Kirukkalkal

Coming out of the pandemic with both of us vaccinated, we felt a sigh of relief. May was bringing warmer days with the spring foliage in full bloom; it was an apt time for visiting waterfalls. We wanted to explore some areas that are nearby as the first outdoor trip for the year. Bash Bish Falls is actually located in Massachusetts, just across the state line from New York. It can be reached either through an entrance in MA or through the Taconic State Park in NY. It is a short and easy trail leading from the trail head located in Taconic State Park. Pretty much all the way to the falls is along the Bash Bish Brook flowing from the falls up the trail.  With the fresh spring foliage and a pleasant weather, combined with a sunny day, it was an easy breeze to get to the falls. The falls has a story legend that you can read in the info area near the falls. Stairs down will take you closer to the falls. There are several boulders/rocks that can be easily scaled to get views of the fal...

We wanted to go on a short vacation in winter to some place warm and possibly a beach. Considering that Cancun is a very popular spot to escape to, from the cold Northeast, and being very accessible from New York, we kind of chose that place. But, being a popular spot = lots of crowd and very touristy. We didn’t really like the idea of an all-inclusive beach resort, but the beautiful beaches with the bluish green waters were very tempting. Eventually, we chose Tulum, south of Cancun, but supposedly less crowded with not so many resorts like Cancun or Playa del Carmen. In Tulum, we chose the Bocapaila area that is a few kilometers away from the center of the town and found a hotel on the beach. This is on the Route 15 running along the beach and the property we stayed is a small hotel Playa Xcanan Tulum . As soon as we reached the hotel, checked-in, unloaded our luggage and just walked to the beach right away. We were amazed at how close the shore was to the property. The p...