Tulum: Undiscovered?

Tulum-1

The Riviera Maya ranks as having some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. But for me, the selling point for this region of Mexico compared to others is the Mayan ruins in the area. There’s Chichen Itza, one of the new 7 world wonders; and there’s Coba, one of the most important sites of the Mayan civilization, and the only one you can still climb. (Note: The Mexican government has been saying for years that they are going to ban climbing Coba. It may be a tourist tactic, but climb it while you still can!). However, ever since beginning my research on the area, I had wanted to visit Tulum. Google it and you can see why: old ruins overlooking the ocean with one of the most beautiful beaches below. What an ideal location for an old city. I had to see it for myself.

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Exploring Xplor

Fake exploring... but impressive nevertheless :)
Fake exploring… but impressive nevertheless 🙂

Quick post alert! I was looking back on Mexico photos and here’s something to do if you’re in the Riviera Maya area!

Highway 307 runs from Cancun south toward Tulum. Tourist buses and vans carry beach-goers from the airport to the many resorts lining Quintana Roo. But along the highway, there’s no shortage of excursions: Xcaret, Rio Secrets, Dolphin Discovery, and cenotes, for example. We opted to experience Xplor, an all-inclusive park with zip lining, rafting, amphibious motor vehicles, and a stalactite river. The pamphlet sold it for us…

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Akumal Bay Beach and Wellness Resort

Mexico-4For the last few years, I’ve been on some great adventures for which I am grateful: hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, road-tripping through Denmark, and being helicoptered out of Everest Base Camp. In fact, I would say I’m drawn to worldwide adventures! So when someone would mention an all-inclusive vacation, I would often say “I don’t think it’s really my thing these days”. Granted, I’ve been to Cuba and the Dominican Republic for one week stints of pure relaxation, and I loved those vacations! But with so many treks and hikes around the world that remain on my to-do list, should I choose to use precious vacation days to lounge on a beach? I’m not exactly great at sitting still. Well, after spending a week at Akumal Bay Beach and Wellness Resort in Riviera Maya, Mexico, I have concluded that sometimes an all-inclusive vacation is exactly what I need.

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Dallas and SAS Global Forum 2015 (Part 2)

A giant 30-ft tall Eyeball at the Joule Hotel
A giant 30-ft tall Eyeball at the Joule Hotel

I may have had 4 exciting and techie days of SAS Global Forum, but you may be asking: Did you get out and do anything else? How Is Dallas?

Well yes, I do like to travel and explore, so it wasn’t all just SAS nerdery. This was my short non-conference experience in a nutshell.

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Dallas and SAS Global Forum 2015 (Part 1)

The Dallas Convention Center. Home of SAS Global Forum 2015.
The Dallas Convention Center. Home of SAS Global Forum 2015.

Everything is bigger in Texas… that’s a saying, right? Now I can’t claim that I had a true Texan experience (whatever that means) in the few days I was in Dallas, but I will say that SAS Global Forum 2015 was the largest meeting of SAS nerds yet. With the number of registrants nearing five thousand, we took over the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Centre for four days of keynote presentations, hands-on workshops, breakout sessions, and lots of SAS tips and tricks.

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