Sayulita Beach Umbrella Seller

I really like this shot I as able to get of this Sayulita beach umbrella seller mostly because I was somehow able to make the beach look empty. The beach in Sayulita is rarely empty. Even in the evening and into the night you can find people enjoying this little piece of beach in this quaint Mexican village.

Plus the color of the umbrella really pops against the blue of the Pacific Ocean. Sayulita is one of our favorite places to visit though it does seem to come up more and more in travel media which means it will most likely change a lot over the coming years.

Puerto Vallarta Whale Watching

Travel Photos

Puerto Vallarta Whale Watching

Going whale watching in Peurto Vallarta was one of the more memorable things I have done in life. We booked our trip through Ocean Friendly based on their TripAdvisor ratings and going through them was worth every penny we paid.

The boat they used was much smaller than the other companies and the knowledge of the Captain, Oscar, was truly amazing. He always knew where the whales would be and what they would do which made it very easy to photograph them and get such amazing shots such as this one.

I would return to PV just to go on a cruise with Ocean Friendly again.

From Vacationer To Traveler

Inspiration, Our Travel Stories

From vacationer to traveler is an introduction to our story as evolving to world travelers.

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From Vacationer To Traveler

“No train today” the sign taped to the ticket window of the Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, train station stated.

We’d just traveled 1402 miles (2257 km) from Cape Town, South Africa, via two overnight buses. A trip that involved over four hours at the South Africa/Zimbabwe border and we were exhausted.

This was not welcome news.

The train we needed to catch would take us from Bulawayo to Victoria Falls and it was a trip we’d been looking forward to but now we were feeling a bit stuck in Bulawayo.

Leaving Our Comfort Zones

Recently I was sharing this story with someone and she commented that she could never imagine traveling like that. She much preferred road trips in the US, cruises, or maybe a chartered group excursion with a company that takes care of all the details.

I understand where she was coming from because that is a place we started too. Our first international trip was back in 2007. For our fifth wedding anniversary we spent five nights at Secrets Capri Riviera Cancun. It was an amazing all inclusive experience and everything was taken care of from the time we boarded our plane in Denver.

Upon landing in Cancun and finding the Apple Vacations counter Joyce and I never had to worry about transportation, being harassed by touts, or where our next meal would be. For us it got boring fast. We were in Mexico but we weren’t experiencing Mexico.

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It was on this luxury vacation that we discovered we really liked getting out and getting our hands dirty in another country’s culture. That lounging poolside behind resort walls for five days was not our thing. So for our next international trip we headed to Belize and this time took more of a backpacker’s approach. Riding local buses, staying in small hotels, renting a car, and moving well out of our comfort zones.

It was scary at times but that trip was a thousand times more interesting than our all inclusive week in Mexico.
The Belize trip was another step in our evolution from vacationers to travelers. After that we went to Jamaica and volunteered in primary schools, again moving out of our comfort zones. Over the years our travel experiences prepared us for our epic fourteen month vacation and knowing not to panic when the train you planned on taking is just not going to happen.

Start Somewhere

So I say if you have the desire to truly travel and explore this one planet we all share but are a bit unsure of just how much adventure you can handle book the safe vacation but plan a little adventure within it.

Do something outside your comfort zone but within safe distance of wherever you are staying. Ask the staff of the hotel what is nearby that locals like but tourist rarely do. You might discover a great restaurant, shop, or local plaza where you can take in the culture like a true traveler.

It is safe to say that you’ll have a more memorable experience than yet another day laying next to the pool reading the latest Jack Reacher novel.

Keep expanding your vacation comfort zone until you are a traveler worthy of the pages of National Geographic. Life is short, the world is big, get out there!

One day you too will go from vacationer to traveler.

Two days later we did catch that train to Victoria Falls and during those two days in Bulawayo we met some great people and had some experiences I know we’ll remember for the rest of our lives. Because of that I am glad the trains of Zimbabwe don’t always run on time. Or at all.

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Downtown Cancun, Mexico

Travel Photos

There is a side of Cancun that I am guessing most American tourist who have been to the city have not seen.

Joyce and I had a short two night stop there because we were flying out of the airport on our way to South Africa. We opted to stay downtown via an AirBnB and that allowed us to get a glimpse of the Cancun the locals call home.

We discovered a large plaza with a stage where bands played that was surrounded by various food booths. It had a strong community vibe of people getting out of their houses to enjoy each other’s company, there was not a gringo anywhere to be found (except us of course).

There is much more I could say but the moral of the story is do not write off Cancun, it has more to offer than the hotel zone.

ComicX Restaurant Bar And Store In Cancun Mexico

Travel Photos

During a three day lay over in Cancun we explored areas away from the hotel zone and ended up at a unique place call the ComicX Restaurant Bar & Store. It was a sci-fi and comic book lover’s paradise because it was filled with characters from books and movies. Can’t report on the food as we didn’t eat there, I just snooped around and took photos.

First Elephant Of Our Trip

Our Travel Stories

First elephant of our epic vacation!

Sayulita, Mexico – April 2013

This is the very first elephant of our trip, spotted unexpectedly on a walk in our neighborhood in Sayulita. Apparently, the circus was in town. Safety and security is a little different in Mexico. It is perfectly fine to take the elephant for a walk or stake it out to graze in a neighborhood, as long as his keeper is nearby. This guy would just set down the plastic chair and hang out while the elephant grazed along side the road.

First Elephant

Of course there is mixed feelings with such an experience. It is unique and a little exciting to see an elephant being walked through a small Mexican village but it is also a little sad. When traveling you will often come across such situations like this involving animals.

What to do?

Ideally it is simple, don’t support practices with your dollars that you believe are cruel or unfair. In this case, even though it was tempting, we did not go to the circus that was in Sayulita while we were there. It was tough because it would have been an interesting cultural experience for sure. A small Mexican circus is a lot different than what we are used to – just a guess.

So even though we were excited to see our first elephant the experience left us thinking about the world and how we share it with animals as well.

What do you think? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below about how best to handle such practices. Have you run across such things in your travels? If so how did you handle it? Did you resist or did you partake? And how did you feel about it afterwards? Let us know!