Palm Trees on the Beach in Mexico

For many of us who live in landlocked areas, we believe that God created some special places, places that are known as beaches. And we enjoy visiting the beaches whenever we can, enjoying the beauty of the places while we are there.

This particular beach was in the Yucatan of Mexico, and we were there after enjoying a visit to the Mayan ruins of Xcambo. As much as we love the beach, our visit there was just one part of a perfect day. If you are wondering, this beach is located in between the towns of Telchac and San Crisanto if that means anything to you. But I only know that because I tracked down the location on a map after we returned home.

Anyway, as you can see, the weather was beautiful. The beach was beautiful. The palm trees were beautiful. Those thatch-roof huts were beautiful, in their own way. Simple, nothing elegant. No fancy hotel nearby, no expensive restaurants. And even better, no people, besides those that were in our group. Not that there is anything wrong in sharing the world with other people, of course, but sometimes it is nice to be away from most of them.

We enjoyed some stand-up paddleboarding that quickly evolved into some sit-down paddleboarding for some of us who apparently need to work on our balancing skills more. And we enjoyed a nice lunch prepared on a portable grill by our tour guides since there obviously was not any place to eat nearby. Nothing to complain about at all. By the way, you can read more about our adventures of the day in the 2016 Cruise to Mexico Trip Report, if you have not already done so.

Especially enjoyable were the palm trees here. So many palm trees, just growing out of the sand. They provided some shade, in addition to adding to the beauty of the landscape. They swayed gracefully in the wind, gently rocking this way and that as the sea breeze pushed them around. They were tall enough that it was difficult to get them into the photo here, besides their trunks, of course, but that’s okay. I am not really sure why some of the trunks had green paint on them. It is a mystery to me, but I am sure that there is a perfectly good reason for it. Not that it really matters any.

If I were to live as a beach hermit, this is just the kind of beach I would imagine living at. While it does not have any majestic rock cliffs or other distinguishing features, it would still be just fine for me. Wouldn’t it be nice if all you needed in life was a hut on the beach, with some food to eat and water to drink? It is nice to dream, isn’t it?

Just one more look at this beautiful beach and the palm trees before it is over. At least for now. Because I took lots and lots of photos during our short time there. I was so taken with the place and knew that we probably wouldn’t be going anywhere else like this for a while, so I wanted to get all of the photos of it that I could. Maybe I took too many if there is such a thing. I have resisted sharing all of them at one time here, preferring to share just a few every now and then. That helps to keep the memories going for me for a while, too.

A beautiful day in a beautiful place, with a beautiful girl who was avoiding my camera for much of the day, but I knew she was there. It was perfect.

The Lord is near all who call out to Him, all who call out to Him with integrity. - Psalm 145:18

About the Photos

While these photos were what I would consider beautiful to start with, I worked on them just a bit to bring out the beauty even more. A little more color saturation, a little more brightness, a little more detail in the shadows - it did not take much, but rather just some subtle changes here and there. Take a look at this before-and-after version of the last photo:

As you can see, the sky is a little more blue in the final version, the trees are a little more green, and the sand is a little more bright. All of that makes it look even more like I remember it. That may be a slightly idealized view, but it works fine for me. Besides, while the standard output of a digital camera can’t quite capture all of the colors in the same way that your eye can see them, fortunately, a Raw file has much of that information hidden inside it, just waiting to be brought out.

Photo: A single Raw exposure, processed in Photoshop. Read more about photography tips, photo software, camera gear, and more at Steve’s Photography Tips.
Camera: Olympus OM-D E-M10
Lens: Olympus M.Zukio 25mm f1.8
Date: July 19, 2016
Location: Near San Crisanto, Yucatan, Mexico