2013 -- week 12 -- fun with friends: on a mountain, in a garden, & at a concert

i'll admit, when we first moved to tucson i was definitely worried that we'd have a hard time making friends, but fate stepped in and introduced us to some pretty spectacular folks. as a result our time in tucson has been sincerely enriched -- we've done things that maybe we wouldn't normally do (like hike baboquivari), we've eaten food that we wouldn't even begin to know how to make (like mozambican prawn curry), and we've had amazing times and enlightened conversations.

it's so cool to think about the fact that even though there are 6 billion other people on this planet, you can still meet new people that just fit right into your life. like you've known them forever. or you'll be friends forever. people that you can learn from, that you can share interests with, and who can touch your life. we've been fortunate enough to meet some people like this in tucson. and i'm still amazed that it all worked out in the way that it did.

the ruins by the sea: tulum

the first time i went to Mexico i was in high school. i went with my parents to playa del carmen; we stayed in a condo, on the beach, just outside of town. (this was back in the day when playa del carmen was chill and not the touristy disaster it is now.) this trip was kind of a disaster; it took me 12 hours to get sun poisoning and a heat rash. but it was still on these beautiful white sand beaches and turquoise waters.

 

we decided that since we were in the land of the mayans it would only be appropriate to check out the  nearby ruins at tulum. we were not prepared --it was the middle of july and crazy hot. and truth be told i remember very little from the trip. what i do recall is that the sun was intense, there was no shade, we had no water, and the "ruins" looked like pile of rocks under grass. just another disaster.

two weeks ago, i was back in the land of the mayans; back in august we had planned a couples vacation with one of rcg's friends. right after landing in cancun, we went to tulum for two days -- and we decided to go back to the ruins. i was definitely worried, but it seemed silly not to go when we were staying 3 miles away. so we rented bikes (100 pesos a day) and rode to the ruins. and they were incredible. i think it helped that we had water, it was march and not july, and i was a little older and more appreciative of the history and awesomeness of the ruins. 

 

 

the ruins at tulum are super interesting because tulum is the only mayan city on the sea. the ruins are built right on the cliff overlooking crystal clear turquoise waters. 

"los mayans afirman que el camino de tulum, en el mar, se abrirá en algún momento y el mundo cambiará."

 

there are tons of iguanas that call the tulum ruins home. we even saw two fighting!

 

 

maybe the best part of the ruins at tulum: the white sand beach that sits below the castillo. there are stairs down to the beach so that you can swim where the mayans did (and so you can cool off from the intense sun).

 

it cost 57 pesos to enter. and worth every penny.

 

2013 -- week 11 -- the week after vacation is a little boring but has a few surprises!

the week after vacation is always rough -- you're exhausted from your trip, you're trying to get back in the swing of things, and you have to make up for all of the things you didn't do for a week (laundry, checking emails, work, etc.). it's a bummer. lucky for us, we had some pretty cool things happening this week. most notably was watching my friend (via live streaming), who i met freshman year of college, find out where she'll be doing her residency. it's cool because when i met her, she was taking biology 101. and now she's a couple of months away from starting her residency. it's kind of amazing. (and i'm super impressed.)

52 lists -- week 11 -- list your essentials

is it weird that the first thing i wrote down on this list is sunshine? (the next two things i wrote down: sunscreen and sunglasses. obviously.)

sunshine has been on my mind a lot lately. namely because there is so much of it here. 

i haven't always lived in a place where sunshine was a given, so living in arizona is strange. because in arizona it's weird when there isn't any sun. but i'm getting used to it and i'm loving it. (my skin is less in love with it -- i use a disgusting amount of sunscreen.)  

what's essential to you?

2013 -- week 10 -- a mexican catamaran vacation!

is it weird that we keep going back to mexico for our vacations? 

 i guess our thinking is that mexico is huge and awesome -- why not explore all of it's bits and pieces? this time we went to the gulf of mexico to spend four days on a catamaran with friends. it was kind of amazing. (minus the nauseous feeling while on the boat and the rocking feeling while off the boat.)

i must admit, i was very nervous to travel to cancun a week before spring break season officially started, but this vacation was relaxing. and we got to see some really nifty stuff. my favorite was our dingy ride through a lagoon to the oldest church in latin america. it was overgrown with weeds and overrun with bats, but it was amazing to see something so old, so unchanged, and so hugely monumental to the history of a nation, region, and people. (history is the coolest.)

click here or here if you are interested in reading more about my 30 days of lists.

and a special thanks to dh for the use of your awesome panoramic photos of isla blanca.