mexico – Writing Adventures

Informative

Taking a week trip to Mexico

Mexico is one of the best vacation on can take. Benito Juárez, which is one of the largest residential areas in Mexico City is a fantastic place to stay. There are many resorts that all of the rooms are in walking distance from the beach, the pool, the restaurants, the clubs and the work out center. This makes it easy to spend a lot of time at the pool and the beach. But, there is always excursions close by that are well worth the time spent away from the resort. I stayed at Secrets Maroma Beach Riviera, which is a great option.

One excursion that is fun is snorkeling. The boat rides are beautiful. While we were there we took a snorkeling excursion. You start off by getting on the boat, and are surrounded by gorgeous blue water that feels like it goes on forever. You boat around for awhile until finding an open spot where then they let you swim and jump off the boat. They also bring paddle boards along with you so that is an option as well. After swimming and paddle boarding for about 30 minutes they have you get back onto the boat to find a good place to snorkel. This is one of the best parts of the whole trip. You see so many cute little fish, and then also got to see some turtles which are one of my favorite animals. The water was so clear that you could see everything. The beautiful corals, the fish and all of the beautiful features of the ocean. As you are on the way back to the drop off location they gave us food, and many yummy drinks. They give you a platter of four different foods, which were fruit, chips and guacamole, a salad and chicken.

This picture is of the boat and then also the blue water for as far as you can see.

This picture is of me doing a backflip off of the boat. You can also see in this image the blue water and some other people who were in the water. — This picture is of me doing a backflip off of the boat.

This picture is of us paddle boarding. You can see the blue water again and also another boat in the background. — This picture is of us paddle boarding.

When going to Mexico one of the excursions I highly recommend is going zip lining. There is a location called Xei Ha Hidden Wonder. There are spots to take pictures with beautiful parrots, float down a river, zip line, go hiking and swimming in these magnificent caves, go cliff jumping and go down water slides. One of the best parts of this excursion is the caves. There were so many of them and each one of them had its own original look to it. The zip lining is extremely fun, and a great time for all ages. It was surrounded by beautiful trees, and the water was so clear underneath you.

This is a picture of one of the caves. You can see how beautiful the colors are and how each of the rocks almost have their own personality.

In this picture we are cliff jumping. Each of the spots that had cliff jumping had these fun rocks to jump off of.

This is a picture of me and the parrots. They had the most beautiful colors and were so friendly.

This is a picture of me zip lining. You can see how clear the water is underneath me and how green everything is around me.

Overall, Mexico was one of the most beautiful and fun places to visit. I would highly recommend anyone who is looking for a fun and relaxing vacation to go here. There are so many different options for places to stay, excursions to go on and the best part is it is all up to you. If someone wants to sit and relax by the pool or beach all day they can do that, or if somebody wants to go on adventures and see so many beautiful places and things they can do that as well.

chaynee.kingsbury

My name is Chaynee Kingsbury. I am from a small town in Colorado called Windsor. I am a psychology major, and just transferred from the University of Colorado Boulder to the University of Denver. I played soccer there and am continuing to do so at DU. I love my family, and have four younger siblings the youngest one being 7. An interesting fact about me is that all of the names in my family start with C, and all of our names are unusual. Chaynee (me), Carty and Cason (17 and twins), Creed (9), and Chaylis (7).

Personal

A First of Many Trips

Thinking back to when times were simpler and the world wasn’t suffering through a pandemic, there I stood so young and care-free. I wasn’t bombarded by assignments or classwork as it was the middle of summer break of junior high. My family and I were off to Cancun, Mexico for the next couple of weeks. This was my first time traveling outside of the country and it will be one I won’t forget.

As we arrived and exited the small aircraft, I was immediately hit with the blazing humidity. I could only bare it for so long as I craved the air conditioning inside the airport. Shortly after grabbing our luggage, we made our way to the Mayan Resort Palace where we would be staying for our trip. I couldn’t contain my excitement as younger Meghan was incessantly talking and starting arguments with my brother about who would get to do what first. Once my parents had just about had enough of us, they dropped us off at the resort pool the next day and we all went our separate ways. The rest of the day we hung around the resort and relaxed as we got used to the time difference.

Although the resort was lovely, we also planned activities that required us to leave and explore. Our first destination was famous Mayan ruins, Chichen Itza. This complex of ruins contained historical architecture and in the middle of it all, an enormous towering step shaped pyramid. The geometric buildings were a sight to see and this landmark is one of the 7 Wonders of the World. I was truly blessed to be standing on such sacred ground and to see these monuments for myself.

The next day was also filled with adventure as we headed to the cenotes. Cenotes are underground caves that contain fresh water and allow for tourists to go swimming and see its beauty. However, these attractions are very hard to find and must be accessed through a tour guide company. My family and I were a part of a tour group that provided dune buggies to these remote locations that contained the pools. The drive was around 15 minutes through thick, dry bush, and by the time we arrived I looked over at my Mom and she was covered from head to toe in dust. We then took a large flight of steep stairs down into the first opening to the cave of the cenote. We were told not to touch any of the limestone that covered the walls as the oils from our skin could damage the stone and could ruin this beautiful landmark in the future. However, my brother and I had the time of our lives swimming through crevices and deep into the water.

This was just the start of the many trips to Mexico that my family would eventually embark on. Traveling is an opportunity I never take for granted and being able to experience new cultures and places with the people you love makes it all worth it.

meghan.boyd

Travelogue

A Visit to Madera, Chihuahua, Mexico

When I was younger, listening to stories of my mother’s childhood was one of my favorite things in the world. Her stories were always filled with walks around her small city, staying out until late, and everyone hanging around the main plaza. My parents are from a small city buried between the mountain range of the western sierra in Chihuahua, Mexico. The name Madera translated into English means “wood.” It is named this because it is surrounded by green forests, making it the perfect place for the lumber business. The first time I visited Madera, I was nine years old. I remember being mesmerized by the natural beauty of this place; considering I had always lived in the city, it was like nothing I had seen before. Since then, my love for this city brings me back every summer. As soon as you enter the city, the smell of pine and firewood welcome you to the city where memories are made.

Photo Credit: Maderenses por todo el Mundo Facebook

Madera is not only a beautiful place, but it also has a rich history.

Las Cuarenta Casas (the 40 houses) is a reminder of the Paquime culture. Sitting at the top of a mountain are 40 caves that were built when the Paquime people first decided to leave their nomad life behind. They are believed to have been built between 1205 and 1260 A.D. Based on artifacts that were found there, it is believed that the 40 houses also served as a meeting and trading spot for the indigenous people of the area. My mother always told me stories of hikes she would do here with her dad. Later on, she began doing these hikes with her friends. There are so many pictures of her with them, its hard to know which ones were taken where. The first time I went, I was fascinated with the history of this place but the hike was draining.

Another beautiful and historical place in Madera is Huapoca. Huapoca is located in a canyon, and there are many caves in the area. One of the most famous ones is Cueva Grande (The Big Cave). This cave is known because there are two homes near the cave believed to be over 800 years old. This cave also has a big, beautiful waterfall that leads into the nearby river. However, if you’re not into history, Huapoca also has two nearby pools filled with natural hot springs. These pools make up a huge part of my childhood, and it’s also a great camping space by the river. When I was a little girl, I loved going swimming there. Sometimes, we would drive all the way there and be caught with bad weather, but that just meant we’d all have to cozy up and build a bonfire by the river so I didn’t mind.

Despite the rich archeological history of Madera, my favorite memories are those I made in the city. I have never met friendlier people than those I’ve met there. Every year, the people of the city begin to celebrate the local festivities with a donkey. Yes, a donkey. In the summer, the city fair, the rodeo, and the baseball games all start after El Burrito Sotolero, which roughly translates into The Donkey with the Sotol. Sotol is a Mexican liquor, and it doesn’t really exist anywhere else. On this day, a donkey pulls a wagon filled with sotol, and people who live in the city then follow the donkey all through the city center and try to get as drunk on sotol as they can. The donkey ends its journey at the fairgrounds, and the fair officially starts! This is also the day local teenage girls compete to see who will become the queen of that year’s fairs. Many of my aunts have competed in this event, but like my mother, I was never drawn to this event. Everyone loves this time of year because it is full of fun. Personally, there has never been a weekend I spent at the fair where it ended before 3 am. My dad is one of the people who participate in the rodeo, so it is always fun to be able to see him and his friends riding around on their horses trying to lasso cows. This also makes me feel connected to my mom. She told me the stories of how she would watch my dad ride his horse and how this was where she started crushing on the future father of her daughter.

The friends I’ve met in Madera have turned into family, and every year I look forward to returning to this city. Every summer welcomes me with daily rain and so much fun. Going to the fair, eating some tacos and homemade potato chips always fill my heart with joy.

Photo Credit: Edna Martinez El Heraldo de Chihuahua

Without a doubt, Madera is my favorite place in the world.

naomikarel