Day 41: Swimming with Endangered Green Sea Turtles
This past Friday, we visited Akumal, famous as a playground for Endangered Green Sea Turtles. We weren’t sure what to expect, and though hopeful about coming face to face with these gentle giants, we tried to remain realistic, understanding that no one can control nature, except God. We got an early start from Playa del Carmen, choosing to have Isidro, our faithful taxi driver of six, transport us there, since we were loaded down with towels, food, a huge, heavy jug of water, and snorkeling equipment. Yes, perhaps we should have taken… Read More
Exploring Cozumel with Kathryn
A little while ago we went to Cozumel and had a blast. We walked quite a long way to get to our ferry, but missed it by a few minutes because the closer ferry terminal was closed. We had to buy tickets to the next ferry and it only left at 8:00am, which shortened our visit by an hour. After the 45 minute ferry ride, we arrived in Cozumel and enjoyed the day at a resort called: Sunscape Sabor. We loved the food. We snorkeled for a little while, and saw tons of fish. When… Read More
Day 22: Taco Treasures in Playa!
Day 22: Walking home last evening, we stumbled upon this new Taqueria and tried their Tacos al Pastor (one of our quickly growing menu favorites). They were only 10 pesos each, the equivalent of about $.77 each…even less than the price of the street stand tacos we fell in love with two weeks ago! And they were just as tasty. Tacos al Pastor, spicy pork tacos, are similar to gyros in that they are cooked on a spit-grill, rotating during the day until the savory pork is sliced away onto corn (maiz)… Read More
Night on the Beach
We live in a condo right by the beach, which has an incredible view of the Ocean from many of the windows. It is not even a two-minute walk to it. There is almost always a breeze, blowing around the many palm trees around our condo. At night, I like to open the wood door and feel the cool breeze rush in through the screen door. Night walks on the beach are one of my favorite things! I love the chills up my spine that the wind brings. If I close… Read More
Day 19: Celebrating the Fourth of July in Mexico! A photo blog…
We were not expecting 4th of July celebrations in Playa del Carmen and were taken completely by surprise! What a fun, heart-warming day. We are so thankful for the country with which we have been blessed and it was neat to have time to reflect on these things during the evening. Happy Fourth of July, America!
Day 18: Reflections Two Weeks In…
Last evening, we had the opportunity to take another walk on the beach as a family. We strolled north for a while and then stopped and set up house. The kids jumped right in and had a blast playing with each other and throwing sand “snowballs”. Finally, when they were exhausted, they sat at the edge of the water, half submerged, just chatting. Their silliness and laughter was infectious and we eavesdropped for quite a while, taking it all in. Ryan and I enjoyed watching them interact with each other and their environment. We… Read More
Day 15: Friends and Fun
One of the things we made sure to tell our family and friends was that they were welcome to come visit us as we traveled. Of course, we meant it sincerely, but wondered if anyone would actually be able to make the trip to Playa del Carmen. We know life is busy, and schedules are packed. So…imagine our surprise when we had not one…but TWO separate visits from dear friends! On Sunday afternoon (yesterday), our friend Linda, also from Chicago, met us at a restaurant close by. We finally got to introduce our… Read More
Day 12: Learning to Make Guacamole
Part of our 3-day resort training included a Mexican Cooking Class! We learned how to make one of our favorite foods…Guacamole. The ingredients? 1. Fresh Avocados 2. Cilantro 3. Habanero Peppers 4. Freshly squeezed Lime Juice 5. Salt & Pepper Time well spent!
Day 7: Venturing Out to Shop
After attending our first church service in Playa, we headed over to Sam’s Club, just down the street, to stock up on many needed supplies and food. We assumed this would be the best place to shop but after looking through the prices and talking to several locals, we have determined that shopping at La Mega or Walmart may be just as cost effective, in addition to searching out little specialty shops like Dak (on Constitution and 30th, near La Mega) that offers fresh produce as well as Gluten-Free products. The first… Read More
Deena Gainor
Six Hearts One Journey 
Recent Comments