It’s been so fortunate for me to be able to travel for work and play quite a bit the past few years. I’ve picked up a few habits and items along the way that have helped make my trips as seamless as possible. Today I wanted to share one of my go-tos - because it’s had such an impact on making endless trips through airports so much easier - hope it will be useful for you as well!
May I present: the Uniqlo hoodie. Why do I love it so?
Photo: Uniqlo.com
5. It’s relatively lightweight while being highly effective at retaining heat (I'm always cold in airplane cabins)
4. Water resistant and hooded, it doubles for cover during light rain (so you don't have to juggle an umbrella while trying to wrangle luggage, if any part of your trek to/from ground transportation is open air). Also stain resistant.
3. Structured, color-fast and durable: stands up to dozens of washes without fading, pilling, or getting flaccid, so even though I’m wearing a hoodie, I can still maintain an alert Type A vibe, and not look like I just crawled out of bed and pulled a 10 year old sweatshirt off the nearest pile of clothes on the floor :P. This hoodie almost looks ‘professional’! :)
2. It doesn’t wrinkle no matter how I may shove it into luggage / carryons
1. Game changing *vertical*, super roomy pockets on the *inside*. This is my #1 reason for maintaining a fleet of these hoodies in my wardrobe specifically for travel. There is enough room to hold my:
passport (pockets in other hoodies made for an average sized Asian woman never seem to be big enough for this)
earphones (x2 because iPhone ones don't plug into in flight entertainment systems, sigh!)
USB charging cable
packet of tissues
antibacterial hand wipes
phone
All of which I need immediate access to for my settle in routine on a flight. I then don’t have to hold up everyone coming down the aisle by digging for them in my carryon before stowing into the overhead bins, nor irritate row mates rummaging through my bag.
Of these, THE most important feature is that the inner pockets on both sides are vertical offering convenience, safety and security at the same time - most hoodies only have the diagonal slit pockets outside, and that would put me in constant fear of items dropping out in transit, or the zipped diagonal slit pockets are not deep enough to fit the passport at all. Not only are the inner vertical pockets perfect storage spaces that allows me to conveniently access my passport/ID for counter agents, TSA, gate agents and customs officers/kiosks as needed, while being confident that that crucial travel document is not going to tumble out of my pocket unless I do something crazy like cartwheel through the Terminal...(yeah I'm nowhere near athletic enough for that anyway) the placement inside the hoodie adds another layer of security. Once you zip your hoodie up, you’ve made it harder for people to pickpocket your passport.
Of course, the familiar outside pockets are still available to keep hands warm.
Oh and a bonus reason for travelers to love this hoodie? It’s an affordable price at $19.99. (Sometimes on sale for $14.90)
You can find it in-stores or online at Uniqlo. Also, Deal Alert: Get $10 off your order of $75+ when you sign up to receive Uniqlo emails.
(No I have not been paid, not received any samples, to write about this hoodie: I’m writing because I love it so much and my only evil plan is to share with others so that hopefully people will keep buying this fabulous design, so hopefully Uniqlo will continue making it!!)
Whenever I’m back in Hong Kong, one of my must stops is Lan Fong Yuen, a now more than 50-year-old street food stall that persists against the odds, in the shadow of glossy skyscrapers and encroaching concept restaurants and bars and modernization.
They are said to be the inventors of the Hong Kong silk stocking milk tea, a local adaptation of colonial British high tea made more affordable with lower grade leaves, and with a higher level of caffeine to fuel the hard laboring masses through their work day - and use of evaporated milk both due to lower cost than fresh milk, and using its sweeter and creamier properties to balance out the intense tannins from the tea.
The precise blend of tea leaves is a closely-guarded secret, but Hong Kong milk tea in general is said to be a mix of black teas possibly including orange Pekoe, broken orange Pekoe, Ceylon, Assam, and dust.
The tea is 'pulled' though fine nets that resemble silk stockings, multiple times from a height, the better to 'press' the leaves for intensity of flavor while aerating, then poured into a mug pre-filled with evaporated milk and sugar for an incredibly fragrant, smooth drink that perfectly balances intensity with velvety sweetness (catch in action in video below).
There are many cafes that serve Hong Kong milk tea now, and many variables can impact the final body and taste, including ratio of tea to water, length of steep, amount added to evaporated milk (and brand of milk - many use the classic Black and White brand) - and Lan Fong Yuen may no longer be the absolute best, but it is the original, and a classic cup of nostalgia.
The original's success spread to several key locations in Hong Kong, and I would say which you choose to visit depends on your personal preference.
The Sheung Wan location is designed to evoke nostalgia, renovated to look like an old school dai pai dong but housed within a very modern shopping center at the Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal. This is a better location if you want to sit down in a clean, modern environment intentionally infused with old school charm via decor and ambience. The food selections seem to be higher quality here as well.
The Central location is authentically old school, no frills in the most fantastic way.
However, you have to be ready for not the most hygienic environment, communal seating, and a HKD$25 minimum food purchase requirement to sit down inside (due to the cramped space and expense of real estate in that neighborhood), and while many rave about their pork bun and noodles, I find them forgettable. You can get the milk tea to go from the window out front, and while waiting for tea preparation you can duck back to observe the process.
To me Lan Fong Yuen stands not as a symbol of defiance against progress, but a reminder of a community's roots, how far we’ve come, and the importance of cherishing history (and the 'whys' of, and heart behind creations that endure) and ways it informs, fuels and supports our present and future, a message that is as relevant as ever.
_____________________________________________________________________________ Hong Kong
Lan Fong Yuen 蘭方園
Central location:
2 Gage St., Central, Hong Kong
Ph: +852 2544 3895
Tsim Sha Tsui location:
WK Square, Shop 26 (basement), Chungking Mansions, 36-44 Nathan Rd., Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Sheung Wan location:
Shun Tak Centre, Shop 304D, 168-200 Connaught Rd., Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
It's been a few years since I'd returned to see my parents in Hong Kong. In recent years, we'd been heading up to Canada to spend the holidays with my brother's family. And it's been decades since I'd lived in Hong Kong - but somehow, and maybe especially more than ever since November 2016, it still feels like home.
This holiday, my parents wanted to stay in Hong Kong, and take a side vacation from there. But airfare from LA would be upwards of $2500, and closer to $3000 for better itineraries - yes in coach.
So I set out to find a workaround (I guess an occupational hazard hardened into habit).
After checking my account for airline miles, I was at least 47,000 miles short even after pending ones from recent trips, but was determined to find ways to make that up within a few weeks, so I:
Transferred 20,000 Starwood points from work trips to Delta Skymiles to get the 5,000 promotional bonus (total: 25,000 miles)
Purchased 9,000 in 'Mileage Booster'
Skymiles with my last work trip (they are cheaper to buy when
already traveling on Delta vs. independently. Paid $177 for 3 sets of
3,000 miles each vs. regular price equivalent $315)
Chased, expedited and transferred 24,000 Marriott points earned from work trips into 8,000 Starwood points, and added to my remaining 12,000 Starwood points to create second set of 20,000 Skymiles with 5,000 bonus (total 25,000 miles)
Fortuitously timed but surprise transfer of credit card to hotel points which I converted to Delta miles
Signed up for Delta credit card to get bonus 50,000 miles (knowing I may not reach qualifying minimum spend in time to bank miles for ticket for peak holiday season)
When I'd finally built up the 80,000 minimum total miles for an award flight LAX-HKG, I was cautiously optimistic, as there's always a chance the flights I'd found earlier would already be sold out. And indeed the website kept returning error messages that the fares were no longer available, to try again later. Several hours, then days of this and I had to call in to see if a live rep could help. Four reps later, I'd still gotten no better answers than "try again later" or "due to partner airline connection to China Eastern, the system is unable to connect / the flight availability is not communicated in real-time, so if it says it's no longer available there's no way around it", "get more miles and try back again for the next set of flight options at 135,000 miles", or the worst: "you may just have to try to find some way to pay for the flights".
On the fifth call, I got a rep who at least made an effort at a new recommendation: use 'Pay With Miles' option to lower costs: every 10,000 miles can be traded for $100 discount on the ticket price with eligible Delta credit cards. With this I could save $900 but would still need to pay over $1600 I couldn't afford. But still, in desperation to get home I asked how this logistically could be accomplished - and luckily, the rep then transferred me to her Delta.com team to walk me through the process. Which brought me to Tyler.
Where do I begin with Tyler? Incredibly thankful for him. A unicorn shining in the grey desert of people who live to give 'just enough', and no more. A fighter who will not go quietly into the dial tone. Who cared to make the effort to look beyond 'what', and the defeatist 'can't be done', into 'why'.
And 'why' we (for yes, I was thinking of us as a team by this point) couldn't buy the ticket with miles only was because one leg of the 1-stop flight was Delta and the other was China Eastern, and the two could not auto-connect. He wanted to talk to his international help desk to see if he could attempt a manual override. Would I mind holding, he asked. He apologized for the wait, and I almost cried out loud in gratitude to this total stranger who was trying so hard to actually help. And who was doing it so kindly, and graciously. After three hold sessions, they still could not override, and it was looking like I might have to at least pay for one leg of it, or go back to Pay With Miles. I thanked him for his efforts and started to resign myself to go on a strict diet of Top Ramen for the next few months to pay off the credit I'd need to use for the ticket. And tried to keep focused on how lucky I already am to be in the position to even have any options in the first place. And then Tyler apologized for trying to put me on hold one more time, so that he could try one more thing. That one more thing was to change the front leg of the 1-stop flight so that it would be on China Eastern as well, so that I could use Delta Skymiles for one partner all the way. And because he never gave up on me, knowing that this is probably going to damage his length of call time to resolution record, and still caring to persist with 500% effort to get me home: he was able to with that clever and creative solution, secure the ticket for me 100% on miles, so the only money I would have to pay is for taxes and fees, totaling under $200. Saving: Christmas. In a time where the formerly hopeful, had become so hopeless. He brought new hope.
So, this Thanksgiving: Tyler of Delta Minnesota, first of his name (as far as I'm concerned), the Unburnt(out), breaker of chains (of 'adequacy'), conqueror of challenges, enabler of homegoing. Agent of sign "HR". Heroes can come in many forms. I salute you.
(And yes, Delta: you have a fan for life.)
To all: wishing you a very happy Thanksgiving filled with great food and family time. Safe travels to those who are traveling. Hope that some of my learnings may be helpful to your travel planning. And may everyone also have a fighter, persister, 500 percenter in your corner.
Whether you're a food lover who has followed Curtis Stone from his first incredible tasting-menu based restaurant Maude, to the debut of his meat-focused restaurant / premium butchery Gwen, or a wanderer who looks for quality in all your travel experiences, SHARE by Curtis Stone should be on your radar as one of the most exciting things to alight the cruise industry.
In exclusive partnership with Princess Cruises, SHARE is a fine-dining concept that represents the respected chef Curtis' first restaurant at sea.
Bringing together chef Curtis' love of food, travel and the ocean, SHARE serves a 6-course dinner that is a game changer for the cruise industry: a top chef designed menu full of fresh ingredients and flavors reflecting some of the ports along the ship's itineraries - in a sunlit, spacious, chic space - in contrast with the typical hi-low options typical to a cruise ship where you either have cafeteria style buffet dining or over-the-top opulence - that is tasteful and would make any foodie feel at home.
Chef Curtis also made the dining room feel more cozy / intimate with eclectic personal touches including souvenirs from his own travels.
And the best part? The meal costs only $39 per person, and offers several options per course to accommodate different tastes.
We were excited to get a preview of the new menu, on a day when the Ruby Princess was docked at San Pedro en route to Santa Barbara.
course oneSTARTER: Charcuterie whole 18-month aged San Daniele prosciutto sliced thinly with pickled onions and Castelvetrano Olives. On a regular night, cruise ship travelers would get a choice of fennel infused finocchiona, garlic dusted Hungarian salami, or spicy soppressata. We got to try all three, and I loved them all - but the main attraction was definitely that flavor packed, incredibly smooth and perfectly sliced prosciutto.
The other option that would suit non-meat eaters: Pantaleo cheese with accompaniments
course twoSALAD: Little Gem baby romaine leaf salad tossed in a caraway buttermilk dressing complementing grapefruit and nasturtium flowers. This was edible art, with gorgeous colors, super fresh ingredients and a perfect balance of textures and bright flavors: savory, tart, and sweet - I loved it even as someone who is not typically a fan of salads.
course twoSALAD (alternate option): Lemon Poached Prawns paired with a turnip cream, crispy brioche and finished with raw radishes. This one was unanimously a showstopper for all our fellow diners: the prawns were perfectly cooked, with beautiful structure and spring. Counterbalanced by crisp pieces of brioche lightly garnishing the dish like butterfly wings, and soft clean crunch of radish. This dish was not just 'good for a cruise ship', I would happily order it at any restaurant on-shore.
course threePASTA Ricotta Cavatelli highlighting roasted sunchokes, pickled beets and brussels sprouts leaves. SHARE offers handmade pasta dishes and this one is a decadent one again with beautiful plating - the red beets can be swirled into the cream sauce to turn it a lovely magenta color. Nice control here of savory, acid, sweet and subtle bitterness.
course three PASTA (alternate option): Pork Ravioli a green curry filling coated in a lemongrass cream and topped with crunchy chicharrones. This was a creative and playful dish that takes Thai flavors into a classically Italian dish - something unexpected especially for cruise dining.
course four SEA Butter Poached Lobster Tail resting on roasted potatoes and crispy pancetta covered in a white onion soubise. We tried to order different dishes per course in order to sample more, but couldn't resist the poached lobster tail, which was delicately poached and the simplicity yet subtly sophisticated sauce let the freshness of the lobster take center stage.
If we ever get the chance to take a Princess Cruise, we'd love to check out the other options in the "Sea" course: from day boat scallops with sesame and chickpea puree and Za'atar spice mix, steelhead trout in white wine beurre blanc, or white corn veloute.
course five LAND Strip Loin Steak a charred and sliced New York steak on top of a sunchoke puree, braised leeks and crispy onions.
course five LAND (alternate option): Lamb Loin paired with harissa scented couscous coated in spiced almonds and lime yogurt. I don't recall seeing lamb loin on many menus, so it was a treat to taste this on chef Curtis' menu. Makes sense that even the Land section of the meal is exciting, since he just opened the meat-centric restaurant Gwen not too long ago, and can make use of well sourced premium cuts of less ordinary proteins.
course six DESSERT Dark Chocolate Cremeux a chocolate hazelnut custard with crispy mousse and a burnt vanilla bean ice cream. This was the best of three desserts we tasted - so good we almost licked the plate.
Other options were citron tart and toffee cheesecake
Overall, love that on Princess Cruises we now have the ability not to simply 'make do' with dining available but to actually look forward to dinner.
Satiated after our lovely meal, we took a quick tour around the ship before it starts its voyage up the coast.
There was the gorgeous atrium...a casino area, a full on theater for nightly entertainment.
And of course, pools on top deck for travelers to have a great hang out while enjoying sun and sea - they also have giant screens in the pool area for movie nights under the stars, as well as concerts.
The visit definitely made me want to work on planning my next vacation - with the rate 2017 is going already, we're all going to need to get some quality R&R.
SHARE by Curtis Stone
On board Princess Cruises: Ruby Princess, Emerald Princess and Sun Princess
Website: princess.com/curtisstoneshares
Ph: 1-800-774-6237
My new year's resolution is to be more expedient in capturing our travel adventures, so on this NYE, I'm going to finish out 2016 by recapping the long overdue last chapter of our epic summer trip to Mexico.
On our final day in Cancun, due to scuba safety guidelines, we were not able to dive (24 hours before flight) - but even on the surface there was a lot of marine life fun to be had, and the snorkeling tour we took turned out to be one of my favorite vacation memories ever!
It was a super early pickup at the hotel, then to the marina for a 7:00am meet. At the dock, you can rent shortys and other equipment for an extra fee, or bring your own*.
While waiting for everyone to figure out their gear, our guide went over rules of engagement with whale sharks using a clay figure, which I loved and found out he'd bought from an artist at the marina. Their booth was closed at the time, so he very kindly sold his to me for 50 pesos (and it's now one of my favorite travel souvenirs ever).
Then it was a long and very choppy - both hands tightly gripping railings - hour boat ride (remember your dramamine, people! Definitely very rough on those with motion sickness or back issues) with breathtaking, well worthy ultimate payoffs of up close encounters with whale sharks as well as crystal clear blue sea and whitest sand at Isla Mujeres:
So first, whale sharks. Since we were in prime season in the region (June-September), we were treated to many sightings up close, even before we got in the water, from the boat!
Whale sharks are amazing, gorgeous creatures whose name can be a little confusing: they are not whales, and not a predatory type of shark that hunts and feeds on meaty fish like most other species that people are familiar with, but are a filter feeding type of shark that is really more a massive docile fish - the largest fish in the world, in fact at up to 40 feet or more - that likes to scoop up plankton at the surface of the ocean with giant flat mouths (and no sharp teeth that are visible to passersby). So despite their size, they are no threat to humans at all - but just very beautiful gentle giants!
Of course we also got to jump in and swim alongside them. The process was exhilarating: with a very small but agile boat, and us chasing very large creatures who will definitely outswim us - in order to see them up close, our captain had to bring the boat perpendicular to the whale shark as it's swimming towards us. Swimmers sat literally on the edge of either side of the boat with all our gear on, ready to go.
Once the whale shark was within reasonable distance - our guide would shout "go, now, go go go!" and we'd jump in immediately and swim in the opposite direction than the whale shark is going - jumping in near its gaping mouth, and swimming towards its tail, to give us the best chance of seeing the whole animal before it passes us by in stride.
Our guide joked that it's ok, the whale sharks don't view us as food - the last time he had a tourist accidentally jump into a whale shark's mouth, it 'gummed' the tourist, thought 'yuck' and spat the human out. Hilarious. But in any case it was one breath taking, beautiful encounter after another.
Tour guide jokes aside: the whole time, we had to be careful as our guide instructed to keep at a distance for the safety of the animal - we're strictly prohibited from touching them, as they have a gel-like substance that protects their skin, and human touch with all our microbes would damage that substance and expose them to infections - which none of us want!
Here's a short video of the swim (made using Replay app):
Fun fact: spot patterns on the whale shark are unique to each individual,
like fingerprints to humans - and scientists can examine photos and
videos to help catalog different individuals. Everything happened too
fast for us to try to do anything other than try our best to keep up
this time - but all the more reason to revisit / do whale shark swims
elsewhere to learn more about these beauties.
It was such an amazing experience and privilege to be able to swim next to these majestic, lovely gentle giants - it really inspires us to think more deeply about everything that we do in our daily lives that could put whale sharks, other creatures around them, and their home, at risk - and creates greater urgency for us to make changes.
After the rigorous exercise of chasing massive, magnificent 30-40 foot whale sharks, we had all
worked up an appetite, and our boat crew whipped up, right on the boat, the freshest, most delicious fish ceviche we'd ever
tasted, for us to enjoy on deck or in the shallow water (and yes, made with local fish, NOT the giants we'd just been swimming with).
It was a bit of a mad rush at 3pm back to the hotel to rendezvous with @jennybawel (who had completed her whale shark tour the day before), since our flights out were that evening - but international travel meant we had to meet our shuttle at 4pm. But we made it, and were glad to have been able to maximize the last day.
At the airport, we had time to grab a bottle of Xtabentun (~$35 USD) - liquer made in the Yucatan region from anise, fermented honey made by bees with pollen from xtabentun flowers, and rum, which may have its origins dating back to a Mayan ceremonial liquor - from duty free...
...and one last meal of guacamole and chips (guac made tableside! At the airport!), steak fajitas and pina coladas at Air Margaritaville, before heading out.
All in all, Cancun / Tulum was a bucketlist trip that fed our minds, bodies and souls with cultural / historical adventure from Chichen Itza to Mayan ruins, to fantastic food ranging from the deck of a small boat to the middle of a jungle to gorgeous Mayan themed setting in a fine dining restaurant, to water adventures above and below from cenotes to whale sharks.
Definitely one of our most epic vacation destinations of all time. Can't wait to go back soon!
Looking for more activity ideas for Cancun / Tulum / the Yucatan? Check out how we maximized our trip in my recaps of Day 1, Day 2, Day 3 and Day 4. For more photos from this trip, please visit my Instagram @onemorebiteblog or search with #onemorebiteblog_cancun and #onemorebiteblog_tulum
*Tip for
those who are not athletic and possibly only exercise once or
twice a week like yours truly: definitely use a "shorty" (a short sleeved, knee length wetsuit), which helps you float so
you can rest on the surface as needed between vigorous swims, and use a
life jacket for the same reason. You won't need to dive down to see the
whale sharks since they feed near the surface.
Also, having the right
fins made all the difference when trying to keep up with large marine
animals. I love my split fins which were super energy efficient and helped propel me forward with a
minimum of kicking. I bring these on all my trips as most dive shops don't have split fins for rent. These split fins are not great for cenote dives though, when
you want to be slow and steady in staying in single file formation with
your group - so if you dive cenotes in Tulum then you may want to use rental fins which are shorter and not split in the middle.
Our excitement rose with the sun on the third day: we were heading to Tulum for many firsts: first time diving in cenotes, first time visiting Tulum's Mayan ruins, and first time dining 'in the jungle'.
We started our hour and a half drive south from Cancun at 6:30am to make our morning dive call time.
Where Cancun is a mass of commercialism, mostly packed with tourists, day drinking, nightly debauchery, and sensory overload, Tulum (at least the parts we saw) was all beauty, authenticity and calm.
Aside from ancient ruins, gorgeous beaches and jungles, there are also thousands of cenotes (sinkholes created by collapsed limestone over ground water) that form a large and fascinating underground cave system in Tulum and Mayan Riviera. We had chosen two that sounded amazing but would also suit our level of experience.
Despite a hiccup with our guide at Calypso Dive Center waking up with clogged sinuses (making it dangerous for him to dive), when he heard how far we traveled, he called in a favor from a dive master friend to lead us.
After a gear fitting and quick debriefing, Julio drove us north through the jungle to arrive at our first stop, which initially was difficult to tell was a destination at all.
What only looked like a small clearing from the road turned out to be a gorgeous shimmering pond of clear turquoise, framed by lush greenery: and the 'gateway' to Casa Cenote.
The entrance was actually underwater, so we slipped our gear on while sitting at the pond's rocky edges, then dove below gorgeous root forests to get to the start of the passages.
The inner sanctum of Casa Cenote was nothing short of transcendent. The way rays / panels of light shone down through the crystal clear water, through natural chambers and passages between towering limestone walls, with nothing but the sound of our breath and fins rhythmically fluttering, brought a sense of indescribable spiritual calm and peacefulness. I felt like we were in an hallowed place, an underwater cathedral.
Click below to watch a video of our dive, captured with GoPro Hero Silver 4:
If you're wondering why the colors change dramatically midway through the video: it's because Casa Cenote is part fresh water and part salt water: where the two meet is the halocline. Experiencing it in person is nothing short of breathtaking. It was one of the most life changing dives I'd done so far - and I was grateful to have been able to experience this one as our first cenote dive - Casa CEnote was going to be extremely hard to top!
Our second cenote was the better known Dos Ojos - the visitor center is also located there.
This was a more physically demanding dive, even before we hit water.
From the parking area, all visitors must haul their own gear (~50-60 pounds? for us including tanks) down flights of stairs to reach the dark lip of the cavernous entrance to the cenote.
We pulled our gear on, then scampered down a few underwater steps to the passage entrance.
Where Casa Cenote was mostly lofty turquoise and azure beauty and light, Dos Ojos was a lot more intimidating to a rookie diver - most of the dive was in the dark, flashlight required, and through narrow passages filled with stalactites and stalagmites, where you could not surface immediately if something were to go wrong.
Yellow rope threaded throughout the system helps guide tourists to stick to the known, safest route. After completing this dive I would recommend other rookies work to master buoyancy before attempting it - otherwise, like me, you will struggle trying to stay in the middle of the passage and not get poked by the rock formations above or below. When trying to control my buoyancy, I kept ping-ponging up and down wildly. It was by sheer luck (and the watchful eye of our guide) that I think I got through that dive without incident or injury.
Another note about Dos Ojos: since it is a more frequented site, they've got more set up to support common tourist needs, like a camera with flash near the end of the dive like at an amusement park - and you can buy a print of the photo at the info center after; there are t-shirts and other souvenirs for sale at the center - but it is cash only so be sure to prepare accordingly (no ATMs there), USD is accepted as well as pesos.
As always starving post dive, we headed to El Camello Jr. Seeing a long line wrapping around the block, and that we had to get to the Mayan ruins before the park closes for the day, we got food to go and scarfed everything down on a bench at the park entrance.
Here is the seafood ceviche.
Fish tacos.
And shrimp tacos.
It was a beautiful hike up to the Tulum ruins from there.
The only Mayan city built along the coast, and one of the few with a wall ("tulum" translates literally to "wall" and was designed to be a seaport), gorgeous architecture dating back to the 13th century overlooks sheer limestone bluffs and the impossibly blue Caribbean.
It was incredible to see these historical relics that stood the test of time.
For dinner, we ventured back into the jungle - a very unexpectedly chic stretch of it, minutes from the ruins.
We originally intended to check out Hartwood, a World's 50 Best Restaurant, but as they do not accept reservations and were already full for the night, we skipped down the road to Casa Jaguar. The kitchen was al fresco, with rustic touches like a wood burning oven and reclaimed wood everything.
We dined and toasted with craft cocktails to the sounds of birds in the jungle - such an incredible experience. (But as a reminder, when in nature you have to be prepared for the bad with the good - be sure to bring an arsenal of mosquito repellent or you will become the thing that the buggers feast on!)
The food was fine dining quality, but not mind blowing like we imagined Hartwood would be. It was upscale Latin American with influences from the chef's travels to Asia and Europe, using local ingredients, from grilled shrimp with garlic butter, guajillo chiles and mezcal, to plantains.
Tulum was an amazing day trip down from Cancun, but since we all loved the diving, food and whole laid back, small town vibe of Tulum - next time we visit we will definitely look to find a place to stay there.
It would be very difficult to pick a favorite day out of our incredible Cancun/Tulum trip - special thanks to @jennybawel for all the hard work researching and booking the dives and handling transpo logistics! - but if I had to choose, Day 3 might be it.
Looking for more activity ideas for Cancun / Tulum / the Yucatan? Check out how we maximized our trip in my recaps of Day 1, Day 2, Day 4 and Day 5. For more photos from this trip, please visit my Instagram @onemorebiteblog
(Check out how we maximized our trip in my recaps for Day 1, Day 2, Day 4 and Day 5. To see more photos from this trip, visit my Instagram @onemorebiteblog)
Our second day in Cancun fell on July 4th! We celebrated freedom and independence remotely, by spending most of the day (and night) immersed in underwater adventure.
Though I am not a morning person at all, waking up to this gorgeous white sand and clear blue ocean at The Westin could easily make me a convert.
And the service was also fantastic - even though we were there on a 'rewards' stay
using Starwood points, the hotel still gave us complimentary breakfast buffet for
two in their lovely sunlit beachfront restaurant.
With a planned morning dive, we couldn't completely indulge in the AYCE breakfast, but I loved the fresh fruit offerings including whole granadilla (first time I've seen / tried this fruit), guava, mango, as well as the made to order omelettes.
Our first dive of the day would be at the Museo Subacuatico de Arte ( MUSA), an underwater museum with over 1300 artificial habitats, an innovative project designed to counteract effects of climate change on oceans and reef systems by diverting tourism away from the national marine park, and creating new places for reef and marine life to colonize and thrive.
It was a choppy 40 mins-long boat ride from Cancun to reach MUSA, just off the coast of Isla Mujeres (don't forget the dramamine, people!) - but once we were underwater, it was utter calm.
There were several galleries in the MUSA collection, at varying depths to allow those who are more into snorkeling or free diving to enjoy viewings as well.
Our tour brought us first to a reef teeming with smaller fish. These locals were super friendly and curious, and one little guy even seemed to follow me around through several clusters of coral.
Then it was on to an actual MUSA site, Salon Manchones, about 8 feet deep and recommended more to scuba divers.
The installations consisted of various objects sunk to create habitats for marine life, from a Volkswagen beetle with a statue in fetal position on its windshield, to groups of statues like 'The Bankers', bodies only in prone position next to briefcases.
But the most haunting installation for me was a group of 400+ life-size standing
figures in The Silent Evolution galleries, by renowned British sculptor Jason de Caires Taylor: some faces uplifted with
pleading expressions - as if souls abandoned to the sea, looking for
salvation that never comes.
As we are relatively new to scuba diving and sought diversity of experiences to add to our PADI log book, this was an interesting one - but personally I find that I prefer dives designed around larger marine life (or cenotes, which was scheduled for Day 3 of this trip!).
In any case, apparently diving is a good form of exercise - we emerged from the sea starving, so very uncharacteristically opted for the closest seafood shack to the dive shop. This happened to be on the lively Disco Beach. First things first at Paradise Restaurante, a tamarindo margarita with chips and salsa.
Of course, what beach vacation would be complete without a pina colada or three? And when served in a pineapple? All the better. Though, I wasn't into the crazy Gremlin inspired face they made with fruit. But the cocktail was refreshing on a scorching day at the beach.
When seaside, we try to of course dine accordingly - focusing on seafood. Even though Paradise Restaurante was chosen based on expedience, and clearly catered to tourist tastes, we tried to go with the fresher sounding seafood items on the menu. And, we were amused by the banner over the kitchen's pass - I'd love to be on a #seafooddiet for sure.
I ended up with fried whole fish, while others at the table ordered seafood tacos.
We also shared a plate of crabs, which were tasty but on the smaller side, with not that much meat for the price.
We had such fun with Cancun Scuba Center during the day that we decided to return that evening for our first night dive. This departs from a different dock, next to the Holiday Inn in hotel zone. It's easy enough to get around in the hotel zone using public transportation - the buses that go up and down the strip are only $1 per trip! But since we had Tulum on the itinerary for the next day, our travel planner / agent extraordinaire @jennybawel had planned ahead and secured a rental car - so while we did our night dive Jenny took care of the car rental.
To be perfectly honest, the night dive was nerve-wracking for me, especially as a newish diver and not a very strong swimmer - the first few minutes were every bit as disorienting as I thought it would be. We were supplied with flashlights, and outside of the immediate foot or so that the light is able to reach, it was pitch black underwater. I was glad for the light, but it was one more thing to need to worry about among the many necessary steps you had to take to descend underwater safely - I heard myself breathing faster and deeper breaths in my nervousness.
Only two things helped me not drain all the air out of my tank before I even reach sea bed - our guide, who reassuringly let me hang onto his arm the whole time, and a giant sea turtle, who showed up a few minutes into our dive, curious to see what these bubble-making monsters were that was invading his territory. He swam right up to us and alongside us for what seemed like 5 minutes, and was joined by another turtle friend for a bit. It was thoroughly magical. I was too nervous to bring my GoPro down for the night dive, so no videos unfortunately - but it was kind of refreshing too, to just be in the moment, or as yoga teachers like to say, to be "present" - instead of engaging from behind a lens. And it was a beautiful one, that I will never forget.
After the dive, Jenny picked us up and we grabbed quick food - restaurant selection again based on convenience post dive - at Mextreme, where tourist-friendly chefs prepared guacamole for us tableside. Thus wrapped a fun Day 2 in Cancun.
Looking for more activity ideas for Cancun / Tulum / the Yucatan? Check out how we maximized our trip in my recaps of Day 1, Day 3, Day 4 and Day 5. Look out for recaps of Days 4 and 5 coming soon. For more photos from this trip, check out my Instagram @onemorebiteblog
Mextreme Cancun
Zona Hotelera Km 9 | (Frente Al Centro de Convenciones), Cancun 77500 Day 2 costs breakdown:
Breakfast buffet: $0 cost, complimentary with hotel stay; $10 USD tip
MUSA + Reef dive $83pp + $20 tip
Lunch: $30
Rental car: $120 for 3 days = $40 per day split 4 ways = $10 per person per day
Gas for rental car: 600 pesos for 3 days = 200 pesos per day split 4 ways = 50 pesos per person per day (~$2.64 USD pp / day)
Bus to night dive: $1pp
Night dive: + $20 tip
Dinner: $45
Westin Resort & Spa Cancun: 8,500 Starwood points
Total: ~$221.64 USD per person
(Check out how we maximized our trip in my other recaps for Day 1, Day 3, Day 4 and Day 5. Check out more photos from this trip on my Instagram @onemorebiteblog)
