Our Mexican Adventure

Contrary to popular opinion, John and I do not spend our days lazing on the beach with a margarita in hand. We actually work our butts off here, probably harder than we ever have before. But recently we had an opportunity to let loose on an ATV jungle adventure with a group of our friends. It was a blast!

First, we met up with our friends at a local watering hole, the Beer Bucket. What great adventure doesn’t start off with a few brews?!

Next, our designated drivers transported us to the ATV Explorer site just a few miles south of Playa del Carmen. We donned helmets to protect our noggins and goggles and bandanas to keep the dust out of our orifices.

And we were off!

We rode through the jungle for about two hours. For a refreshing break, we stopped at a cenote swimming hole!

And made another stop in a cave where we interrupted these sleeping bats.

With our rowdy group, it was no surprise that we had our share of jungle crashes, scrapes and bruises.

But I assure you that no kitty kats were harmed in this most awesome jungle adventure.

Thanks so much to our friends Tyra and Erik from ATV Explorer for making our tour possible. It was great fun to play like tourists for a day!

We’ve been in dire need of a getaway from our hectic lives in Playa del Carmen. Yes, hectic happens even in paradise! So, we recently took off for a quick trip to the coastal town of Mahahual. Mahahual is about 3 1/2 hours driving time south of Playa del Carmen on the Costa Maya (Mayan Coast).

It was just another sleepy Mexican fishing village until someone had the bright idea to make it a cruise ship destination. The cruise business was going along just fine until Mahahual got slammed by Hurricane Dean just about a year ago. Slowly but surely, Mahahualians rebuilt their homes, businesses and lives.

We hadn’t had the pleasure of visiting Mahahual before the hurricane, so we had nothing to compare it to. The mangroves were in bad shape and the foliage was not particularly lush, but we found a town firmly back on its feet. In fact, from what we can tell, Mahahual is better than ever.

We stayed at Balamku, a tranquil and secluded eco-resort on the beach.

We dined on fresh seafood right on the beach.

We strolled along the brand new malecon (boardwalk).

Young palm trees have been planted along the malecon.

We admired the pretty colors.

We ate awesome sopes and panuchos on the cheap.

We hopped in a kayak to snorkel the extensive and pristine reef just offshore from our hotel.

And then sadly, our quick getaway came to an all too quick end. We headed back to Playa del Carmen with fond memories and a resolve to return to Mahahual for some serious R&R.

If you are interested in visiting Mahahual, you’ll want to read the detailed trip report I wrote up on our forum.