Ruins, ATVs, and Underwater Caves | Adventuras Mayas

I am an active adventurer. On any given trip I have this impulsive need to get out and do things. My family however is all for luxurious naps on the beach and pina coladas by the pool. While I can't complain about a relaxing vacation, I was thrilled when everyone agreed to a day of ruins, ATVs, and underwater caves!

We chose the tour Adventure Mayas. They conveniently picked us up at the hotel and guided us around our various activities. It was the perfect day full of the best to see in Playa del Carmen. I even broke out the GoPro for the trip! There are SO many things to do in Playa del Carmen and the surrounding areas. From history to active adventures, there is something for everyone. 

I apologize in advance if you get motion sick during my video. I promise I'm trying to get better at this GoPro-ing!

Exploring Mayan Ruins | Tulum, Mexico

From Cozumel to Puerto Vallarta Mexico has always been the go to vacation spot for my family and I. However, there is one thing I've been dying to cross off my travel bucket list for years: a trip to Mayan ruins. 

As we zoomed past Playa del Carmen in our tour van I realized it was silly to categorize all Mayan ruins together. Our guide explained how Chichen Itza and Tulum are as different as New York City and Miami. The vastness of the Mayan world can be seen in the differences of architecture and build. Not two ruins are the same. With that in mind, I was excited to get my first taste of the Mayan world as we took the short tram ride to the base of the ruins. 

There are several things to keep in mind when visiting Mayan ruins. The most important, according to our guide, is knowing when the ruins were built. Tulum is a Mayan Post-Classic city and is considered fairly young compared to other ruins on the Yucatan Peninsula. The city of Tulum was a thriving port city between the 13th and 15th century. It is the only Mayan city built directly on a coast and because of that, it is one of the most stunning. 

The second most important thing to remember when visiting Mayan ruins is the belief in the circle of life. People are born, they fall in love, and then they die. Our guide explained that we start our journey in the dark, and then spend our life in the light only to return to the darkness again at the time of death. While I didn't follow everything our guide was saying, his explanation of the Mayan beliefs helped us really understand the buildings and symbols around us. 

Tulum is open every day of the week from 8:00am to 5pm. We went with a guide booked through our hotel, however if you want to stay and also visit the beach below you may want to go on your own. The ruins themselves are not too expansive and can be explored within an hour or two, but make sure to not rush yourself. There is so much to see and do!

xoxo

Throwback | Mexico

I'm attempting to organize my life.

And when I say life, I mean the 'Travel' page of my blog. 

Most of the countries I have visited were pre-Bristol in my Pocket. I thought long and hard about how I should include some of those travels, and it dawned on me: Throwbacks.

So grab a cup of tea and enjoy the lovely pictures of me in my awkward years.

____________________________________

January 2013: Age 21

Cozumel & Progresso.

Another year, another trip to Mexico.

My college roommates and I were inseparable. In fact, they're still the best friends a girl can ask for.

We wanted to do something BIG for our senior year. Living in Texas, cruises are always an option. We ended up picking a cruise to Cozumel and Progresso. Sound familiar, right? I had actually done this cruise in 2009 with my girl scout troop (click here for that post). It was also my third time to Cozumel. But no matter where you go, a vacation is always determined by the people you go with, so I wasn't complaining.

I will never forget this vacation. Spending 5 days in Mexico with my best friends was more than I could have ever asked for. We had planned the trip perfectly, because the next cruise out on our ship turned out to be THE Triumph disaster. That's right. We were on the Triumph days before it was stranded in the gulf. You can read all about that story here.

Kissing a stingray gives you one year of good luck. So far I am not arguing with that!

Happy Wednesday!
xoxo

Throwback | Mexico

I'm attempting to organize my life.

And when I say life, I mean the 'Travel' page of my blog. 

Most of the countries I have visited were pre-Bristol in my Pocket. I thought long and hard about how I should include some of those travels, and it dawned on me: Throwbacks.

So grab a cup of tea and enjoy the lovely pictures of me in my awkward years.

_____________________________________

June 2009: Age 18

Cozumel & Progresso

I have been to Mexico on four separate occasions. Unfortunately, pictures get lost as time goes on. I've been on a desperate search for pictures from these first two trips, and have had little success. This was my third trip to Mexico.

I'm about to tell y'all something rather embarrassing. But my life's an open blog, right?

You are about to enter a no judgement zone.

I joined Girl Scouts when I was 6.

Yes, most American girls are Girl Scouts at some point.

However, I was a member up until I graduated high school.

My troop and I decided at a very young age that we wanted to save our cookie money and go on a vacation the summer before college. It probably seemed like a silly idea at the time, but we stuck to it.

By the time high school graduation rolled around, we had actually saved enough money to go on a cruise! Our cookie money paid for a cruise!

This was my first trip abroad without my parents. It was a big deal for me, even if I had been to Cozumel before. I stand by my opinion that cruises are the best vacations. Between the food, the people, and the destinations, you seriously can't go wrong.

I had so much fun on this cruise, I actually ended up doing it again with my college roommates in 2013. That however, is a post for another time.

xoxo