Slide the dial back to 2006 and our boys were 12 and 13 years old. After working long hours building our business, Lynn and I planned a family vacation to Riviera Maya, Mexico’s Caribbean coastline.
Located on the northeastern Yucatán Peninsula just south of Cancun, Riviera Maya has beautiful white sand beaches flanked by ancient Mayan ruins.
Playa del Carmen Mexico
Playa del Carmen is a popular vacation destination for many Americans because it is relatively inexpensive, quick to travel to and offers access to a culture different from our own. It has also been popular with TV shows, as The Real Housewives of Vancouver shot a couple of episodes here as well as appearances on The Amazing Race and The Celebrity Mole.
Tulum Mexico
Just south of Playa del Carmen is Tulum, an ancient Mayan port city. Tulum was a thriving Mayan port during the 13th and 15th centuries, and was one of the last cities built and inhabited by the Maya. We took an excursion to visit the ruins and they did not disappoint.
On our way back from visiting the ruins, we stopped by a Mayan village. The villagers still live in small shacks with dirt floors and hammocks for beds. As we arrived, a group of women were making fresh tortillas and generously offered us a taste. It was the freshest and best tasting tortilla I’ve ever had.
Xcaret Park
On our flight to Mexico, I was chatting with a couple that talked about a prior visit to Playa del Carmen. They said that when visiting, I had to go to Xcaret Park, so we planned an excursion.
Xcaret Park is an ecological park with jungles, beaches, caves, sinkholes and underground rivers. It also sits atop an archaeological site.
This was the first time I had ever done Snuba. Snuba is a cross between snorkeling and scuba diving. You wear a mask similar to scuba but the tank floats across the top of the water and moves with you. It is for shallow diving (about 15 feet) but gives you a taste of scuba diving without having to be certified.
Around Riviera Maya
We also ventured out a few times around the Riviera Maya area. We took a tour that had us cliff jumping. Well, I say us, Lynn watched safely from the shore. She almost had a heart attack as I coaxed our 12 and 13-year-old boys to jump off the cliff. As you can see below, Ryan took the plunge just after me. Cameron followed.
We also visited caves that normally just the locals visit, it was a treat to get off the beaten path.
We took turns diving off the rocks.
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed this little blast-from-the-past of our trip to Mexico. If you are not subscribed to our blog and would like to subscribe so that new posts come directly to your email, scroll up to the right top section of this page and type in your email address.
I’ll leave you with one last picture of Cameron lazying around in Riviera Maya.
WeBeTripping Blog 