It took forever to get our order, though we did order quite a bit of food. I would say it was too much food, but we eventually ate the leftovers. The restaurant itself was teeny with pictures, drawings, and money all over the walls and ceiling. The food itself was okay, kinda weird. The avocado toast had hardly any avocado on it. The chilaquiles had random bread slices all over it, and Ian’s guacamole had way too much red onion in it. We ordered the juice and that was pretty good. He gave us some free slices of passionfruit cheesecake—I didn’t care for it too much since it had a very gummy texture and didn’t taste much like cheesecake.
Since we took so long at the restaurant, we didn’t have much time left to pack up for our Rio Secreto tour. However, we did stop at Walmart one more time where Gabe bought a sombrero for his Waluigi plushy. We were put with 5 other random people and a tour guide name Jared. First, we showered and put on our wetsuits, which was very uncomfortable for me, but I eventually got used to it. We were also given helmets with lights on them. They had water shoes, but we brought our own. It was a small hike to the cave, and we learned about a poisonous tree and Mayan resin incense. Most of the tour was spent in the water. The water wasn’t cold, but it wasn’t warm. It was a pretty neat experience to swim through cave water. After the Rio Secreto cave tour, we were treated to a buffet. The food was just ok. There were a few types of meat, which we used to make tacos. We weren't allowed to bring our phones, so we didn't get any pictures. There was a cameraman taking pictures, but they wanted $30 per picture, and not one of them was good. I stole some of these off the internet to give you an idea of how it looks inside:
Next, we drove to our new Airbnb at Mareazul. It was in a gated community with a huge swimming pool and beach access. Ian and Elisa spent the evening in the huge pool while Erik, Gabe, and I walked down to the beach. This beach was a lot nicer than the other one, but there was still a lot of seaweed. I randomly found a mango and a watermelon lying on the beach, so we took them back to the apartment to eat. The mango was good, but the watermelon was icky. Then, Erik went to the gym while the rest of us lounged around the apartment.
We slept in a bit longer since our day’s activity wasn’t till noon. Until then, we decided to go out for breakfast. Our condo was nice because it was within walking distance of lots of stuff. Erik and I took Ian to Les Ami for breakfast. It was an odd little restaurant owed by a very friendly Brazilian who got really excited when he found out that Erik speaks Portuguese. It took forever to get our order, though we did order quite a bit of food. I would say it was too much food, but we eventually ate the leftovers. The restaurant itself was teeny with pictures, drawings, and money all over the walls and ceiling. The food itself was okay, kinda weird. The avocado toast had hardly any avocado on it. The chilaquiles had random bread slices all over it, and Ian’s guacamole had way too much red onion in it. We ordered the juice and that was pretty good. He gave us some free slices of passionfruit cheesecake—I didn’t care for it too much since it had a very gummy texture and didn’t taste much like cheesecake.
Eating interesting food at Les Ami
Gabe and Elisa were still sleeping when we got back from Breakfast.
On the bus to the Rio Secreto!
Imagine that some of these people are us
There was some walking, but we were mostly swimming!
Next, we drove to our new Airbnb at Mareazul. It was in a gated community with a huge swimming pool and beach access. Ian and Elisa spent the evening in the huge pool while Erik, Gabe, and I walked down to the beach. This beach was a lot nicer than the other one, but there was still a lot of seaweed. I randomly found a mango and a watermelon lying on the beach, so we took them back to the apartment to eat. The mango was good, but the watermelon was icky. Then, Erik went to the gym while the rest of us lounged around the apartment.
Lounging around our patio. The pool was a wading pool, though Ian didn't mind swimming in it.
Me and my Gabe at the beach
The kids loved swimming in the biggest swimming pool we've ever seen!
