Since I want to tell you all about the wedding the way it happened, I guess I should tell you about the days beforehand. We arrived almost an entire week before the wedding so we had some time to just have fun. Most days this is how you would find Mr. Meerkat and me:
Now, that wasn’t all we did. Don’t worry, we are not that boring.
Lets start out with things we did at the resort. One of my favorite had to be seeing all the local wildlife. Since the Grand Palladium was built into (instead of on top of) the natural habitat of the area, there are a lot of animals around. We saw wildcats, raccoons and iguanas. I even got to see a nest of sea turtles (which were being protected):
But my favorite animals by far though had to be the coatimundi.
The ones at the resort have gotten very tame over the years. When I knelt down to take a photo, one crawled up in my lap!!
You can probably tell by my face I wasn’t really sure what to do because I didn’t want to scare the little guy. Once he figured out I didn’t have food he wandered away.
We also spent a couple days off the resort property. One of the days we headed up to Playa Del Carmen for a bit of shopping and while we were there we met Senor Frog.
And, probably to no one’s surprise, we also found the local Starbucks for a quick snack and a drink.
Stacey The Makeup Fairy, Sister-In-Law Meerkat and Mr. Meerkat
While shopping was fun, what I was really looking forward to was visiting the Mayan ruins at Chitzen Itza. I just LOVE history so being able to tour a part of the Mayan’s history was just amazing. We got to see amazing things like one of the first star observatories, a couple centuries old wall carving and the remains of one of the largest temples ever constructed.
As you can probably tell from the picture it was one of Mr. Meerkat’s favorite things, too. He just looks so happy doesn’t he? 
Each day we had something new to explore but at the end of the night you could always find us at the same place—the resort’s piano bar. We were able to kick back and relax with a cup of tea for me and a cup of Mayan coffee for Mr. Meerkat.
And that is how we spent our days, in peaceful bliss. Well, that is, up until two days before the wedding, when all hell broke loose. Dresses that didn’t fit. A best man that goes missing. AHHH!
Stay tuned, because the pre-wedding craziness is coming up next!
Wow you actually had a pre-honeymoon?? Nice!! I’ll also be on vacation one week before the wedding, but I kind of see myself running screaming from one corner to the other in total nervous panic! I am definitely going to try to learn a thing or two from you guys and take some time to relax as well!
PS: Those coatimundi are adorable, I want one!
Looks like a fun way to spend the days before your wedding!
this looks awesome. i am a huge history nerd, and can’t wait to explore mayan ruins. for now, i am living vicariously through you.
i am so glad you two got some time to relax and have adventures before the big day!
Jealous!! I went to the Mayan Ruins in Tulum and it was one of the best experiences of my life. That is so cool you saw one of the first star observatories!
I know you’ve only just started your recaps but I’m loving them already! They’re making me crave sunshine so much!
@PitBulLover: We visited Tulum on our HM too!
Everything looks amazing and I am totally jealous! I want to go back to the Maya Riviera ASAP! Also, those cute animals totally beat out all the iguanas we saw.
@PitBulLover: We visited Tulum last time we were there and it was beautiful up on the cliff. Chitzen Itza is probably 5 times as big as Tulum so we were all wide eyed when we went! Next time we are going to visit Coba for sure as I heard it was the best. 
@MissLakeBum: I keep our wedding photos running as a slideshow on my desktop background for the exact same reason. Come on summer! 
@Mrs. Locket: I am not sure if can’t wait patiently till our 1st anniversary to head back. LOL
Is it just me or do those wall carvings look like tic-tac-toe… 
Your pictures are amazing!! I can’t wait to see your wedding
@Misslizzy: ROFL It is not just you. We were all asking the same thing too!
I’ve always wanted to visit Chitzen Itza! Those ruins look incredible!
What an awesome way to spend the days before your wedding! Love it!
ooh, Mr. O and i are heading to hawaii 4 days before the wedding and staying 4 days after. i hope i can get some R & R like you two did before the big day
The calm before the storm! Those coatimundi are too cute. I’ve never heard of them before.
Mrs. Meerkat, Kalamazoo, MI/Riviera Maya Age and Occupation: 30, Application Engineer Fiance's Age and Occupation: 23, IT Consultant Engagement Date: July 26, 2008 Wedding Date: December 2010 Venue: Al Cielo / La Laguna About Me: I’m a tech-savvy tomboy with an affinity for hot tea and good sushi. Us Meerkats are just a couple fun lovin’ geeks from Michigan. We love anything having to do with movies, books, video games or technology and we hold a special place in our hearts for our two very spoiled shih-tzus, Wicket and Bravo. We also LOVE to travel. We love it so much it only took us 12 hours after we got engaged to decide to have a destination wedding. We are working our little Meerkat tails off planning a rustic-chic, travel themed destination wedding in the Riviera Maya with a semi-formal, vintage-turned-modern, outdoor at home reception back here in Michigan.
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