I'll see you in the stars

[words-on-colour]

[wishes-wanderlust]

Coba, Quintana Roo, Mexico - Day 6: January 31, 2018

This morning we drove an hour inland to explore the Coba ruins.  The Nohoch Mul pyramid is the only Mayan pyramid that people are still allowed to climb.  Kelly and I just had to take advantage of that!  The pyramid is 137 ft tall and has 130 steps.  The view from the top is pretty spectacular.  Full disclosure: I came down on my bum.  The steps were narrow, steep and, because people have been climbing them for centuries, polished smooth in some areas. I was pretty terrified but I faced a fear today .  There are also two Mayan ball courts.  Kelly tells me that they were much smaller than the ball court at Chichen Itza.  Apparently the game had something to do with the ritual sacrifices but I am not sure of the correlation. 

For dinner, we had pizza and then walked around Tulum. They are working on the zocalo so there doesn’t seem to be as much going on in town as in July. 

[wishes-wanderlust]

Soliman Bay, Tulum, Quintana Roo, Mexico - Day 5: January 30, 2018

We got right back into the routine at Casa Playa Maya today.  I just love waking up and looking at the incredible brickwork in the casita.  We took the kayak out and explored the bay more than we did in July.  It was just way too hot to be out in the sun for that long then but it was quite pleasant today.  It was still a bit choppy in the bay compared to normal but it made for a good workout. 

We also went out snorkelling by a dive platform.  It was nice to see our old fish friends again.  We saw two big angelfish so that was exciting.  They looked massive compared to all the little ones that call the bay home. 

For dinner, we got our $1 tacos again.  When we were there in July, they were preparing to open up a different location.  They have now moved and the atmosphere and food were great! 

There was a “Blue Blood Supermoon” tonight.  The sky was so bright.  Amazing.   

[wishes-wanderlust]

Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico - Day 1: January 26, 2018

Kelly and I are back in Mexico!  We are staying at Krystal Cancun for a few days and then heading back to Casa Playa Maya for some rest and relaxation. Cancun has a vastly different pace from Tulum.  We are in the hotel zone so it feels less authentic to me but our room overlooks the Caribbean Sea so I really don’t have anything to complain about. 

For dinner, we went to Carlos y Charlie’s.  We indulged in margaritas and a few shots of tequila.  Fun fact: tequila makes Kirstie sleep like a baby.

Day 2: January 27, 2018

We woke up to the crashing of waves this morning.  It has been a bit stormy in Cancun for the past few days so the waves are pretty impressive.  There are actually people surfing out there. 

Kelly and I took a walk down the beach toward the breakwater.  It would probably be an art installation back in Vancouver. It is made of these cement blocks and some of them are covered wth graffiti.  The waves were incredible and may have sprayed my camera a little.  We were caught in a tropical rainstorm on our way back to the resort.  It was quite entertaining.  One minute everyone was lounging on the beach - the next, everyone was running for cover.  We got drenched. 

For dinner, we went to Monkey Business.  Again, we indulged in margaritas and guacamole. We got caught in another rainstorm so decided to call it a night.

Day 3: January 28, 2018

Today, we hung out on the beach.  We made friends with a man named Terry from Washington State.  He has been staying at Krystal Cancun for over a decade and hasn’t seen waves like these before.  They are truly something.  He’s an interesting fella.  He is part of the Maury Island Incident historical group.  It is based around an incident involving a UFO - famously before Roswell.  Anyway, he was full of valuable intel like where to buy groceries and gave us some restaurant recommendations.  We played in the waves for a bit.  I lost a contact lens and Kelly lost the room key so we decided to wait until Soliman Bay before spending more time in the ocean.  

We went to Casa Tequila for dinner based on Terry’s recommendation.  It was absolutely delicious.  We had margaritas and were serenaded by some troubadours.  It was most definitely my favourite meal in Cancun. 

Day 4: January 29, 2018

Today, we left Cancun to head to Soliman Bay.  Before leaving, we had breakfast at Extreme and took the opportunity to get some groceries at the supermarket.  On our walk to breakfast, we passed the lagoon and saw signs warning about crocodiles.  Sure enough, we looked towards the water and there was one sitting at the water’s edge. 

When we arrived at Casa Playa Maya, Luis and Annabel greeted us like old friends.  Wendy came to meet us as well so it was nice to put a face to the name of the lady I had booked both of our stays with.  The owners were there this time too and happen to be from North Vancouver! 

For dinner, we went to La Coqueta.  There was another rainstorm that actually knocked out the power to the casita but we just snuggled in.  It certainly wasn’t a hurricane.

[biscodeja-vu]

Water does not resist. Water flows. When you plunge your hand into it, all you feel is a caress. Water is not a solid wall, it will not stop you. But water always goes where it wants to go, and nothing in the end can stand against it. Water is patient. Dripping water wears away a stone. Remember that, my child. Remember you are half water. If you can’t go through an obstacle, go around it. Water does..

Margaret Atwood (via wethinkwedream)

[cycleofnature]

[wishes-and-wanderlust]

“…and then, I have nature and art and poetry, and if that is not enough, what is enough?”

— Vincent van Gogh  (via wordsnquotes)

[i-am-the-oracular-spectacular]

[wishes-wanderlust]

I saw a shooting star tonight and making a wish didn’t even cross my mind.  I guess that’s how you know you’re in love.  Wishing on stars doesn’t matter anymore because you’ve got everything you truly need.   

[wishes-wanderlust]

Soliman Bay, Tulum, Quintana Roo, Mexico - Day 1: July 22, 2017 Just under a year after our adventure in Belize, Kelly and I are back exploring the beautiful Caribbean Sea.  We arrived in Cancun this afternoon and made our way to our little piece of paradise - Casa Playa Maya in Soliman Bay just outside of Tulum, Mexico.  It is certainly more jungley than our stay in San Pedro but in many ways feels the same.  Our accommodations are amazing.  There is coral just a few steps off the beach outside our door.  We immediately took advantage of that and ended up seeing two turtles right off the beach!  We saw so many fish and most of them were the same species we saw in Belize.  Kelly described it best - “It was like seeing old friends.”  We had a delicious meal at the neighbouring resort, Jashita Hotel, in the Sahara Cafe.  I had the fish filet and Kelly had the prawns. Muy delicioso!    Day 2: July 23, 2017

This place is so peaceful.  This morning we drove into Tulum for breakfast and some sightseeing.  I love that practically every restaurant is open air.  We had huevos al gusto at El Mariachi Loco and walked around looking at the various shops.  When we grew tired of the heat, we returned to Casa Playa Maya.  We took a kayak out to check out a snorkel spot one of the other guests told us about.  It was fantastic! We saw so many fish and explored the coral canyons until we were almost too tired to paddle back.  We made it back, had a well-deserved shower and made love while the sun set.  When we woke up a couple hours later, we realized that all the restaurants would be closing soon so rushed into town in search of an open restaurant.  We found La Coqueta and had the most delicious chips and salsa I’ve ever had.  Kelly had the chicken fajita and I had a chicken burrito.  We came home and sat on the beach watching the thunderstorm and the stars. Day 3: July 24, 2017

This morning, we woke up early and went to the Tulum Ruins.  There was quite the thunderstorm the night before so Kelly and I had stayed up watching it come in across the water.  It had cooled things down nicely and made everything smell so fresh. Las ruins  de Tulum were fascinating.  It was definitely a tourist trap but certainly something to see.  The structures have withstood the test of time.  If those stones could talk… After our walk through the ruins, Kelly and I had lunch at a taco stand on the grounds and walked through some of the shops.  There was a rainstorm that lasted maybe 2 minutes that we ran outside to stand in.  It cooled us off nicely for our drive back to the casita.  Very different from the rain we try to avoid back in Vancouver.  When we got back to our little slice of paradise, we immediately jumped into the ocean.  We swam around, cooled off and fell asleep to the crashing of the waves. When we woke up, we went into town in search of the famed $1 tacos we have heard of but have yet to find.  We were unsuccessful but did have delicious quesadillas.  We walked around Tulum and found the zocalo.  For a Monday night, the place was hopping!  We continued walking and stumbled across a game of fútbol so we sat and watched for a bit.   Day 4: July 25, 2017

We had a bit of a sleep-in this morning.  It was lovely and much needed after all the sun we took in yesterday.  We had breakfast on our balcony - oatmeal with fresh mango and these mini bananas for dessert.  After breakfast, we decided to check out a cenote. We arrived at Dos Ojos around noon and it was perfect.  The heat was just extreme enough to make the cool, clear water of the cenotes seem like paradise. It was like another world in those caverns.  It’s easy to see why the Mayans saw them as holy places.  After snorkelling through Dos Ojos, we drove into town for some lunch.  We were still on the hunt for those $1 tacos but couldn’t resist the smell of the pizza at Hogar’s. Then it was back to the casita to get some beach time.

Day 5: July 26, 2017

Kelly and I decided to spend a day exploring Soliman Bay and enjoying our lovely beach.  We got up early, had breakfast and decided to go snorkelling.  We saw a turtle surface a few times while we were walking on the beach so thought we’d try to catch another glimpse while snorkelling.  No luck today, but we saw tons of fish. After lounging for most of the day, we decided to head into town to grab some dinner.  We finally found the famed $1 tacos at Antojitos de Chiampaneca.  We had the tacos al pastor and they were delicious.  After dinner, we walked around for a bit looking at the shops.  We ate gelato and decided to head back to the casita. 

Day 6: July 27, 2017

This morning, we drove up to Akumal Bay to see the famed “Place of the Turtles.”  It did not disappoint.  We saw tons of turtles and Kelly got to see his beloved “sea roombas” (stingrays).  The first turtle we saw was massive.  Absolutely awe-inspiring.  We started our day with breakfast at the Turtle Bay Bakery & Cafe.  We both had huevos rancheros and for the first time this trip, I was able to order tea!   We came back to the casita and decided that we just hadn’t had enough snorkelling so we took the kayak out to the buoy and snorkelled for an hour and a half.  We saw a massive barracuda!  It had to be about 4 feet long.  Kelly noticed it by a patch of coral so we watched it for a while and then went on with our swim.  Then it circled around and swam past me, looked at me and I swear it smiled.  Not a happy toothy grin!  We went into town for some dinner and had tacos from Taqueria el Nero.  It was good but we both preferred the $1 tacos.  We walked the entire step looking at all the shops and ate gelato.

Day 7: July 28, 2017

We got up and had breakfast on the beach - this time with tea!  The sun was shining and the sea was calm so we grabbed our snorkel gear and dove in.  This bay must be a nursery of sorts because we saw so many baby fish.  Kelly put a GoPro by a piece of coral and got some amazing footage of all kinds of fish - including a “fish selfie” when a couple of curious butterfly fish checked out the camera.  For lunch, we walked down the beach to Chamicos.  They really took the “open air” restaurant style seriously - it was literally tables set up on the beach with a kitchen behind in a palapa.  We had quesadillas - shrimp for Kelly, just quest for me. After lunch, a storm blew in so Kelly and I had a siesta.  When we woke up, we got ready and went into town for dinner at Charlie’s.  I had the fish tacos and Kelly had chicken taquitos.  We walked around for a bit and then called it a night. 

Day 8: July 29, 2017

We wanted to soak up as much of today as possible so we woke up shortly after sunrise and had our breakfast on the beach.  It was a beautiful, calm morning.  The waves were lapping at the shore, the turtles were surfacing just close enough to tease us with their presence.  We had a nice swim after breakfast and decided to fit one last kayak in.  The turtles were swimming right beside us so that was pretty exciting.  We also decided that one last snorkel trip was in order so we grabbed our gear and got back in the water.  At one point, I swam out a bit farther than we usually went and was rewarded by getting to swim with one of the turtles! After our snorkel, we begrudgingly got ready to head to the airport.  Neither of us wanted to leave Soliman Bay.  We had been so spoiled getting to kayak and snorkel whenever we wanted to.  But we made our way to Cancun.  We stopped for lunch at the “Burger Stop” just outside of Playa Del Carmen for lunch and then we were off to the airport.  Unlike our trip to Belize, there were no delays and we actually made it back to YVR a few minutes ahead of schedule.  We packed a lot into the week but I wouldn’t change a thing. 

[wishes-wanderlust]

[wishes-wanderlust]

San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize - Day 10: August 7, 2016

Our flight from San Pedro to Belize City was at 0900 so Kelly and I got up early (despite the Mango Tangos from the night before) to soak up our last little bit of time on La Isla Bonita. I got to sit up front with the pilot on the way to Belize City so that was pretty awesome. 

Once we landed, it was time to check in and get to Houston, Texas.  That flight boarded early and had no problems.  We weren’t so lucky in Houston.  We boarded that plane ahead of schedule as well but everything went downhill from there.  First, there was a problem with one of the monitors so the pilot turned the plane around and we went back to the terminal until that was fixed.  Then they realized that because that had taken too long, the flight attendants were going to time out mid-flight so we had to get a new flight crew.  While waiting for the new crew to arrive, the pilot realized that he too would time out so then we had to wait for a new pilot.  After that, while he was doing his pre-flight check, he discovered that a light wasn’t working so maintenance had to come and fix that.  Then the computer glitched and needed to be replaced.  Once that was taken care of, they realized that they then needed more fuel.  Five hours after we had originally boarded the plane, we finally made it to the runway.  Then we had a very long four hour flight back home to Vancouver where our adventure began. 

The trip started with a delayed flight due to someone thinking it was a great idea to flush a baby diaper down the toilet on the plane and ended with another delayed flight - but the memories between, I will cherish forever.  From riding in golf carts on the streets of San Pedro, to swimming along the reef with a sea turtle, to riding out a hurricane with the man I love - this trip was certainly an adventure. 

[wishes-wanderlust]

San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize - Day 9: August 6, 2016

Kelly and I met up with a coworker of ours, Forest, and her husband, Shawn, at their place in San Pedro.  They had a cookout as a housewarming party so we got to meet some of their local friends.  There was good food and good times with good people. 

Shawn makes these drinks called Mango Tangos and Slippery Sours that Kelly and I indulged in a little too hard. Let’s just say that everything tastes better in Belize. 

I wish we had connected with them earlier in our stay in San Pedro.  But I have a feeling we will be back for another visit and more Mango Tangos soon.  

[wishes-wanderlust]

San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize - Day 8: August 5, 2016

Even the animals were banding together to get things back to their usual ways on the island. Kelly and I were shocked to witness a cast of crabs helping each other cross the road.  They were a blue-ish colour and some were quite large!  One would pop out off the curb and seem to listen and then the rest would emerge and start crossing.  It was quite something.  We even saw one climbing down from a tree.  After a little googling, we found out that they were land crabs and that it is their mating season in August so the mamas were probably trying to get their eggs to the sea.  

In the aftermath of the storm the day before, Kelly and I had considered checking into the resort next door to us because they had a generator and it was business as usual there. Once the power came back on at Royal Caribbean Resort, we ultimately decided to stay put.  We had attempted to go to the restaurant next door for dinner the night before but were told that they were only serving their guests that night.  We had already decided to stay at RCR before that point so we cancelled our reservation - but not because we had been turned away from the restaurant.  Kelly and I really weren’t phased. We just went back to our cabana to have some leftover rice and beans.  We had just finished eating when we heard a knock at our door. It was one of the staff from the resort next door who had driven all the way to the airport in town looking for us to apologize and offer us a free dinner.  Because we had already eaten, he offered us dinner the next night.  So we ended up eating there.  Kelly had the bacon-wrapped shrimp and I had the lobster ravioli.  Every meal that we ate in Belize tasted more delicious than the last.  The hospitality was incredible as well.  People really made us feel at home there.  It could be because a Belizean minute seems equivalent to a Kirstie minute.   

[wishes-wanderlust]

San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize: Day 7 - August 4, 2016

At sunrise, we were able to assess the damage around the resort. The dock at the dive shop was completely ripped apart and our beautiful beach was washed away into the ocean leaving the root system of the palm trees exposed and a couple of cabanas were missing some boards.  We were lucky.  Town - not so much. 

Kelly and I walked into town to get information and to get some food. Along the way, we met a man who used to be a screenwriter.  Both of us work in the film industry so it was quite interesting talking to someone from that side of the industry.  He gave us some information as to what was destroyed in town and shared a screenplay he had recently finished with us about the Battle of St. George.  Almost every dock was destroyed and Palapas Bar completely washed away.  But there were no reports of major injuries or deaths so everyone was happy about that.  

We were without power and running water for most of the day but the island got up and running much more quickly than we anticipated.  It was actually kind of heartwarming seeing everyone band together to rebuild.   

[wishes-wanderlust]

San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize: Day 6 - August 3, 2016

After our peaceful time in the ocean swimming with turtles, the ocean decided to show us its power.  Tropical Storm Earl was upgraded to Hurricane Earl.  

During the day, when everything was still fairly calm, Kelly and I took advantage of the big waves hitting the breakwater to get some goofy pictures of us tourists enjoying the hurricane. 

The manager of Royal Caribbean Resort, Yoham, took us into town to get enough food to get us through the night because they planned to cut the power off across the island in preparation for the storm. He took us to La Divina and we bought some fried chicken with Belizean rice and beans as well as the best chicken quesadilla I have ever had.  

Once the sun set, the storm surge brought the waves right to our doorstep. Kelly and I were peeking out the door with our flashlights to try to see what was going on outside.  At one point, we slammed the door shut right before a wave crashed into it.  After that, we could hear the water swooshing underneath the cabana so we decided to play it safe and keep the door closed.  

To keep ourselves calm, we packed our suitcases and put everything up high in case the ocean decided to pay us a visit inside the cabana.  We also decided to sing a very poignant rendition of “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding complete with the whistle part to calm our nerves.  I’m very thankful to have had Kelly with me that night.  If I could pick someone to endure a hurricane with, it would be that man. 

[wishes-wanderlust]

San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize: Day 5 - August 2, 2016

In the morning, we hopped on a golf cart and went into town to grab some breakfast before our second snorkel trip.  We had huevos rancheros from Celi’s Deli for breakfast and ate that on the beach before making our way to Searious Adventures. We went snorkelling at Tres Cocos and Mexico Rocks.  Mexico Rocks was incredible.  We got to swim with the resident sea turtle, Crush, and saw some eels!  I felt like a mermaid.  The ocean is so beautiful and seemed so tranquil. 

We got a little too much sun on our backs while snorkelling, so Kelly and I headed back to the Royal Caribbean Resort for some rest and a little time in the pool.  

For dinner, we headed back into San Pedro to eat at Elvi’s Kitchen.  Kelly had the crispy fish tacos and I had the “Mango Chipotle BBQ Chicken Tacos” which were absolutely delicious.  I swear - everything tastes better in Belize. 

The island was buzzing with activity that night.  Tropical Storm Earl was set to hit the island the next day so everyone was making preparations.  Kelly and I made sure to grab some extra bottles of water and some other supplies on our way back to the cabana - just in case.