Travel – Page 2 – Aspiring Nirvana

Re-live Ancient Mayan Civilization Ruins – Costa Maya, Mexico

Costa Maya is a popular port for cruise shore excursions in Mexico. It offers crystal clear waters, clean beaches, authentic Mexican food, local artifacts shopping, snorkeling and plenty of kids activities including dolphin adventure.

Costa Maya, Quintana Roo, Mexico

After visiting beautiful Cozumel island, we took overnight cruise journey to reach Costa Maya, Mexico. Our plan was to visit a famous Mayan Ruins site located at Chacchoben, The Land of the Red Corn. This archaeological site showcases the history of ancient Mayan city that flourished around 300 AD.

We took a guided tour and were lucky to have a local guide that was well versed in the history of the site. The one hour drive passed quickly with plenty of learning about Mayan history, including their early settlement, flourishing and eventual downfall. Serious efforts have been made in recent years to revive the ancient temples and sacred sites.

As fresh graduates of Mayan history we anxiously reached the site. The site requires plenty of walking and climbing so make sure you wear comfortable shoes, carry plenty of water and apply sunscreen. The service area at the site offers water, snacks and rest rooms.

After a short walk, we came across multiple pyramids and temples located at the site. Each pyramids had a different architecture and represented different purpose in the Mayan lifestyle. There were dedicated structures and sites for religious ceremonies, cultural events and astronomy.

Some of the famous temples of the site are Templo 24, Plaza B and Temple One. We climbed Gran Basamento and experienced stunning views of the green forest around the site. Many pyramids and temples are still covered in vegetation and excavations are continuing to restore them.

We also learned interesting details about local flora and fauna. The site is perfect blend of nature and history, encircled with palm trees and variety of unusual plants. The surrounding jungle hosts animal species like deer, fox, monkey and jaguar. Be careful if you plan to venture on your own!

On the way back we stopped at a local restaurant that served freshly-cooked authentic Mexican food. It was super tasty!! After grand fiesta, we headed back to our cruise ship with fond memories of the ancient history of a lost world.

Rating: 4* out of 5.

Helpful Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chacchoben

A Perfect Hidden Gem for Families in White Mountains of New Hampshire – Franconia Notch

If you aspire to enjoy natural preserve that offers multitude of outdoor activities year-round then you must visit Franconia Notch!

Franconia Notch, White Mountains, New Hampshire

Franconia Notch State Park is located on I-93 (Exit 34) in northern New Hampshire along the White Mountains range. This natural preserve is a 8 miles long mountain pass between Kinsman Range and Franconia Range, with Flume Gorge in the south and Echo Lake in the north.

The Notch offers plenty of places for hiking, biking, rock climbing, boating, camping and swimming. It bursts with nature-lovers in summer, offers spectacular fall foliage in fall, and plenty of skiing options in winter. It also offers varied wildlife including moose, deer, bear, falcons and raccoons. Be careful!

A friendly tip, most of the places require advance reservation because of Covid-19, so plan accordingly. We are sharing highlights of our trip:

Flume Gorge is the highlight of the area! We took self-guided walk along a two mile long natural gorge with 70 to 90 feet high granite walls that were only few feet wide at many places.

We walked along the trek and wooden stairs surrounded by dramatic waterfalls, crystal clear water streams and covered bridges that offered plenty of photo opportunities. At the very top of the gorge lies a 45 foot waterfall, Avalanche Falls.

The Basin is a 20 feet wide granite pothole carved out of stone below a waterfall in the Pemigewasset River. It is was formed 15,000 years ago by glacier activity and shaped by constant swirling of rocks and water. We explored steep hiking trails full of thick tree roots running alongside rocky terrains and water streams.

The Boise rock was formed by glacial activity and measures 45 feet wide, 35 feet long and 14 feet in height. It became famous when Thomas Boise crawled under it to survive a fierce snowstorm while he was sledging in the area.

Old Man of the Mountain Historic Site was famous for Old Man of the Mountain, a natural rock formation on Cannon Mountain that resembled a man’s face. It was 40 feet in height and 25 feet in width. Unfortunately it collapsed in 2003.

Other notable attraction that we plan to cover in future trips are:

Cannon Mountain Take Aerial Tramway to get to the top of the mountain and admire beautiful sights.
Echo Lake Enjoy boating at the beach and walk through Sunset Bridge to admire views of Mt Lafayette.

Our Rating: 4* out of 5.

Helpful Link: https://www.nhstateparks.org/visit/state-parks/franconia-notch-state-park

Watch stunning scenery along one of the most scenic highway in Canada – Cabot Trail

If you aspire to drive along a scenic highway that offers beautiful coastlines, majestic mountains, sandy beaches, delightful seafood and cultural communities, then you must visit Cabot Trail.

Cabot Trail, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada

Cabot Trail is considered one of the most scenic highway drive in Canada offering stunning views of ocean and mountains through twisting roadways. It is located in Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, Canada, an island that has been rated as the #1 Island to visit in North America by Travel & Leisure Magazine. Apart from scenic overlooks, one can also enjoy outdoor adventures including hiking, camping, horseback riding, boating, fishing and whale watching. The area is also home to bears, moose and bald eagles.

The Cabot Trail is 300 km (185 miles) long and makes a loop around Cape Breton Island, covering top and bottom of the island including east and west coastlines. The Trail includes all of Trunk 30 and parts of Highway 105. Allow at least one day (about 9 hours) to drive around the Trail to fully appreciate it’s beauty.

We started driving early morning from town of Sydney, and joined the Trail near English Town and decided to drive counter-clockwise along Trunk 30 to enjoy the best scenic ocean views.

Our first stop was Ingonish Beach, a very atypical beach having cobblestones on one side and fine sand on other, alongside crystal clear ocean water. One can walk to a nearby Freshwater lake to enjoy swimming in non-salty water. The scenery around the beach is amazing. We had a relaxing lunch at a nearby picnic area. Ingonish Beach area is also famous for Highlands Links golf course, one of the finest in Canada.

After lunch at Ingonish beach we kept driving north along the trail. There were plenty of photo-snapping opportunities filled with scenic vistas. Make sure you stop at pull offs, enjoy the scenery and take selfies!

Cabot Trail ocean view — Cabot Trail Ocean view

One of the best view of the Trail is from the look-off at the Veterans Monument that lies along the north side of the trail. We stopped there to snap multiple photos. From here, one can truly appreciate carving of the trail on majestic mountains alongside deep blue ocean.

Cabot Trail - View from Veterans Monument — Cabot Trail – View from Veterans Monument

Continuing our drive towards the west coast our next stop was Pleasant Bay, a community famous for whale-watching. One can aboard a guided tour to view many species of whales that visit the area every year. We stopped at a spectacular lookout point to enjoy MacKenzie Mountain along Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Pleasant Bay - MacKenzie Mountain — Pleasant Bay – MacKenzie Mountain

Driving southbound along the western coast, our next stop was at the roadside to enjoy stunning Fishing Cove deep below the highway and filled with green mountains with contrasting blue ocean and clear sky. What a sight!!

Completing the loop on southern side our last stop was town of Baddeck, a beautiful community that is considered the gateway to the Cabot Trail. Here you can enjoy Celtics music as well as sailing, birding, fishing and horseback riding. We came across a beautiful Kidston Island lighthouse while driving through Baddeck.

Baddeck - Light House — Baddeck – Kidston Island LightHouse

Alexander Graham Bell, famous inventor of telephone, chose Baddeck as his summer residence. We stopped by at Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site to take a peek at Bell’s work through the exhibitions and interactive demonstrations.

This completed our day-trip around the Cabot Trail. What a wonderful place!!

With fond memories, we headed back to our hotel in Sydney, with plans to visit Fort of Louisbourg next, followed by trip to Hopewell Rocks Park in New Brunswick province.

Some of the other significant attractions along the Cabot Trail includes:

Meat Cove Famous for camp grounds and small fishing community
Hikes There are multiple hiking trails leading to magnificent views of waterfalls, highlands, and coastlines
Glenora Distillery, Home of Canada’s First Single Malt Whisky, Glen Breton Rare
Seafood There are plenty of places to enjoy delicious seafood including lobster rolls at local restaurants

Our Rating: 4* out of 5

Helpful Links: