This is the MACAY Museum in downtown Mérida. We were there because the cooking class we booked had a snafu — we booked it using a third-party agency that finds local tours and they had a miscommunication. So, in the end, we have no idea how to make panuchos for you and ended up doing a little more wandering instead. It’s an optical illusion...
These three panuchos represent our little traveling family: Chris, Holly and me. They also represent 75 percent of our diet while here in Mérida because we love them so much. We’re taking a cooking class on Saturday where we’ll learn more about how to make a few Yucatecan staples. Only a few more days here!...
It’s a relatively cool night tonight, so the windows are open and the A/C is off! We set out for some cheap eats and found this bacon-dog cart along Paseo de Montejo. We also took a free talking tour of the city center which was interesting, and we learned more about Mérida. Another quick tidbit for you: Mérida was called La Ciudad Blanca, or The...
Welcome to Mérida! We’ve been here since Thursday evening. Even after being in Costa Rica and then Tulum for the past couple months, the heat here is really something else. The best way we can think to describe it is Las Vegas in the middle of summer, when you go out in the middle of the night and it’s still 90 degrees. Then, add humidity. So...
Today’s our last day in Tulum! We’ve been spending the past few days with my mom, mostly just lounging around on the beach because I pressured her into riding bikes with us and she took a big spill. That was enough adventure for all of us. Tomorrow my mom heads back to San Francisco and we head to Mérida. We’ll see you...
Chris and I are normally DIY travelers, both for budget reasons and because we’ve had mixed experiences with guided tours in the past. But today we took what was quite possibly the best tour we’ve ever taken: to visit the Sian Ka’an Biosphere. Pronounced like shaan kahn, it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site made up of jungle, freshwater lagoons and archaeological sites. We took a tour...
This is Chris with William, el capitán. His boat is set up near our favorite part of the beach, and today we decided to take a ride to snorkel in the reef. We saw lots of fish, my favorite being the yellow-tailed damselfish, whose spots glowed under water. We also took a ride past the ruins at breakneck speed, so I only managed to capture...
After a little work this morning, we hopped on our bikes and headed for the Gran Cenote. It was a little farther than the first cenote we visited, but also much bigger. While Cenote Calavera is peaceful and situated pretty much in someone’s backyard, Gran Cenote has snorkel gear and lockers for rent. The downside: more people! It was approximately US$10/person to get in and US$6/person...
Just hanging out here in Tulum still, having a nice time. See, don’t we look happy and relaxed? We were waiting at a traffic light on our way home after watching Costa Rica vs. the Netherlands when I was inspired to take a cycling selfie. Now that Los Ticos are out (sadly), the only team we have any sort of allegiance to is Argentina,...
It’s #TravelTipTuesday! I know, we’ve really slacked on this. But when we saw this coffee menu today, we were inspired. The sign’s funny, right? But it’s also a good reminder: when traveling, mind your manners. Just because you’re welcomed into a country doesn’t mean you own the place. Give respect and you’ll get respect back. Simple as that. In other news, today’s game between the...
Today we put the “leap” in leap year. That blurry cannonball is me jumping into Cenote Calavera, the closest cenote to our casita. It was our starter cenote. And no, I’m not naked — I’m wearing a teal bathing suit! On the road to Cobá, just under 2km from the main highway, there’s a painted sign that says “Cenote.” A friendly guy in a...
We visited the Tulum ruins today, but I took more photos of iguanas. They were everywhere! Our place is only a 10-minute bike ride from the ruins. We thought we were heeding the advice to “get there early” by arriving just after 10am. But really, you should get there right when they open at 8am. The place was already swarming. How I managed to get photos...