Archive for the ‘Lists’ Category

The Mayan Riviera, Playa Del Carmen to be exact, is where I lived for two years of my life. This place is pretty much a tropical playground with so much to do. Here are 9 of the most spectacular ways to spend a day there:

1. Tulum – This gorgeous town is home to mind-blowing Mayan ruins overlooking a vibrant turquoise sea. Entrance to the ruins is free on Sundays, and you’re definitely going to want to hop into a cab after you’re done checking out ancient Mayan history, and heading on down to the main beach. This beach is a stretch of powder-soft white sand, and slightly wavy Caribbean ocean in shades of blue and green you never thought possible. The whole scene looks like a photoshopped screensaver, absolutely too good to be true. But it is true. End this perfect day with dinner at Mezzanine, an upscale Thai restaurant run entirely on wind and solar power.

2. Visit a cenote – Cenotes are sinkholes found all around the Mayan Riviera. They contain cool groundwater and on a hot summer day in Caribbean Mexico, are just about the only relief from the heat. There are many different public cenotes, some with zip lines, some with rope swings, some with cliffs to jump off of. You can even scuba dive to the depths of some and swim through underwater caves. The ones I loved the most were right off the Carratera Federal and cost no more than 3 or 4 dollars to enter. Of these, Cenote Cristalino and Cenote Azule were the best, just a few minutes south of Playa Del Carmen. Catch a collectivo out of Playa for a couple dollars, tell them where you’re headed and they’ll drop you off where you need to be.

3. Cozumel – Cozumel is a small island just off the coast of Mexico, and accessible from Playa Del Carmen. It’s quick to cross by ferry and on the other side you can rent scooters, jeeps or cars to get around. It’s fairly inexpensive to do so and totally worth it as there are so many things to see on Cozumel outside of the town. There are other, smaller towns like El Cedral, that have Mayan ruins in them and a really great town center with churches and horses and souvenir shops. You can also hit up one of the hundreds of beaches, some deserted, some packed to the brim with people. Rent snorkel gear and check out the sea life which can be spectacular on a good day. A great time to go to Cozumel is during Carnival which is in February.

4. Puerto Morelos – A small town in between Cancun and Playa Del Carmen, with an amazing beach. On the beach there is a lighthouse that is crooked from years and years of being beaten down by hurricanes. the beach at Puerto Morelos is stunning and less of a tourist attraction than Playa or Cancun, so you can leave the heaving techno music behind and have a tranquil afternoon in the sun in near solitude. The tiny town is also home to my favorite English book store where you can buy or trade in your old books for used books. its run by fellow Canadians out of Calgary and is only open during the fall and winter months. A 3 dollar bus ride from the bus station on 5th avenue in Playa Del Carmen will get you there in air-conditioned luxury.

5. Akumal – A tiny bay south of Playa Del Carmen, closed in by a reef is home to many sea turtles who lay their eggs on the beach and swim in the bay during the day. I’ve been to this place countless times and I’ve never not seen a sea turtle. Bring your snorkel gear or rent it there and be sure to go out and swim with these creatures. They are amazing and cute even, when they come up out of the water for air. There’s not much else in the way of colorful sea life there, but the trip is worth it for the turtles and the beach as well. It’s a tranquil place and was one of my favorites by far. grab a collectivo from Playa for a couple bucks and they’ll take you there. There are restaurants right on the beach, as well as dive shops in which you can rent snorkel gear, though they tend to overdo it with life vests and wet suits and all you really need is a mask and snorkel.

6. A Beach Bar – I’m Canadian so this wouldn’t be a truthful list if I didn’t include a day of drinking Mexican beer in the hot sun. There is really nothing quite like laying around all day sipping ice cold beers and going for a dip in the Caribbean whenever the heat becomes too much. Even better is taking that beer into the ocean with you, although technically in the town of Playa, that’s not allowed. But like most rules there, they are really just rough guidelines and you can pretty much make up your own rules as you go along. One of the best places to keep the rounds coming all day, is Zenzi beach club. They have free beach lounges and beachside service as well as some of the friendliest staff and regulars in town. The food is also reasonably priced and very good, and on Sundays, 100 pesos will get you all you can eat barbecue with burgers, pork, chicken, sausage and salads. Another great stop on the beach in Playa is Bad Boys Beach Bar, opened by the late, great, Captain Dave and home to house band the nasty Bastards who will play some of your favorite classic rock tunes Thursdays and Saturday nights starting at 7, while you sit in the soft white sand and down Dos Equis until you can’t stand up.

7. The Peanut Pet Shelter & Coco’s Cat Rescue – If you spend any time at all in Playa Del Carmen, Cancun or Tulum, you won’t be able to help but notice the poor dogs and cats running around, starving, street smart animals who need someone to care for them desperately. There are a lot of people who want to do something, and only a handful that actually do. Andy & Jen of the Peanut Pet Shelter open the shelter up most Saturdays to the public so they can come in and participate in the dog wash. Basically, they was each dog that’s being cared for at the shelter and all the volunteers help. It’s a lot of fun getting soaked by shaking, happy, rescued dogs in the heat of the Mayan sun, and getting to know the critters that a lot of the expat community in Playa Del Carmen has fallen in love with. There are ample ways to help them out as well, through donations, purchasing merchandise and sponsoring your favorite puppy. Coco’s Cat Rescue is a similar operation and hosts kitten cuddling day every week on Fridays. Two very worthy causes, amazing people and fun ways to spend a day in Mexico.

mexico, playa del carmen, tulum, akumal, puerto morelos, mayan rivira, riviera maya, cenote, caribbean, peanut pet shelter, coco’s cat rescue, travel, things to do, tours

Continued from My Top 25 Travel Songs Part 4

#5 Toto – Africa

#4 Fleetwood Mac – Go Your Own Way

#3 Cat Stevens – Peace Train

#2 Arcade Fire – Born on a Train

#1 John Denver – Leaving on a Jet Plane

See the master list of all 25 top travel songs here

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Continued from My Top 25 Travel Songs Part 3

#9 Gladys Knight – Midnight Train to Georgia

#8 Iggy Pop – The Passenger

#7 Willy Nelson – On the Road Again

#6 Weezer – Island in the Sun

See the master list of all 25 top travel songs here

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Continued from My Top 25 Travel Songs Part 2:

#14 Bruce Springsteen – Born to Run

#13 Steppenwolf – Born to be Wild

#12 Creedence Clearwater Revival – Proud Mary

#11 Bob Dylan – Like a Rolling Stone

#10 Deftones – Be Quiet and Drive

See the master list of all 25 top travel songs here

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Continued from My Top 25 Travel Songs Part 1:

#19 Van Halen – Panama

#18 Jackson Browne – Running on Empty

#17 R.E.M. – The Great Beyond

#16 Metallica – Wherever I May Roam (Lyrics from which this blog is named for!)

#15 Guns N’ Roses – Paradise City

See the master list of all 25 top travel songs here

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Be it a road trip, hopping on a plane or floating down a river, I always have to have music with me. Some songs were written just to instill a wanderlust in you so strong that you’d all but drop everything and go. These songs do that to me.

#25 Death Cab For Cutie – Transatlanticism

#24 Modest Mouse – Ohio

#23 The Doors – Roadhouse Blues

#22 Pearl Jam – Rearviewmirror

#21 The Mamas & The Papas – California Dreamin’

#20 Lynyrd Skynyrd – Free Bird

See The Master List Here

To Be Continued…

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