Bliss, paradise and no tipping
Maria Mukul washes the family laundry in her village at Pac Chen, Quintana Roo
I'm drifting away and feeling mighty fine about it, I don't mind saying. For the last hour or so my brain's been telling ...
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The Umbrella
(While traveling to the Yucatan Peninsula on vacation in 1985, the author and her husband meet an adventurous contractor who offers to sell them a beachfront lot in Playa del Carmen. After accepting hi...
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Diving in Cancun
Unlike Cozumel with its abundance of dive shops, Cancun is home to only ten. But, as I discovered, this city has much to offer a diver looking for a unique diving experience.
Located twelve miles from...
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A mother and teenage son travel the Yucatan
In March 1998, when Andrew was 15 years old, we took our Mayan trip together. I decided to take him for that month, because his small school in Anchorage, Alaska, was going to the Galapagos Islands, an...
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Is Cancun plastic?
(Photographs by Faera Siegel ©2000)
When I tell my media friends that I am writing a book called "The Real Mexico", they invariably act a bit dumbfounded and frequently ask how I can possibly know an...
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Bijou's odyssey: Bringing our sailboat to the Maya Riviera
This is a story of how my wife, Teresa, and I realized our dream of owning a sailboat here on the Caribbean side of Mexico. Being former coastal Californians with 10 years of sailing experience under o...
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Holding on to the dream in Cancun
First published in The London Observer/Guardian Foreign News Service Jan. 17, 2000
Anita Brown (my beautiful bride these twenty-two years) met a lady from Littleton, Colorado, on the way to downtown C...
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Cancun today: An interview with Jules Siegel
Cancun may very well be plastic, but I assure you that this is the real Mexico, the Mexico of today and the future, clicking and popping and exploding with positive energy, not the dusty old Dos Amigos version with silly sombreros and adobe houses.
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Carnival on Cozumel
We could hear the faint sound of drums from our condo. As we walked in the tropical twilight toward the parade the music became louder. We heard a mixture of calypso, reggae, flamingo and pop, each dis...
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Exploring Puerto Vallarta by foot
Taking in the sights on foot is a great way to see some of the things Puerto Vallarta has to offer. By lacing up your walking shoes and setting out on your own, you get a close-up peek into shops and s...
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Puerto Morelos, A Yucatan paradise
Located just 20 minutes south of Cancun on the Riviera Maya, Puerto Morelos is a haven of peace and solitude. It is possibly the last vestige of an authentic, small fishing village on the entire Caribb...
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Rolfe Schell at the gates of Tulum
"The great landscapes all belong to a tomorrow we have already lived."
Fernando Pessoa, Livro do Desassossego
I collect old books. There's no more fun for me than to forage through secondh...
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Cozumel, an island paradise
Until 1961, Cozumel was a sleepy little fishing village. Then, a television documentary by noted diver and nature lover, Jacques-Ives Cousteau, showed the world the beauty of our island waters. Today t...
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Cenote daydreams, Yucatan, Mexico
Recollections of stunning ruins, fantastic snorkelling,
exquisite food and friendly people.
The Yucatan is unlike any other region of Mexico. It has unique terrain, climate, cuisine and peop...
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Busing From Cancun to Chichen Itza
I was wondering what type of bus service there is between Cancun and Chichen Itza, and if that service accomodates luggage. I'm thinking
that I can possibly catch the tour bus from Chichen Itza to Club Oasis Akumal. Has anyone done this before? I would like to avoid renting a car. Also, I know there
are several nice hotels at Chichen Itza, any suggestions?
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