When someone says Cancun, and images of drunken tourists and wild college kids on spring break come to mind…so I was pleasantly surprised at how mellow it was. Granted, we were there during slow season and we didn’t stay out late seeking the party crowd; still, our first evening as we were strolling barefoot in the powdery white sand at sunset, I found myself wondering where everyone was. Since we only had two full days there, we spent most of our time taking the bus around the hotel zone and playing in the beautiful surf. We also visited a ruins near our condo, where we shared an enjoyable afternoon with tons of iguanas. If and when we go back, I would love to spend at least a week and explore the many ruins and beaches around the area. For anyone out there interested in Cancun, here’s a few things we learned while we were there:

1. Go during the low season of you don’t like crowds. Cancun is packed between December and April, but when we were there in October the beaches were nearly empty.
2. Pay for things in pesos. Even though most places will take dollars, they will also charge about 30% more.
3. Rent a condo. For about $60 a night for we enjoyed a fully furnished two bedroom condo about 100 meters from beach. Surrounded by hotels for $200+ a night and half the size, we felt like we scored.
4. Take the bus. Cancun has one of the best bus systems I’ve seen. It only costs about 50 cents each time you get on (if you pay in pesos) and the longest we had to wait for a bus was about 45 seconds. Bring exact change as they don’t usually give any.
5. Get out of the hotel zone for a cheaper meal. Most of the restaurants are either in large hotels or right next to them, and lean towards fine dining. Of course, the fine dining is only about $15 a plate, so still won’t break the bank.

So if you have the chance to visit Cancun, go for it! Just decide beforehand the kind of experience you want to have. If you’re there for the party scene, go during spring break. If you want an affordable and relaxing stay in a gorgeous place with friendly people and a rich history, consider the off season.

To all the friends and family who have taken us in and showed us such a great time! Life is definitely better when shared with the people you love. We’ve seen the change in seasons here in the mainland, and enjoyed the peak of the blackberry season and all the cobblers and pies that go along with it. Recently I was going through pictures and found some good ones that reminded me how lucky we are to have had this opportunity to see so many of our friends and family. It’s been nice to experience the everyday lives of people who may be close to our hearts but geographically distant. Whether it’s been stuffing our faces with as much fresh crab as we could eat in Point Roberts, attending my parents’ bluegrass gigs, taking a tour of my sister’s ice factory, or trying to keep up with Ted’s sister hiking, we have been lucky to be able to spend so much time with everyone on this trip. So a big virtual hug and thank you to everyone!

And a minor rope swing tutorial…

Fail…

Fail…

We flew from Paris to Chicago, just in time for my sister’s birthday. We were only there a few days, but it was great to be at my sister’s for her birthday and partake in the obligatory debauchery. We also got to see her ice factory and meet a lot of her friends and coworkers. It was nice to meet such great people and even made me a bit wistful for a working environment. There is definitely something to be said about feeling accomplished at the end of a day.

My job at the moment, however, is to travel. So we left Chicago for the exotic land of… Utah? It was a spur of the moment decision- I had no expectations other than a quick visit to see my friend who lives in Salt Lake City. Little did I know of the spectacular wonders of nature that awaited us… The day after my friend Jana picked us up from the airport, she took us to a hike called Secret Lake. It really wasn’t that secret, considering all the hikers we saw… and not surprising, since it was a short but scenic hike to a small alpine lake nestled in the mountains.

After helping Jana with a few home remodeling projects, we packed up her Subaru (it seems everyone in Utah owns one) and headed south to Moab and Arches National Park for the weekend. I’m sure I had seen pictures of the area before, probably in calendars or posters with inspirational quotes. But really- wow. If you love nature and spectacular rock formations, put this one on your bucket list because it really was amazing. The whole area was at one time under water and over time, the water has eroded pathways in the stone, wearing away huge chunks until nothing is left but canyons, spires, and arches galore. I’ll let the pictures do the rest of the talking.

The next morning, we packed up our campsite and took a short drive across the valley to Fisher Towers, which is popular with climbers. We took a short walk just to gape in awe at the towers, and then went into the town of Moab for breakfast.

Our next destination was the Delicate Arch (on the Utah license plate). A rain shower happened to be passing over us at the time, which made for an exciting time with huge claps of thunder chasing us up the side of the cliff. I was a little nervous hiking on slippery mud cliffs in the rain, but apparently it takes more than that to shake Jana off the trail.

After Delicate Arch, we took a drive over to Dead Horse Point and Canyonlands to the overlooks, which were quite spectacular…

…and then back to Salt Lake, where we collapsed in our beds for a well deserved rest. Thank you Jana and thank you Utah!