Spanish in Mexico

Photo: Annette

Touch paradise in the world's most beautiful freshwater lagoon, Laguna de Bacalar [>> previous post | Wikipedia entry | Google Maps]. Get lost in the reflection of the sky, leaving you in a magical world where the senses wake up to see, listen, smell, feel and taste, conquering your soul. From sunrise to sunset and into the night where stargazing is a must, you will truly feel in harmony with nature.

This freshwater lagoon, with a bottom of gleaming white sand, is Mexico’s second largest lake and is known to reflect "seven shades of blue". Behold this magnificent sight as blue, green and turquoise tones flow into the Caribbean. Photographs do not do justice to this natural beauty and it must be seen with your own eyes — it's absolutely astonishing.

La Laguna de Bacalar is a nice weekend getaway as it's about three hours south of Playa and two hours from the archeological site of Tulum on the Riviera Mayan. It's best to rent a car (approximately 60 USD a day) and get there on your own time. If not, another option is taking a bus to Chetumal and then take a colectivo (a minivan that serves as a taxi for up to 12 people) to Bacalar, which is around 30 minutes north of Chetumal.

What's the best way to experience Bacalar? Spend one or two nights in the casitas right on the lake. Casita Carolina  is a delightful place about 1.5 blocks south of the fortress, Fuerte San Felipe Bacalar, with casitas priced between 450-600 pesos per night. It has a large lawn leading down to the lake, five fan rooms and a deluxe palapa that sleeps up to four. Also recommended is taking advantage of the Casita's kayaks to explore the lake. You'll never want to leave this place. It's the ultimate getaway for families, friends and individual travelers seeking adventure, tranquility, comfort and hospitality in a truly natural setting.

For a more resort-like atmosphere, try Hotel Laguna, which also offers traditional Mexican hospitality, great service and decent rates as well.

At Xcacel you'll find two beautiful and largely undiscovered "gems" that not many people know about unless a Riviera Maya local tells them the secret! First, enjoy the remote shores of the beautiful, sheltered sandy Xcacel beach with very unspoiled dunes, surrounded by abundant vegetation and palm trees. It is an extremely quiet, perfect for seeking solitude away from crowds. The beach is wide and the sea is the most unbelievably turquoise water that is generally calm and warm. The snorkeling here is excellent.

By night, Xcacel serves a different and far more important purpose, as the first line of defense in the battle to save the giant white and loggerhead sea turtles. Biologists, paid workers and volunteers come from April to early October to help preserve the sea turtles' eggs from predators and humans. Long before the Yucatan was discovered, these remarkable gentle creatures came to these shores to lay their eggs and give life to future generations. Today, however, they face extinction. For this reason, this turtle nesting ground is a national preserve. Witness this amazing event after 9pm, as female turtles use the darkness for protection when laying their eggs.

The second gem at Xcacel is the Hidden Cenote. Beyond the beach and the dunes, there's a narrow sandy path surrounded by impenetrable jungle. Follow the path to the very end to find this incredibly beautiful hidden cenote (Xcacelito), which shines like a mirror of water reflected in all the trees and mangroves surrounding it. The cenote water's fresh, so you can swim or snorkel. There are lots of small tropical fish living there and you can see the stones and fossilized coral hidden below.

How to get there: (more…)

You might not actually fancy cliff diving as a sport, but the video of the June 6 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series certainly makes a quick dip seem appetising.

The location was 39m deep Cenote Ik Kil, which is just a short distance away from Chichen Itza.

So, which of you fancy a trip out here to the Yucatan?

Muy cerca de Playa del Carmen se encuentra el Estado de Yucatán, donde puedes encontrar lugares mágicos, como los pueblos de Valladolid y Tizimin o las ruinas de Chichen Itzá, que ahora es reconocida como una de las nuevas Siete Maravillas del Mundo.

Pero el lugar que hoy te vamos a recomendar es Rio Lagartos, un pequeño pueblo en la costa del Golfo de México. Este lugar cuenta con una reserva de la biosfera natural, donde puedes ver una gran variedad de aves pescadoras, lagartos y  un santuario de flamencos rosas (en la foto).

Sin duda alguna, Rio Lagartos es un lugar perfecto para los amantes de la naturaleza, un lugar donde podrás disfrutar de paseos en lancha que ofrecen los mismos lancheros de la zona, también hay tours fotográficos, especiales para quien quiera fotografiar aves o especies que habitan en este lugar.

Entre tantas maravillas naturales que existen en la península de Yucatán podemos encontrar los famosos cenotes, cavernas subterráneas con yacimientos de agua dulce que los antiguos Mayas usaban como pozos para conservar el agua de la que carecían algunas veces.

Dentro de estos cenotes podemos encontrar algunas formaciones rocosas llamadas estalactitas y estalagmitas que se forman con el paso de los años y la filtración de agua dentro de los cenotes. Cada estalactita o estalagmita tarda millones de años para lograr su forma.

¿Hay alguna maravilla natural en tu país de la que nos quieras contar?

When come to the Riviera Maya don't just lie on our beautiful beaches but go and see some of the other cities in the Yucatan, too. Their traditions and wonderful architecture are well worth going to see.

One such city is Merida. Among its delights are its wooden, open-top carriages known as calandrias, pulled by one or two horses.

Don't miss them – they make for a wonderful way to tour Merida.

Cada día viajan cientos o tal vez, miles de turistas a la isla de Cozumel. Hay dos formas de llegar a este paradisiaco destino turístico del Caribe mexicano. Una de ellas es en avión ya que Cozumel cuenta con un Aeropuerto Internacional, que recibe una gran cantidad vuelos al año, pero hay otra forma de llegar a esta isla y es por medio de los Ferrys Ultramar.

Cuentan con 9 naves y 4 diferentes tipos de barcos que pueden transportar hasta 500 pasajeros y el tiempo aproximado de viaje es de 25 a 30 minutos. Estas naves cuentan con todos los servicios y los seguros necesarios para garantizar la comodidad y protección de los pasajeros y no te preocupes por los horarios porque tienen 12 salidas diferentes desde La Terminal Marítima de Playa del Carmen, que se encuentra al final de la Av. Juárez.

Así que, si quieres conocer Cozumel, no olvides visitarnos antes en Playa del Carmen y después emprender la aventura en un ferry Ultramar…

Después de 6 semanas de clase en Puerto Vallarta (que es bonita, pero esto es otra historia) y en Playa del Carmen, ¡voy a viajar!. Estoy emocionada ¡quiero ver todo México!

Mi ruta es de Playa del Carmen a Toluca, todo en autobús. Tengo 17 días. El 31 de diciembre tengo que estar en el aeropuerto de Toluca. Pero antes, ¡1.000 cosas me esperan!

Lunes, 15-12-08
Mi primera mañana viajando y ¡estoy sudando a mares! No se porque tengo un backpack tan grande… Mi primer boleto es para ir a Mérida. Tengo solamente una noche ahí. La ciudad es muy "mexicana". Hay mucha vida, las calles son chiquitas y hay mucha gente. Encontré a un mexicano que me recomendó comprar una hamaca. Pero, ¿dónde voy a ponerla en mi maleta enorme!

El próximo lugar es Campeche (en las fotos). Me enamoré de Campeche a primera vista. Es linda, las casas tienen muchos colores y adornos blancos, como azúcar. Mi hostal está en el centro, muy cerca del Zócalo. Tengo tres noches en Campeche, que son tres puestas del sol ¡hermosas! Visité unos museos en las torres de la muralla vieja. Es muy interesante. Aprendí muchas cosas sobre su cultura y los dibujos sobre las piedras. También fui al mercado que es siempre, para mí, ¡muy interesante!

Mi próximo destino es Palenque… (more…)

On December 12 we celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (also called the Virgin of Guadalupe), Mexico's most popular religious and cultural image.

On the 12th, people in Mexico celebrate the apparition of the Our Lady of Guadalupe to Juan Diego, with millions of pilgrims walking for several days from different places in Mexico to the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City.

If you’re looking for something interesting to do that keeps you close to Playa, check out the snorkeling in Akumal. The Akumal Bays are a series of ocean bays where you can see sea turtles, rays, and other sea life.  You can hire a guide who knows just where the turtles are, or you can try your luck on your own.

When you finish your turtle adventure, head over to the Yal-ku Lagoon, where fresh water meets salt water, so you can see a huge variety of plants and animals, and it's really interesting to see the change in marine life as you near the ocean.  Also, dispersed among the vegetation surrounding the lagoon are fun, artsy statues, so just taking a stroll around the area makes for a good time.

And when you're finished swimming with the fishes, you can head home, making it back to Playa in time to hit up the best night clubs in town.

Laura Beth Bartlett (IUC, Chicago Illinois)