The Trekking Pawns' Diary

Costa Maya was the final stop on our week-long Caribbean cruise aboard the Norwegian Getaway , and while we had high hopes for relaxing on sun-drenched beaches and enjoying spontaneous exploration… reality had other plans. ⛅ “Let’s Decide When We Get There…” This was the only port where we didn’t pre-book an excursion. We figured we’d go with the flow—check out the scene, talk to some locals, maybe hit the beach or snorkel. But as soon as we docked, it became clear: Mother Nature wasn’t on our side . Rain came in waves (literally), and the skies looked moody all day. From the ship, we could see the promise of white sandy beaches , but something else caught our attention: a massive wall dividing the ship-docked tourist complex from the open beach beyond. That seemed… odd. (Disclaimer: Some of the links on here are affiliate links and I may earn if you click or buy on them, AT NO EXTRA cost to you. Hope you find the information here useful! Thanks.)  🧱 The Wall, the Gates, and ...

Not as mean beach goers and many places are starting to clean up their cabanas.  --- When we were planning this trip to Nice, we figured that summer would be too busy. We had visited briefly two years ago and remembered the city being packed with tourists. So, we thought fall would be the perfect balance—fewer crowds, cooler weather, and still enough sunshine to enjoy the beach. But as the trip got closer, we kept obsessively checking the weather reports, and let’s just say the forecasts weren’t looking too promising. The hydraulic outlook for the Mediterranean didn’t exactly scream “sun-soaked beach days.” That first day, though, was beautiful—sunny with a few clouds scattered here and there, just enough to remind us it wasn’t quite summer anymore. We headed down to the beach, wearing our swimsuits optimistically, but when we dipped our toes in the water, it was colder than we remembered. It was a bit too brisk for us, so we decided to hold off on swimming for now. Instead, we lai...