The Sea of Cortez is so large that the conquistador, Hernán Cortez, thought it was the ocean. Sometimes it is sapphire, bluer than the sky and deep, as if penetrating the skin’s surface and merging with the sea in me. Near the shore, the Sea often exposes the rocky beaches it covers like a jade-green … Continued
Maria and her baby brother Eugenio lost their mother in April this year. The twelve-year-old purepecha girl holds him on her arms while their grandmother places cempazuchitl flowers and lighted candles on top of their mom’s grave. Midnight is approaching and temperature is rapidly dropping below the freezing point. A cold drizzle has transformed the … Continued
Enjoy this post on The Different Cancún: Another Side of Paradise from our Travel Writing Contest Judge, Richard Bangs. Share your story of where you find awe and feel gratitude! $1,000usd in cash prizes! The pearls of praise for the place called Cancún often sheen to dizzying effect. There is no refuting that this stretch … Continued
The burning sensation in my thighs and glutes fades as I take in the scene before me. The thin, dry mountain air feels light and exhilarating. The wide open space makes me want to spin around and sing like Julie Andrews. Hiking these hills is one of the special perks of living here. This high … Continued
The Mayan Riviera’s colectivos traverse the pot-holed, coastal thoroughfare with laughable disregard for anthropological safety. Fighting the vaguely digestive smell inside, I shout “Tulum!” through nine perspiring passengers, and spend the next thirty minutes battling the vertebral hum. Eventually, the white van vomits me onto the highway, and from his quickly-receding window, the driver’s brown … Continued
This is an entry in the We Said Go Travel Writing Contest written by Wayne and Pat Dunlap from America. Thanks for your entry Wayne and Pat! What is your description of romantic paradise? How about sitting on a picturesque powdery white sandy beach under a thatch beach palapa sipping a margarita or cerveza (beer) … Continued
I’m in Hacienda El Carmen, a delightful old Spanish estate that has been turned into the kind of hotel that is both wedding destination and respite from the everyday world — you can walk the restored rooms full of antiques, inside walls over a foot thick, and imagine the footsteps of the generations that called this place their … Continued
It’s nearly midnight on the beach in Puerto Vallarta and I am crouched down over a small open pit, watching something that looks like a scene from Alien — strange pink flesh and lots of drippy goo. Over the pit, right at my eye level, an enormous sea turtle is heeding the strongest call of nature and … Continued
In Heather Poole’s insider memoir, Cruising Attitude: Tales of Crashpads, Crew Drama, and Crazy Passengers at 35,000 Feet, she says, “Just goes to show anything can happen if you just take a chance!” Her story will inspire many to finally take that next step and make their dreams a reality. While her anecdotes are not … Continued
It may seem like a scene from the Hollywood box office to most travelers- but to myself and a handful of other wildlife spokespeople it is strange NOT to travel with animals on the plane! Even the airline and TSA personal get excited and often star struck by our furry, feathery, and sometimes scaly passengers … Continued