Mexico: Tulum

Note: This is a re-post from my main blog Diamonds and Tulle, with some additional pics below.

My pics definitely did no justice to the beauty of Tulum.

. . .

Wouldn´t you know it´s been rather windy on our spring break vacation!

I´ve only been in the ocean once and today was a memory for the books!

My sis woke up feeling terrible. She bravely insisted we still make an attempt

for some excursion and off we went. No sooner had we left our room, did the rain start to sprinkle.

Thinking we could beat the rain, we forged on towards Xcaret, a jungle-themed adventure park.

As we continued on, the rain came down harder and faster as we came upon

miles and miles of road closures and traffic. Until about halfway, the skies started to part,

the roads started to open up, and I had hopes of a decent day.

Unfortunately, the weather took a turn for the worse for sis. She felt horrible with body aches,

a throbbing stomach, and waves of hot flashes and chills.

We had decided to forgo the adventure park and instead drive the additional 45 min. to see the ruins of Tulum.

I´d been really excited to see Tulum, as they are typically the most popular images depicted in descriptions

of the Riviera Maya.

The weather was super nice as we reached the ruins by foot.

The coastal breeze was refreshing and the skies had brightened up.

Unfortunately, sis was feeling awful and we decided to leave after visitng a few sites.

I´d say she was a trooper and deserved an "A" for effort.

The rain didn´t let up back in Cancun either. Lying out at the beach

was not an option at all today.

Most spring-breakers I´ve talked to have spent the day drinking margaritas indoors.

I´ll post some of the pictures I got when we return.

However, I swear, the pictures can do no justice for how beautiful the site was.

Here are a few professional images to tide you over...

A lovely vintage drawing of the main temple.

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In the meantime, I´ll be shopping online and catching up on reading some blogs.


xoxo,

Vivian

UPDATE:

My personal (not very good) pics, but you can see how cloudy it was.

Mexico: Chichen Itza

My what a LONG drive it was to Chichen Itza from Cancun!

Almost 3 hrs, 2 separate toll booths (each way), and not much for sightseeing along the drive.

I didn't realize rental cars now have USB jacks for iPods. Oh how I wish we had brought one!

Below are my pics from a regular point-and-shoot.

I start my photography class next week!

The pictures do represent the overcast/gloomy weather.

It was still slightly humid and around 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

My photo vs. professional photo (below)

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Obviously, it did not look like the picture as it was all blocked off.

Dressed like an American tourist aren't I?

I know, I know, that bag is hideous! It might need to be upgraded soon.

Hiking shoes, Lululemon Speed Shorts, and a loose top.

A girl's gotta stay comfortable!

I couldn't stand how there were merchants hawking everything they could INSIDE the ruins area. We paid an entrance fee to be bombarded buy merchandise and catcalls left and right. I did like the colorful hammocks though.

Happy to be in Mexico!

Did the ancient Inca Mayans play tic tac toe? Or give kisses and hugs "XOXO"?

Street Tacos for $1 USD! This or the fruit we bought from another street cart could have been the culprits for T's parasites!

Wherever my Passport Will Take Me

I LOVE to travel. It's a huge thing for me.

One of my dreams is to go on The Amazing Race - and not even for the $1 million.

It's for the experience and passport stamps I'd rack up!

I might not have the most vacation days. I might not have the funds to travel like a rockstar. But getting up and going away is something I NEED to do regularly. I credit my parents for being quite frugal on regular everyday things, but ALWAYS ALWAYS taking at least one yearly trip somewhere. And lucky for me, I often got to go places on school breaks as well. I'll be frank and honest, my first year out of college was a shock. NO VACATION the ENTIRE 1st yr. It was torture.

I always say you can test a relationship with a trip away (and I don't mean a weekend to wine country or Vegas). Apparently, TIME agrees! True compatibility becomes evident when you're both faced with uncontrollable situations and compacted time/living spaces together for an extended period of days. Luckily for me, J comes from a family of even more seasoned travelers. His dad literally flies 1 million+ miles a year! We've bonded and shared many of our most precious moments traveling.

We each have our own "Bucket Lists" of places we need to go in our lifetime. Most are mutual, some will definitely be favored more by one. AND we've ranked them in order of "Must before kids" to "OK after kids". Looks like kids won't be on our schedule for a few years.

:)

So thus begins a travel diary and journal of places I want to go, things I need to do, sights I need to see. This journal should have started many years ago - so much happens and the little things we loved about our travels often get forgotten.

I'll be chronicling our adventures going forth (and some going back). I'll be posting places we dream of and long for. Hope you enjoy the ride with us!

xoxo,

Vivian

[Images Via, Via]