Category Archives: Travelogs

Quito, Ecuador: Don’t Let Crime Ruin Your Time

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I had “theft” on the brain from the moment I landed in Quito, Ecuador. I don’t typically give much thought to petty theft and street crimes, having lived in Manhattan for ten years. I have accepted that theft can happen anywhere, so I do what I can to protect my personal belongings, keep them out of view, and stay alert and aware when walking the streets of any large city. Then I try not to think about it too much.

Accepting the risks while arming myself with local knowledge, I refuse to let fear dictate my Continue reading →

Circus on the Playa

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The title of this blog sounds like something from Burning Man, when in fact, it’s about another “sleepy little Mexican town” turned into a rockin’ tourist enclave. Wow! How the Playa has changed!

Playa del Carmen’s only claim to fame used to be the ferry that connects Cozumel to the mainland. Now, it has become a vacation destination in of its own. And at the heart and center of that destination is a full blown circus, complete with costumed Mayan warriors, aerial acts, jugglers and junk food. Continue reading →

Has Cozumel Sold its Soul?

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I first visited of Cozumel in 1979. Fact is, I’d never even heard of this island before my then boyfriend, Steve Sisco, suggested we go for vacation. Steve, having been the son of an offshore oilman, had spent most of his youth growing up in Cartagena, Colombia. He talked of diving off city walls into water so clear, so blue, that one could easily think they were in a swimming pool were it not for the colorful, vibrant tropical fish beneath the surface. In search of a similar place a bit closer to home, Steve had Cozumel on his radar. Living in Corpus Christ at the time, Cozumel was practically in our back yard. Continue reading →

Bacalar, Mexico’s “Lake of Seven Colors”

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After spending a week on the island of Caye Caulker in a near-vegetative state, I am eager to get back on the trail.  Having spent a good bit of time exploring Belize “pre-blog” days, my reason for returning this time around was solely to visit the island. So I head back across the border to mainland Mexico to continue up the Yucatan Peninsula.  The plan is to fit a couple more stops in before my flight from Cancun to Ecuador.  One of those spots Continue reading →

Caye Caulker, Belize

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My plan to travel “border to border” across Mexico using only ground transportation (no airplanes) was cooked up on a foggy, cold morning in San Miguel de Allende. I had just arrived on the overnight bus from Dallas to an unseasonably cold December in the 6,000 ft mountains of central Mexico.

Leaning up against the edge of the steamy pool in La Gruta Hot Springs, wisps of fog rising up off the hot water into the frosty 37 degree early morning air, I casually said to my brother Don, “I’d like to just keep going and explore more of Mexico, but I am not sure which direction to go.” Continue reading →

Picking Up Where I Left Off: Yaxchilán and Bonampok

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I’m back. Slowly but surely reassembling my techno-arsenal. It’s not easy, especially when you are one who views yesterday’s technology as an improvement over what is available for purchase today. The iphones have gotten bigger, the sole remaining ipod option will no longer fit into Steve Jobs’ tiny watch pocket, and Windows 10’s darkness is seeping through the cracks of my browser despite my brother Don’s valiant efforts to Continue reading →

Real Time Update

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Greetings, Friends and Followers. Time for a real time update from the “Middle of the World,” Ecuador.

Thanks to those who have written to inquire if all is okay since I had been posting regularly from Mexico, but have not posted in a couple of weeks. I have much to share, as I have seen some phenomenal places, both in Mexico and Ecuador.

But first there is a big black cloud that I need to clear.  I only want to write about this once, so as not to “go there” over and over again. I am ready to move on.  But friends have asked about photos and updates, and I have always tried to share the bad along with the good.  So here goes… Continue reading →

Mayans and the Mayabell

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In my last post, I mentioned the jungle lodge my brother visited a few years ago, sending back photos that have lured me ever since. He talked about the refreshing pool in the lush jungle surroundings, and listening to howler monkeys at night. I’ve wanted to visit since I first saw his photos. So when I called for my reservation, I asked for a more Continue reading →

From the Mountains to the Jungle: Palenque

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I have to admit, as much as I enjoy world history, I have always struggled to embrace ancient Mayan culture. So a couple of years ago when my brother Don sent back photos of Mayabell, the jungle lodge in Palenque, complete with stories of hearing howler monkeys and photos of floating in the refreshing pool, it was the jungle that intrigued me. Two years later, I hadn’t stopped thinking about that jungle lodge. I had to go there. One of the most significant architectural sites in Mayan history, Palenque, was just a sideline. Continue reading →

Reason Enough to Return to San Cristobal de las Casas

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As much as I dearly love Colonial Mexico; the cobblestone streets of San Miguel de Allende, the brilliantly painted houses on the hillsides of Guanajuato, when it comes to nature, ”it’s a bit dry.” Particularly at the time of year I typically visit, which is the dry season. Getting out into nature means lots of dry scrubby shrubs, cactus, and crunchy brown grass beneath my boots. If one is longing for misty cloud-shrowded mountains, Continue reading →