Nearly ten years ago, Andrew and I got married in the small fishing village of Puerto Morelos on the Mayan Riviera. We were joined by about 60 of our closest friends and family members, some of whom were experiencing this beautiful place for the first time and some of whom vacation there yearly. Puerto Morelos is a quaint, laid-back town that welcomes tourists from all over the world, but is not overly crowded. The whole-in-the-wall taco joints and shanty bars on the beach far outnumber the fancy sit-down restaurants. Locals flock to the beaches on the weekends with their families and spend the day picnicking and swimming. The coral reef off the shore - second in size only to the Great Barrier Reef - offers up some of the best snorkeling in the world.
Needless to say, it holds a very special place in our hearts.
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On our final day in Mexico, we booked a van with Olympus Tours and brought Julian and Nora to Puerto Morelos. I was excited to show them where we tied the knot. Excited for them to see a where local families spent their time. And frankly I was excited to show off my Spanish to these kids of mine who typically groan when I try to teach it to them.
We arrived in the center of town and our driver parked near the plaza. From there, we could walk just about anywhere. We first set off to see the docks where the fishing boats anchor with their catch of the day. We watched the pelicans swooping overhead and the frigate birds riding the wind currents. We stopped at the famous lighthouse that had been tipped by a hurricane many years before and checked out the large, colorful sign reading “PUERTO MORELOS” on the promenade which was new to town since we had last visited.
We set off walking down the beach toward the spot where we got married, stopping along the way to chase sand pipers, collect seaweed, and dig in the sand. The beaches in Puerto Morelos are much different from those in Playa del Carmen where we were staying, because the waves break off shore on the reef rather than on the beach. The water is much shallower and calmer along this stretch.
When we arrived at “the spot” - the grounds of a condo complex where we had our wedding ceremony, we found a sweet couple to take a family picture of us. We found out that they had also gotten married in Puerto Morelos five years earlier and were back with their young child to celebrate their anniversary (something Andrew and I did with baby Julian for our five-year!).
We grabbed some lemonade and guacamole at a nearby the restaurant on the beach and the kids played in the sand some more.
It was hard to tear the kids away from the beach, but we decided to take the main road back to the plaza to show them what the neighborhood was like. They were fascinated to see the elementary school, the playground in the plaza, and some of the interesting architecture in the town. We finished off our visit with cones from the ice cream shop and vowed to return soon.
This was my 5th visit to Puerto Morelos - my first time was when I was a teenager - and this little slice of paradise still felt like a home away from home.
In a move that seemed fitting with the vibe of this magical town, I shot some film while there. Here are a few of my favorite images from the roll.
