Cancun airport car rental can be very tricky, as we found out.  We rented from the bottom priced place (a national brand, but not one of the top brands..). In any case, we made it to the agency’s office (not air conditioned), a one room affair, and had to wait an hour (with kids) for a car to show up… it was not washed properly, so the rental folks had to wash it (using buckets), and the car was in poor condition.  So do your home work; if herz and avis are too expensive as car rental companies, make sure you read plenty of reviews about the CANCUN branch of those companies… this will save you.

How To Avoid Car Rental Nightmares On A Mexico Vacation says It is advisable to rent from an international car rental agency instead of relying on a local agency (I 2nd that).  There are also other great hints on that blog.

SQL injection attack is one of the sinister ways for malicious usrs to exploit and break into your website. This kind of attack results from careless coding and allowing users to input characters such as colon “‘” into their input string, which are then used to extract certain information from the database.

You are at particular risk if you are using a script aquired from somewhere else (forums, commercial scripts). Since you probably cannot plug ALL the vulnerabilities, do consider doing frequent backups to at least recover from such disasters. After that, you have to dive into the log files to see what the attacker did, and fix the holes accordingly.

Moral: stay away from unknown scripts, and with popular scrips such as forums (phpbb), apply all the latest security patches.

Protect Your Site By Learning How To Hack it is a good starting point for research on sql injection and other website vulnerabilities.

We visited Isla Mujeres, the isle of woman, on a sunny day in September and here is our trip review. We took a catamarn from blue bay resort on the mainland of Cancun. It only cost us $35 for each person, which included drinks on the cat, snorkeling (3 places), lunch on the island, and spinnaker ride (the ride often not possible due to wind conditions).

Isla is a beautiful small town with charming alleys, located next to pristine waters. When your boat pulls in, you can look down and see seashells at the bottom of crystal-clear waters. It is totally awesome.

The snorkeling is wonderful. The fish are plentiful. There is one area where there are some currents, so slower swimmers and kids need some help.

The lunch is avarage mexican fair. Nothing to write home about, but then what do you expect for a trip of $35.

The trip on catamaran is truly a joy. That is the best part of the trip.. the partying and just looking down at the ocean bottom is such a thrill.

Check out the North Beach, it is like a swimming pool, calm and shallow.

Overall the best bargain in Cancun!

Here are more info:

Trapped in Isla Mujeres - What was supposed to be a 3 day stop over in isla mujeres has turned out to be 3 weeks (possibly longer) No we didn’t get in trouble and find our way into a mexican jail. The weather (and by that we mean wind) has refused to cooperate. …

Pine Knot in Isla Mujeres - You’ll have to scroll down for our most recent posts. Also, remember you can click the photos for a larger version. Hope you enjoy sharing our adventure! …

Cuban Restaurant on Isla Mujeres - check it out, a genuine Cuban restaurant on the magical island. I need to check it out next time.

Highlight of vacation was visit to Isla Mujeres - a great blog about Cancun area travel, and also a visit to Isla Mujeres, where they got rained on (not a bad thing when the rain is warm)

Travel with RJ has info about excursion from Cozumel to different places including Isla Mujeres, although this is a long trip, and not as rewarding due to the islands being somewhat similar.

I tried this tasty treat in Cancun. And where I am, in Canada, it cannot be found. So I started searching over the net, and you are pretty much limited to Mexico and maybe Southern states of US for this. Toooo bad.

For the uninitiated, Sabritas is made by Lay and is lime and salt peanuts. When you go to Cancun, check them out, you would be happy.

Here is an interesting discussion about Sabritas, where to find it, what people think of it. It recommends some other brands as well.

I went swimming in Cenotes, Yucatan Mexico, and that is the experience I will never forget. You MUST visit Cenotes of Yucatan Mexico when in Cancun!  Read about Cenotes below, but in brief, they are fresh waterpools (actually underground rivers) and a reprieve from the hot Yucatan sun.  Seek them out.  Get information from the web, since getting information locally is hard.  Most taxis, locals, don’t know about all the cenotes, unless you want to go to an established tour (not a bad idea $$).

Here are some links to get you started:

Cenotes, Ruins, Cities, Beaches and things we plan to do in December - We recommend hiring a guide at your arrival so they can explain the archaeological and astronomic wonders of this site. Aerial view Temple of the 7 Dolls Cenote Xlacah Yucatan Today - Mayan Ruin of Dzibilchaltun, Yucatan, Mexico.

Choc-Mool Cenote - Yucatan, Mexico - A cavern dive in Chac-Mool Cenote. Following open water diver and guide outside the team. Author: decopixel Keywords: Cenote mexico decopixel mark santa-maria cave cavern choc-mol choc mol scuba Added: November 6, 2007 read the full.

Phillip Geerts, Physical Trainer in Merida - I also love diving in cenotes and camping in the rough terrain of the Yucatan. YL: What do you miss from your “former life”? Phillip: I miss my family and friends mostly, but also the access to anything without a hassle. …

Mexico - Afterwards we went to a Cenote for some swimming. Cenotes are fresh water sinkholes/caves that dot the Yucatan. Here’s Kevin who is just about to experience some serious pain. We finished off the day with five or six games of pool …

mexico 2008: quintana roo - tulum, coba, and the sian ka’an biosphere - we got up at the crack of dawn again the next day to go and see the ruins at coba, which has the tallest pyramid in the yucatan peninsula. we hired bikes to get around the site, but it probably wasn’t necessary (although they were cheap …

Yucatán 2008 Day 3 Mérida & Celestún (2008-03-18 Tuesday) - The cenote wasn’t really in a cave (literally, cenote means underground lake), but it was a large pool of fresh water, in a stream that was fed from an underground spring. Most people, including Jess, were having a refreshing swim. …

We visiteed Tulum Mayan ruins and Xel Ha about 3 years ago. Most people go to both since there is a combo bus tour and the places are close to each other.  It makes sense. Tulum ruins are simply beautiful (if you make do with small ruins, not huge like Chichen Itza).  The water is simply breathtaking, so bring your swimsuit.  I even saw a topless swimmer there, but that is another story.

The place is hot hot hot hot.  You cannot really escape the heat, but keep thinking about Xelha!!

Ahh, after the ‘ruins tour’ the bus will take you to Xel Ha.  This is imply a huge aquarium, and nothing like it in the world. A huge undergournd river (Cenote) flows into a huge lagoon. They take you up to the head of the cenote, and you float down to the lagoon. While floating down (rather leisurely) you will get to see a ton of fish (and a lot of snorkelers).

Make a plan to fit this tour combo into your Cancun trip. Here are some other good links:

Tulum Ruins - While on vacation we went to see Mayan ruins on two different occasions. The first we went to see were the Tulum ruins which were only like 3 miles from our resort. The ruins sit on a cliff overlooking the ocean and are surrounded by a …

Small Tulum Ruin - Small Tulum Ruin A shot of the Tulum ruins and beautiful turquoise Caribbean Sea. (Mayan Ruins, Mexico)

Hola! I’m back from Mexico - We drove down to Tulum to see the seaside Mayan ruins. Stopped at a great little roadside taco stand on the way. Tulum ruins were spectacular, and it was nice to take a dip in the ocean after getting sweaty walking around. …

Dream Vacation - Luckily, there are plenty of other great beaches with public access and the one at the Tulum ruins is one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. Just below the main temple is a crystal-clear beach and the views from it are spectacular. …

May 8th (Thursday) - Went to Tulum ruins. Started to count iguanas –got up to 28. Ruins were cool, but it was the most beautiful beach we’d ever been to. Sophie got really into body surfing (with us at first and then by herself), Ellie dug cenotes (went …

Tulum - Beachfront ruins of Mayan structure in Tulum. Beachfront ruins of Mayan structure in Tulum $0.99 - $20.00 Photo by Derek Miller.

In Xel-Ha- Water Theme Park See a great blog about Xel-Ha and a nice picture right from the water.

After visiting last year, I can tell you the things to do in Akumal, Mexico.  We visited this laid back place last September, and greatly enjoyed it.  This place is sooo unlike Cancun, it is strangely laid back and tranquil. The water, like the place, is very calm.. unlike Cancun seas at that time, which were turbulant.

You can sit at the beach-front cafe, have a drink, and enjoy the serenity of the place.

Go swimming in Akumal!  Beautiful white sands, and very calm pool-like waters. Nothing like it in Cancun.

Snorkeling: There is a beautiful lagoon to the North of the town, Yal Ku Lagoon (maybe 10 minutes - forgot the name of it now) which is a wonderful, and QUIET place to snorkel. Nothing like Xelha (less fish, but A LOT less crowds).  I enjoyed very much swimming among the underwater rocks, leading to some hidden openings (but be careful).

Relaxing:  This is the true relaxation place.

Sea Turtles, Barras:  Once you snorkel away from the bay, you can see the sea turtles, the barracudas, and the stingrays.

Here some good blogs on the subject, give me your feedback:

Looking for AI in Akumal - Any Advice? - We’d like to see more of Akumal, and do lots of snorkeling. (Also, we liked that Akumal seemed more out-of-the-way than the Royal.) Those of you who’ve stayed at Akumal AIs (even the Tulum area): we’d sure like you to weigh in. …

Akumal, turtles and fish… - Akumal, Mexico - Akumal, Mexico We awoke to a perfectly calm day. This would be the only calm day of the trip as the remaining days would be very windy. This was suppose to be a “beach day” but got the urge to snorkel. Booked a snorkel tour from the …

Recent Akumal Photos - 1. A Cenote at Selvatica & 2. Akumal Bay(photos courtesy of “Staniam’s Akumal Adventure”), Akumal forum / locogringo.com.

Akumal Mexico - We had a great trip down to Akumal Mexico. The weather was like the picture all week. I posted way too many pics on my .mac site if anyone is mildly interested.

Akumal, Mexico - Well, I’ve been here in Akumal for a few days and have been digging the sunshine and (finally) adjusting to the humidity, poco a poco. Although this place is gorgeous with its white sands and turquoise waters, I just can’t get over that …

Akumal Travel And Dive Report - My wife and I visited Akumal from 4/9 - 4/17, it wa our first trip there. We had a great overall trip and look forward to going back . We stayed at the Akumal Beach Resort and dove with the Akumal Dive Center. …

Places to stay in Akumal - Picture yourself enjoying the white-sandy beaches and the turquoise-blue waters of the Mexican Caribbean directly at the front step of your condo. A great blog about accomodation choices in Akumal.

As Akumal is kind of a quaint place, a visit to Playa Del Carmen is a must (to see people, hit some restaurants, do shopping, and internet).  This blog talks about that experience.

I visited Chichen Itza nearly 3 years ago.  It is truly an amazing site to visit. We rented a car from Cancun and went thru the local road to get there. What a delight!  If you take the toll road you will miss the great beauty of this region and its people. The regular road goes through Mayan towns, and you can see the people, most of whom are under 5 feet tall.

Make sure to stop by the town of Valladolid.  It has a beautiful church, and a great restaurant at the North End.  There are some bird migrations that are supposed to be beautful here, but I missed that one totally so cannot comment on it.

Close to Chichen, there is a Cenote.  This is a must visit.

Take a lot of water with you, and splash it on yourself all the time if you don’t want to have a heat-stroke.

Recommended.

Here are some interesting Chichen Itza blog posts:

Lost Temples: Mayan Pyramids of Chichen Itza - A very col National Geographic segment on the Lost Temples: Mayan Pyramids of Chichen Itza. via videosift.com. Tags: lost city, Chichen Itza, Maya, Mayan, pyramid, Central America, temples, Americas, history, National Geographic.

Drop Kick Murphys Drop Kick Chichen Itza - … where two of my completely diverse interests come together. JayC2011 and some friends created a music video using claymation that combines the Drop Kick Murphys with Chichen Itza. And it rocks! Here it is (be sure to turn it up LOUD):

More Vacation Pics - We went swimming at a cenote, a large fresh water well, on the way back from Chichen Itza. All the boys and Amy took turns either jumping or diving from the cliff. Bryan and all the boys went scuba diving in a cenote and said it was one …

Mexican (mis)adventures - Cancun, Mexico - On our final day of Cancun we arranged to take a tour our to Chichen Itza, the local Mayan ruins, with another guest at our hostel, a friendly Aussie by the name of Nick. The ruins were a couple of hours outside Cancun, so we were lucky …

Blue Bay Cancun is a hotel situated in Cancun Hotel Zone. Blue Bay Cancun has a very quiet beach without waves which is a blessing when there are hurricanes in the Cancun area. The food is plentiful and the entertain is every night. It is known to have friendly staff, who bend over backwards to provide assistance to wary traveler.

Wanna see some great pics of the beaches in Cancun, check out simply gorgeous beaches. Imagine yourself about to jet off on a luxury holiday. To places where there are miles upon miles of Golden sandy beaches, places where the turquoise never ending seas meet the blue sun filled skies.