Last day at the beach

Today started off with a beautiful cloudless sky for our last day at the beach. Mom and dad went to breakfast while Helen and I hit the snooze in our cabaña. Everyone reunited on the beach to read books, and in Helen's case, do some summer math homework. The beach chairs were semi shaded so as long as you shifted up or down in your seat, you wouldn't get burnt like a candy cane. 

We ordered lunch from the hotel restaurant and didn't have to move at all. Helen and I split a Hawaiian Gourmet pizza, mom got friend calamari, and dad got tuna. The pizza wasn't small, but Helen and I were hungry so we polished the whole thing off. Dad went for a snorkel but didn't see much so he went back in with mom and I just to swim. "Swimming" for dad consists of throwing "snowballs" of seaweed at me and flopping around in the water like a beached whale. Mom likes to play the 'I have no idea who these people are' game. 

We tired pretty quickly and swam in, to dry off and lay in the sun for a while longer. There are tons of sea turtle nests on the beach, and on a couple days we've even seen the tracks of a momma turtle hauling her way up the street. We went for a walk to dinner and checked all of the nests to see if any were about to hatch. If a nest is sunken in a circle, it means that the eggs have hatched and the turtles just haven't crawled up yet. Sadly, none of the nests were sunken in so we made our way to dinner at Restaurante Las Estrellas at La Luna hotel.

We ordered drinks and played a couple rounds of cards before our food came. Dinner was fun, dad is pretty amusing, and we finished it off by playing some more cards. While walking home, we saw a rainbow right over the ocean. When it got dark out, I laid out in the hammock and listened to music while watching the stars. Helen and I packed up all of our things before we went to bed, and just to add in a little excitement, I spent about 5 minutes trying to catch and kill a roach before crawling into bed and hoping I killed it. 

Just a Day Away

I wasn't that excited to get up early and leave our sweet room in Tulum, but then again, who would be? probably Dad. He was ready to go, I could tell, by the way that he was checking us out about 10 minutes after the rest of us started to wake up.
 Being packed before was a big help, all I did was throw on some clothes, brush my teeth and dizzily walk my way to the front desk where Mom tried to check us out without Meghan's help. Except for the fact that Meghan did the survey on how great the hotel was because Mom didn't want to. So we used the restroom one last time and then got in our tiny rental car and drove downtown where we stopped and ate breakfast at a small restaurant on the street. It was pretty good, the toast tasted like the kind from Waffle House so I ate four pieces which probably wasn't that good for me but I was ready to not eat Mexican food for a long, long time.
 When our bill was payed and our stomachs were full, we walked back to our car and drove a little while to Akumal, which is where Meghan and I pointlessly argued and waited in car for Mom and Dad to go check out the lagoon nearby. However it was raining and expensive and they weren't allowed to visit it before we paid so we decided to pass and headed over to a different town, Puerto Morelos. There we stopped for a drink after we walked on the pier. I ordered a Fresca, for what I hoped wouldn't be the last time, and Meghan ordered an iced tea, with hope that it would be like the ones she got in the gas station at home. It wasn't, but I wasn't surprised because we were in a different country then what Meghan was hoping for that day.
 Afterwards we walked down a small strip of craft stores that sold everything from tablecloths with Aztec warriors on them to tiny animals who's heads swung sideways due to wind. As we walked, and admired the gadgets they had on display for us, it reminded me of being back in South America, where many people all over the streets were relentless, trying to get you to buy their things. However only one man was urgently trying to get us to come into his store, the rest of them were minding their own business, and only looking up when you set foot in their store.
 When the heat had Dad and I beat, we left the small mall and walked to the convenience store to buy little things of ice cream to get our minds off of the heat. I got a tiny bowl of chocolate and vanilla ice cream mixed, while Dad and Meghan got fruit bars, and Mom got a small bag of Chocoretas, round, green candy which our family has come to adore.
 After we paid, we sat in the shade by an old chapel that was only a couple doors down from where our rental car was parked. Having woken up early, I was a bit tired, but nothing a semi long car ride couldn't fix. On the way to Cancun, we stopped by a beach that was famous for their turtle nests. Once we paid to get in- not to swim, just to watch- I thought that the beach should have been more famous for their hermit crabs than for their turtles. On average I probably saw about 200 hermit crabs just scuttling off in different directions, and I had to pay close attention to my footsteps so I wouldn't accidentally step on one.
 After 5 minutes of being in direct sunlight, I told Dad that I knew I was getting burnt and that I was going to wait over by our car in the shade. I guess everyone else couldn't really handle that much of it either, because they all came over minutes after I did. After Dad went and checked out the cenote not far down the beach we hopped in the car and finished out drive to Cancun.
 When we reached the hotel, all I wanted to do was lie in bed and rest. And that's exactly what I got, besides the fact that Mom asked me to be ready by 5, we had a surprise for dinner. Of course, I was excited for the surprise, and Meghan and I kept bugging Mom&Dad about where we were going, but it was like they had zipped their mouths and thrown away the key.
 Moments later, however, we found out the surprise. We were eating at a restaurant called Lima, Peruvian cuisine. I was excited, I haven't had Peruvian cuisine since the days living abroad. Sadly, they were out of Inca Cola, but Dad and I ordered a chicha morada (purple corn) drink instead, and toasted to old times. For my meal, I got my dog (just kidding) but I did get the food that we named our dog afterwards, which turned out to be delicious.
 With our stomachs full and prepared to get up super early the next day for our plane trip back to America, we finished our drinks, thanked our waiters, and drove back to the hotel, where we received a mere 7 hours of sleep before we were forced awake to leave Mexico, and all the treasures that came with it.

Grand Cenote

Woke today to an unpleasant smell and the beaches and surf were covered with the largest deposit of seaweed seen since our first evening. The removal crew were already working hard at what looks like an impossible task. This phenomenon has the potential to destroy the tourism based economy if it continues. 

After getting a map and some recommendations for clear water swimming options we headed out. On our third inspection we settled on the Grande Cenote, very appropriately named.  The three deep, dark  cavernous cenotes that we hit on our way to Tulum were artificially lit. This one is quite different - open to the sky, two pits were connected by a tunnel that you could swim through. The tunnel was like a cave with stalagmites and air above, not full of water.  Birds were nesting inside as well. Very cool experience swimming frome one side to the other. I had my snorkel mask and the underwater view was extra special - fish and fresh water turtles. 

We hung out for a while although I was the only one to take several dips. Headed into Tulum Pueblo for lunch before returning to the beach. The seaweed had cleared up enough for some swimming and sun bathing without too much smell. Had a late dinner at CoCo - pizza, tuna and ceviche. Late night I star gazed and saw half a dozen shooting stars or possibly meteors with the Milky Way as a backdrop. 

Sunny Day in the Tulum Ruins

I once read a travel guide that referred to the Tulum ruins as the Maya's with the best views.  I have to admit they are rather fantastic.  The white stones in verdant green groundcover on the cliffs of a spectacular blue-green Caribbean Sea are stunning.  That said, the grounds of this site are lacking in tree cover and the result is a true oven and a breeze that was both humid and hot.

We woke the girls at @9 and stopped by the grocery for breakfast on our way.  We arrived at a fairly large parking lot with several tour buses.  The Tulum ruins are visited by 1.1 million people a year and the are running a racket.  When you arrive, there are several hut that offer maps and info in the parking lot, they are really there to sell you packages to do other things.  By the time we escaped the salesman, another few buses were unloading and we began our 3/4 Mike walk to the gates through an outdoor shopping extravaganza with hawkers in every doorway beckoning you inside.

On the map there is a picture of a train that carries you the 3/4 mile.  In truth it is a pull-behind trolley with cutout plywood shaped and painted to look like a train car nailed to the sides being dragged along by a tractor spewing stinky gas fumes.  The fumes make the walk a little less breathable but just as crowded.

We get to the ticket gate and there is a long line.  It's fortunate that it's shaded but the air is stagnate and we are overheating.  The girls find a seat on the edge of the covered space while I run to the restroom and Mike toughs it out in line.  

When we walk to the ticket gate, we are dodging tour groups set up in the shade giving background information on Mayan history and describing the site.  The people passing us in the other direction are drenched in sweat and heading out the entrance.  I am a little worried at this point, what kind of misery have I insisted upon this morning?

A large tour group is making their way through the little opening in the wall so I elect to climb the stairs following the signs to the viewpoint.  The stairs are boarders on the right by a wall and some trees and on our left by a small but dense forest.  When we get to the top of the stairs, there's another break in the wall.  The Mayans built gates into their walls, no bigger than the width of one person, we turn here and go through.

We emerge on the other side of the wall and we are standing in a wide walkway.  Trees are scarce and shade is at a premium. The white buildings gleam in the bright sunlight as I start to wither from the heat immediately.  We only walk the ocean path and climb to the ropes on 3 buildings, before we call it a day and start looking for the exit.

On the way home, we stop at a restaurant recommended by Lonely Planet.  El Carmello is a street side shack that serves some fantastic food.  We ordered tempura shrimp tacos, fried fish tacos and octopus a la Mexicana.  Yum Yum Yum!!

Back at the hotel, we changed into swimsuits and went out to lay in hammocks and on the beach loungers and ordered some frosty cold drinks.  A few hours later, we walked up the beach to another great restaurant, El Tabano and I had my second set of fish tacos for the day. 

After the walk back home, I spent some time outside gazing at the stars.  The Milky Way was a fuzzy slash in the sky and I had a difficult time identifying even the constellations I know.  When I was ready to turn in, I was lulled to sleep by the sound of the surf.  I'm wondering now if I'm going to be able to sleep at all when I get home. 

Some R&R

Meghan and I were pretty happy about the cabana that we were staying in so the morning was very peaceful and relaxing. Except for the fact that the seaweed right outside our windows smelled like rotten eggs, but the smell went away once some of the men pushed it away from the beach. It was basically a chill stay in hammocks read a book day, and that's exactly what we did. 

 Meghan and I skipped breakfast- we claimed that we weren't hungry, but I obviously regretted it because I heard the food was Italian. I chilled in front of the fan in the room until the cleaners came and shooed me out. 

 So I was "forced" to step out in the sun and under a small pavilion which held a bunch of hammocks. There I re read one of my favorite books and ordered a smoothie. I ended up getting the ladies next to me which honestly tasted like plants but it was alright.

 Since I didn't feel like swimming I waited in the newly cleaned room right up next to the fan until Mom&Dad and Meghan were done. After everyone had showered and was ready to go we left and walked up the beach for a bit until we stopped for lunch at a nice hotel called Las Estrella's (the stars). It was very good, I didn't feel like eating much but Mom convinced me to eat some chicken fingers that were delicious, to which I ate all of them. 

 On on walk back to the cabanas on the beach we stopped by some turtle places where either turtles had laid their eggs already or they were about to. It was cool to check the dates on the back of the sticks marking the territory to tell when the days were this year.

 Shortly after we settled down in the cabanas to have some rest time, it started to pour. It was a massive thunderstorm, where the sky turned black as it hurled sheets of water as Mom described as she sprinted back in forth between the two cabanas to check on us. 

 When the rain had steadied to a small drizzle, Mom&Dad and I went to the front of the hotel where we sat at a table and played cards and ordered some food. Out of the 12 games that we played, I won two, not a successful round for me, but all in all it was fun and I was excited to climb back into the cabana and listen to rain pitter patter across the roof as we fell asleep. 

Cenote, cenote, cenote

We woke up early to eat breakfast at the hotel before hopping in the car to go visit the ruins of Cobá. My here were many temples and things that were spread out on a lot of land, so we rented bikes for easy transportation. I'm used to riding bikes in Hilton head where everything is flat and smooth and this was very very different. The path was very bumpy but it wasn't a very long route. We started off towards the end, stopping at the ball court first. Everything was roped off but there was a really cool stone in the shape of a skull right in the middle of the court. I'm pretty sure it's where they stuck people's head before they were decapitated. We biked to the end and climbed up the Great Pyramid which is the 2nd tallest in the Yucatan peninsula. The view from up there was beautiful. Mom and dad were up there for a bit, but Helen and I stayed up talking and enjoying the view. At one point we were the only ones there and it was beautiful. We got down the pyramid the way three year olds go down stairs, on our hands.

After looking at the rest of the ruins we headed off to visit 3 cenotes. The first one was by far the best, the water was crystal clear and we were the only ones there. Light came in from a little hole in the ceiling as well as a couple lights on the walls of the cave. The second cenote was smaller but their were so many stalagmites that it looked like the ceiling was melting. We stayed there for a bit but cleared out when some more people came (we didn't want to explain to them how dad broke the stair). The last cenote was huge, but very crowded. The stairs down had two jumping points, one at 10 meters up and one at 5. I did neither but I did get in the water for a bit.

After the cenotes we were all really hungry so we ate lunch at a place overlooking the lake. It was probably one of the best meals I've ever had. They were kind of like tacos but the tortillas were filled with beans and fried to be like a hard taco shell. Inside was chicken, lettuce, tomato, avocado, and pickled red onion which is a delicacy here. After lunch we got back in the car to go to Tulum. Our hotel is called COCO Tulum and it is eco friendly, completely run on wind power. Helen and I share a cabaña which is right on the beach so when I wake up in the morning, the first thing to see is the ocean. Right on the beach is an area with hammocks that are super comfortable as well as beach chairs. After hanging out for a while we went to dinner in downtown Tulum at an Italian restaurant. The food was excellent and there was a guy with a beautiful voice playing guitar inside. We window shopped on the way back to the car and drove back to the hotel to go to sleep listening to the waves. 

Relaxing in Valladolid

Day 2 in Valladolid and we had planned on sleeping in (tomorrow we would be getting a very early start) and only hitting a cenote or two, close to town. Debby and I left the girls sleeping and walked the 8 blocks to find the central mercado for a cup of coffee before breakfast. Even this early the sun was hot, hot and our walk was mostly due east without any shade. No coffee at the not so great mercado, and we headed back. Helen woke up feeling sick and tired. Hoping she would feel better by lunch we stuck close to the hotel. Debby and I wandered the streets, took in the municipal building and stumbled on an awesome mosaic fountain. 

Helen never did return to feeling better but did agree to join us for lunch at the equivalent of a food mall food court except that most of the restaurants served the same menus and there was a smattering of jewelry and clothing booths as well. We choose the one where the waiter waived his menu the best. I guess the house rules forbid waiters from yelling at potential customers which was very courteous. After lunch the girls were back in their room for the day while Debby and I checked out some streets off the main square and had a drink while watching the tour busses roll in and out of town.