Sometimes just being in the right place at the right time can change your life!

Dave and I have always believed that we make our own luck.  Being in the right place at the right time comes after a lot of hard work to get yourself there in the first place. By being open to new possibilities, we have exciting opportunities fall into our laps.

That is exactly what happened to us in Mexico this past week.

We didn’t know that we’d be going to the soon to be Hard Rock Hotel in Puerto Vallarta to see Bon Jovi before we flew to Mexico. We heard there was a VIP party and we needed to RSVP ASAP to be put on the guest list, but we assumed it was going to be the usual media party. Lot’s of food and booze and little excitement. But we ended up walking into a red carpet event and met the iconic band themselves who were performing for our private party during the Tianguis Turistico conference.

We hear nearly 800 international journalists landed in the area to report on Mexico’s tourism industry and PR representatives were pulling out all the stops to make media happy.

Being VIP’s we had the chance to get up close and personal with the Rock Stars before their show and instantly hit it off with the guys. Jon took a particular interest in our 20 year relationship. Having been married to his wife Dorothea for 23 years he could relate!  We were in full “PR” mode ourselves and sold our story quickly to the guys while we posed for photos on the red carpet.

Telling them about how we are living our dream of being full time travellers doing adventures around the world caught their attention, but the hook came when we told them that we have been together since 1991. College sweethearts who’ve grown together and pursued our goals together and after all this time are madly in love and living our dream makes for great TV.

Richie Sambora suddenly told us to head over to the lady standing by the side of the stage to discuss a reality show production. He’s been venturing into reality television in recent years and thinks that we’ve got something.

We were beyond thrilled 

We ran over to meet his PR representative Jennifer who gave us her card and told us to contact her once we get home. She has never seen Richie jump on an idea so quickly.

No wonder….

Richie Sambora would never jump at a pitch by two total strangers on a Saturday night at the beach.

That guy isn’t Richie Sambora and these guys aren’t from Bon Jovi. He’s the guitarist for the cover band Slippery When Wet and this entire post is a lie.

April Fools! 

But don’t you just the idea of putting your dreams “out there” for the universe to hear? Maybe if we keep telling people that we’d love to host our own travel show we’ll get one someday. Like the quote goes in the movie Field of Dreams* ”If you Build it, they will come”  If we keep saying it enough, someone’s gotta sign us soon!

*The quote from Field of Dreams is actually “if you build it, he will come” but it sounds so much better using the misquote of they instead. 

Lindsay, Frist Time on a Horse

I was back in the airport for the third time in four days. After going through security, I rushed to the ladies room…I was itching to get out of these stiff dress clothes and into something comfortable. I was just about to depart Florida and return to my home state of Wisconsin. I should have been thrilled.

Earlier that day I had interviewed for a marketing position in Daytona Beach. It was right up my alley. The field I wanted to be in and the warm climate that I desired. I was even told I was the candidate they wanted. I could only crack a fake smile.

Thousands of people have been looking for jobs and I was handed something on a silver platter. But I didn’t want it. I know people thought I was out of my mind. Sometimes I even thought so as well. But the truth was, I was no longer the same person. Living abroad had changed me.

Heading South for the Winter

January 2010 marked the beginning of a new life. I flew down to Costa Rica to learn how to teach English to non-native speakers. I left my secure marketing job in the states with the mere hope of landing a teaching job in Costa Rica. I had no idea what to expect. But I was ok with that.

Life up to that point had been a series of calculated actions. Work hard in school, graduate from college, get a decent job and make the best of it. That wasn’t just the life I was expected to lead, it was also the life I had wanted to lead.

But as is often the case, the reality is much different than the perception.

Three years in the corporate world and I found myself burned out and incredibly unhappy. I became a victim of a monotonous routine. Even worse, I became a yes-woman. I did what I was asked and, truth be told, I was good at it.

But it simply wasn’t what I wanted for myself. So I left.

New Beginnings

I got a fresh start in Costa Rica. There, I was just another tourist. I was free to create a new identity. One that wasn’t defined by a resume.

Over the course of a year and half, this is exactly what I did. I tried teaching, but didn’t pursue it. Instead, I discovered that I really was in the right field. I loved writing and graphic design. But my job in the U.S. was sucking the life out of my passion rather feeding it.

In Costa Rica, I worked for a small graphic design company where I wrote magazine articles and used my design skills. I wasn’t constricted by corporate standards. Creativity was encouraged, not suppressed.

But work was just one part of the picture.

I was five minutes from the beach. I never knew how much I could possibly love getting up at 6:30 a.m. for a morning run. It was liberating. An experience like no other.

Running was my conscious form of exercise, but walking and biking were byproducts of the lifestyle. I had no car. Thus, no worries about gas, car insurance or mechanical failures.

A bike was all I needed. I made good use of it. Nearly every night I met up with girlfriends to chat, laugh and have a drink. For the first time since college, I had regained a sense of social connectedness.

My life was simple, but more fulfilling than I ever could have imagined. I didn’t need a fat paycheck or a fancy car. I was living by doing. I wasn’t watching the clock or counting the days. I didn’t need to.

I loved my life. But there was still a part of me that felt this lifestyle was a fantasy. I couldn’t sustain it. So I packed my bags. I returned to Wisconsin in June of 2011.

Now What?

Just over 24 hours after I had arrived at the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport and I was flying again. Not to Costa Rica, but to Florida. I barely had enough time to unpack my suitcase before I was re-packing.

But this was a short overnight stay.

I had applied to a job in Florida while I was still in Costa Rica. It appealed to me at the time. I liked the people and the location. But there was still something missing. It was passion. I would have liked the job well enough. But I wouldn’t have loved it. And that was what I was seeking.

I declined the job offer.

I decided that instead of continuing to job search, I was going to give myself time to think about what I really wanted. I needed to work, but I wanted it to be something that I wouldn’t end up dreading in another few years.

That’s when I started to reflect upon my own experience.

I was having a difficult time adjusting to life in the U.S. because I had experienced a different culture and a different way of living. But I knew I wasn’t the only one.

That’s when inspiration took hold. I wanted to create a community for returning travelers. Those who wanted to share their international experiences, showcase their photos and connect with others.

Native Foreigner was the result. Launched this past January, Native Foreigner is a digital-only magazine for travelers. While it is targeted toward returning travelers who are adjusting to life in their native country, it is also a source of inspiration and a community for any and all travelers.

It was a personal dream of mine to combine my passion for writing, graphic design and travel. Native Foreigner was not only the perfect combination of all three, but it was a meaningful way to close a gap in the travel community.

The Coast is Calling

I just returned to Costa Rica. This time I plan to stay for three months…or until I am fully ready to leave. Life is too short not to do what you love and be in a place that makes you content. Pura vida!

By Lindsay Hartfiel
Bio: Lindsay Hartfiel is the editor-in-chief of Native Foreigner, which is a digital magazine for travelers returning home from an extended trip abroad. She is originally from Wisconsin and currently resides in Samara, Costa Rica.

You can follow her on Twitter at @natforeignmag

and say hello on facebook as well.

This is an ongoing series of inspiring stories from intrepid travellers around the world. If you have an experience in travel that changed your life, made you look at the world differently or an amazing moment that you want to share, please contact us for more details and we will email you right back.. You can also read more about submitting an article to this series at Calling All Writers, Share your Inspirational Travel Story

Read More Inspirational Stories

• Travel is Medicine for the Soul
• The Kindness of Strangers
• Real Men Don’t Cry
• How Virtual Tourist Opened My Eyes to Inspiration
• Round Trip Ticket, Backpack and Curiosity
• What Happens When You Follow Your Heart
• From Little Englander To Travel Lover 
• Freedom Found
•  The Yoga Retreat That Made Me Quit My Day Job 
• Learning that it’s OK to be a Quitter 
• Zulu Memories in South Africa by Green Global Travel
• What I Would Tell You (If I Had the Words)
•  Charity for the Philippines a Birthday Adventure

It’s not until we throw ourselves into the unknown that we know who we are.

I have always loved to travel but I have never had the opportunity to travel and explore the way I wanted to. It was the week of my 21st birthday and I decided that I was not going to let my 21st birthday be a celebration where all of my friends would get drunk and pressure me into doing the same but to an absurd level. I have never been fond of my birthdays in general and with my 21st coming up I decided that I would leave the country, but this time, it would be my way.

I packed my backpack and bought a ticket to Mexico and a ticket back. I had no other arrangements or plans, just me, my bag and my curiosity. When the time had finally come for me to hop on that plane, I felt almost numb. I had traveled plenty of times before, but this time, I didn’t have an itinerary, place to stay or people I knew.

Mayan Ruins of Tulum in Mexico

I could feel my heart beating as I sat on the plane waiting to land. My feelings were composed of 10% nervousness, 80% excitement and 10% being fear. I could be wrong though, it may have been 10% excitement, 10% nervousness and 80% fear. Either way, all I knew was that come landing, I would be completely on my own, in a city that I knew very little about, testing myself to see how I would last until my flight back.

It’s strange how I would consider myself more of a shy type of guy in my home town but when I’m traveling I become the exact opposite. It’s like a different part of me takes over, I become the best possible version of myself. My worries leave, my mind is completely clear, I’m smiling, making friends and like a sponge, absorbing information left and right. Traveling is like my drug high in life. I never would have learned this about myself if it wasn’t for traveling but I feel like when I’m in adventure mode, all the excitement and good energy I have, translates to good luck around me.

So the plane lands and I step out into what ends up becoming a huge changing point in my life. I quickly become immersed in the city of Cancun and its people. I befriend the cab driver and learn a few basics of the layout of the city and the most efficient and cost-effective ways to travel about. Next thing you know, I’m getting dropped off and exploring the city on foot for a hostel with a good location near a major bus stop. And aside from almost getting in a fight with a guy who thought I looked at him the wrong way, this becomes the beginning to an amazing experience that I will never forget.

I forgot to mention that when I’m on my own like this I feel like sleep almost becomes unnecessary. I stay up late with the locals and wake up early to get a head start on what the world has to offer. Utilizing the inexpensive bus network to travel throughout the Yucatán I find myself; snorkeling along the shores of Cozumel, sniffing my way to good food and being accused of being an FBI agent in Playa Del Carmen, making sales with Mayan vendors outside of the pyramids of Chichen Itza, relaxing with rock iguanas on the Mayan coastal ruins of Tulum and finally being introduced to local business owners and big names by the son of one of the founders of Cancun himself, Miguel Paz Paredes!

I read a post by Sean Ogle recently about people who make magic happen, referring to people he associates himself with who believe in something, put energy into it, and make something great come out of it. I know I am nowhere near being as successful as they are, yet, but I feel like even so, some pretty crazy stuff happens around me on my travels. It’s the relationships I build and moments like this that have made me who I am today. On these adventures I figure out more of who I am and more of what I want. I feel like after every trip I take, especially the one for my 21st birthday I come out feeling like a more whole person. I realize that in limiting myself to one location, I am in a way limiting myself to one mindset. Traveling has become such a major part of who I am and how I think. I just hope that through my writings, pictures and hopefully at some point, video, I can inspire and open the eyes of many around me.

This is a little bio about me: I’m a big fish in a small pond. I grew up in a town with the population of 2,000 people and was never quite satisfied with the small life. I grew up with a family that pushed me to ask questions and learn. This helped me develop into the curious traveling individual I am today. I’m an inquisitive guy that wants to help everybody I encounter. I find that through my travels I continue to develop into a more well-rounded, knowledgeable individual. Limiting myself to one locale is limiting myself to one mindset.  I believe that as humans we learn best from experience and by golly I’m out to experience all that I can and help people the best I can while doing it.

My website is www.wherespablo.com
My facebook page link is Where’s Paulo
My twitter is @wheresp

Inspirational Series 

This is an ongoing series of inspiring stories from intrepid travellers around the world. If you have an experience in travel that changed your life, made you look at the world differently or an amazing moment that you want to share, please contact us for more details and we will email you right back.. You can also read more about submitting an article to this series at Calling All Writers, Share your Inspirational Travel Story

Read More Inspirational Stories

• What Happens When You Follow Your Heart
• From Little Englander To Travel Lover 
• Freedom Found
•  The Yoga Retreat That Made Me Quit My Day Job 
• Learning that it’s OK to be a Quitter 
• Zulu Memories in South Africa by Green Global Travel
• What I Would Tell You (If I Had the Words)
•  Charity for the Philippines a Birthday Adventure
• Habitat for Humanity in Alaska
• Inspired at the Summit of Mount Roy 
• Inspirational Travel: Fishing For Friendship 

Wow, can you believe it’s nearly 2012?

This has been a short Christmas season, it seems shorter than usual with Christmas and New Years falling on a Sunday. It seems like the holidays just got started and they are already coming to and end!

We are home for the holidays this year and as we watched the snow fall outside, we started to reminisce about where we’ve been for New Year’s over the past decade. It’s been a very fun ride.

So while we celebrate at home for the first time in a few years, enjoy our trip down memory lane and share your stories of where you’ll be this year and where in the world you have celebrated New Years abroad in the past. 

Thailand

Dave and Deb Dukin' it Out at New Years in Thailand

Last Year this time we were in Studying Muay Thai Kickboxing at Rawai Muay Thai in Phuket. A fun New Years on the beach complete with Karaoke, Lady Boys and a little Thai Wiskey. Not much though, we were all in training!

India

Hussein and His Mother in Udaipur India at New Years

We were staying in Udaipur at the Lakeshore Guesthouse where we grew close with it’s manager Hussain. He took us up to the rooftop of his families building to overlook the magical city at midnight. Fireworks were let off over the Lake Palace Hotel standing proud in the middle of Lake Pichola. It was a beautiful sight.

Egypt

2008 Started Off With a Bang, Cycling a Continent!

We were about to start our ride down the continent of Africa and celebrated New Years on the plane to Cairo. We weren’t really thinking about the celebrations we were missing out on, we were getting ready to change our lives and live our dreams.

Somewhere between Florida and Toronto

Our Home Town, Toronto at Night

We had just spent a couple of weeks visiting my parents in Florida and were going to stop at Myrtle Beach on the way home when we left late Dec. Instead, we decided to drive straight through to Canada ended up crossing the border at Niagara Falls somewhere around midnight. It was raining, it was late and it was depressing. It was that night that we made the New Years resolution to change our lives. We watched an interview on CBC with Ray Zahab about how he is now living his dream as an ultra marathon runner and made a pact to do something like that ourselves. One year later we were in Cairo at the start of the Tour d’Afrique and have never looked back!

Quebec City

The Fairmont Hotel in Quebec City Christmas

There isn’t a more romantic city in Canada than Quebec City. We bundled up in our down jackets, snowboarding pants and Sorrel winter boots to walk around the old city and take in its historical architecture. Fondue, cheese, fresh fruit, wine and hot chocolate made for the perfect getaway after a few days of snowboarding at Mont St. Anne for celebrating New years.

Honduras

Starting our Dive Masters in Honduras

We were ready to take our dive masters and there was no where cheaper on earth to study than Honduras. Hanging out on Utilla for a few weeks was an awesome way ring in the New Year. We made new friends and celebrated together like we had known each other for years. When the New Year came, we said our good byes, never to see them again. But we came away with memories to last a lifetime.

Laos

OK, So We dont' have Photos of Vang Viang, It was 2003 we didn't have digital yet!

We had arrived in Vang Vieng just a couple of days after Christmas. I hear that it is over run with backpackers these days, but when we were there on the even of 2004, things were fairly quiet. We walked down the dirt streets and sat with some locals by a fire. We walked some more and grabbed a Bear Lao on a floating bar on the river and eventually settled in while trying to drown our the blaring music coming from the empty bar next door.

Mexico

Traveling Around the Yucatan in Mexico During the Holidays

There’s nothing like celebrating New Years in the tropics and the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico is one of the most gorgeous places on earth. Dressed in a sundress for Deb and Shorts and a Hawaiian shirt for Dave we put the cold of winter out of our minds while sipping Margaritas at the beach bar listining to Mariachis serenade the crowd.

So, Where are you this New Years Eve? At Home with your family, somewhere exotic, an awesome party? Share your plans, we’d love to live vicariously!

Happy New Year and See you in 2012! 

There aren’t a lot of countries that we go back to again and again. Actually Dave and I were talking the other day and realized that we have only re-visited 3 countries again and again. We may have had a stop over in others or popped into one while in the neighbourhood, but Mexico, Thailand and France keep calling us back.

Out of 56 countries visited and counting, a place must have something special to entice us to keep coming back and all of the above have it. We have come to the conclusion that we love these countries not only for their culture, scenery and people, but because they each hold a special memory for us. It was in these countries that we enjoyed many firsts in travel and they always remind us what made us fall in love with being perpetual wanderers.

Mexico

What is so enticing about Mexico? Could it be its proximity to Canada, it’s diverse landcape and rich Mayan culture? Of course it is!

Tulum, Mexico

When we land at the airport in Mexico, everything feels good. We love that warm burst of air that hits our faces as we step off the plane after a long cold winter in Canada. We have fond memories of our time in Mexico. It was in 2003 when we went on our first diving trip with our dive club from Barrie. We spent a week on Cozumel doing nothing but two dives per day exploring the pristine Palancar Reef. We saw everything you could ever hope for in the underwater world. Palancar reef boasts incredible coral gardens with an abundance of marine life. We saw eagle rays, nurse sharks, barraccudas, eels and a blanket of star fish lining the sea ocean floor. We even saw a sea horse which someone told us is very rare. (we later saw many in Honduras, but it was exciting to see our first one in Mexico)

We’d dance every night to the Mariachi bands as we sipped Coronas from an icy bucket of beer.

Mexico is a massive land and it will take years to explore it. Our few trips have barely scratched the surface and yet we’ve been at the far southern reaches of the Guatemala and Belize borders to the northern towns of Tecate and Tijuana near the United States. We’ve walked its sandy beaches, paddled its rivers, hiked is jungles and explored its ancient Mayan ruins. And yet there is still so much more to see and do.

Maybe we’ll have to take advantage of  Thomas Cook Canada’s Massive Facebook Travel Sale. They’re hosting an online extravaganza offering incredible deals to Mexico. If you want to go to one of our favourite countries for cheap, join us and Thomas Cook On December 7th from 7-9 on their facebook page for special discounts.

Give Thomas Cook a like today so you don’t miss a thing! Thomas Cook on Facebook

Thailand

When people ask us if there is one place in the world that we think we could settle down in and live outside of Canada,Thailand always springs to mind.

It has some of the most spectacular beaches on earth, a strong cultural identity and it has all the amenities of home with massive, modern malls, movie theatres and fine dining. Mmm, when I think of Thai food, it makes my mouth water.

Thailand is special to us because it was our first extended independent travel. It was in this country that we first stepped out of the all inclusive vacation mode over a decade ago. We took local transport for the first time and hired local guides. We didn’t have anyone arrange one aspect of our trip for us and we travelled completely on our own for 5 weeks.

It is always special for us to land at the Bangkok airport. That feeling of excitement and wonder always comes back to us. We revisit what it was like to be in awe of a distant land and we are reminded of a time when travel to a new country felt completely foreign and almost frightening to us. We were terrified and excited all at once when we first arrived in Bangkok in 2000, and sense memory comes back to us with each visit. We are reminded why we started traveling in the first place.

Thailand has islands in the south, mega cities in the centre and jungles and hill tribes to the north. Throughout the entire country you’ll find culture and adventure. Visiting a pagoda or temple in Thailand is a cultural experience you will always remember. You can visit a monastery one minute, be on the beach or hiking in the jungle the next and be back in time for dinner and a movie to round off the night!

France

Who didn’t dream of visiting Paris as a child? I watched Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron dance through its streets in An American in Paris and I listened to my parents Frank Sinatra albums as he sang I love Paris in the Springtime. I didn’t know anything about Paris, but I knew very young that I loved it!

When Dave and I went to Paris, it was like a dream. Everything I had ever seen on TV was standing there before us. To this day, every time we are in Paris, we re-visit its historical monuments and wander the city with our mouths agape. It is the most beautiful city in the world and it was here that we rented our first car overseas and drove in a foreign land. France was a part of our first trip to Europe and it was the first time we ever visited a museum outside of our own country. It was the first time we witnessed a battlefield when we drove to Vimy Ridge and it was the first time we stepped foot in an actual castle.

Even when we went back to visit again last summer we had another first in Travel. It was in France that we saw the Mediterranean Sea for the first time. We have always seen movie stars and royalty use it as their playground and in 2010, we used it as ours.

We have climbed it’s rock faces, hiked through its forests, camped on its beaches and browsed its art and architecture. It also has a strong cultural identity and love it or hate it, France is very French.

Like Thailand and Mexico, France is another massive country that will take years to truly explore and we are happy to keep going back to discover more.

This post was brought to you by Thomas Cook Canada. We’re excited to be taking part in their exciting new campaign and share our love and knowledge for Mexico with all of you! Make sure to keep checking their facebook page all week and tune in on Dec. 7th from 7-9 for amazing deals!

There were five men sitting in the boat, deeply bronzed and sinewy from a life of balancing on small boat decks and hauling up fishing nets. We were two pale girls standing at the end of the dock. I was 30 at the time, but felt young and small, and wished for a hand to hold. The men started talking to us in Portuguese. Talking quickly and excitedly, pointing down the bay. We had no idea what they were saying. We laughed and said in English, “We don’t understand!” They laughed and carried on in Portuguese. If I had been by myself, there is no question I would have turned around and left, feeling overwhelmed and not knowing what else to do. But Nanci gave me confidence, and I her. So we stayed, standing shoulder to shoulder, and tried to understand.

Finally, Nanci turned to me with a light bulb above her head and said, “I think they are offering to take us for a ride down the bay to that island over there.” We looked at each other, took in a breath, and said, “What the hell!” We stepped toward the boat and the men cheered. The captain held out his hand to help each of us aboard. I couldn’t believe I was doing this.

“Do you think we’ll be safe?” Nanci asked me in a sudden regress to doubtfulness. I didn’t know.
“Probably,” I replied.

Before we could discuss our trepidations further, the men had rummaged through the boat’s cabin and produced two yellow plastic cups covered in dirty fingerprints, the inside coated with rings of dried beer foam from days past and days aplenty. They gleefully poured in a bottle of beer for me and Nanci. I stood on the bow as everyone raised their beers in cheers, the wind curling my hair around my face.

This was my first visit to a location where neither was English prevalent nor did I know the language. Here in a small fishing village on the coast of Brazil, nobody spoke English. I came here on a volunteer vacation to help conduct an anthropological survey on how the introduction of television was changing the nature of social relationships and the level of trust among villagers. (This trip also turned me onto volunteer vacations, but that’s another story.)  The volunteers were English-speaking and we had translators. However, when not conducting the surveys, the volunteers were on their own.

Sure enough, as Nanci had surmised, we landed at a narrow, sandy island. The boat docked in knee-deep water. The men immediately jumped down and held out their arms for me and Nanci to carry us to shore. With virtually no mutually intelligible words between us, we romped around the island together like little kids. Nanci and I had cameras, and soon the men were throwing their arms around us and posing as if we were best buddies. One of the men picked a flower for me and I stuck it behind my ear. These physical gestures in which my body was rendered with some intimacy against these men’s, the floral gestures suggestive of romanticism, made me a tad nervous. But there was no going back now.

After awhile the captain, Iki, indicated he needed to get home. The men lifted me and Nanci onto the boat’s deck. We chugged back across the bay, laughing the whole way, trying to learn about each other through crude sign language gestures. We docked; Nanci and I left with cheers and smiles and one Portuguese word we knew, “Obrigada.” Thank you.

I walked back to our home in the village elated. I couldn’t believe that I’d just had such an adventure. That I’d stepped onto a boat with strangers whose language I didn’t speak, whose culture I didn’t know, and yet connected with them so thoroughly, so enjoyably. A couple days later as I sat in a small café, one of the boatman walked past and yelled out to me, “Shara! Shara!” waving and smiling. The day after that, we attended a village festa. Iki asked me to dance. He put his arm around my waist, planted my hand on his shoulder, took my other hand in his, and practically before I could blink I was whirling around the dance floor. I was miserable at dancing, and it wasn’t long before we exited the floor and he introduced me to his wife who hugged me, rattling my bones with her laughter.

In retrospect, maybe that boat ride wasn’t exactly the smartest thing to do, but everything in life has its own risk. And that’s how I learned I didn’t have to speak the native language, I didn’t have to blend in – I stuck out like a sore thumb on that dance floor, nevermind the fact that I was a white girl in a Brazilian village – I didn’t have to be cool and smooth, expertly-versed on the culture, in order to make genuine friends and to be accepted. Since then I have made the effort when I travel to learn some language basics, know some history and culture, follow local dress code, etc. But this experience taught me that even if I don’t know all that, the most important thing is to put myself out there – be genuine, be open, be bold and not frightened, and the world will unfold before me and allow me to cross boundaries I might not have thought possible.

I gained a whole new level of confidence, both in myself and in the rest of humanity. During that trip, I realized “the language barrier” is a myth, and this spawned a passion for the more exotic – places I really wished to travel to but previously had thought I didn’t have the nerve to. This was crucial, because now my life revolves around this kind of travel. Now I know: just take a deep breath, step forward and say hello.

Shara Johnson is a professional dreamer. She dreams big and incessantly about gathering experiences from around the globe. Her side job is trying to turn these dreams into reality. She writes literary nonfiction about her travels abroad and exhibits her travel photography. You can read her travel blog at skjtravel.net, view photography samples at skjphotography.net, read writing samples at sharasinor.com, or be her friend on Facebook.

Inspirational Series 

This is an ongoing series of inspiring stories from intrepid travellers around the world. If you have an experience in travel that changed your life, made you look at the world differently or an amazing moment that you want to share, please contact us for more details and we will email you right back.. You can also read more about submitting an article to this series at Calling All Writers, Share your Inspirational Travel Story

Read More Inspirational Stories

Inspired at the Summit of Mount Roy

Zulu Memories in South Africa by Green Global Travel

What I Would Tell You (If I Had the Words)

Last week we had the chance to visit the Adventure Travel World Summit in the city of San Cristobal in Chiapas Mexico. They couldn’t have picked a better location. Located near the Guatemalan border, this town is filled with history and culture and it is just a short drive to take part in all the adventures that Mexico has to offer.

The Tourism board of Mexico was kind enough to take us on a tour of the city and out to the amazing isolated ruins of Tonina. Here are some photos of our too short of time in this great state of Mexico.

The colourful town of San Cristobal De La Casas in Chiapas, Mexico

Santo Domingo is a church built in the Baroque style

The outside of one of the many churches in San Cristobal de la Casas

Interior views of this stunning church.

The beautiful architecture inside the church of San Cristobal

The beauty is in the details. Like the roof of this church.

We had a private guide during our tour of the Mayan ruins of Tonina. He is a rancher in the area and had an amazing sense of humour. This was him posing for us looking out of a window of the temple. He laughed and said “Mayan Bar” “Mayan Bar” taking our order for a Cerveza or two.

Our local guide from the great ruins of Tonina in Chiapas, Mexico

Tonina is the highest Mayan Temple in Mexico and Central America because it is built on a hill. It makes for a spectacular view. 

What a view from the top of the Tonina Mayan ruins in Chiapas, Mexico

The Grounds are two square km but most of the complex has yet to be excavated. Other than the main temple and surrounding buildings, most of the ancient city is waiting beneath the jungle to be discovered.

The Entrance to the Tonina Ruins

We look forward to going back to Mexico in the future to spend several months exploring. This country is massive and there is so much to see and do. We only had a taste of Chiapas during our two days of sightseeing. It was just enough to wet the appetite to come back sooner rather than later.

Thomas Cook Canada is having a massive Facebook Sale on December 7th. Head over to their facebook fan page for incredible deals on Mexico.

We all know that Mexico has great beaches, world class diving and awesome water sports along the country’s coast but it is en route to positioning itself as one of the top adventure destinations in the world.

This week we have been attending the Adventure Travel World Summit in San Cristobal, Chiapas and we have been learning quite a bit about adventure travel in Mexico.

Mexico is a very large country with an area of nearly 2 million square km. And while there are adventure aspects to each of the 31 states, there are 5 that the Mexican Tourism board is focusing on because they all encompass the definition of adventure travel; Physical Activity, Contact with Nature and a Cultural Exchange

1. Chiapas

Known For: being a true adventure destination with a wild landscape.

Chiapas is a destination that makes you feel like you are Indiana Jones. It is here that you can trek through the jungle and raft down a river while encountering grand Mayan Ruins such as Palenque and Tonina.

There is trekking in the highland areas around San Cristóbal and the El Triunfo Cloud Forest Reserve. Chiapas also offers kayaking, rafting, mountain biking, rock climbing and zip lining. Chiapas has everything you need for an adventure destination. It has rainforests, highlands,

Location: Southern most state of Mexico on Guatemalan Border

2. Veracruz

Known For: Kayaking

Veracruz boasts the highest number of rivers in the country and every form of kayaking can be done there. Where there’s water there’s adventure and besides kayaking you can white water raft.

It is in Veracruz that you can do pretty much every adventure sport you can think of. It is here that you can climb Orizaba Peak, Mexico’s highest peak and sport climbing routes for wall climbers. There’s paragliding, mountain biking and even sandboarding.

Location: South East of the Country

3. Oaxaca

Known For: Cultural Adventure

One of the most mountainous regions of the country, Oaxaca offers all the usual adventure activities from zip lining, hiking, mountain biking and rafting. Combine that with its indigenous villages and archeological sites and it gives a stronger element of the cultural exchange point of adventure travel.

Oaxaca is known for its indigenous peoples and cultures. These cultures fared better than most others in Mexico due to the state’s isolated and rugged terrain.

Location: South West Coast

4. San Luis Potosi

Known For: Sotano De Las Golondrinas (cave of swallows)

Imagine rappelling 400 meters into a giant opening. This takes you down into one of the most beautiful chamber caverns in the world to start your spelunking adventure. If you are really nuts, why not try base jumping, yes it can be done.

Sotano De Las Golodidas has the usual adventure activities that can be found throughout Mexico as well. What are the usual activities you can do all across the country?

Mountain Biking, Hiking, Rappelling, Rock Climbing, Ultralight flights, Paragliding, river rafting and kayaking, ziplining, exploring Mayan archeological sites, jungle trekking

Location: North Central Mexico

5. Chihuahua

Known For: Copper Canyon

Have you always thought that the Grand Canyon was the largest canyon on earth? So did I!

But Copper Canyon’s actual system is larger and deeper than the Grand Canyon. Days can be spent exploring this area taking on activities such as horseback riding, discovering waterfalls, hanging in the hot springs and hiking through the canyon.

It is here that some of the most extreme mountain biking can be undertaken and the usual suspects of white water rafting, rapelling, rock climbing and zip lining.

Location: Northern Mexico

The adventure activities in Mexico are endless.

For more adventure destinaions in the world, check out our latest posts Top Adventures Part 1 and Part 2

6. Malaysian Borneo 

7. Thailand 

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8. Tanzania 

9. South Africa

South Africa is not only beautiful, it is an adventure traveller’s playground to the nth degree.

10. Mexico 

Sure it’s probably the number 1 vacation destination for North Americans to go and chill out on the beach, but there is so much more to Mexico than Margaritas and laying in the sun.

Mexico has some of the most pristine scuba diving on the planet.

The Palancar Reef was made famous by Jaques Cousteau and has never lost speed. Diving in the Cenotes near Tulum will give you a memory to last a lifetime. But there’s more to Mexico than diving. Paragliding and Hang Gliding can be experienced all over the country including Tapalpa and Oaxaca. Mexico is known for its rock climbing too, there are sites all over the country most notably  El Potrero Chico. There is surfing all along the Pacific Coast and mountain biking in Copper Canyon. Of course there is hiking too. Mexico is such a giant country that it is impossible to pin down where to choose to do your vacation.

Think Rancho La Puerta is like every other spa you’ve been to?

Think again. Not only do you have the opportunity for massage and facials, meditation and yoga, you can workout using traditional methods like pilates, circuit training, hiking and tennis. However, if that isn’t enough for you, why not try these alternative activities that will keep your week interesting.

Cardio Drumming

The minute we saw this on the schedule, Dave and I both signed up for Cario Drumming. Dave used to be a drummer in a band and I am always seeking out exciting new ways to excersize. This workout was by far the most fun we had at the ranch all week. Taking two drum sticks, some workout balls and a choreographed routine by ranch favourite Manuel, we poumded out a beat and found our rhythm to the high energy mix. We were so pumped by the end of class that we all wanted to perform at the final dinner happening in the main dining area that night.

Hoola Hoop

I hadn’t spun a hoola hoop since I was a kid.

But it all comes back to you the minute you start to shake those hips. The hoola hoop has come a long way baby. Its not just a child’s toy anymore, highly trained artists use the hoola hoop for spectacular routines in Cirque du Soleil and the Shanghai acrobats. How can a person not melt away excess belly fat while working out on the hoola hoop? This class was so much fun, I had a silly grin on my face for the entire 45 minutes. There won’t be any circus auditions in my near future, but it will be something that I will add into my workout routine when I find myself at home again. I am so glad that Beth of Wanderlust and Lipstick told me she was taking the class. I almost didn’t go because even we had to rush out right afterwards for a tour of Rancho La Puerta’s charity project.

Labyrinth

Sloane from The Causemopolitan is a very centered and calm person.

A few days into our trip she told us she had been walking the Labyrinth every day. After she and Rancho La Puerta founder Deborah Szekely explained its powers and purpose, I had to give it a try. Labyrinths have been around for over 4000 years. I envisioned manicured hedges forming a maze like in The Shining, but a labyrinth is not that at all. Walking along a smooth cement path, I followed my route to the centre of the design. At first I didn’t know what to expect, but as I walked slowly and with purpose, I became relaxed and at peace. I can understand why thousands of people follow this practice each day. It is a walking meditation with a guide to the centre of your universe.

Cardio Boxing

Rancho La Puertas didn't sugar coat the workout it was as good of a workout as a session in Thailand

We spent two weeks in Thailand kickboxing. It was one of the toughest two weeks of our lives. Boxing is an intense workout and Rancho la Puerta doesn’t wimp out when it comes to boxing classes like other spas would. They let you put on pads and spar with your partner. One would think that a luxury spa would be more dainty when it comes to its workouts, but not Rancho La Puerta. If you want to work hard, you can work hard. The cardio boxing was a superb workout that lets you get a real feel for what a full on boxing class would be like.

Dance Nia

Celebrations like Holi in India allow people to let loose and be free, Just like Nia Dancing

During our travels, I have watched tribes and cultures completely let go of their inhibitions. I have watched them let out primal screams and jump and dance with pure joy to the beat of a drum as they explore their inner animal during ceremonies and celebrations. I have been fascinated with their connection to the earth and wondered why we don’t have that in modern society. Nia allows you to do this in the safety of a classroom. To really get the benefit, you must let go of all insecurities. It is about finding your own movement and feelings. You may be acting like fire or wind or be crawling like a cat or chirping like a bird. It is a very freeing experience. Nobody is judging you in the class and you are encouraged to be accepting and free.

Silent Dinner

The Buddhists believe in eating in silence, and you can give it a try at Rancho La Puerta. This dinner last for 90 minutes as you chew and eat your meal in without saying a word. We didn’t take part in this one, but I wish we were organized enough to have signed up for it. It is important to connect with your food every once in a while. It helps in digestion, it helps with weight control and it helps you to appreciate each bite that you take. It is difficult for me to keep my mouth shut for any length of time, but I think this would be a good exersize for me to try one day. Who knows Maybe tonight will be the night for me to eat my meal in silence.

Visit the Museum

The history of Rancho La Puerta is fascinating. It started in 1940 by Edmond and Deborah Szekely. In its early days guest visited for 17.50 per week and brought their own tents.  Back then there wasn’t a swimming pool or gym, but people hiked up Mount Kuchumaa and swam in the river. Even in the 1940′s they ate organic food and vegetarian meals. They were pioneers in health retreats and fitness gaining in popularity over the years to what it is today.

Morning Hikes

There are hikes to suit every need at Rancho la Puerta. From 2 mile easy hikes to a rigorous 5 mile run. Sacred Mountain aka Mount Kuchumaa stands over Rancho La Puerta and makes for an inviting sunrise walk.  We were still suffering from jet lag having just arrived from New Zealand, but we did manage to get ourselves up for the organic garden hike and breakfast one morning at 6:00 am. Rancho la Puerta is located in a beautiful setting offering gorgeous panorama views of Tecate and Tijuana Mexico.

• For more in our time at Rancho La Puerta see
• A Destination Spa Made for a Man
• A Fitness Resort like No Other
• Taking Time to Reflect

Special Promotion

As a promotion to our readers, Rancho La Puerta is offering a special discount to first time visitors of Rancho la Puerta. If after reading our posts you decide that this is something for you, make sure to provide the code below for a $250 discount when booking your trip…

For Reservations - Quote Code: RM-BL

How was circuit training? “Well, I didn’t puke!”
That was the answer I got from Dave when we met at lunch after spending the morning in different classes at Rancho La Puerta.

Dave wasn’t quite sure if he was going to enjoy a week at a spa. Don’t only women go to these sort of places? Being an adventurous type of guy, Dave will try anything once, so he indulged me and joined me on a week long retreat to focus on our mind, body and spirit at the worlds Best Destination Spa according to Travel and Leisure Magazine.

Imagine his relief when he saw other men walking around the grounds. I will not lie though, the women definitely outweigh our male counterparts here at this little paradise in Baja California Mexico. However after spending a week at the ranch, we didn’t understand why.

Rancho la Puerta has something to offer everyone and it caters heavily to making men feel comfortable and included.  They even have their very own male spa where they can relax in comfort away from all that estrogen.

I didn’t see a lot of men in my classes that I took throughout the week. That is because they were at the classes that were tailored to their needs. Dave hung out with a completely different circle of people than me.

Dave loved his itinerary for the week. As soon as we received our pamphlet containing all the choices of classes and lectures, he ticked off the ones that he wanted to do and I ticked off the one that I was interested in. We weren’t surprised to see that we were on the opposite spectrum of choices. While I wanted to dance and take tai chi, Dave signed up for Circuit Training, core workouts and cardio muscle blast.

Enough of me talking, I’m making Dave tell you the rest.

Dave:

Travel has taken its toll on me this past year.  My body responds well to high impact workouts. While traveling, I tend to only do short spurts of activity followed by long bouts of sitting on a bus, a beach or in a hotel room behind my computer. It has been frustrating to watch myself go from the best shape of my life after the Tour d’Afrique, to seeing my wasteline expand from all these cushiony press trips and sightseeing tours.

Rancho la Puerta gave me the motivation to get my fitness routine back on track and start working out again.

Dave’s Rancho la Puerta Classes

Circuit Training - The week started with an introduction to Men’s Cuircuit training at 9:00 am. After showing us how to use each of the machines correctly, the class began full force. You can go as hard or as little as you like. I naturally went hard. Following a cardio warmup, we went through 23 stations of different workouts for one minute at each from skipping and, universal weights to calf raises and cycling. Every part of the body was worked on and I just knew that I was going to pay for it tomorrow.

Yoga Level Two - I have taken an intense yoga course in India and I am here to tell you it is an excellent and difficult workout. It was exactly what I needed after the ciruit class to stretch and strengthen my muscles. I wasn’t expecting much from this class, but it ended up being very intense.  The instructor Maya is a Canadian teacher that was a definite favourite among the guests at the ranch. Level two is not for beginners. It was a tough workout and we even went as advanced as doing a headstand, which I will happily brag that I can do.

Core Workout - This is where I need the most work. My “Molson Muscle” has been getting a workout this year, but it is the other 6 pack that I would like to have. This core workout took place on the fitness ball and my abs were aching. A full 45 minutes of working the stomach is not an easy task but I muscled through and survived….barely.

Stretch - After all this hard work on day one, I decided that I better not do another high impact class. My muscles were going to pay for this and I still had 6 days to go, so a stretch class would help immensely. I hopped over to Arroyo gym, one of the 16 gyms on the property and finished off my day with a stretch class. It felt great.

Massage - Now that I was feeling relaxed from an excellent stretch class, I was happy that I was smart enough to book the first of my 3 massages on the first day of working out. Guilt free, I took the rest of the afternoon off to enjoy my 90 minute therapeudic deep tissue massage. I had no idea what that meant. Deb booked my massages for me.  This was a tough massage. I have had my share of massages and normally I don’t feel much from them. Most of the time I am bothered by how masseurs just gently rub or stroke my muscles and never get into working out the kinks. This massage worked out the kinks. It was painful and uncomfortable and just the way I liked it.

After the massage, I spent the next hour hanging out in the mens sauna, steam room and whirl pool.

The Mens Health Spa at Rancho La Puerta

Whirlpool at Men's Spa

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Oh yeah this was gonna be a good week.

The rest of the week went on to be similar each day. I went to my usual circuit training and core workouts and mixed in a couple of other workouts like cardio boxing and smart weight training, I even did a dance class with Deb, more on that next week! I also went to nutrition classes and talks about training smarter. I learned a lot this week and felt 100% better by the end of it.

For more information on rates, classes and packages visit Rancho la Puerta’s website.

As a promotion to our readers, Rancho La Puerta is offering a special discount for first time guests. Make sure to provide the code below for a $250 discount when booking your very own spa getaway at Rancho La Puerta…For Reservations - Quote Code: RM-BL

The invitation couldn’t have come at a better time. We had been feeling burnt out from traveling for that past 6 months and we were in need of a vacation. When Rancho La Puerta came a knockin’ we came a rockin’

The ranch is like nothing we had ever experienced.

We weren’t sure what to expect at this 3000 acre spa across the border of San Diego in Tecate, Mexico. Catching the 8 am shuttle from the San Diego airport allowed us to enjoy our first day to its fullest. Had we known better, we would have packed a day bag to take advantage of the resort until our room was ready.  If only we had our workout clothes, swim suits and gym shoes organized, we could have already begun to take classes. Alas our workout would have to wait another day.

Instead, we spent the day orientating ourselves around the grounds of the complex. Rancho la Puerta is located on 3000 acres of farmland, meadow and gardens tucked beneath Mount Kuchumaa aka Sacred Mountain. It would take many visits to thoroughly explore the place. We enjoyed our relaxing day walking through the gardens, eating our first portion controlled delicious vegetarian meal and taking in some reading at the lounge.

It was a good thing we had a mellow day because the next 7 days were going to be anything but.

We enjoyed an early night and great conversation by the fire with our “Villa Mates” (yes, we stayed in a villa!) Melanie and Adam of Travels With Two. We had met Melanie a year earlier in New York and instantly adored her. We weren’t surprised to find Adam to be exactly as we expected. Fun, friendly, successful and giving. We never travel with other couples but I could see us vacationing regularly with these two.

Day 1.

The jet lag hadn’t even had a chance to settle in from our flight from New Zealand and we were up at the crack of dawn to enjoy our choice of classes.  Dave and I parted ways as he went on to try all the high impact workouts like Men’s Circuit training, Core workout, Cardio Muscle Blast and weight training. I decided to go a more balanced and relaxed approach for my week at Rancho La Puerta.

I have spent too much of my time trying to keep up with Dave’s tireless energy these past 6 months, and this was my week to spend time with my spiritual and artistic side.

Balance at Rancho La Puerta

What we loved about Rancho La Puerta was amount of choice you have. Every single hour of the day offers an array of activities. You can workout as hard or as little as you want. Each hour there is no less than 5 different classes to choose from. With clinics in painting and jewellery making to intensive yoga and aquafit programs there is something to fit everyone’s needs.

What did my first day consist of?

Dave and I took part in completely different activities for the entire week. He will be sharing his experience with you later this week, but for now, he is taking the day off while I tell you about my first day at Rancho La Puerta.

Feldenkrais – What on earth is Feldenkrais? I had to check out this class simply for it’s name. It turns out the Feldenkrais is a series of micro movements in the body to rework your nervous system. You can change years of bad habits and aches and pains by practicing Feldenkrais regularly. I had a difficult time with the micro movements. I was uncomfortable and squirmed a lot while laying on the floor, but after the treatment was finished, I felt that I had better posture, more balance in my muscles, I was energized and had a feeling of lightness. This micro movement stuff really works!

Ay Caramba! – As a former singer and dancer, I was looking forward to all the dance classes at the ranch. Manuel’s “Ay Caramba” class was packed and he didn’t disappoint.  Having won a major award  the “All Around International Fitness Presenter” during the East Coast Alliance’s (ECA) Fitness Convention at Times Square, New York City, he lived up to his reputation.  This class was the most fun I have had in years and for a solid 45 minutes he gave us a high energy workout. I had no trouble with the choreography with my years of dance training, but after not dancing for 15 years, my stamina wasn’t what it used to be. I felt sick on more than one occasion during that class, but didn’t let the level drop for a second because Manual had a way of pushing his students to perform to their fullest.

Release and Mobilize – Lucky for me, my next class was spent laying on the floor.  Have you ever been told to lay down on a tennis ball when you have a sore muscle in your back? Release and Mobilize teaches you how to self massage your aching muscles with that tennis ball.  I didn’t know I had pressure points and tight muscles in certain areas until I took this class. It taught us how to make the most of working out those aches and pains. One word of caution though, don’t go too hard. I have this bad habit of thinking if there’s no pain there’s no gain, but in this case, I over did it and had an aching neck and shoulders for the next few days.

Massage – Lucky for me I had a massage booked to work out my tender muscles. Rancho La Puerta has 3 different spas complete with several professional masseurs in all different types of massage therapy. You have a choice of hot stone massage, deep tissue massage, relaxing massage, the 5 elements, and Four Hands Massage. It doesn’t stop there, you can try reflexology, facials, herbal body wraps, hydrotherapy, manicures and pedicures.  It is your week to completely pamper yourself as much as you like.  This is your time to give yourself 100% of your attention.

I wanted to make the most of my time at Rancho La Puerta and tried to take a class nearly every hour of the day.

I rounded out my first day with some Tai Chi and finally a Stretch and Relax class to ensure that I felt in prime shape for the days to come.

With an incredible 4 course portion controlled healthy meal to end the day, we set off for an early bed time.  If you haven’t just arrived from New Zealand and you have the energy to stay up, you can take advantage of the night time activities at the Ranch. There are talks and people speaking on life, health and love, there are movies playing in the library or you can simply enjoy a good book by the fireplace in the lounge and lose yourself in the quiet and calm that Rancho La Puerta encourages.

To find out more about a retreat visit their website – Rancho La Puerta

As a promotion to our readers, Rancho La Puerta is offering a special discount to first time guests. Make sure to provide the code below for a $250 discount when booking your very own spa getaway at Rancho La Puerta…For Reservations - Quote Code: RM-BL

Stay tuned for more on our time at Rancho La Puerta and on Dave’s point of view on visiting a fitness resort spa.

Deb: Serenity Now At Rancho La Puerta

Photo Taken by Julia Coney of All About the Pretty…

We are currently strengthening our bodies, empowering our minds and finding health and balance in our lives at Rancho la Puerta in Baja California, Mexico. To really delve into the process we are leaving our computers in their cases and spending the rest of the week in the various classes that the ranch offers every day. From hiking up sacred mountain, to cardio boxing and circuit training to meditation we are reflecting on what is important in life.
We are also getting to know the other inspiring travelers and writers that are joining us on this week of well being…

Melanie and Adam from TravelsWithTwo
Beth From Wanderlust and Lipstick
Julia from All About the Pretty
Sloane from TheCausmopolitan
Julie from Things You Should Do

These people have made our time at the Ranch even more enriching than it already is and we want to spend the time taking advantage of every moment with them while exploring the over 3000 acres of property surrounding us in beautiful Northern Mexico.
We will be sharing all of our experiences with you from our time here in Mexico, but for now we are taking the moment to lose ourselves in the Rancho la Puerta experience.

We will see you soon.

A Guest Post by Final Transit

Did you ever visit a place that felt remarkably similar to some other place you had seen before?

It happened to me while I was traveling in Mexico last month. The more I traveled, the more familiar the place felt. Familiar to India, that is. Now what could possibly be similar between Mexico and India – countries that are separated by oceans, and with different histories, races and cultures?

Follow along as I share some clues based on what I encountered in Mexico, and then tell me what you think:

Mexican flag at Merida's city centre.

People

Clue 1: We are “brown”
The majority of Mexicans and Indians are born with a tan. SPF 15 will do nothing. My Mexican couchsurfing host said that he was never bothered by touts in India. And I was mistaken as a local all the time too. What to do?

Clue 2: We talk. A lot
When I asked for directions in Russia and if they didn’t know, I was simply told a “Nyet” and the person walked away. Not in Mexico! Time and again, whenever I asked simple things like “Does the combi stop here?” the reply went on forever. People talked even if they didn’t know the answer. Before I knew, I was talking about my age, telling them why Indians wear a mark on their forehead and getting invited to visit their homes. Ah, about that -

Clue 3: We invite people… and our families are huge
How do you define a family? Well, I once got invited (by someone I met at the bus stop) to a ‘family’ celebration. I was pleasantly surprised to see aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews, grandmothers, neighbors, old friends and even visiting couchsurfers included in “family.” Come, share, eat, enjoy, its for everyone! I was so touched by their hospitality!

Society

Hammocks, freshly woven

Clue 1: Collectivist
I got into a very crowded chicken bus the other day and the driver was still forcing more people in. Just like India, buses in Yucatan seem to have infinite capacity. A woman boarded with a big bag and a baby. The baby was handed over to the grandma sitting next to me while the bag was thrust on my lap. Where else might this happen?

Clue 2: Time
I was going to a party once and I arrived promptly at 17:30 as per the invitation. The host asked me, “What are you doing here so early?” Other people came late… quite late. “It’s about hanging out and having a conversation,” my friend said wisely, “not about efficiency.”

Clue 3: Colours and festivals
Vibrant dresses, colourful food, dazzling festive decorations and crowded celebrations. I think that the best time to indulge oneself socially is during festivals. More the merrier, come join the celebration! I ended up participating in a fiesta that ended with tons of street food.

History

Pyramid of the Sun, Teotihuacan

Clue 1: Architectural wonders
If you have visited the Chichen Itzas of Mexico, or Taj Mahals of India, you know what I am talking about. The monuments and temples are huge, often overwhelming, and full of intricate details. And oh, several of these were constructed roughly one or two thousand years ago.

Clue 2: European colonies
India was to the British what Mexico was to the Spanish. I won’t say anything more!

Streets

Mexico city's busy historic centre

Clue 1: Noisy and crowded
I know someone who visited India and wore earplugs all their time in Delhi. Yes our cities are a sea of humanity: noisy, crowded and littered. Despite how chaotic it looks, there is an order and it is incomprehensible how the cities function at five times their design capacity (what’s that?) While I was disappointed that Mexican drivers don’t honk as passionately, their chaotic driving (skills) did make up for the inadequate honking.

Clue 2: Stray animals
I must say that Mexico has a lot of catching up to do is much better in this regard. I could only spot stray dogs and cats. Where did the cows go? Ah, in the burritos perhaps… That brings us to the final topic -

Food

Lunch kitchen

Clue 1: Rotis, Tortillas, Parathas and Gorditas
These are essentially the same, except that wheat is not as popular in Mexico and corn is reserved for roasting in India. The parathas get stuffed with vegetarian fare while the gorditas often get stuffed with meat. The best thing about the food? You can eat on the street, with your hands, fresh off the cooking pan (and probably on the same plates that was used by five previous people.)

Clue 2: Hot and spicy
Being a self-proclaimed connoisseur of chillies, I must point out that Mexican chillies are not the same as Indian ones. Regardless, fact remains that food is incomplete without an adequate dressing of chili pepper sauce of some kind. The madness goes to the next level – we eat our fruit with ‘chili de fruta’ (chili mix/masala to season the fruit). Imagine my shock when I was served a pear as dessert in Toronto!

Gordita, stuffed with refried beans, cheese, cream and generous amount of red chili sauce

Now tell me, after reading this, do you agree with what I had said at the beginning? Did you have a similar experience elsewhere?

PS: This article is written in a lighter vein. While I have lived in India for 25 years, I have barely spent a month in Mexico.

Priyank loves traveling and getting a glimpse of different lifestyles. Having lived in India for 25 years, followed by Canada for the past 4, nothing excites him more than seeing how remarkably similar we all are, despite our cultural differences.
Priyank’s Travel blog: Final Transit | Twitter: @finaltransit | “Like” his Facebook page.

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The very best locations to get some serious SCUBA action.

Photo: donemat

SCUBA diving is a phenomenal pastime which can unlock a completely different world to the adventurous traveller. There are hundreds of fabulous natural and artificial dive sites across the globe, but there are certain places that should tip the top of your must-dive list.

Here are 5 of the top places you should definitely take the plunge.

Yongala – Great Barrier Reef, Australia

Photo: StuandGravy

The Great Barrier Reef is one of the most famous dive locations in the world. It would be clichéd to say you have to dive here if it weren’t so mind-blowingly amazing. No true dive list is complete without including Yongala. March is the best time to dive along the reef and the coral is simply stunning.

Sharm el Sheikh – the Red Sea, Egypt

Photo: NataRajam

Diving in the Red Sea is spectacular and the diving resorts don’t come much better than in Egypt. Sharm el Sheikh is gathering quite a reputation among Western tourists with its fantastic year-round weather and cheap prices. The resort is a great place for a diving holiday.

Belize – the Caribbean Sea

Photo: Sharnik

There should be fewer language barriers in Belize, as the primary language is English, which can be a big comfort for diving beginners. Belize is also home to the second largest barrier reef system (after Australia) which stretches down to Honduras. Belize offers some of the best diving in the Caribbean and certainly has enviable marine life and coral – truly breathtaking.

Manta Ray Night Dive – the Pacific Ocean, Hawaii

Photo: CWilso

As part of the vibrant local nightlife, seeing manta rays requires a darker dive which is a heady experience all in itself. The diving around Kona Honu in Hawaii is spectacular and offers some of the best chances of meeting the majestic winged water creatures. An utterly awe-inspiring encounter for any serious diver.

Palau – the Pacific Ocean

Photo: ctsnow

There are so many islands in over 65 million square miles of Pacific Ocean to choose from, but diving in Palau is probably the best of the collection. The shallow reef lagoons offer some 1,400 species of fish and 350 species of coral. Don’t forget a waterproof camera!

Dave and I used to be very avid scuba divers. So much that at one point we packed up and went to Honduras to pursue our Dive Masters so that we could travel the world and teach scuba diving. So when this guest post came across our inbox, we were more than happy to put it up and share the top diving destinations with you.

We have only dove in 1 of the places listed above and we have only been to two of the places listed in the post. This article is as much an inspiration for us as it is to other would be world scuba divers.

Do you have an ultimate top 5 or top 10 destination list? We are looking for guest posts for the summer to share dream destinations and adventures with our readers.

Sources:

MatadorTrips, ScubaTravel, Kona HoduDivers

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Travel photography has many aspects. When Deb and I travel most places are defined in some way or another by the people. Faces always have intrigued me because, as Shakespeare put it, “The eyes are the window to the soul”.

As I took these photo’s I believe that each pair of eyes offers a glimpse into the joys and hardships of each individuals life. It is amazing that with the click of a shutter you can relay such emotion. I hope you enjoy these photo’s as much as I did taking them.

Cigar anyone?

An Elder opens the shutters in Myanmar

The Innocence of a Child, Malawi

A wise gaze from a Peruvian elder.

A stunning Sudanese woman.

Digging for mussels on the rocks of Goa, India.

Taking a smoke break at the market in Myanmar.

Hard at work during the Harvest in Bali.

Today’s post comes to us from Teresa Wilson, a woman I admire for her convictions. When I put out the question in search of people to write about their experiences giving back while traveling abroad,  I was excited by the response. Travelers are a very giving bunch.  We feel compelled to help the communities that we travel through and want to give back somehow.

But I cannot forget there are other people out there that give to less fortunate nations even when they have not stepped foot on their soil in the past. For a woman to pick up and leave her comfort zone when she has never left North American soil for Nicaragua is a testament to her bravery and strength.

“A small town Canadian girl (yes I call myself a girl even at 46) gets a chance to go to a Central American country to build a school not once but twice! How sweet was that?”

Here is a post about her first big leap into the world to help a small community in Nicaragua, and how it changed her perspective so much that she decided to do it all over again.

NICARAGUA: A First time Volunteer Experience

A Child Lends a Hand

Why?

To exercise this faith I claim to have and to experience life outside this security of home. Walk the walk if you will. I went in 2007 for two weeks to build a school. At this point in my life I had never left North America. I overheard a conversation at church about a mission team being put together and I commented that I would love to do something like that. The rest as they say is history.

Who knew, besides God, that that small statement would lead to 2 trips to Nicaragua. Now I know there will be people out there who will see the God reference and go “Oh no, not one of those”  Do not dismiss God because of the actions of people. That is all I will say on that.

A small town Canadian girl (yes I call myself a girl even at 46) gets a chance to go to a Central American country to build a school not once but twice! How sweet was that. It was even better this second time as I brought my 16 year old son Joey.   We were joined by 10 other people making up our team of twelve.

Teresa and Joey Wilson Building the School

When we landed in Managua Nicaragua, nothing could prepare me for the heat.  It was July and it was sweltering as we loaded up our vans with 24 hockey bags.  Each filled with 50 pounds of school supplies, gift bags, and medical kits.

We were driving to Angels Inn, in Managua were we stayed until we leave for Somoto.  As far as traffic laws go, I would have to say they appear to be open to interpretation. Cars zipped by as our driver weaved in and out of traffic honking his horn. Every traffic light is an outpost for street vendors selling every thing from frozen water to cashews; which were delicious by the way.

I had never seen real slums before. Homes were made of garbage and street kids swarmed the van when we stopped to see some of the buildings that remain from Managua’s once prosperous past.  There is a cathedral with its clock frozen at the exact moment of a December 1972 earthquake.

Yes, foreign aid pours in but it is used to line the pockets of the rich resulting in the country being what we see now. It has been a battle for the working class of the country. There is a huge gap between the haves and the have nots.

At the Orphanage

We visited a few orphanages, where the children were filled with joy and we were uplifted as we took part in their soccer game.   The hospitals however were a different story and we witnessed the poor conditions that people face each day.  The line ups and the lack of distraction from the suffering was evident in the faces of the patients. The people of Nicaragua are in no way under the illusion  that they can count on fairness treatment as fair wage, freedom in this very poor country. It’s citizens are under nourished, under educated, basically uncared for by the government.

“As far as helping the locals; We in free countries are showing by example that you have to care for the little guy. Since it is by grace that we are were we are here and not there.”

We brought our medical kits purchased here in Canada for $575.  It was medicine that is close to expiring, but in Nicaragua they eagerly recieved it and it would be used right away.  These kits can contain up to $10,000 in medicine which would have been disposed of here – Garbage.  People all over the world in need of medicine and Canada is putting it in the trash.

Although this trip we did notice some semblance of a growing middle class. What will that lead to?  Let us hope that they don’t follow our lead to simply accumulate stuff to fill their lives.

Hard at Work

From the city we move to Somoto; a town close to the Honduras border  with a population of about 30,000. The street are lined with fresh produce plantains, pineapples, mangos, lemons, limes and avacados. I was in heaven tasting the rich flavor. People great each other with warm friendly smiles. It is here that our work began.

Just on the outskirts of town we build along side the locals, we began to build the school.  And man can they work. It was painstaking work as we stack the  cinder blocks by hand. The cement was mixed by hand and carried in pails. Everyone had their jobs mixing, molding and laying the bricks.  The scaffloding was shakey to say the least, but together we got it finished after several days of working in the heat.   The women brought us water with pails they carry on their heads. Did I feel bad wasting it? Oh yeah!

Women Carrying our Water

It was an eye opening experience and I hope that it changes my son’s view on life.  He is now looking into ways to help with Habitat for Humanity.

We did get to do some sightseeing while we were there. Just a  Nicaraguan hop skip and jump we went tubing down the river as the walls of the canyon soared 250 meters. Huge cacti are growing right on the rock face.  Absolutely amazing.  It only cost $5.00 and at that rate tips can be generous.

The plant life is everywhere and the jungle is lush and green. For this first time traveler, it was an experience to contend with bugs, spiders and beatles. When it came to the spiders, I really got to see what I was made of.  We survived and I felt so strong. They were the size of my hand, no kidding!

Nicaragua is growing in tourism and I can understand why. It’s natural wonders are beautiful.  We got up close and personal with a live volcano and we went for  a canopy tour and zip line over the rain forest.  So exhilerating.

I have never felt more alive in my whole life as I did those 2 weeks. The beauty of it’s land is matched only by the beauty of her people.

Canada is a great country and we are truly blessed to have what we have but we are also blessed when we share. Thinking outside of ourselves is the greatest gift we can give. Praise God and journey on!

Teresa Wilson

Teresa Wilson is a certified natural health consultant. You can visit her website at thewellnessinyou.blogspot.com

If you are interested in finding out more, PAN Missions Canada offers trips each year to help the people of Nicaragua.

From Deb: I love reading this post, because it brings back the wonder of that first travel that many of us travelbloggers have forgotten. That first wall of heat and humidity that hits you when you step off of the plane, that first ride in a taxi through crazy traffic and that first encounter with creepy crawlies in the jungle.

Previous Articles from our Giving Back, Travel the World and Make a Difference Series

This Global Citizen is Making a Difference by Rebecca Sweetman of The Paradigm Shift Project

Teaching Monks in Nepal by Shannon O’Donnell of ALittleAdrift

ARCAS Guatemala – a One in an Only by Marina Villatoro of TheTravelExperta

Support Local Art and Help Communities Thrive Keith Jenkins of Velvet Escape

For our second installment of Giving Back Travel the World and Make a Difference, we are certainly thrilled to have Marina Villatoro as a contributor. Travel Experta is one of our favorite blogs on the Internet and we visit it regularly to see what exciting destination in Central America she is going to feature each day.   Marina’s story of her time in ARCAS is touching and inspiring. To see what horrors people can inflict on poor helpless animals is heartbreaking, but to know that there are people out there willing to do whatever it takes to come to their aid gives me hope.

I know that you will enjoy Marina’s beautiful story as much as we did.

ARCAS, Guatemala -  A One in an Only!

Every move we make in our lives is based on a decision. That decision can be of minor importance, or like in my case the one that changes the path of my life forever.

When I hopped on a bus to take me from Belize to Tikal, Guatemala I had no idea what was awaiting me!

The ride was about three hours and quite uneventful. I arrived to Tikal, the Mayan ruins late in the afternoon and prepared myself for the trek into the ruins to catch the sunset. Since I was on a backpacking budget, I decided to sleep in the campground that was both for tents and little built wooden cabins.

While getting my key from the Guatemalan worker, some guy came out of the only tent in the whole place and started watching me. Finally, he made his way over. I thought I would be stuck hearing another Latino make stupid remarks at me, instead his conversation captured me immediately. He accompanied me through the one kilometer trail that takes you into the center of the ruin. Along the way, we not only got to know a little bit about each other, but we bumped into every possible form of wildlife native to the area.

We ended up talking into the wee hours and even went to check out the sunrise together.  As he said his goodbyes to me he invited me to visit him in a place called ARCAS where he was getting his veterinary practical to complete his studies. Since my agenda was WIDE open, and I really wanted to see him again, I said, why not!

The following day from Flores, Peten I caught the boat that takes you to the other side of Peten Lake to a dock which is the main entrance to ARCAS. At this point, I knew very little about the place only that they take care of endangered animals and that they rely on volunteers to keep afloat.

I never volunteered a day in my life, nor had any interest to. Yet, when I stepped off the boat something magical took hold. The pathway leading to the actual center was in through the thick of the rain forest, yet inviting and calm. I was greeted by my new friend and a bunch of backpackers that I have already met while traveling the Maya Route through Mexico.

I arrived in time for lunch and we all sat around a large round table eating homemade food.  Afterward, I joined them on their duties which was feeding and cleaning after the animals.

It turns out, these animals are rescued at the borders in the thick of the jungle where the black market for exotic birds (the Scarlet Macaw and Green Parrot) is alive and well. These poor animals, which come by the truckloads, here are found smashed to the bottom of suitcases, shoes, inside pants, map containers and a slew of other horrific, yet creative, ways. By the time they arrive to this center they are half dead yet are welcomed with open arms.

That is what my new Guatemalan friend did, he took care of the sick, trafficked animals. However,  they are not the only ones! The Peten jungle is notorious for poachers and hunting is just as much of an epidemic. The most popular animals to be saved are spider monkeys, ocelots, margays, coatis, and gray foxes which are just a few that find their way over here.

I had one afternoon in the company of these animals to know that I want to do more. I immediately signed up. You can do a week at a time, but no less. The week cost me $90 which included a comfy bed, three wholesome meals and the run of the beautiful grounds with others just like me. Plus, I got to hang out longer with my Guatemalan friend!

Every morning, we’d wake up at 6 am and go to feed the animals. We would each get a designated area, i.e. monkeys, cats, birds, or nocturnal animals. This would change for every shift so we would each experience the animals. Afterward, we’d all eat and exchange great backpacking stories before the cleaning of the cages shift began.

Let’s just say, that the cleaning was the least exciting part of the day. You first had to wash out their poop, and animals poop can really smell. Plus, you entered into these already traumatized animal’s territory. This has resulted in quite a few poo throwing contests and also some mild biting, but on a whole it wasn’t too painful.

The best part of the day, was definitely the feeding! With my big connection and the growing bond with the Guatemalan vet student, I got to feed the babies (very few people got to do this:). Some of the animals arrived with wounded mothers who couldn’t feed them or orphaned animals that were found and brought here. I had the rare opportunity of holding a teeny tiny spider monkey that still had its eyes closed, an ocelot who couldn’t have been older than 3 weeks and baby birds that still didn’t have their gorgeous feathers.

I ended up staying for two weeks. Not only did I fall in love with this unique establishment and the only one in all of Central America of its sort, but I ended up falling in love with the Guatemalan, who I have been married to for the past six years now. We are planning on taking our son back when he is a little older so he can enjoy this place as well.

If you are traveling through Central America and have an extra week to really get immersed in something special, please make sure to check out ARCAS.

Instead of giving you the full explanation of what they do and stand for, I figured I would use their words taken from their website:

What is ARCAS?

ARCAS is a non-profit Guatemalan NGO formed in 1989 by a group of Guatemalan citizens who became concerned as they saw their precious natural heritage – especially their wildlife – rapidly disappearing before their eyes.
It was originally created for a very specific and urgent purpose: to build a rescue center to care for and rehabilitate wild animals that were being confiscated on the black market by the Guatemalan government.
Since its establishment, the ARCAS Rescue Center has grown into one of the largest and most complex rescue centers in the world, receiving between 300 and 600 animals of more than 40 species per year.

ARCAS’s objectives are:

• To strive for the conservation, preservation, protection and research of wildlife;
• To rescue, rehabilitate and reintroduce into their natural habitat wild animals seized from illegal traffickers;
• To promote and assist in the creation and management of protected habitat areas for wild animals;
• To support tropical wildlife veterinary medicine and research;
• To reproduce and re-introduce endangered wildlife;
• To raise awareness among Guatemalans and visiting tourists about the need to conserve natural resources through a program of education and information dissemination;
• To develop and promote economic alternatives in rural communities to the unsustainable consumption of natural resources.

Bio

Marina has been living in Central America for over 7 years and her site Travel Experta is all about traveling in Central America. Marina loves to help people plan the perfect vacation to this amazing part of the world! You can sign up for her RSS feed and join the fun on her facebook fan page and follow her on Twitter at @MarinaVillatoro.

Previous Giving Back Travel the World and Make a Difference Posts

Support Local Art and Help Communities Thrive Keith Jenkins of Velvet Escape

Plan Canada, Cycle Through Africa and Raise Awareness – Dave and Deb- About Us

We have a post coming out at the TravelExperta today about our time visiting Tikal in Guatemala. We aren’t lying when we say that it is our favorite ruin in the world. We wrote about Tikal in an earlier post about our Favorite Ruins of the World back in May.

I started thinking about how I really need to visit Central America again in the near future. I love the energy there.  The music, the food, the people and the scenery. We didn’t get to spend a lot of time in Guatemala, we had only just entered the country and made it to Flores and Tikal when we received and email for Dave to come home and work. We never have work in January, but that year, Dave had a very big feature film that started in the middle of winter and we were back home in the freezing cold after spending a couple of months in tropical paradise.

We haven’t made it back and we really would like to.

So, to keep the theme of the day to accompany our post at the Travel Experta, I think that we will take a trip down memory lane to Mexico.

Dave and Deb in Cozumel

Mexico has been getting a lot of bad press here in Canada lately. Crime, violence, fear. It is all over the news. But we found it to be very safe and friendly. We aren’t huge par-tiers, so we weren’t at the nightclubs every night, but we did start our trip on a package tour so we could have been targets, but we found everyone to be friendly and welcoming. People are the same all over the world, most are good and true while only a small few cause problems. The media has certainly latched onto talking about crime in Mexico lately, are any of you in Mexico now and what is the situation like regarding crime against tourists?

our dive boat

When we took our trip to Central America, it was to dive. We were certified rescue divers and we wanted to go to Honduras to do our dive masters. But our trip started in The Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico.

We booked a package tour at a resort and spent a week with our diving club from Ontario. Believe it or not, it was cheaper for us to book a week long all inclusive vacation and simply not use our return ticket, than to buy a flight to Cancun. We stayed at a modest resort on the island of Cozumel.

Cozumel can be reached by ferry from Playa Del Carmen. It is quieter than Playa Del Carmen and Cancun, but it is by no means secluded or remote. We had been to the Riveria Maya before, so we had no need to visit the mainland again, until our week was up at our resort.  We were there to dive and dive we did.

The diving on Palancar reef is incredible. The visibility can range from 150 to 200 feet. You really have to pay attention to your gauges because the water is so clear, that you don’t notice just how deep you are going. This reef was made famous by Jacques Costeau as one of his favorite diving destinations and I can see why.

Between Dive's Relaxing in the Oh So Comfortable Wetsuit

There are 40 dive sites with popular areas being the horseshoe, caves and the gardens. We had several swim throughs at deep depths and the colours were bursting in the shallow waters.

We did a lot of deep dives. Being with a diving club, competition runs high. But it was the shallow dives that were my favorite. Our air lasted longer as we kept a mellow pace. We stretched our time underwater for as long as we could and we ended our dive drifting over a field of starfish. There were so many of them in the sand, that I almost thought that the dive shops placed them there for tourists to think that they were actually real.

We saw trumpet fish, seahorses, sting rays, eels, barracuda’s, and the coral was outstanding. . For one dive, we had a shark follow our same path for the entire 45 minute dive. I couldn’t tell how far away it was because of the clarity of the water, but it was clear and fairly close swimming just below us. We weren’t nervous or scared, it was just minding its own business, probably just following the current like we were.

Deb Frolicking in the Clear Water

It was a week of solid diving and when it finally came to an end, we were ready for a break.  It was great diving, but we were happy to see the 25 other people we were vacationing with leave and be on our way to our Central American adventure. However, we didn’t have the need to move on quite yet.

We spent the next week in Playa Del Carmen at a Luxury hotel. Not because we were rich, but because we gave into a high pressure sales pitch for the first time in our lives and bought into a vacation club. We were talked into going on the ferry back by them enticing us with 100 US each to come and take a look. They stayed true to their word and gave us 200 bucks, but not until we dropped  $1000 on an offer that was too good to be true. We have never used one deal that they send us, but to this day we still get offers on discount cruises and holidays. We were so upset after our purchase that they let us stay for the week to try it out. So we figured we broke even. With the $200 that they gave us for coming out, we had only dropped $800 for two of us to stay at luxury resort. We made the best of it and took full advantage of all the amenities.

You can read more about our stupidity on this subject and more at our post here at Strange Travel Experiences

If we are going to throw money away, at least we did it in style

I just loved the vibe of the street at night. Music, food, tons of tourist. At times, I really love a crowd. It had changed a lot since we had been there in 1999. Then, Playa Del Carmen had a Senor Frogs, the pier  and  a few streets and dirt roads with vendors and markets. Now it has been built up almost to the point of Cancun, although it doesn’t have the high rises.

I still loved walking along the cobblestone street and finding a great place to eat. The entertainment at dinner is second to none.

We could not get over how talented the musicians were.

We went back a second night to watch a band and we noticed that they were down a member at the beginning of their set. Everyone had jostled around playing different instruments from the night before, and when their final band member arrived, they just switched back to playing their other instruments. They are truly talented.

We bought their CD of course. We always love supporting local artists, especially as good as these guys. They are in our ipod and we listen to them regularly.

We spent time on the beautiful beach drinking buckets of Corona as we worked on our tans,  and we didn’t want to leave.  We were living the life of the Lazy Tourist and loving every minute of it.

We had already been to this part of Mexico before, so we didn’t feel the need to go out and be tourists, we had been to Chichen Itza on a previous trip and since we had been diving solidly for a week, we just didn’t feel the need to go and see much. Sometimes you just have to slow down and enjoy the moment and that is what we did.

We were going through funds quickly however (we just cut $800 out of our budget) so it was time to move on. We caught a bus south to Tulum.  These Mayan Ruins are not spectacular in our opinion, but the view and location certainly is. Situated on a high cliff overlooks the Yucatan Peninsula it is absolutely stunning and I can see why the Mayans decided to make this their home.

Tulum over looking Yucutan Peninsula

We weren’t blown away by the ruins themselves though. It was over run with tour groups and we just didn’t find them as spectacular as Chichen Itza and not even close to the Most Amazing Ruins of Tikal, but the location made up for everything. Besides, you can’t go through travels comparing sites to every other place you have been you will end up not liking anything. We just simply didn’t like Tulum for the plain fact that we didn’t like it.

After spending some time in there, we headed south again toward the Belize border via Chetumal. I must say that Mexican Buses are super. They are clean, efficient and we even had movies to watch. We weren’t paying for special tourist buses, that is just what they had. Contrary to popular belief the buses in Mexico are great.  We road in luxury and comfort all the way to the border.

Another View of Tulum

Mexico is a very popular destination for Canadians to get away in the winter and rightfully so. It is beautiful, warm and truly paradise. And hey, maybe one day we will take up our vacation club on their offer and actually make our money back.