CostaMayaBrisas Travel & Xperiences

Birds and a Butterfly in Quintana Roo Mexico

2012-04-09T18:09:00.000-07:00

Birds and a Butterfly in Quintana Roo Mexico

We managed to capture some incredible photos of birds in their natural habitat on our recent trip through the Sian Ka’an biosphere, southern Quintana Roo, Mexico. Enjoy!

Cruising the Canadian Rockies on our Harley's

2012-03-18T11:03:00.001-07:00

Welcome to my blog

This is a little different type of trip we did on our motorcyles in the summer of 2011. Please enjoy and comment

Leaving Edmonton with the forecast stating sun, sun and more sun, we set out for our first stop, Jasper Alberta. The 4.5 hr ride is just long enough and we arrive at our B & B, the 'Glass House', that we had pre booked to ensure that they wouldn't have any problems with motorcycle riders. We pull the bags off my bike, had a quick shower and walked to main street, choosing an old family restaurant that has been around for years. Once that was out of the way we were ready for bed and looking forward to the next day that would take us through the Rockies into Revelstoke

The lodge all to ourselves

Cruising to Revelstoke, BC

Up early and had a great breakfast. Our host even packed a paper bag with fresh naked breakfast goodies for our trip. :) Absolutely beautiful scenery with mountain goats, deer and elk all along the way. The speed limit is 80 km, so you just have to turn up your I pod, relax and enjoy the scenery. The highways are excellent and there are so many breathtaking places to stop and take photos. Every lake is a different color of blue or green with many streams and rivers along the way. In no time at all we are now approaching Revelstoke. I found a cool place to stay on trip advisor, which, by the map I printed off, was a little ways off the highway and up the mountain from the highway. A few kilometers on asphalt roads and we found our place for the night which looks like a rustic lodge.

We park our bikes and make our way inside, greeted with a huge smile by the owner. We are shown to our room, looks good and we again grab our bags, change and head upstairs for a drink on the huge balcony that overlooks the tree tops to see the mountains surrounding us. Our host sits with us and chats as if we known her forever and she tells us how her and her husband have built this place from nothing. Incredible!! She does all the hosting, cleaning and cooking. We are asked if we would like to eat that evening and if we would be good with whatever she makes for us. Her German background makes us think that it will be good and was it ever! Schnitzel and Spaetzle. Can't get any better than that and then topped it off with German cheesecake. Excellent meal, a drink to finish the night and off to bed we went.

We wake up to another beautiful morning, have a fantastic breakfast (her pancakes are to die for), pay our bill and say our goodbyes. We will definitely be back!

We gas up in town and find our way to highway 23 southbound, heading to Shelter Bay where we will take the free ferry to get to the other side of the lake then head south for about 20 minutes to a place called Halcyon Hot Springs. We booked a stand alone barn style bungalow with a view of Upper Arrow Lake. We register, unload the bikes and head for the pub to sit on the deck and enjoy a beer, relax and enjoy the views. We had to check out the lake that we were over looking as well. Hiked down the bank and tested the water for a bit, before we headed to the restaurant for dinner. Of course we had to take a dip in the hot springs as well. What a great way to finish another day on the road.

Our cabin for the night at Halcyon Hot Springs

Halcyon Hot Springs, BC

Museum, Kaslo BC

Again, wake up to a beautifully sunny hot day, pack the bike, grab a quick breakfast and make our way south. The ride is just a short one to a town called Kaslo. But we take our time thru the winding roads .... this is bike country, passing so many riders with huge smiles on their faces , as we are all enjoying the curves and scenery. Once we reach town, we find our way to the famous Kaslo Hotel and are shown to our room and are blown away! This is five star quality. Incredible furniture, finishings and our own patio with a view of the lake. We get settled, changed and explore the town, lots of cool stores and an old steamboat to explore. You have to check out the book store! The smell itself is very nostalgic. That kept us busy till the end of the day where we ended up on the deck enjoying dinner and drinks. Nice place to stay.

Kaslo Hotel, BC

The road from Kaslo to Crawford Bay is nothing but curves and turns and we are seeing a lot of motorcycles. One of the more exiting parts of the trip is taking the ferry across the lake. Our timing is off, so we have to wait a bit for the next one, so since we have some time to kill, we chat it up with some other bikers, enjoying coffee and fresh pastries at the local bakery.

Cool Stores just down the road from the Ferry to explore

Nice thing about being on bikes, the ferry staff can fit you in anywhere on the boat. There were at least 15 other bikes on the ferry this time as we crossed. Once off the lake, about 10 minutes more south, there are a bunch of cool artisan shops to check out. A glass shop where they blow their own glass, a rod iron shop, with all sorts of cool stuff, broom shop where they weave brooms as well as other shops. We couldn't waste too much time as our next destination was Kimberly via Creston which was one of the longer stretches of our trip.

: Cruising somewhere in eastern BC.

Again, lots of turns to enjoy and lots of other motorcycle enthusiasts also on the road. A quick stop to say hello to my wife's parents in Creston, have some lunch and gas up, making our way to Kimberly. we've never been there before,so we didn't know what to expect. Found the hotel, unloaded the bikes (we're getting good at this) and cleaned up for dinner. The hotel was close to the town center which has a variety of restaurants and pubs to choose from. Burrito Grill was recommended to us and since we're partial to Mexican, we went for it. Fantastic food and great service! Several margaritas later, we head back to our hotel and crash for the night.

Next stop, Lake Louise, Alberta. The journey from Kimberley brings you through all different kinds of scenery until you get closer to Alberta, where the Rocky Mountains start casting shadows on the road again. Once we turn North on highway #1 towards Lake Louise the traffic is horrific. We take our time watching for stupid drivers and find our way up to the hotel. My wife got a super deal at the Chateau Lake Louise, so this is where we'll enjoy the night. In the back of my mind I'm thinking what will the hotel and guests think of a couple of loud Harley's pulling up in front of the hotel? No worries though. There's about 30 other Harley's parked out front on a tour from the States.

Sunset on Lake Louise, Alberta

We check in, park our bikes and haul our for what you get. I would never pay the regular price, no way. Anyways, we get our shorts and flip flops on and start hiking the trail around the lake. We went 7 kilometers and decided to head back. Not the kind of trail you want to do in your flip flops, but very scenic and peaceful. We found dinner at the hotel acceptable and the service, so so. I think the hotel staff have grown accustom to large bus loads of tour groups and treat everyone like cattle, knowing that there will be another group the next day, putting little effort into good service.

Again, we wake up to beautiful sunshine! Today is our last day, heading back to Edmonton via Saskatchewan River Crossing, Highway 11, which takes you east past Nordegg, then up Highway 22 and east again. We hit a terrible hail and rain storm on the way home for about an hour, stopping in Rocky Mountain House to dry off and catch our wits about us. For the most part though, we had excellent weather and after logging 1500 plus kilometers, it was nice be back to our own bed for the night.stuff up to our room.

Your view as you cruise along the highway in the Alberta Rocky Mountains

2012-01-08T17:45:00.000-08:00

I have created a new photo blog site which will incorporate small photo blog journals of our travels. Please join me at globalexcursions.ca
I have posted two blogs so far. One on Mykono's Greece and the other on our visit to Istanbul Turkey. There will be plenty of photoblogs to come.
Join me on these journeys.

They call this little Venice. This is part of Mykono's Greece.

Akumal Mexico-Awesome Snorkeling

2011-12-12T18:52:00.000-08:00

Akumal Mexico, Here We Come

No money but need a vacation, so what to do? Sell the kid, no can’t do that, he’s already moved out J

I have an idea. Having accumulated 16000 air miles over the years, we can finally use them. After hours on the phone with the Air Miles rep, we book an All Inclusive Package in the Riviera Maya area nearest Akumal Mexico. We’re not big on all inclusives, but hey, at this point, we’ll do anything to get out of the cold.

We receive our itinerary and reality sets in. A direct flight… that’s good, but we know the bus from the airport to the hotel will take forever because of all the stops at other hotels to drop vacationers off. We will have to keep reminding ourselves, “tranquilo!”

It’s the day before we leave, finish work and look at the forecast for the Cancun area, “Hot and Sunny”. Great, we pack light and hope… Oh yah, drop our 13 year old dog off at the babysitters; she’s already sulking because she saw the luggage.

It’s the morning to leave and we do the usual things, unplug all unnecessary electronics and program the thermostat to stay a 55 degrees. Our friends arrive to take us to the airport, we load our suitcases and off we go.

No problem checking in, we just have to get through the security.

My turn, here we go again, my underwater camera, strobe and attachments are questioned. “Is this your case sir?” “Of course,” I say, “yes, I can open it for you, no problem”. The problem I do have is how rough they are with my equipment and I politely ask them to be more careful. They oblige but they don’t like my Phillips screwdriver which is so small about 2” long and about as thick as a toothpick.

They won’t allow me to take it though, I told them to keep it. Seriously, what can anyone do with that?

Now that that’s behind us, it time to eat breakfast, I order eggs and bacon, guess what I get to use for utensils, a metal fork and knife. Now this really makes sense, they keep my screwdriver but allow metal cutlery in the restaurants.

Full from breakfast and all coffeed out, we board the plane for the five and half hour flight. Everything goes smoothly, wait for our luggage at the carousel and 20 minutes later we hit the go or no go button, were lucky again, its green and we go through the doors and ignore all the guys that have that great deal for you.

We head out the exit doors and go looking for our hostess, and after finding her, she shows us what bus to get on and wait.

And wait we do, about 45 minutes later we are on our way. An hour and a half later, we are finally arriving at our hotel. “The Bahia Principe Coba.”

Check in is effortless. We need to catch the motorized train to get to our room and 5 minutes later we are there. The room is clean and large, within a couple of minutes our luggage arrives and we tip the porter.

We get freshened up and decide to get some food and have a drink to finish the evening and discuss what we should do for the first full day in paradise. We decided for the first day we would take it easy and relax and swim at the hotel.

Ah, we wake up to a beautiful sunny morning and start our day with breakfast at the buffet restaurant. We finish up and go to the room, grab our snorkeling gear and walk to the beach. What do we find? every lounge chair is gone and it’s packed with people.

We finally get a place to sit and grab some drinks. Of course I want to get in the water and check things out. I hit the water with my mask and snorkel to find very little of anything alive. I want to go under the rope and head to deeper water but there are lifeguards keeping anyone from doing that. With so many people in the water and seeing the fake boulders that are placed in the swimming area (which I’m sure are there to help the beach from eroding), my snorkeling here is done.

We spend the rest of the day around one of the many pools. We eat at the buffet for dinner, which has a very good selection of food for everyone’s taste.

We end the night in a lounge and off to bed we go.

Day 2

We won’t repeat the disappointments from the prior day, so we pack our gear, towels, a quick bite to eat and next thing you know we are in a collectivo (local bus) heading to Akumal. We get out of the bus on the side of the highway and walk to the village, which is not quite a mile.

The walk is pleasant as there is a nice sidewalk right to the town. As you approach town you pass by the realtor office, the taxi stand then the little shops selling all types of ware from paintings, silver and clothes. There’s no hard selling here, everyone’s very laid back. There are a couple of stores that you can buy groceries at and there is a cool little restaurant that is very cheap to eat at and has great Mexican food. This is of course just one of the great restaurants in the area.

We stop at the store, grab a couple of cervesa’s for later and continue towards the beach, we pass under the arch, which goes over the road. We are very close now; we veer of to the right down the path straight for the beach where we know there is lots of life in the water to see.

We wave at the beach cam as we pass by and find a place to plunk ourselves down. The beach is very quite for January, the sun is hot and about 10 minutes of sitting there is all I can take. Cindy and I decide not to waste anymore time, snorkeling we go. Immediately we see lots of fish and the deeper we get we spot the local resident turtles, rays, pipefish, angelfish, parrotfish, tangs and Barry the barracuda or maybe its his brother, they are so hard to tell apart J

After probably a couple of hours now in the water and starting to turn into a prune, its time to head to shore, dry off and eat. On the other side of the scuba diving hut there is a little food stand. We sit ourselves down and enjoy delicious tacos and cervasas. Nothing can be better that this.

We spend the rest of the day enjoying the water and sun until early evening. We pack up and back to the Bahia Principe, going back the same way we got there. We get cleaned up, having booked one of the specialty restaurants; we enjoy another great meal and enjoy the special treatment from our waiter. Stuffed from the meal we tip our new friend and decide to pack it in for the day.

Day three through six is the same; we catch the bus just outside the Bahia and in ten minutes were walking to town as we thoroughly enjoy Akumal for snorkeling, the relaxing atmosphere and of course eating at our favorite restaurants.

Day seven of course is painful having to leave the beautiful weather and Mexican people. The attendant picks up our bags and on the bus we go following the same pattern as we arrived stopping at various hotels picking up all the others whos’ vacation is coming to a end.

The plane ride was uneventful but when we arrived back home the snow we received was record setting. We timed our vacation perfect.

Thank you Airmiles.

Chacchoben Mayan Ruins and Lake Bacalar Mexico

2010-04-05T07:56:00.000-07:00

This morning looks like it’s going to be overcast today, so its time to explore.

After another delicious breakfast at Paridiso Restaurant, we’re in the car and heading east along the two lane Hi-way to the intersection of 307 that runs north and south from Cancun and down to Chetumal.

Once on 307 heading south, we take a turn east onto a narrower road and soon find ourselves at Chacchoben Mayan ruins. We are the only car in the lot. We park and make our way to the gate to pay the entrance fee. A young fellow greets us and asks if we would like a guide, we agree on a price and we wander the site. He is trying really hard to learn English and does his best to teach us about this fascinating place.

Chacchoben ruins are dated to around 700AD, so it’s a very old site. The site has a park like atmosphere; quiet with the tall palms, making for a pleasant stroll.

We climbed various ruins and were able to see the original red pigment images inside some of them. It was interesting to learn of the culture and customs that the Mayans had here. After a few well spent hours of studying and taking photos, it was time to hit the road and find a place for lunch. We head back west to #307 and turned south to Bacalar not before having to stop at one of the many topas on the hi-way to slow you down as you pass through the villages. At each topa, you will see mostly women and children selling freshly cut pineapple or oranges from one of the nearby orchards.
We purchase the bag with chili sprinkled on pineapple and continue on to Bacalar. Very tasty! Once there, we head towards the beautiful deep blue/turquoise lake to find a restaurant. Again, there are very few tourists, so we pick a place near the lake and have lunch.

Lunch is ok, but the cervasa hit the spot. So what to do in Bacalar? This was one of the entrances from the sea that pirates used to force their way into the city. So just across the way from the restaurant, we happen upon an old fort. Incredible! You are able to walk around and evenake your way up into the lookout area. A must see for anyone passing thru Bacalar.

We learned the Fort of San Felipe was built in 1733 to protect the Bacalar population from the frequent attacks by pirates from the Caribbean. It has a moat all the way around it and sits in the center of town, overlooking lake Bacalar. The nice thing we noticed, is that all the information in the ‘museum’ type section, is in both English and Spanish. This was such a nice way to end the day.

Ready to head back to Mahahual, we jump in our car and enjoy our hour and a half drive back. It’s starting to get dark by the time we get back. After a little relaxing in our room, we shower and get ready for dinner, finding ourselves at Fernando’s (100% Agave restaurant). A couple of margaritas each, a very tasty dinner and its off to bed.

To come: Our tequila lesson at 100% agave!

Mahahual Mexico (Costa Maya) Our kind of Place

2010-03-21T14:42:00.000-07:00

Mahahual Mexico (Costa Maya) Our kind of Place

Every time we come here we seek a different place for accommodation, this time we are staying at the Posada Pachamama Hotel, which is a quaint clean place with about 6 rooms. Max, the owner is from Italy, as are several of those with businesses here in Mahahual.

The hotel is situated in the center of the old town Mahahual, one street back off the malecon. It’s a little dusty from the sandy lane in front and unfortunately, another hotel is being built between the Posada and the sea, thus losing their once lovely view.

It’s nice to wake up and walk about a half block to the coffee shop, which is just a small hole in the wall, grab a coffee and head to the beach to watch the sun come up over the Caribbean Sea.

As I sip my coffee sitting on one of the malecon benches, the solitude of the beachfront becomes a scurry of activity. Just off in the distance, to the north of the lighthouse you can see the cruise ships in port that have arrived during the night. Restaurant and shop owners, vendors; everyone is bustling about, setting up their chairs and tables, beaches getting raked and the vendors setting out their wares for the busy day ahead.

Grabbing another coffee for Cindy and a refill for me, I head back to the room to see if Cindy is up and ready to go for breakfast. Our walk from the hotel to our favorite place for breakfast is about 4 blocks away at the Paridiso Restaurant. Very simple; outside under vines and palm trees with plastic tables and chairs and beautiful hosts: Reggie, Adrianna and their parrot. We are always greeted with open arms and feel like we are at home again. We order our usual (Adrianna’s refried beans are the best!) and adjust our chairs to watch the steady stream of taxis bringing the ship people into town. The golf cart tour, jeep tour and bicycle and snorkel tour cruise by. Days like this always make for interesting people watching.

Since it’s our first day in Mahahual, relaxing on the beach is the agenda for the day and of course snorkeling. We say goodbye to Reggie and Adrianna and walk back to the hotel via the malecon. Everyone is set up by now and the ship’s tourists are starting to trickle into town. After a quick change into our bathing suits, we grab our gear and walk south down the beach towards the dock. It’s quieter here and a little more private. Snorkeling is fantastic, the water is calm and warm as the second largest reef in the world (Mesoamerican Barrier reef) is just a couple hundred feet off the beach. I can spend hours snorkeling and watching the underwater world going about it’s business. The visibility is awesome and we’ve seen everything from rays to seahorses along with a whole lot of jellyfish in the warmer months of July and August. We’re never disappointed.

After several hours in and out of the water, it was time for lunch and drinks, so we head to ‘The Nacional Beach Club’, owned by Evan and Anna. Their newly opened restaurant and guestrooms are brilliant! There’s a small pool situated on their ‘deck’ to sit in, while enjoying your drinks under the hot sun. There’s a rivalry here between Fernando and Evan over who makes the best margaritas. We like to try both and still haven’t decided whose are the best, but its always fun trying. By far, though, their hamburgers are the best in town, made fresh daily, by hand. Since Evan is from Texas, he knows how to make good old fashioned burgers. This is the place to come for a little taste of home. Anna always has something different to offer from her home country of Chile as well. This time she makes us her special lobster roles. Absolutely delicious! Totally stuffed and completing every morsel, we head back to the beach to get a few more rays.

At about 4 o’clock the beach has emptied, as all the touristas have to get back on board their cruise ships, so we leisurely make our way over to our friend’s restaurant on the beach to say hello and have a beer. Mika and Douglas have just opened the restaurant and are finding it hard to keep staff, so things are pretty busy for the both of them. We envy them for trying, nothing like having to work in paradise. After a couple of cervasa’s we say goodbye and make our way back to our room to shower and dress for dinner.

Our choice for dinner this evening is the Luna de Plata. It’s an Italian restaurant on the beach just south of town. It’s still considered in town, but there isn’t a whole lot of businesses set up down this way yet. We’ve stayed in their guestrooms several times in the past and really enjoy their hospitality and is by far the best place for Italian food to date. We order the large spiced salami pizza and a glass each of Mexican red wine to finish off the evening. Life is good!

What’s to come; Chacchoben Mayan ruins, Chetumal and more.

Ruins, Roads, Market and more Road in the Yucatan

2010-03-11T18:37:00.000-08:00

Ruins, Roads, Market and more Road in the Yucatan

It was the best sleep we had had in days; waking up in such a comfortable bed made getting up hard to do. From under the duvet and fine linen sheets, the sunrays beamed through the wooden window slats. Awesome, it was going to be another beautiful day.

Today was going to be a long day in the car. From the Hacienda Temozon we are going to drive cross-country, heading southeast to Mahahual and hopefully make it before dark. So after a quick shower, we decide we better get some breakfast before hitting the road. Walking the uneven stone path from the room to the restaurant takes some skill in flip-flops, but we make it. Sitting down and reviewing the menu prices, we decide to share toast and orange juice. No we’re not on a tight budget, but the prices are quite ridiculous.

We finish breakfast and proceed directly to check out (choking on the cost, but you only live once, right?) we pay our nights stay and food purchases at the reservation desk next to the restaurant. Strolling back taking pictures as we go, we find our car is waiting for us and the porter is bringing our bags to the car. What service! I tip the porter and we leave this oasis in the middle of the Yucatan.

The roads for the most part are very good. Heading southeast we have a few towns to drive through, always making things interesting, as every road that leads into town takes us directly to the town’s square. But finding the right road out of town is always difficult.

Passing through a particular village, we saw this abandoned Hacienda just off the road, we stop to get a picture, it would be cool to explore but time is a factor so we continue on.

As we enter Ticul, we pass by an un-restored ruin that is so big it takes up about a city block. The narrow streets are lined with brightly colored yellow buildings and as we approach the main square, we notice horses and brightly colored buggies parked under the huge trees staying as cool as they can in the heat.

We decide to park the car down a side street, making sure not to park against any yellow lines, as we have heard the police will remove your license plate for parking illegally. Walking to the square, you can see the villagers eagerly anticipating our business. We choose the blue buggy, negotiate a fair price of about 100 pesos with Migual and proceed to begin our tour of the town and ruins. Unfortunately with our limited Spanish, it was difficult to understand everything he said, but it was neat to see the ruins right in the middle of the town! There are several artisan shops in this town as well and although it would have been great to check them out, we really want to get to Mahahual before dark. So, after about 45 minutes we’re back at the town square, back in the car and on the road again….

We decide to make a stop in Oxkutzcab. The reason being, right along the road near the square, we happen upon a huge vegetable and fruit market. We had to stop and look at what was being offered, since every colored fruit imaginable was available as well as vendors selling sandals, shirts and everything in between, The waft of street food was everywhere. I ended up buying a nice button up cotton shirt for about fourteen dollars. Great deal! We got a lot of strange looks as we were the only white people in the whole market. This is definitely not a touristy area.

Another 40 minutes later and we’re back on the road, but not before getting some gas. My rule is to try to fill up the car between quarter and half full and just ask for “Docientos gasoilina”. I have Cindy release the gas tank fill cap only when I’m out of the car so I can see the attendant set the pump to zero. It’s worked for us so far.

Now its time to make some ground as there is nothing much to see for the next two hours until we get to Felipe Carrillo Puerto. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of smaller towns to go thru, but winding your way thru them takes some skill and good navigation, and if we take our time, we’ll get there tomorrow and that’s not really the plan. So we push the speed limit on the open plains that exist for miles at a time until we finely drive into Felipe Carrillo Puerto from the east. If you were to look on a map this small city is virtually straight south of Tulum. It’s a very bustling place and we always make it a habit to stop and eat at a local hotel right across from the Pemex gas station. There’s an HSBC bank machine behind the Pemex and I take out the maximum pesos allowable to help us get through the next week, as you never can trust the bank machine in Mahahual to be in service. At the hotel we both have chicken fajitas. Always tasty here and the prices are cheap. With the sun starting to descend, we get onto the now familiar highway and head south with the sun.

Next stop, Mahahual, approximately an hour and a half away. Such impressive improvements in the road since the last time we came this way in August 2009 as it’s either already been widened or is the process of being done. The vegetation is really grown back and is looking good since the hurricane swept through this area a few years ago. Passing through Limones were now getting close to the turn that heads east to the little Caribbean town that awaits us.

Arriving into Mahahual always puts a smile on our faces as we drive towards the sea and feel the moisture in the air. It’s getting dark as we pass the Paradisio Restaurant, owned by close friends of ours’. It’s not open for dinner, but we’ll be back for breakfast tomorrow morning. The adrenaline starts to rush, as we can’t wait to get unpacked and have a margarita at Fernando’s 100% Agave Restaurant & Bar. We’ve decided to stay at the Pachamama Hotel this time around. It’s our first time; as we always try to support everyone in town whether it be eating or sleeping. We arrive and get checked in with no problem. We quickly unpack the car and give the bed a quick glance since it looks so inviting. Better not lay down, even though we’re exhausted because if we do, we probably won’t get back up. So we freshen up and set out to Fernando’s.

We only have a few streets to walk down. There are no sidewalks here and the sand that makes up the streets in town is the same sand on the beach and the floor of Fernando’s restaurant and bar. With Cuban music on this evening, and the odd dog or cat wandering thru, it always makes the place feel just right. Fernando greets us with a warm hug and we get caught up on the latest happenings in town. He tells us things are really good now that the cruise ships have returned since the hurricane. We enjoy our Margaritas and as always, our host brings us samplings of his latest unique homemade local appetizers for us to try. Such unique tastes that we haven’t had before always makes for great conversation of what the ingredients are and how everything is prepared and made. Finishing our drinks, we say good night and take a stroll along the Malecon, with the stars in the sky and the breeze off the sea. This feels so right. We are back at our little room and no sooner do our heads hit the pillow and we’re asleep.

2010-02-28T08:14:00.000-08:00

Luxurious Hacienda Temozon, Yucatan Mexico

It’s our fourth day on our road trip through the Yucatan. After two nights staying at the unrestored Hacienda Yaxcopoil it was time for a little change.

With another beautiful sunny day ahead of us we’re eager to move on. We pack and eat our lovely homemade breakfast of scrambled eggs with Chaya, a Mexican type spinach and crispy tortillas. We spend an hour or so checking out the working parts to the hacienda, the huge pumps used to bring water up from the ground as well as large pools for storing the water and then miles of irrigation lines to carry it out to all the gardens and fields, all made from cement. Everything is still in tact, from the kitchen area to sitting rooms and bathhouses. Of course worn down, but many items have been saved and are on display. We wander the Hacienda taking pictures until we find our host. Thanking him for our stay we surrender the keys to the guesthouse and say goodbye to this little piece of history.

Our next stop, Hacienda Temozon. According to the map I printed out, the Hacienda Temozon is not far at all, maybe half an hour or so. Cindy being the excellent navigator she is, directs us south. We find ourselves driving on narrow roads passing through tiny villages with the remains of small ruins and entrances to what once were elegant haciendas. This is definitely hacienda country and you can’t help but wonder the grandeur of what this area must have once been.

We enter a village boasting tall structures, restored in vivid rich colors. We must be close! The homes are like all others in Mexico, shacks made of stone and grass, but we come upon a park like setting with a driveway that has a set of rod iron gates that looks that it leads to lush green paradise. Suddenly we don’t feel like we are in Mexico at all. A young gentleman, clad in his impeccably clean white work attire greets us and checks our name. He instructs us to pull up to the end of the driveway, leave the keys and suitcases in the car and walk up to reception and they will look after us. He opens the gates for us and on a cobblestone path we park the car and make our way to the reception. Greeted by a young lady, we’re handed welcome drinks and brought to a beautiful sitting area. We sit down with her, fill out the usual paperwork and we’re shown our room. Wow, a five star hotel in the middle of nowhere! The Hacienda Temozon is one of several Starwood properties in their “Luxury Collection” of hotels. We are totally going to take advantage of this after roughing it the last few days!!

Opening the huge double doors to our room, we find ourselves smiling with pleasure. A huge king size rod iron bed with thick lush duvet, an enormous off suite bathroom, with hot and cold running water, fresh flowers strewn throughout the room and a iPod radio so we can listen to music. A room to die for!! Our suitcases arrive; we tip the porter and decide what our next move is.

After taking several pictures of our room, we wander throughout the lush grounds, passing the large pool with fountains, the shaded lounge area and inviting restaurant. The Hacienda has been fully restored with vibrant colors and lush manicured gardens making this place in the middle of the Yucatan an incredible oasis.

We find ourselves walking along the abandoned railroad tracks at the back of the property that were once used to collect henequen to make rope. Cindy wants to keep following the tracks to see where they lead to, but I don’t. She’s the explorer, not so much myself. In the back of my mind I’m thinking of drinking cervezas, by the pool in those inviting lounge chairs. We reason things out, since it was very warm and we had no water with us, it was time to get back and enjoy the pool. J

On the way back we stumble upon a dry cenote on the property. They are using it for a spa, with massage tables set up and romantic candles strewn along the pathway and stairs down into it. The smell is a bit damp and musky, so although it looks really cool, I’m not so sure it’s the place that I would like to get a message done.

Back at the room, we change and spend the rest of the day relaxing along side the pool. As the day progresses into evening we’re back at the room getting ready for dinner. We decide first to take a walk outside the hacienda grounds into town to see what we find. Not a lot happening, except for a couple of ladies representing a satellite company knocking door-to-door trying to make a sale. It’s kind of amusing to see these ladies trying to sell a satellite dish to a family that lives in a one room thatched hut. There are several small newly built buildings just off the grounds that are selling hand made rope and crafts made by the villagers. There isn’t a lot on the shelves for purchasing, but its nice to be able to watch them work at their crafts right in front of you. There was also a group of giggly girls wandering the street with their hotel uniforms. Young chefs, with a bright future! Nice to see!

Back at the Hacienda we enjoy a delicious, but terribly expensive, relaxing dinner overlooking the pool. With the temperature cooling off and the mosquitoes taking advantage of our Canadian blood, it’s back to the room to enjoy a comfortable nights sleep. We turn on the iPod to listen to our music and quickly fall asleep.

What a great day is was….

1900Km exploring the Yucatan, Mexico, Uxmal Ruins & Calcetok Caves

2010-02-21T17:29:00.000-08:00

It’s about 6:30 am and we wake up to what sounds like thousands of birds singing, so loud that it’s almost deafening and of course roosters trying to out do the birds. Then suddenly a loud bang! It sounds like a huge cannon firing. Cindy and I came to the conclusion it was maybe a device to keep the birds away from a nearby crop or something, as it wasn’t consistent, but lasted until daylight.

We begin getting ready for the day ahead of us and right on time our host knocks on the door and asks us if we would like to eat inside or out. Since, it’s turning into a beautiful day we opt to eat outside.

Our morning breakfast consisted of fresh orange juice, fresh fruit and a homemade deep fried tortilla with shredded chicken inside smothered in fresh cream. Wow, it was delicious. After breakfast we had our cold showers; refreshed and ready to hit the road to start exploring.

South we go, roads are narrow but in excellent condition. Our first destination for the day is Uxmal Ruins. We will need to drive west, but as we begin to make the turn, we’re instructed by the policia that an accident has occurred and the road is closed. No problem, with a bit of a detour, we find our way. We pay a parking fee to park the car and realize that although it’s early, quite a few cars are already there.

We get our stuff together, pay the entrance fee, pass through the subway type counter and up some stairs and there it is. Uxmal. Our strategy is to start at the North end and make our way to the south, exploring every nook and cranny and of course taking the paths that lead away from the structures hoping to see something others don’t usually see. On the one path we found the site where the Mayans buried their dead, mounds with carved skulls and cross bones carved into the limestone boulders surround the mound. I found it interesting that the skull and crossbones were around before the pirates.

Taking pictures of the fantastic view, we come upon an elderly couple with the wife ahead and her husband desperately trying to keep up with her. We watch with amazement as every step he makes is very thought-out and although it seems like such an effort for him, he still has a smile on his face. We say hello. They are having such a great time, taking pictures and exploring; even though it is so obviously difficult, especially for him. Off she goes first and we watch as he is contemplating how he’s going to get down the steep steps. We’re not sure how he even climbed up in the first place! I offer assistance and slowly but surely we make it. The wife is grateful and so is he; they grab each other hands and smiling they’re off. Back with Cindy, we can’t help but hope that we will still be exploring at their age.

Of course we had to climb every structure. It’s a rather large place and when we were nearing the four hour mark we decided we had seen enough. The last ruin we climbed had the best view, high above the other structures.

Walking back out toward the parking lot to the car, there are lots of vendors selling their wares now. From t-shirts to other usual souvenir items, ten minutes later, 200 pesos lighter, some shirts for our for our friends and kids, we head to the car.

Just outside Uxmal, there is a resort/hotel and a restaurant. Not knowing what lies between here and our next destination, we go for the buffet. The food was ok, we felt full and rehydrated. Not really Mexican food, but it did the trick.

Taking the road back, we see why it had been closed earlier. The road is very windy and a large truck had lost its’ load of hay bales on one of the curves. The truck was gone, but every local was now in the ditch trying desperately to load the huge bales into their trucks and into whatever means of transportation they had with everyone helping each other. It must have been such a gift as they were all smiling and laughing. We slowly weaved our way through with the aid of the locals waving their bandana’s at us to proceed.

Although we’re pretty tired from all the walking, we’re off to find our next adventure! Winding our way through back roads by following our little print out map off the internet, we finally find the road to the caves we’re looking for. It’s very narrow with high grass and reeds on both sides. It’s difficult trying to avoid the huge potholes. Hopefully we don’t rip out the undercarriage of our rental nor meet anyone coming from the opposite direction, as there is nowhere to pass each other. The vegetation is so dense the road is practically overgrown.

After about fifteen minutes, we spot a car parked up the road. This must be the place, as there’s nothing else around for miles. Not knowing what to expect I bring my hoody, water, camera and movie camera with us.

We make our way through a narrow path and we see hammocks hanging between some trees. A young guy gets up, greets us and asks if we’re here to explore the caves? In our very limited Spanish we figure out that we need to hire Marco and he will guide us through the caves. We agree on a price and off we go.

Amazingly, the Calcetok caves are dry caves, which once had water in them. We walk up to the edge of basically what looks like a huge dry Cenote. Marco directs us to climb down the homemade steel ladder to the bottom. Not quite what we expected, but no problem. In his flip flops, Marco has us follow him into the cavern. Hey if he can manage, I’m sure we can. Cindy and I both have good traction type shoes on and we are slipping all over the place as the ground is both of a limestone and a clay mud type substance. We hold onto a rope as we start descending into the darkness until we come to some even ground and we stop. Marco takes his backpack off and out comes the headband lights we are to wear. Now the most interesting part: do we want to take the tourista, adventura or extrema route. After asking Marco a hundred questions about the different routes, we opted for the adventura route. Bad choice……..

With Marco leading the way, we walk for several hundred feet in the pitch dark, up and down, around curves and crevices, with our tiny little lights desperately trying to see what we’re doing. We crawl, yes crawl, through a small opening that lasts about 15 feet and pop out into a big pitch black space again. No problem I thought, this is easy. It’s so dark, the only way of knowing where Marco and Cindy are, is by the lights on their heads and Marco’s flashlight that he’s shining on the rocks for us to see where we’re stepping. The heat is almost unbearable with moisture hanging so heavy in the air that you can see it thru the narrow beam of light coming from our heads. I’m sweating, so I ask to stop so that I can take off my jacket. Marco offers to put it in his backpack, thank goodness, as there is no way that I can carry it and get thru these tight spaces. As we begin crawling through even tighter spaces, pulling ourselves on our elbows, I’m thinking to myself that our clothes are going to be ruined and how are we ever going to get back and are our cameras going to survive? Finally we’re thru and stand up only to see what our next feat will be. Looking straight up into a small chute opening, a rope awaits us. Still in pitch darkness, Cindy begins the climb, using the rope to hoist herself up and with the aid of small crevasses to help out, manages to reach the tiny ledge about twelve feet above us. After a bit of struggling, I’m able to pull myself up as well, but as I’m standing on the small slippery ledge I see a couple of openings so small I’m thinking I’ll surely get stuck trying to crawl through either one of them.

By now, I’m sweating big time and really starting to not enjoy this at all. In my best Spanish I ask Marco, how many more small openings like this. He says a few. That’s it! I tell Cindy I can’t go any further as I’m sure that there is no way I can get thru that tight space. So back down the rope I go. Cindy follows as well and just as she sets her feet on the ground, all of a sudden she slips and she starts sliding down ….. and down ….. and down. Finely she comes to a stop about fifteen feet down from another ledge we realized we were standing on. With the aid of Marco’s flashlight, Cindy climbs her way up the greasy slippery rocks. With some nervous laughter and a drink of water, we begin to head back. Again we follow Marco, heading back where had just come from, through a range of small crawl spaces. It doesn’t seem like the way we came and I’m kind of getting worried that maybe Marco didn’t understand that I wanted to see daylight again. After it seemed like forever, I see a slither of light and we find ourselves back to the opening from where we came from.

Breathing fresh air now, we slowly make our way back to the hammock where the trek all began. We learned that Marco’s dad and granddad had been taking tourists through the caves for years and he was following in their footsteps.

As we departed, I asked Marco what the Extrema route was and he explained it’s about five hours of what we had been through with extreme drop offs and even tighter crawl spaces. I can’t imagine how hard that would be to do. Apparently there is also a graveyard several miles back into the caves. The best part of this adventure was the Mayan rocks on the floor of the caves that had been carved out to catch the fresh water dripping from the ceiling and of course, the light at the end. The most interesting part was the fact that Marco emerged with his t-shirt still bright white and his flip flops still in tact.

Cindy and I thank him and as the sun is setting, with our mud drenched clothes and shoes we get in the car and make our way back to the Hacienda for one more night.

An hour later we enjoy a refreshing shower and pour ourselves a nice cold beer and wait for dinner.

Ah dinner. We are served a crunchy thick tortilla like cake with chicken and cheese. I didn’t eat since I had the feeling I was getting Montezuma’s revenge. I apologize to our host and try to explain that I’m not feeling well as Cindy enjoys her dinner. I take drastic action and pop half a sypro tablet and hope for the best tomorrow.

Hit the bed and we both fall asleep instantly….

1900Km exploring the Yucatan and Quintana Roo, Part 2

2010-02-15T19:05:00.000-08:00

Nothing like falling sleep to the hum of a ceiling fan, keeping you just cool enough to help you fall asleep and shoo the mosquitoes away.

Waking up is never hard to do when I'm on holidays, I just have to find a place to get some coffee, but that usually involves waiting patiently for everyone else to get up, so I just amuse myself by observing how the day starts out for everyone.

The drinks from the night before have taken their tole and we've managed to let a good part of the morning slip by. So Cindy's out of the shower, I brought coffee up to the room, got the bags in the car and ready to hit the road. As I was hauling the bags down the stairs I look down from our balcony and notice our neighbors cleaning chicken, lots of chickens, in their yard. From skinning the birds to cleaning and chopping them up on their plastic tables and then dumping them into a tub of water. I don't know what restaurant will be recieving these, but we won't have to worry about that this time as were hitting the road.

We take the road west, out of Puerto Morelos and turn north, taking a short cut to the toll highway to Merida. If you're not familiar with this highway, its pretty boring, but in excellent condition. About at the half way point, you can get gas, hit the washroom and of course pay the toll to use the road. You will actually pay the toll twice if you take this road at the middle and the end. After a quick stop to get rid of all the coffee we drank, we're back on the road. The highway just seems to go forever and ever, passing the odd Mexican drivng their tricycles along with wood which they have harvested from the dense forest. Who knows where they live, as it seems like there are no towns for a hundred miles.

As always when your nearing Merida, you have an army checkpoint, although these army guys are dressed in black. With huge ropes across the highway and the guys toting machine guns they mean business and you must stop. This time, as we slow down to stop, the officer just waves us through. Note: Just in case you decided to try to fly through the check point there's a HumVee hiding in the bush with a 50 caliber machine gun manned and ready.

We're using the ring road around the outskirts of Merida heading southwest, looking for a particular road that will lead south. We find a place to get gas, snacks and water, then back on the road and about twenty minutes later we find our road to head south. From here, things are sketchy even though I printed off fifty maps, they really don't help us and we have to wing it, hitting a couple of different back roads we will manage to find our stop for the evening, Hacienda Yaxcopoil that I booked online before we left Canada.

With the sun starting to go down, we finally arrive in Yaxcopol and drive around the Hacineda several times trying to find an entrance and a place that resembles where we should check in. There are a few houses in the village and the hacienda. Thats it! I'm not even sure this is a village? We park and start wandering around looking at all the authentic furniture and wall decor at the same time looking for someone to help us. We find an older gentleman and in our limited spanish he is quick to welcome us and show us to our room for the next two nights. There is only one guestroom in the Hacienda, we are quick to find out that we are the only guests.

We're lead down a long path and come upon our guest house, the ceiling is at least 15 feet high, authentic 17 century tiled floors & furniture. Two double beds, small fridge and a washroom and shower have been added to this room. Seeing that we have a fridge, I ask where I can buy some Cervesa's as I figured there must be a little store in the cluster of huts and houses that surround the Hacienda. He looks at me and says no, then he thinks for a moment and says ok. I give him 50 pesos and he's gone. About 15 minutes later, with sweat on his brow and a big toothless smile, he presents us with 3 litres of cold beer. Now thats service! "Mucho Gracias", I say and give him someting for his kindness. Our host tells us where we are to park the car and asks us what time we want dinner and off he goes.

We get our bags unpacked, and wanting to wander the Hacienda before the sun is totally down we start to explore. Hacienda Yaxcopoil is actually a museum. Everthing is in its original condition and one only has to imagine how beautiful the gardens once were, how colorful the faded walls were and how luxurious this place had once been. There is only one guest room and we had the place all to ourselves.

Back to the room to freshen up, as being an unrestored Hacienda, no hot water, no tv, no internet, just the sounds of the birds and an occasional dog barking and cold beer. (there was supposedly hot water, but it wasn't working) Yea, this is roughing it.

It's dark now, and while we're wondering about dinner, we get a knock on our door. An elderly mexican woman walks in, smilling and explaining in spanish she will be serving us dinner. Cindy and I are starving by now and can't wait to eat. We do realize whatever we are going to eat has been made in her home.

What do we start with, but lime soup. Delicious! As we are having our soup, our next course is being prepared outside. We get this huge pitcher of what looks like milk on ice. Since Cindy is not able to drink milk, I ask a few times if there is milk in the drink and out host says no. For the first time we are to have a drink called Horchata on ice. It was so refreashing that we drank the whole pitcher not caring where the ice or water came from. With the main course being chicken tamales wrapped in banana leaves and regular tamales in corn husks, we're stuffed and satisfied. We finish off with some sort of a rice pudding. Wonderful!! We thank our diiner host, she packs up her stuff and I follow her out to our little gate we have in the yard. She disappears into the darkness.

Tired of the long day we climb into bed and fall asleep to the loud sounds of croaking frogs and chirping crickets..... What will our first day of exporing the region tomorrow bring us?

1900Km exploring the Yucatan and Quintana Roo, Mexico

2010-02-13T10:09:00.000-08:00

Part 1

It's -25 Celsius, 4 o'clock in the morning and we're heading to the airport. We park several miles away to save some money as the truck is going to be there for three weeks. Our shuttle arrives, and we load our suitcases. We drive through the car lot picking up more passengers for the airport. One particular couple; I couldn't believe it, get into the shuttle bus and point to the driver to load their bags. Thinking to myself, 'this couple must think that they're already at their 5 star all inclusive hotel.'
We arrive at the airport. Guess who wants off first, yes the 5 star couple! The driver drags their bags to the sidewalk and as soon as he hands the last bag over, the 5stars are off, no thank you, no tip.
Four or five couples later, and its our turn to get off the shuttle; pissed at all these people for not tipping the driver, I hand him a few bucks, he smiles and thanks us.

Ah yes, the airport. We look at the departure screen only to see our flight is delayed by 6 hrs. This is going to be one long day. We check with our flight carrier; no, we cannot check our bags yet. So off we go to find a quite place to wait......

After sitting, exploring every souvenir store and eating lunch, Yeah .....we can finally get rid of our suitcases and head to the security checkpoint. Of course they want Cindy to take her shoes off and walk through the security machine in bare feet, nothing like feeling like you just walked through a million germs.
They ask me if I'm the owner of the carry on bag sitting on the rail. "Yes." "May I look through the bag?" "No problem," I say. She starts pulling stuff out left and right, I tell her to be careful as the equipment is fragile. With my dive camera, strobe and attachments all over the table, I explain what she is looking at. She grabs another agent, gets the ok and I'm told to pack it up. Thinking to myself, 'haven't they seen a dive camera before?'

The flight is the usual 5.5 hours, Cindy does her work as I rent a movie. We land and of course its like 10 o'clock in the evening by now. I'm just hoping the rental car agency is waiting or us, since I did phone them earlier in the day to tell them were going to be 5 or 6 hours late.
We hit the secuity light, it's green, were through. Head through the airport doors, viola. a sign with our name on it. After trying about six different car rental agencies these guys haven't let us down yet. Our guy grabs our lugguge, in the van we go to the rental agency and fill out the usual paper work. "Ah, Mr Sorenson, thankyou for renting with us again, we are upgrading you this time." He hands the keys over to a brand new shiny black 2010 VW Jetta.
We're on the road south with 2000 km on the odometer and the intention to stay the first night in Puerto Morelos. The drive is great as usual with new lighting along the whole hi-way. Arriving at the hotel we chose earlier, it's now about 11 oclock and out we go to have a drink to celebrate the start of our holiday.

We don't have to go far, since right across the street is a little shack/bar that's still open. As we sip on our two for one specials and enjoy the warm humid ocean air, the drinks start to hit us. It time to get to bed for the start of our long journey tomorrow.......

Our home away from home

2009-09-05T07:36:00.000-07:00

After 25 years of travelling Mexico my wife and I decided this is where we will work and enjoy the rest of our lives.

Why? With the second largest reef within swimming/snorkeling distance, a platter of fresh ceviche for 6 dollars and views like this to wake up to everyday why not.

Great little hotel in Playa,Hacienda Paradise

2009-09-04T07:21:00.000-07:00

Tupperware anyone?

2009-08-29T16:57:00.000-07:00

Check this photo out of these guys following behind the truck that has everything in plastic. There cruising through downtown Mahahual trying to sell there wares.

Finally Mahahual Mexico

2009-08-22T20:45:00.000-07:00

Started driving south through Tulum then on to Carrello Felipe. Had our rear tire blow out while we are in the middle of nowhere. It was our lucky day and the tourista repair truck just happened to be driving by as we are staring at our tire in the 90 degree weather. They stop grab our spare and change our tire in a matter of minutes. All for free.

We limp our way to Felipe Carrello and negotiate a price for a new tire. $65.00 later and we're on our way.

Stop for lunch and about 1.5 hrs later we get to Mahahual. Get unpacked get our bathing suits on and make our way to town to have a beer and hit the beautiful blue water.

After about hour of that we went to our rooms to shower, then back to town to have dinner and drinks. What a long but great day.

Tomorrow will be a relax beach day and snorkeling day.

Sun,Sun and Sun

2009-08-21T21:10:00.000-07:00

Great day in Playa Del Carmen. Lots of sun, beer and great food. We are heading south tomorrow.

Southbound

2009-08-19T19:44:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my travel blog

Heading southbound from Edmonton Alberta to Cancun, then south by rental car to a little town called Mahahaul Mexico. I will add pics as soon as I can.