"Hola Amigos"...Mexican for Hello friends!! How is everything back home?? Very good I hope! I am a few days into the GAP adventures tour of Mexico! It is great! We just arrived today in Merida! The last 2 days we spent in a place called Playa del Carmen! The first day we went to see the Tulum ruins - quite interesting!! The second day, Mel and I got invited on a fishing and snorkelling trip with the other tour group that were staying at the same hotel as us!! Of course we accepted!! However....it takes a little while for your stomach to adapt to the different bacterias in the food here.....add together an already upset stomach and a choppy ocean...you guessed it!! Miss Lucy was sea sick...twice!! Not nice at all!!! Our boat didn't catch any fish either!! But the snorkelling was absolutely amazing, so it made up for it!!!! We spent most of today on a bus travelling to Merida, but stopped at a place called Chichen Itzu on the way to see the cities ruins!! We had an amazing local tour guide there and I learnt so much about something I knew nothing of at all!!!! Very fascinating to learn of the ruins being discovered by archaeolgists after so many years of them being covered by vegetation!! And particulary interesting to discover the way the people lived back then and what they believed in!!! Tomorrow we are going to go swimming in the Cenotes which are underwater caves....should be lots of fun!! Can't wait!! All food in Mexico is spicy..you can't escape it!! Mel and I are slowly getting used to it however - we have no choice!!!! My stomach was quite upset for the first few days, but seems to be settled now!! All the places we visit are beautiful in their own respects, but in some parts look very third world. Definately an eye opener!! Anyways, had best be off.... Talk soon Miss you all heaps as always LUCIA (my Mexican name!!) ps - "Beauno Nochas".....mexican for 'Goodnight'