Sunday, May 21, 2017

X is for eXcitement in MeXico

Since we’ve never been to China, trying to find a destination that we have visited that started with the letter “X” has been quite challenging.

We’ve explored the ancient Tlos ruins insouthwest Turkey which looks out onto the Xanthos Valley, but we never actually made it to Xanthos itself. We’ve also driven over the ancient Xanthos River (now the Eşen Çayı) which follows the road between Fethiye and Kalkan, but never stopped to take photos.

So for this month’s A-Z Guidebook post, I’m cheating a bit and going with a trip to the Riviera Maya in Mexico, an area stretching from Playa del Carmen to Tulum along the Yucatan Peninsula. Hubby and I took a short vacation to this beautiful resort area about a year before we were married. I received only 10 days of paid vacation when I was working full-time as an American pastry chef on the East Coast so a quick trip to Mexico was the answer to a much-needed sunny vacation.

I love Mexico! I spent a summer studying Spanish in Querétaro City, located in central Mexico, when I was 21. I worked with a lot of Hispanics in the restaurant kitchen’s I worked in and frequently spoke Spanish with them. Sadly, my Spanish is no bueno these days.

On this particular trip, we mainly relaxed and snorkeled at our resort. When you work all day on your feet at a restaurant, you finally just need a break. One of the exciting moments at the resort was attending a special Mayan dance performed by local artists. I suppose the extravagant costumes represented something important in the Mayan culture, but this trip has been so long ago now that I don’t recall the meaning. Still, I got a few good photos and most importantly created some Mexican memories.
I’m linking this post to the monthly travel guide link up organized by Fiona, a fellow Australian blogger, at Tiffin Bite Sized Food Adventures. Each month features a new letter of the alphabet. This month is the letter “X.” Please pop on over to Fiona’s blog to read more travel stories or feel free to link up your own!

TIFFIN - bite sized food adventures -
My Traveling Joys

Tagged: ,

2 comments:

Sherry m said...

Those dance scenes look fascinating. Obviously lots of death involved with those skulls. :)

Tiffin Fiona said...

Fabulous photos Joy. It seems we are 3 for three with 'eXicitement'. I had hoped to collect an X in Mexico but that wasn't to be. I've started writing a series called Mexicana - I know you've seen the one on corn. I have many more to write, including the e'eXcitement' of the Blue House.