Welcome to The Jungle
Tulum - Day 1
Inspiration hit and I booked myself a flight to the Yucatan. I decided on visiting Tulum knowing very little about the area but heard great things. It felt right so off I went.
Landing in Cancun I took a late bus for the 2 1/2 hour bus ride due south to Tulum. I arrived at my AirB&B at around 10 pm. It was so very hot and humid that as soon as I put my bags in the studio I changed into my bathing suit then jumped in the pool steps outside my door. Sweet relief!
In the morning I woke to the bright skies of Tulum along with more heat, more humidity. You’d think I’d be used to it after growing up in Alabama but oh no. Into the day I go geared up with as much water as I could carry, borrowed a bike and headed for a dip in the Caribbean. Since I left the Pacific Northwest my goals have been to swim as much as possible, maybe enough to grow gills & a tail. Here I was really looking forward to taking a swim in warm waters of the Caribbean side seeing as the sea temperatures in La Paz has been quite chilly in comparison.
After the 30 minute ride, some of it on some pretty sketchy dirt road filled with potholes and the rest along a concrete tail, I found myself oceanside. There are plenty of bikes on the road, ridden both by tourists and locals. Luckily the drivers of the motorized modes of transportation appear to be pretty mindful. Nothing ruins a holiday more than a collision of any sort. It also seems not many visitors are loco enough to rent cars around here therefore most of the drivers know how to drive these streets, making plenty of room for scooters, bicycles, and pedestrians.
Overnight and into the day there was a pretty fresh northerly breeze blowing through Tulum. I had noticed it first thing giving me a sneaking suspicion that the ocean was not going to be too favorable for the swim I had been longing for. Unfortunately I was right. I was met with a beautiful yet uninviting ocean. Caution flags were up asking people to keep themselves on land. So sad!!!
Instead I took a stroll around the hotel zone at the playa to take in the sights, window shoped in a few boutiques and then grabbed lunch before venturing back to the place I started from for a siesta and a lounge.
Day 2 - Cenotes
For day two I decided to indulge myself with a tour of a few cenotes. Cenotes were once revered by the Mayans as sacred wells and the entrance to Xibalba, the underworld. From providing a source of water to being a place of ritual and sacrifice these sinkholes were central to the Mayan culture. (To learn more click here ~ Cenotes ~) Now these stunning sacred sink holes are a draw for adventurers and tourists alike. I felt the pull and went with it.
The quaint tour I found through AirB&B took me on a hiking/ biking trip to 4 centotes. (I do like the word ‘Cenote’) Here’s how it went.
Legend of Chechen and Chaca Trees
During my day in Chemuyil we were told of a Mayan legend involving a battle between two brothers over the love of a beautiful woman.
Read about it ~ HERE ~.
Day 3 : Muyil, the Jewel of Sian Ka’an
My third day in the area I decided on yet another tour. This time I would be visiting the Mayan ruins in the village of Muyil, inside the Sian Ka’an Biosphere, a UNESCO protected site. To learn more, go ~ Here ~.
Along with taking in the history of the ruins we were led through multiple ecosystems to include jungles, tropical salt marshes, fresh water lagoons, and mangrove swamps. The last bit of the tour had us floating along a natural fresh water channel carved through the mangroves.
Day 4 : Chichén Itzá
As if my jaunt around here couldn’t get any better… off I go to visit Chichén Itzá. My inner mystic was going off the rails with excitement.
Here in Tulum I’ve experienced many signs… I’ve found them quite charming.
Next Stop, Playa Del Carmen
I spent really no time in Playa Del Carmen. Instead I found beauty in Akumal where they take preservation very seriously. To swim with the turtles you must be guided and swim within a roped off area so as not to disrupt or disturb the turtles. Although historically a turtle haven the impact of tourists hit the turtles hard. On my swim the guide pointed out tumors growing on the turtles. He claimed those were directly related to people touching the turtles.
At the monkey sanctuary we met a couple of the agile little critters that had touched electrical wires and had limbs blown off as a result. The sanctuary brings these injured primates in, rehabs them and releases those which show a strong survival skill. Some of the monkeys had full families at the facility. In such cases the family, as a whole, will be released together as soon as the youngest, or injured, is capable of making it out in the jungles. What good work they are doing!
These images are from a particularly stunning mural I happened upon in Akumal. From the nod to their heritage to the gorgeous owl, this scene captivated me.
That pretty much sums up my time on the Yucatan Peninsula. Being there really reminded me how much of a jungle person I am. Although my time in Baja has been amazing I am beginning to look forward to seeing sights further south in Mexico, and beyond.
Thank you for following along on these adventures.
~ Cheryl