Remember when we introduced you to Brookie (right) and Lisa (left) from Sámara, Costa Rica? We liked them immediately, and not just because they sell the tastiest treats on the streets. These two are our age and started a new life and business in Costa Rica, so I interviewed them a while back (better late than never!) to learn how they did it. Two minutes in,...
We woke up to the sound of rain and Holly’s snores this morning. In San Francisco, we dreaded the rain, but here it cools everything down. After it stopped, we took Holly for an early morning walk and caught the sunrise. I love the clouds here. What you don’t see is the ground below, which is strewn with garbage. There’s even a...
We can’t believe we’re saying this, but our leap year is almost over. Or is it? This sunset is over a lagoon in Sian Ka’an, which we took yesterday since we’re back in Tulum. (That’s a story for another day.) In just two weeks, we’ll be driving across the US-Mexico border. After visiting friends and family throughout California, we’ll hike all 165 miles of the Tahoe Rim Trail with...
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...