Catching another collectivo down the coast to Tulum, we were pleased to see that the town had more of the local ‘Mexican’ vibe to it, that we had been missing during our time in the Yucatan. Our room wasn’t ready for us yet so we wandered along the main street and grabbed some lunch while we waited to check in properly. For once we spied a restaurant that suited us perfectly – a combination Thai food and bagels. Ty had a delicious looking bagel but my thai didn’t really hit the spot L
After checking in we hired bikes and road the 5km down to the beach to relax in the last few hours of sunshine. To kill the sesame seed flavour my yucky thai salad had left behind we enjoyed a margarita seaside.
We decided to get up early the next morning and ride down to the Tulum Ruins before it got too hot, hoping to arrive before the crowds did! Practicing our Spanish by forcing ourselves to read the explanation signs in Spanish before we read the English translation, we were finished with the site within the hour. The ruins themselves are not particularly impressive but the setting makes them worth visiting. Perched on the outcrops over a beach where turtles come to lay their eggs they are rather picturesque.
After checking in we hired bikes and road the 5km down to the beach to relax in the last few hours of sunshine. To kill the sesame seed flavour my yucky thai salad had left behind we enjoyed a margarita seaside.
We decided to get up early the next morning and ride down to the Tulum Ruins before it got too hot, hoping to arrive before the crowds did! Practicing our Spanish by forcing ourselves to read the explanation signs in Spanish before we read the English translation, we were finished with the site within the hour. The ruins themselves are not particularly impressive but the setting makes them worth visiting. Perched on the outcrops over a beach where turtles come to lay their eggs they are rather picturesque.
Tulum ruins
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Overlooking the turtle beach at the ruins
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Relaxing on the dock at Bacalar
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The weather wasn’t great but we decided to head down to the beach anyway before we had to drop the bikes back. It was good to catch up with my sister, Elaine, and Ty’s sister, Kalia and her boyfriend Jake, that night and hear about their plans for their adventure to South America. Hopefully we will be able to meet up with them at some point!
The next day we headed to Akumal, a beach halfway between Playa del Carmen and Tulum, which is home to a group of resident sea turtles. Bypassing all the tour touts, we went to a stand and hired snorkels, fins and goggles for the day. Another backpacker had tipped us off about the turtles only being about 15m offshore so you really don’t need to go on a ‘tour’ to see them! The weather was gorgeous and we spent all day snorkelling with the wildlife. We were both so excited to see about 5 big sea turtles (and one little one which didn’t have a tag so we think it was a wild one!), 2 stingrays, a barracuda, and Ty saw a squid and a lobster. We bought an underwater camera when we were in Cancun and pretty much used it all up in the one day – so frustrating that we have to wait till we get home to get it developed though!
The downside to snorkelling (for me) was the fact that your back and bum are pretty much sticking out of the water all day. Despite diligently reapplying my factor 45 several times I burnt my butt and part of my back so bad I had to spend the next 3 nights sleeping on my front!
The final stop on our Mexican adventure was Bacalar – a freshwater lagoon of 7 colours. Well, 7 shades of blue. The info we read missed that crucial bit out. Our hostel/campground was pretty rustic but it was a relaxing place to hang out and it was nice to get out from swimming and not feel all salty! There’s not a lot else to do in Bacalar so we just hung out with each other and the other people at the campground, and I caught up with some blog writing.
Next stop: Corozal, Belize
The next day we headed to Akumal, a beach halfway between Playa del Carmen and Tulum, which is home to a group of resident sea turtles. Bypassing all the tour touts, we went to a stand and hired snorkels, fins and goggles for the day. Another backpacker had tipped us off about the turtles only being about 15m offshore so you really don’t need to go on a ‘tour’ to see them! The weather was gorgeous and we spent all day snorkelling with the wildlife. We were both so excited to see about 5 big sea turtles (and one little one which didn’t have a tag so we think it was a wild one!), 2 stingrays, a barracuda, and Ty saw a squid and a lobster. We bought an underwater camera when we were in Cancun and pretty much used it all up in the one day – so frustrating that we have to wait till we get home to get it developed though!
The downside to snorkelling (for me) was the fact that your back and bum are pretty much sticking out of the water all day. Despite diligently reapplying my factor 45 several times I burnt my butt and part of my back so bad I had to spend the next 3 nights sleeping on my front!
The final stop on our Mexican adventure was Bacalar – a freshwater lagoon of 7 colours. Well, 7 shades of blue. The info we read missed that crucial bit out. Our hostel/campground was pretty rustic but it was a relaxing place to hang out and it was nice to get out from swimming and not feel all salty! There’s not a lot else to do in Bacalar so we just hung out with each other and the other people at the campground, and I caught up with some blog writing.
Next stop: Corozal, Belize
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