A trip south of the border.
I’d like for you to meet my friend Julie. A few months ago I found out that Julie and her family were taking a much needed break to Mexico’s Mayan Riviera. I insisted that she either let me go along as her assitant or at least take pictures so she could tell us all about it. I’m so glad she did and can’t wait for you to hear about their trip. And please don’t hesitate to leave a question or comment for Julie – I’m sure she’d love to answer any travel questions about the area. Take it away Julie!
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When my husband asked me, “How would you like for the whole family to go to Mexico?”, I thought he was crazy. My distorted impression of Mexico had been formed from what I had seen on movies and TV shows. I was confident my kids would not make it home without a ransom being paid. Several of our friends who had traveled there reassured us that TV doesn’t emphasize the good parts of Mexico and they recommended that we try the Mayan Riviera.
So I consented.
A short plane flight from Atlanta and we were on the ground in Cancun. Soon after arriving we were startled to see our first iguana roaming the grounds – just like on Animal Planet!
Everywhere we looked there were fountains, flowing and refreshing.
We dropped our bags at our room and sought out the sea. The crystal clear blue water was a sight for the kids who had only ever been to the murky Atlantic Ocean beaches of the Southeast. We walked on the beach and found pretty pink shells and delicate sea urchins’ former homes. A black and yellow striped eel hid amongst the coral along the water’s edge. In ankle deep water we observed a world which prefers to be covert but our curiosity would not allow it that comfort.
We were there for adventure, so we took a short boat ride to Xel Mal, a bay area where the sea turtles come to graze on the grass which grows at the bottom of the sea. Snorkeling in 10-15 feet deep water, we gazed with wonder at the marvelous creatures which surfaced for air mere feet away from us.
The turtles feast next to a natural coral reef, allowing us to experience two treasures for the price of one. Every nook and cranny of the reef was home to another creature of the ocean.
A Remora fish befriended my husband, attempting to rid him of an apparent algae layer the entire time we snorkeled. As we approached our boat we found ourselves questioning whether the 3 foot long barracuda under the boat was a friend or foe. Do we get in the boat alive or die trying??? No worries amigo. We lived.
Another day took us to X Caret, an ecological park and amusement area.
Beautiful lagoons beckoned us come and relax. The shallow coves were the perfect places for adults to hang out while the kids played and swam.
The real treat of this park though was the underground river where we donned our snorkel gear and embarked on a dark and frigid adventure. Snorkeling in a cave was a bit different than an open, sunny pool! Every so often a shaft of sunlight would descend from the ceiling of the cave, reassuring us that civilization was not far away. As we neared the end of the cave, where the river empties into the sea, the tropical fish populated the waters around us. Yellow, blue and purple fish abounded, urging us to join them as they swam to the open sea.
At our resort, the food was exceptional. We visited the same buffet daily for lunch, but always had new choices of what we could eat.
Food was cooked to order at multiple stations by qualified chefs. It was a good thing that we did so much walking, exploring and swimming or we would have all come home 20 pounds heavier! The staff at Barcelo Maya was happy to help us practice our Spanish. A few workers even asked us to return the favor by helping them with their English.
The highlight of the week was the massage on the last full day of our vacation. A cabana was set up on a fairly deserted section of the beach with 3 massage tables. Rosa worked her magic on my weary muscles while the birds sang me a relaxation song and the waves crashed against the beach, lulling me nearly to sleep. By the time the massage was finished, the sun was ready for its final descent of the day, sinking below the horizon.
The whole trip was surely a complete mind, soul, and body experience and we can’t wait to go back. Why was I ever worried?
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Thanks Julie. Now all I can think about is vacation time! The Mayan Riviera looks like a fun filled place for sure.
Again, please feel free to leave any travel questions or comments for Julie.
And do you have any summer vacation plans or ideas that you can share? Is there a destination that you know of that makes for the perfect family vacation?
Read MoreGo.
Travel. Go see the world. Go walk on a distant shore. Go taste the flavors of other cultures. Go meet new people and learn about their lives. Go have adventures that you’ll never forget.
No, we’re not world travelers, not by any means. My passport has hardly seen the light of day. I don’t speak a foreign language. Not to mention that our list of places to visit seems to get longer and longer, instead of more fine tuned. But we plan on taking every chance we get to broaden our horizons.
Why is travel so important to us?
Prior to marriage, my church required pre-marital counseling with the pastor. One thing I recall him saying was how important it was to try to take a week of vacation at a time – a whole week, all at once. And, if possible, two weeks would be even better. His reasoning was that when you account for travel time on both ends of a trip, by the time you really start to relax, start decompressing, the time is up. He really encouraged us to take that time with one another, apart from our everyday life.
Ten years later those words of wisdom spoke very clearly to me. It was 2003, our 10th year of marriage. And it stank. Sorry, it just did. Let me explain.
In February 2003 I had a miscarriage due to an ectopic pregnancy. It threw me for a loop, both emotionally and physically to say the least.
A few months later we began to plan our 2nd honeymoon for our 10th anniversary in late November. We couldn’t have been more excited. We read everything we could get our hands on and finally settled on St. Lucia.
Tickets were purchased, plans were made and we began to look forward to getting away. A few days before our departure I found out that I had another ectopic pregnancy and was scheduled for emergency surgery. It was mind-numbing. The trip was postponed, which was the least of our worries at the time.
Early January 2004 we finally headed to St. Lucia. Once there my husband, Randy, scheduled a hike with a guide to climb Gros Piton, one of the two pitons on the Southern end of the island that rises dramatically out of the sea. I passed up on the adventure, as I was still recovering, and opted for the spa that day.
We usually never do things alone, but it was good for both of us. Randy had a private guide, Ja-ai, and had a great time visiting with him and trying to understand his creole/rasta accent. I think he kinda felt sorry for leaving me, but a day at the spa was just what I needed.
Here’s Ja-ai on the way up Gros Piton.
I remember sitting alone on the beach that morning after Randy left, waiting for my appointment. It was quiet, hardly anyone around. I can see it so clearly in my mind. The air was crisp and clean and clear. A soft mist floated over the mountains and then clarity seeped in.
It was then that I remembered to breathe.
It seemed as if I had been holding my breath for a whole year.
It was there on that beach, in that moment, that I began to regain my footing. I also started to really see my surroundings and appreciate the awesome beauty. That moment in time opened a door inside of me somehow.
We had planned this vacation as an escape, but I began to see it as not a place to hide, as if running from something, but as a place to run to – to explore, to broaden me, to live. My eyes were opened to the world again, and a restlessness grew. A restlessness that had been there before but had been pushed aside, a restlessness to see, experience, learn and grow.
I know many people regard travel as a waste of money, money that should be saved or invested. But that’s not how I see it. Yeah, our trip didn’t save us money, but it helped save me and my mind. Travel will always be an investment in our relationship and our family unity.
Plus, traveling never fails to make me more aware of the fact that the world does not revolve around me. I hope that’s something our children will continue to learn first hand too.
This post is more about travel in general than about St. Lucia. But I must tell you, while you’re here, that St. Lucia is a beautiful, beautiful place well worth a visit. A trip to St. Lucia, to stand on the sand between the Pitons, is definitely a must do before you die. It’s very dear to us.
We hope to return to St. Lucia one day and share it with our children. And maybe next time I’ll scale Gros Piton too. AND get some fantabulous pictures.
(By the way, the pictures in this post are all from St. Lucia. I apologize for the quality. They were taken with an old film camera and scanned from prints – ick.)
So I’m ready to go, how about you? Where do you want to go?
What does travel mean to you? Has a trip ever made an impact on you? Where was it? How did it change you?
Read MoreA honkin’ big tree.
Down a sandy road, outside of Charleston, SC, on John’s Island lives a majestic tree, the Angel Oak. It’s a huge tree. Thought to be one of the oldest things, if not the oldest – living or man made – east of the Rockies, the tree boasts nearly 25 feet around in girth, and is said to be possibly over 1500 years old.
Earlier this week we stopped by on our way out of town to see the old lady. I haven’t been for a visit under her welcoming arms since a child, and this was my children’s first visit.
It might be called Angel Oak, but I think it looks more like a wild sea creature that has crawled out of the Charleston Harbor to take a rest.
The long arms wind in and out, some even going into the ground to rise again.
Here my mother is telling the children to try to see the wild shapes and faces in the trunk of the tree. They sure are trying hard enough.
And these two? These two don’t know what the others are up to. They think they’re too cool for school.
(That’s why I like being behind the camera, I get to people watch and observe and hopefully avoid goofy looking pictures of myself as much as possible. And believe me, I can make some goofy looking pictures.)
The Angel Oak is a little crippled in places, being helped along like an old woman might be at the ripe old age of 1500, but she’s still beautiful nonetheless.
I wonder what stories she might tell. What storms she’s weathered. What droughts she’s thirsted through. She’s a tough old thing.
If you’re ever in the Charleston, SC area, plan a trip out to say hello (or “hey!” as we say in the South) to the old gal. There is no admission, but, because she is a protected treasure, as she should be, there are hours of operation. For more information visit http://www.angeloaktree.org/.
Not just any ol’ bridge.
Millions and millions of people have visited the Golden Gate Bridge. Tons of people drive over it every day as part of their daily routine. So a few weeks ago when we saw it for the first time in real life I wasn’t expecting too much.
It’s a bridge. A big bridge. A big bridge painted a pretty color in a hip city.
But boy was I surprised.
If you’re never seen it in person before, it’s huge. Huge. After growing up always seeing the Golden Gate Bridge in pictures and movies (anyone remember the intro to “Full House”?), I wasn’t quite prepared for the scale. Pictures don’t convey the size well. It’s a big booger.
I know all of y’all out there that have seen it in person are just cracking up at me, but for real, it’s an amazing engineering feat. A marvel indeed.
If this gives you any idea…look here’s a delivery truck.
And here on the ridge of this hill are people. People, people.
Speaking of walking, one of my good friends, Denise, says her great, great grandmother Carrie Elisabeth Sayre Adkins, was the first woman to walk across the Golden Gate Bridge. That would’ve been cool huh?
What really impressed upon was the fact that it was built long before modern technology. I mean there are certainly bigger bridges now – more elaborate ones today. But this one was built without all the help of innovative machines, computers, etc. that we have today. Sure machines and tools were used but nothing like what is used in industry these days.
Can you just imagine the hundreds of thousands of calculations that had to be done in the planning stages alone?
(Sorry for the photo quality. These were taken through a car window, so ick.)
The Golden Gate is an incredible accomplishment. With all of the special effects we’re exposed to daily, and space age technology that most of us use, I think we’ve become so desensitized by truly remarkable things. This bridge was built with ingenuity, braun and determination.
For me our visit to the Golden Gate was a great reminder to me that we’re created to create – to create and to work. The Golden Gate inspired me to look beyond what I think my limits are. It’s a great example of what can be achieved with thought, study, discipline, hard work and a lot of creativity.
Yes, I was impressed.
Have you seen anything marvelous lately? Anything that tickled your fancy? Something that impressed you to bits? I can’t wait to hear about it.
Eleuthera, Bahamas – Freedom!
I have a secret.
Actually I vacillate from wanting to shout if from the rooftops, to not telling a soul. It’s our favorite vacation spot, Eleuthera. (Although we haven’t been since 2007.)
I hesitate to tell about it for 3 reasons:
1) We don’t want it to change.
2) I don’t want to sound snooty.
3) Everyone’s ideal of what makes a vacation great is different.
But I’m forging ahead.
(And for the record, I’m not snooty.)
Eleuthera is one of the out islands of The Bahamas. While it’s the next island east of Nassau, Eleuthera is worlds apart from the bustling, loud, touristy, cruise ship docking neighbor to the west.
Quiet and laid back you’ll find no amusement parts, little to no nightlife or mini golf on Eleuthera. Eleuthera is all about being in and around beautiful, crystal blue water that’s teeming with colorful sea life.
This is a giant starfish. Starfish, sea turtles and other creatures can be discovered all over the island.
Eleuthera is Greek for freedom – which is certainly what you feel when you’re there. We like to drive around and explore different beaches. For a small island Eleuthera offers quite a variety of things to see.
There are gorgeous coral and rock formations to explore on the windward side of the island.
A few minutes away by car you can be on the super calm leeward side with a completely different undersea vibe.
There’s everything from soft pink sand bottoms, to grass flats to pretty rock formations.
The people are wonderful too – friendly and eager to help you find those special fishing or snorkeling spots.
These gorgeous girls were friendly. Love those uniforms – they match the sea!
There’s very little crime on Eleuthera. The place has a real small town feel.
The crazy thing is for such a lovely place there are very few tourists.
You can drive your rental to one of the island’s most popular beaches, and if you see more than 10 people on a one mile stretch of pink sand, it’s a busy day.
Eleuthera is surprisingly affordable. We’ve found it to be less expensive or comparable to many vacation destinations in the U.S. And if you can redeem some of those airline miles like we did, all the better.
We’re hoping to get back to Eleuthera this summer. We’ll see.
And maybe I’ll run into you there as well. Hey, you never know, it’s a small world.
Do you have any favorite vacations destinations you can share? Do blue waters do it for you? Or do you like snow capped mountains? Maybe you like bustling city full of life?
