[February 2015]  We have just concluded another wonderful tour in Bacalar and the Riviera Maya, together with my traveling friends from Michigan. This is the fourth year that they are escaping their winter to soak up the Caribbean warmth and lush tropical vegetation for a little while.

This time they stayed 2 weeks, and another daughter accompanied them for her first time.  With her, we caught up visiting a few places that the others already knew, like the amazing archaeological sites in Kohunlich, Dzibanche and Kinichna; the Museum of Maya Culture in Chetumal, a fantastic sunset kayak paddle in the lagoon of Bacalar; Fort San Felipe and Cenote Azul; as well as the gorgeous Tulum temples.

“Don Enrique”, a retired biology professor, is 93 years old now. We rented an electric scooter for him and he joined us to the Maya community of El Naranjal, for an island tour on Isla Mujeres, and for a second time to Chichen Itza. He also accompanied us to the Santa Cruz church in Felipe Carillo Puerto, an important site of the caste war, where the Maya still worship the “Talking Cross”. “Don Enrique” sat in the shade in the park to avoid the stairs, while his oldest daughter inspected the inside of the church. As the rocks hold Mother Earth’s records, they still emit the energy of long gone times, when the Maya were resisting the conquerors.

Everyone was happy with the hotel choices. The Posada Mariposa, a charming boutique hotel, is located on the Avenida Quinta (5th Ave pedestrian zone) in Playa del Carmen.  This hotel has an elevator which is helpful for travelers with limited mobility. And the Rancho Encantado in Bacalar is just that: enchanting! The initial owner had mobility limitations himself, so he designed the resort accordingly. The second week we stayed at the Magic Blue on Avenida 10 in Playa. This hotel is equipped with wheelchair-friendly ramps, and the room entrances have just a tiny step that is easily manageable. The beds are rather high, but absolutely manageable as well.  For being relatively close to the Coco Bongo dance club, the noise was barely noticeable.

We had great food all along, including the little eateries like the family restaurant in Temozon, or the little home style eatery on the country road short before Kohunlich. Not to forget the heirloom tomatoes and earth-baked tamales on the farmer’s market in Felipe Carillo Puerto.

The new toll road from Playa to Nuevo Xcan is a blessing and saved us a tremendous amount of time.

I am very pleased that my intention of creating unique activities is so appreciated by my travelers. It is my goal to support local communities and small businesses in generating income from tourism instead of large or even foreign agencies. And I wish for all my visitors that they return home inspired, relaxed, and with something new learned. It touches my heart when I see how sincerely interested my visitors are, and when a museum guide sits down with us after the guided tour of the ruins in Ek Balam to show us pictures on his personal laptop from excavations that are not open to public. Same with our nature guide Gunnar, who has an incredible knowledge of the Bacalar lagoon with all its fauna and flora.

That’s passion.

You don’t have to be top fit to experience adventure and the lesser known places in this culturally interesting region.  All of us who contribute to Project Mayan Encounter are here to help you getting around on tricycles, electric scooters, beach wheelchairs or in a specialized van with a hydraulic lift. Just get in touch and we co-create an experience for you!