This camp is a far more easy going time than a normal conference and is meant to allow more time for mingling without the heavy emphasis on parties. It’s also family-friendly (it is officially labeled a “Mom Blogger” camp, but all parents are welcome as I am clearly not a mom) with good discounts on an all inclusive resort. There are a host of topics to be covered by some of the most knowledgeable brains in the niche. January 5-8, 2012 are the dates and I hope to see you there!

Here’s the latest press release from the resort. And a link to more information http://www.velasresorts.com/momblogger/

Mom Blogger Camp Offered by Velas Vallarta, Jan. 5-8

Topics Include Monetizing, Legal Issues, Photography and More

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico (October 27, 2011) – To kick-off 2012 in style, Velas Vallarta in Mexico will host eight notable bloggers and photographers January 5-8 for Mom Blogger Camp 2012. The camp will help all levels of bloggers sharpen their skills and provide inspiration for others to start a blog.  Daily seminars will focus on improving blogging skills and brand and business building, with seminar leaders available for follow-up questions and conversation.

One of BlogHer’s 2011 Voices of the Year in the Perspectives category, Amy Whitley will lead a seminar on Blogging as Memoir, while Mary Jo Manzanares, Editor in Chief of The Travelers Way, will guide participants on Legal Issues in Blogging.  Photography and Video breakouts will be lead by Peter Carey West and Adria Richards respectively.  Deb Ng will lead a session on Community Management, and Anne Taylor Hartzell, founder HipTravelMama, will guide attendees on Working with PR and blog monetization.  Jenny Lawson, recognized by the Nielsen ratings as one of the Top 50 Most Powerful Mom Bloggers, and Aparna Vashisht-Rota, founder and CEO of Parentella, are also slated to lead seminars.  Jennifer Miner, co-creator of the award-winning travel blog The Vacation Gals, is the conference organizer.

The three-night Mom Blogger Camp 2012 tuition is $450 USD per person based on double occupancy, and $900 for single occupancy.  Up to two children under 12 are complimentary when staying in parents’ suite.  Non-bloggers staying in same suite as camp attendee will receive the $150 nightly rate.  The all-inclusive rate includes all camp activities, deluxe accommodations in a One Bedroom Suite, a la carte gourmet meals at a choice of specialty restaurants, premium branded beverages, 24 hr in-suite service, fitness center, kids’ club, evening entertainment, activities for adults and children, taxes and gratuities, and more.  For reservations, call 1-866-847-4609 or visit http://www.velasresorts.com/momblogger/.

About Velas Vallarta:

Velas Vallarta, an all-suite resort and convention center located on 10 acres of oceanfront in Puerto Vallarta, is walking distance from Marina Vallarta Golf Course and just minutes from Downtown Puerto Vallarta’s captivating attractions, activities and landmarks. Situated on the emerald waters of Banderas Bay, Velas Vallarta features 345 suites, a high-tech Convention Center that can accommodate up to 700 people, three swimming pools, a rejuvenating spa, fitness center, multiple restaurants, and an inviting lounge with live music and entertainment nightly.

©2012 The Carey Adventures. All Rights Reserved.

Title: Loreto, Baja California Sur

Location: Loreto, Baja California Sur, Mexico, North America

Description: This photo was taken from the roof of La Mision Hotel in Loreto, Mexico. Though the Sea of Cortez, which was behind me, was certainly picture worthy, it was this shot I liked best.

Photograph Copyright JoAnna Haugen

©2012 The Carey Adventures. All Rights Reserved.

Title: Cross and Cruise Ship

Location: Huatulco, Mexico, North America

Description:This photo was taken in Huatulco, Mexico. What really struck me were the two contrasting features of the photo: The cross, which sat outside a small church, and the cruise ship, which had pulled into port not long before we arrived.

Photograph Copyright JoAnna Haugen

©2012 The Carey Adventures. All Rights Reserved.

It had a chance to be super campy. Xplor. Even the name seemed a bit over the top.

Yet Xplor turns out to be a lot of fun. The park is a newer addition to the Riviera Maya coast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. While a lot of the area is growing up to cater to foreign tourists, including their own local airport much closer than Cancun, Xplor is a great spot for guests and locals alike to forget the worries of daily life and just play.

One of the things I liked about Xplor was what was missing. It wasn’t an attempt to be a super Mayan theme park or ‘authentic’ Mexico or anything other than a place to slide high across some of the most level jungle in the world while suspended from two inch-wide straps. It’s also a place to escape the dripping heat of the Riviera Maya with constant dips in the numerous pools; both on ziplines and through a fun river swim. And I have to admit I like any park that requires you to wear a helmet.

Sabrina and I started our day in the park sweating. Take a look, this is Sabrina just barely holding it together for the picture, in between bouts of complaining about the heat.

Neither she nor I are big fans of sweltering heat. But it’s Mexico on the Caribbean, live with it. Yeah, I know, it works well with kids, doesn’t it?

Our first adventure was the ziplines. Sabrina had never been on them before and was excited to try, but like a lot of kids, a bit afraid of actually doing it. After suiting up in fine Petzl safety harnesses with two checks by attentive staff, offering instruction in both Spanish and English with plenty of smiles, we’re off to our first tower. The park is dotted with these tours and there are two circuits to be traveled. We are only allowed to travel each circuit once and Sabrina chooses A.

Lined up at the top of the tower (“How much further IS it?”) waiting our turn, Sabrina is a bit fidgety. We were told kids can go together with their parent and Sabrina is bouncing back and forth between wanting the security of Dada on the zipline and wanting to be by herself. A scene I’m sure I’ll see a number of times in the coming years on a variety of subjects. In the end, she decides to start with me and, as there are over 15 ziplines total, thinks she might branch out if she’s not too freaked out.

The attendants at the top of each tour are bilingual and attentive to safety. Not only that, they seemed to care if you are having fun. Clip this, clip that, check everything and “Adios!”. A quick swing by the attendant and our feet are suddenly dangling 90′ in the air over native Yucatan canopy.

It doesn’t take long before I hear, “This is awesome!” And thus the tone is set for the rest of the day (until she starts to run out of energy, for which there is a well stocked buffet inside the park). On the next tower we again share a ride, but this time with more hesitation and an obvious desire to strike out on her own. Tower Three sees Sabrina not only wanting to go by herself, but demanding she goes first. Confidence only took two trips for a girl who admits to a fear of heights. Of course, these heights have the added feel of flying through the sky.

Our two circuits go entirely too fast. The park isn’t very crowded when we start and this helps keep us going from tower to tower, including a monolithic 150′ beast with an 80 second glide time from start to finish, covering 2300′ of jungle. Speeds approach 20MPH as the dual overhead pulleys let out a high pitched whine up until the last moment of semi-soft deceleration at the end of each trip.

In addition to the normal tower-to-tower ziplines, there are two which provide immediate relief from the heat. These end in pools of water, under a waterfall and, if judged wrong, can provide a heck of a wedgy. When they tell you to keep your knees together, do it.

The park has two other main attractions including in the price of admission: an underground river walk and a self drive through the jungle on fun fourwheel buggies.

The river walk, or float for those of you less than 5’9″, follows what used to be a natural underground water way. This area of the peninsula is dotted with all kinds of cenotes, or underground pools, often connected through the limestone walls. In this case, Xplor took an existing patchwork of caverns and pools and connected them. Part of me felt bad for man just shaping nature in this manner. And another part enjoyed getting out of the heat and being able to explore the underground world.

This is not a Disneyland ride. And it’s COLD when you first get in, especially compared to the heat above. We are required to don lifevests and our helmets never leave our heads. Sabrina is again hesitant to start. Even though the entire way is lit from above and often from below, she has some trepidation as it has a bit of spookiness to it, I’ll admit. But cool spookiness and with a bit more super-patient coaxing, we are off with a mix of floating and swimming. I liked that it was actual rock, sharp in places and not watered down. There were emergency exits available and I felt perfectly safe, yet still experiencing a bit of the earth many don’t see….while still inside an amusement park. It was an odd mix and it worked.

The path is a mix of carved stone and original stalactite formations on the ceiling. The width of the path is no more than 6′ across most of the time so it is best to time departure when not in a large group. Camera traps along the way capture photos and Sabrina loves swimming back to these over and over once I show her where the triggers are hidden in the rock.

Last on our day’s agenda are the buggies. These are a blast for those that like to zip around. Most of the time is spent above ground, but sometimes the path dips under the surface for tunnel action.

Our day came to an end all too soon. Warn and happy, we headed back to our resort before another day of exploring.

While Xplor is not the type of activity I go on vacation to experience, I am very glad we went. We both had a fun time and it was no less ‘authentic’ Mexico than water parks in the USA are any less ‘authentic’. The majority of the visitors were local Mexicans enjoying the family fun and it was nice to have a break from all the ‘have-to-see’ attractions of Tulum and Coba and snorkeling.

An excellent way to spend a day having fun on vacation.

Tips for visiting Xplor

• Arrive early and get the full park pass if you have the energy for it
• Make sure kids know what they are up for
• Leave the expensive camera behind and grab a waterproof model or disposable
• Credit cards accepted
• There is a large heart as a rallying point for those that get a bit lost. Signs all around the park point back to this spot
• Near the heart are lockers for gear and bathrooms
• The buffet is decent with a number of vegetarian options
• Cameras abound in the park to capture the fun. If you don’t bring your own, you can buy shots of yourself all through the park thanks to the numbers on helmets
• You don’t need to know how to swim to have fun as the river walk employs lifevests and the ziplines into water always have attendants
• You can go careening off into the jungle with the buggies. This would be bad, but makes it more fun than Disneyland. Danger is fun for boys. :)
• Wear sunscreen!
• Wear watershoes if you have them, otherwise you need to stash your flipflops on each zipline run so they don’t fall off
• Bring a bathing suit or wear one there. Shorts are also handy for ladies with bikinis as it makes the harnesses less chafing
• There is a juice bar with cookies for a quick pick me up. It’s real fruit smoothie types of drinks and yummy cookies
• Have fun!!

Our admission to Xplor was covered by the Riviera Maya Tourist Board.

[gmap width='720px' height='300px' zoom='14']

©2012 The Carey Adventures. All Rights Reserved.

Title: Through The Jungle

Location: Tulum, Riviera Maya, Mexico, North America

Photograph Copyright Peter West Carey

This image for sale as a print or may be licensed for use

Photo Tours To Nepal, Bhutan and Italy now scheduling for Fall of 2011!  More Information.

Photography Workshops in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Salt Lake City and Denver now available! More Information.

©2012 The Carey Adventures. All Rights Reserved.

Title: Your Choice

Location: Riviera Maya, Quintana Roo, Mexico, North America

Photograph Copyright Peter West Carey

This image for sale as a print or may be licensed for use

Photo Tours To Nepal, Bhutan and Italy now scheduling for Fall of 2011!  More Information.

Photography Workshops in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Salt Lake City and Denver now available! More Information.

©2012 The Carey Adventures. All Rights Reserved.

Title: Drip Of Time

Location: Aktunchen, Riviera Maya, Mexico, North America

Photograph Copyright Peter West Carey

This image for sale as a print (form below) or may be licensed for use

Photo Tours To Nepal, Bhutan and Italy now scheduling for Fall of 2011!  More Information.

Photography Workshops in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Salt Lake City and Denver now available! More Information.

©2012 The Carey Adventures. All Rights Reserved.

Title: Riviera Maya Dock

Description: Before heading out for a morning of snorkeling, this dock was begging for some relaxing meditation.  Or maybe a margarita.

Location: Riviera Maya, Quintana Roo, Mexico, North America

Photograph Copyright Peter West Carey

This image for sale as a print (form below) or may be licensed for use

Photo Tours To Nepal, Bhutan and Italy now scheduling for Fall of 2011!  More Information.

Photography Workshops in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Salt Lake City and Denver now available! More Information.

©2012 The Carey Adventures. All Rights Reserved.

Lions On The Hill – Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

Electric Storm Beneath A Billion Stars – Kyajo Ri Basecamp, Nepal

Tulum Ruins And The Caribbean – Riviera Maya, Mexico

Tombstone In Buddhist Cemetery Before The Pacific – Maui, Hawaii

Orca Headstand – Whatcom County, Washington

Concentration: Patrick – Boulder, Colorado

Leading: Liz – Red Rocks, Nevada

Climbers Around The Campfire – Joshua Tree National Park, California

Sunrise On Top Of South Sister Mountain On Jodi’s Birthday – Bend, Oregon

Sleigh Ride – Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada

And for my all time favorite travel photo from 2010, hands down it is this one of my daughter above the Serengeti Plains in Africa

I hope you all have a great 2011 with many, many wondrous travels!

©2012 The Carey Adventures. All Rights Reserved.

Click On Image For Larger Version

Title: Tulum And The Caribbean

Description: The dramatic location of Tulum along the Riviera Maya coast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula always makes for great photography.  Yes, the water really is that color.

Location: Riviera Maya, Quintana Roo, Mexico, North America

Photograph Copyright Peter West Carey

Purchase A Print Of This Photo Here (or use the form below)

©2012 The Carey Adventures. All Rights Reserved.