A Rambling Writer Rerun: Off the Beaten Track in Xcalak, Mexico

Join Thor and me on one of our anniversary retreats in remote southeast Mexico, where we had celebrated our “luna de miel” (honeymoon) almost 20 years ago.

NOTE: Due to a lot of “life” going on this week, I’m replaying an earlier post. This time of year, I’m always yearning to return to the Caribbean’s warm seas and snorkeling, not to mention sunshine and exotic sights! If all goes well, we’ll be returning later this spring, but in the meantime here’s a memory from 2019:

Thor and I always look forward to our annual getaway to our Caribbean beach paradise, where friends own a nature lodge with bungalows for only four or five couples. There we can walk out our door, across the sand, and into the warm sea to swim out to the barrier reef for snorkeling among our colorful fishy friends. This year the swimming was particularly welcome and healing, since we’ve had some leg/hip issues that have limited our ability to do our usual hiking back home. Check out previous years’ blog posts here for more about the wonderful sea life, with photos. This time, I’ll cover more about the laid-back fishing village of Xcalak, the gateway to our tropical retreat.

As usual when we’re packing for a trip, the cats get nervous at the sight of suitcases coming out. This time, Turtle insisted, “You’re not leaving without me!”

After flying to Cancun, we stay overnight near the airport in case our luggage needs to catch up with us. (One trip, the suitcases had to follow us for two days before finding us.) We enjoy the gracious Marriott Courtyard, used mostly by Mexican business folk, which is built around a mini arboretum of native plants. Thor’s tongue-in-cheek favorites are Mayan-named Bo’ob (scientific term: Coccolobo pubescens) and Pakay che o Ik’che (Andira taurotesticulata) trees.

I’m posting my complete blog entries on my author website at www.sarastamey.com, where you can finish this episode and enjoy all the accompanying photos. Please continue reading by clicking on the link below, then you can return here (use “go back” arrow above) to comment, ask questions, or join a conversation. We love your responses!

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You will find The Rambling Writer’s blog posts here every Saturday. Sara’s Caribbean suspense novel from Book View Café is ISLANDS, which draws on her experiences working as a scuba divemaster on various islands, and also her research into petroglyphs.  Sign up for her quarterly email newsletter at www.sarastamey.com