Driving down to Tulum

T U L U M

We wanted to go to Tulum, Playa del Carmen, and Chichen Itza in two days but wouldn't be able to do them in any of the tours that we were looking at. So we decided to rent a car and make a day trip of a drive to Tulum, which is an hour and a half drive south of Cancún, and on the way you pass by Playa del Carmen. 

We left Cancún really early at around 7:30 am and got there at around 9, as we were advised it gets SUPER hot in Tulum later on in the day. The drive was easy and only needed to take one highway. We got there just in time, when all the tours were arriving in the parking lot. From the parking lot it's a 5 minute walk, but there are also trams that you can take, but there is a wait. I was super jealous of the people who got bicycles as that would have taken 2 minutes. 

The ruins were pretty and we decided to walk around and read the signage. Once I saw the beach I couldn't wait to jump in because of the heat!!! The water felt so nice and I felt so much better. We left the Tulum Ruins at around 11, so going to the ruins was just a short time. I really want to come back to Tulum for a day or overnight and just explore around there.

O U T F I T

Weather in Tulum was super hot and humid, just like true Mexico weather but felt much hotter cause there was no shade in the ruins. I wish I wore something more light weight and loose cause the tunic was still sitting on my skin.

Tunic: Zara

Backpack: Zara

Shoes: Superga

Bikini: River Island via ASOS

Sunglasses: Sunnies Studios

No filters needed cause everything was beautiful

                                 

                                  

                                  

                                            

              

                                    

                                     

                                     

                            

                   

X C A R E T

(going north, right before hitting Playa del Carmen)

A natural ecological site, with the adventure park built on the land, it is definitely for people who like nature. Compared to the other adventure parks around the vicinity, this one was a little more lowkey and family oriented but it definitely incorporated all the culture and different animals and types of geological formations. 

The major thing to do that is included in the park admission is going on the sub terrain/ underground river, so we did that after eating at the buffet for lunch. 

It was really a different experience as you just have  a life vest and are kicking or floating through the river. It was definitely cold as a lot of river is underground and goes through caves. But the view is beautiful if you're floating on your back, which is what I did for the most part. 

Most people stay the whole entire day at the park, where there are other activities, sea animal and land animal exhibits, snorkel, extra pay activities like swimming with dolphins or sea astronaut, etc. Others just lay by the beach and relax under the umbrella. There is also a big cultural show at night with a duration of 2 hours or so but we just opted to just do the river.

                                  

                                 

                                 

                                 

                                 

                                 

We got to Playa del Carmen in the afternoon, maybe around 4 and did some shopping and walking around. There are many places to eat at, and we wanted to go for a big dinner as there were a lot of restaurants but we were still full from lunch. We went for tacos though at a popular taco spot and had their al pastor, which was freshly carved off the vertical rotisserie. Paired with a piña colada or margarita, a satisfying happy hour. Super good, even better than the Leo's Taco Truck in LA!

We then left Playa del Carmen at 8 pm and got to Cancún at 9. Long day but pretty happy we hit all the spots we wanted to see.

C A N C Ú N

My first of three posts on my trip to the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico a span of 5 days and 4 nights.

C A N C Ú N 

On the first day we arrived in the morning and settled into our condo rental on the south end of Zona Hotelera. The rain just ended so that morning it was slightly cloudy and wet but cleared up in the afternoon. Humidity is something I cannot get used to as LA is ridiculously dry and no matter how many times I've been to the Philippines I cannot get used it!

For those who have never been to Cancún, Zona Hotelera is a strip of land just lined north to south with beach resorts. Think Las Vegas but all beach front resorts. Before we booked our stay, we were thinking of renting between a condo (that usually has a kitchenette, one bathroom and double beds) or renting an Airbnb apartment in Downtown Cancun. We were happy we got to book a condo on the south, more quiet side, as the more north you go, the busier it gets as there were nightclubs and bars.

Transportation going through Zona Hotelera and Zona Urbana (Downtown Cancún is fairly easy as there are two bus lines that take you up and down. Bus rides to the closest supermarket only take 5 minutes from our condo.

The second day we visited Downtown Cancun - where there wasn't much to see so we were glad on settling on staying on Zona Hotelera. There were many restaurants and bars near the Selecto Chedraui supermarket, which was the probably the busiest part of the strip. We spent the second day to look around Cancún and look at souvenirs. We also went to mass in Downtown Cancún as it was a Sunday and got to experience how locals spent their Sundays. Next to the church was Parque Las Palapas and it was so busy that afternoon, especially after the 5 o'clock mass. Lots of food stalls, carts, carnival games, and open space for dancing, a stage for a DJ or band to play songs, lots of children driving their battery operated cars, etc. It was great to experience and I wish LA had more of those community things in the park. One thing I could not get over was the street food. More about it at the end of the post...


On our last day we enjoyed the morning on the beach since our flight was in the afternoon.

                                  

                                  

                                  

                                  

                                  

                                  

                                 

                               

                                 

                 
                    

O U T F I T S

I find it so terribly hard to stay stylish in hot weather, so the less layers, the better and the lighter the material, the better! Also good to not take your strappy clothes out if you will be out the whole day - you will forsure regret it when you see the outrageous tanlines.

1st swimsuit

top - Forever 21

bottom from a top and bottom set - Amazon: I highly recommend shopping for swimwear on Amazon if you have free shipping and free returns. When I went shopping for the trip it was so hard  to find any good swimsuits as all the stores were in the process of changing to fall clothes.

Outfit with my elote: bodysuit and shorts - Forever 21

again, I went shopping last minute and couldn't find any distressed denim cut offs I really liked, but I ended up settling for these even if I wasn't so into the 5 buttons to close and open to use the bathroom. It was definitely a hassle but I got used to it. I mainly got it because I loved the color and it wasn't as faded and distressed as the other ones I saw lying around. More on body suits in a later post this month...

necklace - a boutique find in Downtown LA

sunnies - my favorites I copped this summer - from a store in Atwater (right off the 5 freeway) called The Left Bank. Everytime I go to visit I always end up spending so much. Jackie really brings in the best items into her store and they are always at inexpensive prices, which makes my wallet happy. Don't have to go to etsy or other websites and have to pay for shipping.

2nd swimsuit 
mix and match - Boohoo via ASOS
they're on sale and come out to be less than $20 for both!!
I love shopping for swimsuits in the ASOS sale tab cause they're easy to fit at home and easy to return. They're prices are great too and I can do a mix and match since my top and bottoms are usually different sizes: meaning I have a big butt and nothing to show off on top lol.


P.S. the street food I wasn't able to take nice pictures as we were in a rush but I was able to get them from my snap story - my Snapchat by the way is nutellerina - Add me!

Mexican street food - Churros, Elote, etc. (sometimes I think I was Mexican in a previous life)
Everyday, to this day I think about the Relleno de queso de bola. Queso de bola is one of my favorite cheeses thanks to my dad. It is actually Edam cheese. They cook the waffle then add Nutella and freshly grated cheese inside and also on top. Salty and sweet. God bless that thing.

February Floral

        

        

LA weather was so summery this week! I had to pull out the shorts and summer clothes.

This is probably my favorite romper because of it's fit. It sinches right at the waist. The deep v and length is perfect! It helps me look way taller and the open toe sandals elongate the legs more. It helps to know what kind of styles fit your body and just stock up on them. Don't go with the "Nah, I already have that kind of style," go with the "I'll get it cause it makes me feel good and I look great". Always go with the choice that helps boost your self esteem!

Romper: Forever21

Bag: Longchamp

Sunnies: RETROSUPERFUTURE

Sandals: Bamboo

Lip stain: Sephora's Luster Matte Long Wear Lip Color in Deep Plum Luster

Yay Area

A photo pile up of my 10 days in the Bay Area during the holiday season. Hiking at Land's End, Lake Tahoe, and Downtown SF for the most part. 

Whole outfit Nike

Sunnies Forever21

  

Jacket H&M

Sunnies Karen Walker

 

 

Scarf Zara

Bag Longchamp