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Adventures in Huasteca | A Side of Mexico Almost No One Ever Sees

by Matt 2 Comments

I looked down at my watch. Wait, that’s not true. I looked down at my phone. The time was 7 am. We had just reached the bus terminal of Ciudad Valles after a 9-hour evening bus from Mexico City. I had slept maybe 2-hours but was excited to get back into nature and see some awesome friends we hadn’t seen since our university exchange in Malaysia back in 2012. After weeks of traffic and concrete in the world’s second-most-populous city, it was now time for beautiful waterfalls, turquoise waters, and subtropical rainforest hikes.

Ricky and Andrea, two friends of ours that happen to be bamboo architects, and our friends we had come to visit picked us up to go back to their house for breakfast. They had already booked our first adventure, which was just-so-happened river kayaking at 10 am. We ate breakfast, I grabbed an energy drink and we made way to the first of many beautiful tranquil rivers for the following week.

Tumul WaterFall

We joined up with some American kayakers who have a business in Mexico during the winter months. They gave us a rundown on how to operate the kayak and told us we’d be going down class-2 rapids. After paddling around one of the biggest waterfalls in the area, we got started. When the first rapid came, we fell off in an embarrassing fashion. Karla got massive scrapes all the way from her bum to the middle of her leg and I got lucky with just a bruise. Nothing big, though her cuts looked horrible. After that, we got the hang of it and only fell out one more time, thankfully in deeper water. We had only kayaked once before in calm waters so this was a completely new experience and a fun one at that.

It was incredibly scenic. The water was a light blue. The sky was blue. The jungle ferns draped over the edges and had an almost “Indiana Jones” feel to it. Mini waterfall after mini waterfall, we made our way down the river for a couple of hours, finally disembarking near someone’s farmland, where some other locals had been paid to drop off our vehicles for us.

Success.

tumul waterfall huasteca

After a delicious but greasy lunch of Mexican gorditas, it was time for another waterfall adventure.

This time we were going to be jumping off of nine different waterfalls, starting from a mere 3-meter drop to the biggest drop of the day at 9 meters. Some of them we could slide down like waterslides and after the last one, we had a big surprise waiting for us. We were able to swim behind the waterfall. Crouching down in a cool, dark cave while looking out from behind a powerful waterfall pour down in front of us was as magical an experience as it gets. I wanted to stay for hours and just be in the moment. This was another first for me and definitely something I’d love to do again. After a good five or ten minutes, we crawled to the left and eventually leaped through the waterfall and back into the cold waters.

Over the next week in Huasteca, we never stopped. It was adventure after adventure. We went paddle-boarding for the first time in small ponds and also upriver to see a massive waterfall towering above us. We took the kayaks again to a different river and also paddled upstream to Tamul waterfall, the biggest waterfall in the area. We then said bye to water activities and went hiking through a magical subtropical rainforest to reach a staggering 200-meter sinkhole in the middle of the mountains. This area is famous for sinkholes with the most notable one being the Cave of Swallows, which was featured in BBC’s Planet Earth and many National Geographic articles. We went to the one that almost no one ever sees, which added to the experience of it all.

Huasteca Sinkhole

After spending a night in some beautiful cabins in a small tranquil mountain village, we embarked on another new adventure – mountain climbing. The goal was to see an incredible view from the top but the rain caused too much mist for any view to be seen. Though this was disappointing, it was really cool to strap on a harness with real mountain climbers and make our way up a steep mountain. I was told that I was a natural so who knows – maybe I’ve found a new activity to fall in love with. We then continued on to a surreal castle built by Edward James near the town of Xilitla. This magical place is built into a natural waterfall and was meant to resemble “the Garden of Eden”. All Rocky and I could talk about was designing a liveable town just like this. Paradise.

I love trips like this.

While it wasn’t a new country (I’ve spent about six months in Mexico during the last five years), it was a new area and a place that almost no tourists ever see. The only tourists that make it to this area of Mexico are hardcore adventurers like the kayakers we met from the States. Most opt for major cities or beach resorts.

They are missing out and this could be great for visitors from couples to a great family holiday in Mexico.

This place was like walking into a National Geographic documentary. All the locals are super friendly and not-yet-damaged from mass tourism like those from Cancun and Riviera Maya. It actually reminded me of my time in Asia, driving through tiny villages and farmland and witnessing little villages with happy families. There are so many beautiful cities in Mexico, some of which are vastly unexplored.

Edward James Castle xilitla

After about five months of work and city life, this adventure was just what I needed. Adventure, thrills, good people and the odd bottle of Victoria beer. I tried some new adventure sports and grew as a person, which is just what travel is about, no?

When was the last time you tried something new or had your heart rate increase from excitement? Let me know in the comments – I’d love to hear about it.

My friend Ricky is building incredible bamboo buildings in the Huasteca region and we’re thinking of organizing an adventurous and unique tour in the next year or two. Would you be interested? Leave a comment if you are and you’ll be first in line when they happen.

PS: Don’t forget. I’m going to be releasing a book in 2015 called Limitless Travel. It’s going to be the ultimo travel resource book teaching you how to find the cheapest flights, how to become a travel hacker, all the different modes of transportation, different types of accommodation, best travel gear, and much more. It’ll be free for the first 5 days once released so make sure you sign up here and be the first to know about its release.

Experiencing Amazonian Beauty at Madidi Jungle Lodge

by Matt 2 Comments

The ants go marching one by one hurrah hurrah, the little one stops to scratch his bum hurrah hurrah….

That’s the song I hummed to myself as I watched thousands of leaf-cutter ants march their way to their nest with pieces of leaves on their backs. It was equally cute and impressive to see these tiny creatures marching side-by-side all over the place. Millions of them! Of course, this was just a small part of Madidi National Park, a slice of jungle heaven in the Bolivian Amazon.

Leaf Cutter Ants Bolivia Amazon

There’s something peaceful about going to sleep in a candle-lit room with nothing but jungle sounds to sooth you to slumber. One night while my wife and I sat reading at an outdoor table, we saw monkeys jumping from tree to tree under the moonlight. It was magical. [Read more…] about Experiencing Amazonian Beauty at Madidi Jungle Lodge

Soaring like a Bird over Medellín, Colombia

by Matt 2 Comments

“Are you adventurous?”, the guide asked me. I thought this was a silly question considering I was strapped to him and a parachute soaring 3000 meters above Medellín, Colombia. I think what he meant to say was, “Would you like me to make us spin until you almost puke”?. Either way, I said “Sure, why not!”

Next thing I knew, we were spinning fast, spiralling right next to my wife, Karla, who was strapped to another guide. It was pretty incredible until the spins got the best of me, that same feeling like when you’re lying in bed after one-too-many drinks. I had to try it though. After all, it was my first time paragliding. Flying high like a bird, with nothing but mountains surrounding us and the city below.
[Read more…] about Soaring like a Bird over Medellín, Colombia

Diving into the Underworld | An unforgettable Experience in Mexico’s Cenotes

by Matt 7 Comments

Back in 2012 when Karla and I were diving from a liveaboard boat in Komodo National Park, our dive-master mentioned his experience with diving the famous cenotes on the Caribbean side of Mexico. Fascinated by his stories of crystal clear water and the thought of the “underworld”, we knew we had to do this as soon as we had the opportunity.

Fast forward to 2014 and that opportunity presented itself. Karla and I had just been married on the beaches of Ixtapa and were sitting in her home in Mexico City when I thought, “Let’s fly to Cancun for some cenote diving”. It certainly wasn’t the smartest decision, financially speaking, with a 4-month backpacking trip coming up but I booked the tickets anyway. There are so many things to do in Cancun and cenote diving is definitely one of them to add to your bucket list.

Dos Ojos Cenote Mexico

And just like that, we were diving into the underworld of Mexico. There are plenty of cenotes including Cenote Zaci and the Pit. We booked our trip with Scuba Libre, a small outfit known for their safety, which is important when you’re diving underground caverns. I was already hooked on diving the Bat Cave but then they recommended a place called the Pit. The Pit is a very deep cenote, which also has a layer of sulphur gas around 38M in depth.

Needless to say, I was in.

[Read more…] about Diving into the Underworld | An unforgettable Experience in Mexico’s Cenotes

Finding Colombia’s Lost City

by Matt 5 Comments

lost city of colombia

It may not be lost anymore but it certainly felt that way. Like walking through Pandora (you know, the lush habitable moon city in the 2009 movie Avatar); it felt like we were in some forgotten enchanted land.

Surrounded by waterfalls and lush mountains, I stood near the edge of the ruins and watched colourful birds fly to their hanging nests. Bright butterflies glided by me as I was taking pictures and I decided to put away the camera and just be. I wanted my focus to be on the magical jungle surrounding me and to deeply implant that moment into my soul.

Then a helicopter arrived and landed right on the ancient stonewall I was standing on. At first I was annoyed that this loud machine would interrupt nature’s sounds all around us but what are the chances that the Colombians’ president’s son (along with many other rich folk) would be touring the site the same day as we were. Even though helicopter tours were banned many years ago due to the weight of the aircraft causing damage to the city structure, I guess an exception was made for these polo-shirt wearing citizens. It was amusing to see their white clothing, styled hair and overall fresh look clashing with our stinky clothing that we had been wearing for 4 days, our sweaty bodies and overall tired looks.

They certainly missed the highlight though, which is fairly typical for these sorts of people. Sure, the lost city was the final attraction and a beautiful one at that but the trek is what makes it an adventure.

[Read more…] about Finding Colombia’s Lost City

LL013: An Interview with Scott Brills

by Matt 2 Comments

In the thirteenth episode of the Live Limitless podcast I chat with Scott Brills of ScottBrills.com.

I met Scott for the first time at World Domination Summit through a mutual friend and have since spent a week with him in the deserts of Nevada for Burning Man. As an avid traveller myself, I loved listening to all the adventures Scott has packed into his life and as an entrepreneur I was interested in how he funded everything.

After being accepted in a year-long work/study program in Japan straight out of high school, Scott’s thirst for travel began. Not to long after that, Scott started a web design company, which funded his incredible lifestyle for ten years.  While he still does consulting for tech companies, his main focus is building up Pamoja Safaris; a new company he co-founded with a partner in Tanzania, Africa.

In this episode, we talk about:
  • How Scott has supported his travelling lifestyle for the last 10 years
  • Scotts new safari company in Tanzania, Africa
  • Scotts incredible rickshaw race coming up soon
  • Attending conferences and how to connect with people
  • World Domination Summit and not approaching people as a fan
  • His favourite books and plans for SE Asia travel
  • Scotts advice for living limitless
  • And MUCH more…

 

[Read more…] about LL013: An Interview with Scott Brills

https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/livelimitlesspodcast/LL_013_-_An_Interview_with_Scott_Brills.mp3

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