July, 2016 Travels in Review – Exploring Tulum, Mexico
In July I continued living in Tulum with Alejandro in our cute little apartment. My life pretty much became molded around his work schedule, which, a bit exasperating, was forever changing. Despite that, we were still able to enjoy many day trips, weekend excursions, visits with new friends and even join a couple parties.
In addition to several day-trips to Playa del Carmen, we made first-time visits to Sian Ka’an Bio Reserve, Punta Alan, Xcacel cenote, Akumal beach and Grand Oasis Resort.
July and August are summer vacation months in Mexico, so several of Alejandro’s long-term friends vacationed at Tulum. They invited us to their beach-side resorts to lounge by lush pools or party on the sand.
I also took two short solo trips to Playa del Carmen for a change of pace and a taste of travel life. In Playa I met up with other travel bloggers, made several new friends, practiced yoga poolside and hung out at the fabulous Hyatt Hotel.
So despite living a relatively ‘sendentary’ life, I was pleased that July was also a month of fun-filled & varied activities. That was a good thing, because I have to admit feeling somewhat stir-crazy without my usual ongoing travels.
That means it’s time to make a few adjustments. In August, I suspect I’ll be taking a few more solo side trips while Alejandro is busy working. That should do the trick!
See what I get up to in August by following my continued adventures on FB and here on LashWorldTour.
Meanwhile, happy summer holidays to you, wherever you are in the world. Cheers, Lash
Following is a round-up of new posts & photos I published in July. Then I dig into our many July adventures via photos and FB updates…
NEW POSTS ON LWT in July:
34 Reasons I Love Yucatan, Mexico
When I first arrived in Yucatan in January this year, I had no idea I was about to be blown away by one of the most amazing places I’ve explored in all my 18+ years of world travels!
I swear there’s some kind of magical energy in the air here…
…as well as diverse nature, gorgeous historic colonial towns, amazing colors, delicious food and more.
Find out why I love Yucatan so very much…
READ POST – 34 Reasons I Love Yucatan
Campeche Main Plaza at sunrise
PHOTO GALLERY: Photos of Campeche, Mexico
Campeche is my very favorite city in Mexico so far!
A UNESCO World Heritage City with fabulously restored buildings, streets and churches, Campeche is really gorgeous.
I stayed 1 week, admiring architecture, cycling streets and coastline, attending nightly cultural performances…
Here are 30 photos of stunning Campeche.
JUNE Travel Review – Tulum, Mexico
June was all about returning to fabulous Tulum Beach on Yucatan’s Caribbean coast.
If you missed any of the fun adventures – visits to beaches, lagunas, cenotes and Playa del Carmen’s amazing Hyatt Hotel – here’s a quick recap…
…with plenty of photos of gorgeous Tulum & beyond.
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July Adventures & Happenings via FB UPDATES:
Xcacel cenote
TRAVEL UPDATE MEXICO:
This month we’re exploring great nature spots near Tulum in all our spare time…
Most recently, Xcacel – A strip of beautiful wild beach and a cenote in a mangrove forest…
Friends in Playa tipped me off on this gorgeous little slice of Paradise just 10 km north of Tulum. And only 20 ps / $1 US entry fee too! We’ll be back!
Has anyone else been to Xcacel? It’s awesome!
TRAVEL UPDATE MEXICO: Turtle Preservation site at Xcacel…
All along the Caribbean coast near Tulum, turtles come ashore to lay eggs at the many fine beaches.
Several beaches are under protection by national parks and preservation agencies.
At Xcacel, rangers have fenced in several rows of turtle nests and placed an informative sign about their preservation efforts. They’ve also staked out various single nests along Xcacel beach. Great to see!
Rangers told us the babies start hatching en masse at the end of July. Hope we get to see some…
TRAVEL UPDATE MEXICO: Afternoon movie house party!
Ha ha ha… We played hookie on life yesterday!
We ended up with an unexpected free afternoon, so we decided to have an in-house Netflex movie party for two…
First we dashed around town gathering party supplies – a gourmet pizza from one of Tulum’s best restaurants and all kinds of junkfood from Oxxo (Mexican 7-11).
Then returned home, cranked on Netflix and spent the entire afternoon & evening watching action films.
Talk about acting like teenagers! Sheesh. But boy was it fun!
Does anyone else play hookie movie days from time to time?
TRAVEL UPDATE MEXICO: Road trip by motorbike!
Over the weekend we took an adventurous road trip through Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve down to tiny Punta Alan village…
Drove through a lot of beautiful scenery in Sian Ka’an on dirt & gravel roads for over 45 km / 27 miles…
The road doesn’t look bad here, but it was incredible bumpy and rough. We also drove through a series of deep & muddy water puddles…rendering legs chalky white…
More photos of Sian Ka’an and Punta Alan coming up…
TRAVEL UPDATE MEXICO:
And here are views of Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve & UNESCO World Heritage Site…
Sian Ka’an is a HUGE marine park just south of Tulum. It incorporates mangrove rivers, jungle, dozens of small islands and wild Carribean coast…
We drove through Sian Ka’an last weekend to reach Punta Alan.
..and here are some of the views en route…
TRAVEL UPDATE MEXICO: Over night in a beach shack in Punta Alan…
Here’s our ramshackle houseboat cabana right on the beach overlooking the Caribbean Sea, complete with coconut palms.
ahhh, another tranquil paradise in Yucatan!
Great views from our veranda, a hammock in shade out front, and only 2 steps into the sea.
But this must be the most hilarious beach bungalow i’ve ever stayed in. Look at it! Funny stuff.
TRAVEL UPDATE MEXICO: Hilarious front door of our cabana on sand at Punta Alan…
Hola!
This completely open round window set in our cabana door gave us some silly photos and…
…and also allows anyone to simply reach inside and unlock the door! hahahahaha! No key needed in Punta Alan!
TRAVEL UPDATE MEXICO: Caribbean Sea views at Punta Alan
Punta Alan is a little fishing village situated at the very southern tip of a long, long skinny peninsula…all within Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve…
Here are the idyllic views of Punta Alan beach from our little houseboat cabana on sand…
TRAVEL UPDATE MEXICO: Wow, Alejandro has hidden talents I didn’t know about!
Hand stands on the sand… which he can hold like, forever!
Go babe!
…wonder what other talents I’ve yet to uncover?
TRAVEL UPDATE MEXICO: Ha ha ha – Beverly Hillbillies Truck!
We came across this hilarious truck while on a recent road trip…
I immediately thought of Beverly Hillbillies…
But discovered it was actually a roving ‘store’ on wheels – selling furniture in little towns. Funny stuff!
Have you ever seen a Beverly Hillbillies style truck? Or a furniture store on wheels? If so, where?
TRAVEL UPDATE MEXICO: Fab Day Trip at Grand Oasis Resort!
July & August are school vacation days in Mexico. So Mexican families hit the road for holidays…
…and our region of Mexico – along Yucatan’s Caribbean coast – is a prime destination… with hundreds of miles of gorgeous powdery sand, aquamarine seas and lots of huge, upscale resorts.
Many of Alejandro’s good friends are arriving to Tulum for holidays. Last week one of them invited us on day passes to their all-inclusive resort – just 20 minutes bike drive from our place…
So we spent a whole day lounging on poolside day beds, snorkeling on a coral reef, suntanning on the sand and eating lots of gourmet food like sushi. Yum!
GREAT day! Thanks so much friends!
TRAVEL UPDATE MEXICO: Party weekend at Tulum Beach!
Ooopsss, we went a bit overboard Saturday evening…
A good friend visited Tulum to attend a Full Moon Party. He invited us out to his cabana on the beach for a pre-party warm-up…
Little did we know how fully prepared he was to Party!
Have you ever seen a bottle of vodka THIS big before? Wowie!
We had a grand time with vodka and other stuff on hand and with people dropping in throughout the evening… Good times!
It’s great to party once in a while, don’t you agree?!
TRAVEL UPDATE MEXICO: Tibetan Singing Bowl Meditation
I just joined this sound healing meditation session in Tulum at a yoga studio near our apartment…
Perfect rejuvenation for the day after heavy party-ing on the beach!
Lucky timing! This Mexican/New Zealand couple came to Tulum on Sunday to perform a healing meditation with Tibetan singing bowls and music by sitar and other Nepali/Indian instruments.
About 10 of us joined the session, greatly enjoying the soothing sounds of bowls, music and mantra chanting.
Have you ever joined a singing bowl meditation? If so, where?
TRAVEL UPDATE MEXICO:
I just got back from a 3-day ‘get-away’ trip to Playa del Carmen…
Just to break up the monotony of living in one place and do a mini trip.
Happily, traveling just one hour north to a different city, with different places to go and different people to visit felt like travel! Yippie! Fun.
I stayed at this cute little hotel/hostel…with a spacious balcony over-looking the swimming pool, a nice open yard, cute thatched sitting area and a huge kitchen….
I always stay here when in Tulum overnight. It’s quiet & private, the people are friendly and it’s never crowded.
TRAVEL UPDATE MEXICO: Yoga poolside mornings in Playa del Carmen…
I just got back from a 3-day ‘get-away’ trip to Playa del Carmen…
Every morning I enjoyed my yoga and mediation beside the pool under bright blue skies… then cooled off in the water.
After breakfast, I romped around the city for 2 days. (Mostly to hang out at the amazing Hyatt Hotel, to be honest)
Sometimes it’s invaluable to take a little break and do something different from life’s daily routines. :)
TRAVEL UPDATE MEXICO:
I met up with fellow travel bloggers and other Playa friends at the Hyatt over the weekend…
Included were Jeannie Mark of Nomadic Chic, who I meet up with regularly in Playa or Tulum… .
And Earl Baron of Wandering Earl, the only other travel blogger I know who’s been on the road as long as I have! Since 1999! Earl & I met in India 2 years ago.
…and Sarah & Christine, who I met in Playa a couple weeks ago via JEannie…. The others are new acquaintances.
The pool of friends is expanding!
(Funnily, they all met up at Hyatt because I had introduced Jeannie to Hyatt’s great architecture there a few weeks ago. AND by complete coincidence I was at Hyatt that evening on my own & got to join them! Funny how things work out sometimes!)
Thanks for the photo Earl!
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Hi! I'm Lash, an American nomadic world traveler who's been traveling solo since 1998. I’m passionate about traveling the world nomadically and then sharing it all with you. I hope to inspire you to travel the world, to entertain you with tales from the road, and to help you reach your travel dreams. Welcome! 
