We arrived in Tulum – a relatively small town a few hours down the coast from Cancun – after what we can safely describe as ‘the best bus journey of our travelling lifes’. The ADO bus we caught for a small fee from Cancun was absolute luxury, compared to what we expected and were both used to after having travelled South East Asia. Air conditioning, big comfy seats and even a number of TVs screening films; albeit in Spanish, made this journey a huge success. It had been better equipped than our 10 hour long haul Thomas Cook flight to Mexico in the first place!

We grabbed our baggage; Jonny again lugging Hayley’s wardrobe on wheels around and she carried the smaller day bags. A system we found worked for us very well as it meant our load was spread more in proportion. We hopped into one of the many taxis waiting patiently outside the bus terminal. We pulled up outside ‘Hostel Chalupa’ and were checked in by one of the most helpful Mexican gentlemen so far. He informed us of where to go and what to do and see during our short stay in his local town. Luckily for us they have a deal with a local bike shop for cheap rentals so he suggested this was the best way to get around. He also shared his knowledge on the local Cenotes (the sinkholes which are spread all over Mexico as mentioned in a previous post), the famous Tulum ruins and also of the small town of Akumal some 30 minutes drive up the coast where before noon wild and endangered Green Sea Turtles can be found swimming and gorging themselves on the sea grass growing on the sea floor. Jonny’s eyes lit up at the prospect of swimming with these amazing creatures as all who know him well enough can imagine
It was late afternoon so a stroll around the town and the sampling of a few bars was in order. The town itself is spread along a short strip of the main roaD with a number of small extended side streets here and there all filled with the usual tourist shops, tacos stalls, supermarkets and restaurant/bars. We opted for one such place called ‘Banteys’ owned and run by a pleasant but foul smelling local who told us that the place was specifically a mojito bar. Hayley, being the adventurous sole she is in all aspects of food and drink requested a Vodka and orange juice, to her credit he told us this wold be made by orange syrup using the sugar cane used in the endless list of Mojitos served here. Jonny went for the highly recommended Passionfruit mojito and was enjoying said drink when Hayley declared she wasn’t a fan of hers and like a begrudged parent, swapped with her. After the drinks across the road a local italian restaurant caught our eye and we enjoyed a pair of brilliant pasta dishes, one with prawns and courgette in a creamy tomato sauce and the other a vegetarian number. 

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The next morning we awoke and headed to the bike rental shop and decided to visit the Grand Cenote that our amigo at the hotel had told us was the best around. After a quick stop at a pharmacy for eye drops for Jonny who seemed to have some sort of eye infection and the local supermarket for snorkels, we were off. A relatively short ride up the road and we had arrived at the Cenote. After paying the entrance fee of around £6 we entered and were instantly taken a back by the site in front of us. Opening up from literally a huge hole in the ground was the most beautiful array of plants, underwater caves and crystal clear waters. 

Eager to get in we rented a locker and spotted the ‘Turtle Zone’ again, much to Jonny’s excitement. Wasting no time at all we donned our snorkels and jumped in. The water was freezing!!

We spent a good few hours swimming around the Cenote, under the caves, through small tunnels to another opening and checking out the wildlife, all the time GoPro in hand videoing and taking snaps to show people back home who, without photos, we agreed would find it hard to picture the amazing sites we were seeing under the surface of the water. 

We took posed for some pictures ourselves and called time on our visit. Wrinkly skinned but thoroughly satisfied we rode back off down towards the ruins that are a must see in any visit to Tulum.

When we eventually reached the entrance to the archeological site, admittedly later than expected due to loving our first stop of the day so much, we realised we hadn’t left ourselves enough time. The ruins in Mexico are often spectacular and deserve a good amount of time dedicated to them so we opted to skip them for today and call back when we had longer to appreciate. As we headed home via the road parallel to the beach the heavens opened. Within minutes we were soaked. Jonny made light of the situation and pulled his snorkel mask on to ride the rest of the way, much to Hayley’s amusement. 

Showered and refreshed – somewhat more so than we wanted due to the lack of warm water – we were ready to hit the town again. As we stepped out of the door our faces dropped. The rain was not only still cascading down but at a significantly faster rate. Our plans of a nice meal and a few drinks scuppered we put on our wet shoes and still damp swimming gear and sprinted across the road to the local supermarket for supplies. Returning with vegetables and pasta we used the on site kitchen; a huge bonus we hadn’t envisaged using, to rustle up a partially home comforting meal before retiring to our room to watch one of the all time greats ‘Bad Boys’ which Hayley had never seen before, unbelievable!
Morning came and to our disappointment, more rain! We returned the bikes and as Jonny was insistent on heading to Akumal, to see the turtles, we jumped on a ‘Collectivo’ – these are a form local public transport, all across Mexico, that we would describe as being somewhere in between a taxi and a bus. We arrived, still in the pouring rain and walked the short distance down to the beach passing tourist information stands along the way. They will all try to sell you tours and snorkel or dive trips to see the Turtles but just walk past them, rent your own locker and jump in. There is always some sort of guide out there leading the tourists around on the wild goose or in this case turtle chase, so we just latched on to the back of one of these. Within about 10 minutes of being in the water came the cry ‘turtle over here guys’ so Jonny shot off in that direction as fast as he could, leaving Hayley trailing behind with the camera equipment. As the weather was bad the visibility was low and a quick glance at one of these famous creatures was Jonny’s reward for his flat out sprint to the area. The tour moved on but we opted to stay a while. Great decision! A few minutes passed and there it was again, this time we both caught a glimpse of the turtle and began to swim alongside and above it, watching it nibbling on its lunch and breaching the surface for air every now and again. 

  
It was an impressive size, hazarding a guess at around 3 feet long. Just as we began to follow our new mate the rain got us again. This time, a good 50 metres out at sea it was a daunting experience. We grabbed the guide ropes luckily situated close by and amidst the onslaught made our way slowly back to shore and safety. We luckily caught this one camera so keep an eye peeled for that video on our instagram (@theunchartedworld). Its funny now, not so much at the time as Hayley can be made out shouting as Jonny splashed around like nothing was wrong. We made, rather Hayley made, the sensible decision ‘that was that’ for the swimming today so after a lunch break at Mexico’s very own Turtle Bay we headed back up to catch the Collectivo again.

Our GoPro waterproof case had cracked earlier that morning and we knew this was probably our last chance to pick up another for a while so we made a detour to Playa Del Carmen. We arrived, cold, wet and tired but thankfully a break in the rain and quickly finding a stockist better than most in the UK helped lift our spirits. The new case, safely secured in a handy free bag we had received, we opted for a walk around and to lift our spirits even more by the trusty means of alcohol! We found a welcoming bar just in time as once again more rain began to fall and quickly sunk a beer and a cocktail. The rain continued so what else is there to do but get another round? This time both ordering cocktails, sex on the beach for Hayley, as usual, a long beach (this is a long island ice tea minus the coke, plus cranberry juice) for Jonny as he reminisced about his uni days we could feel ourselves getting drunk. Another round down we decided it best we head back to Tulum before we forgot our way to the collectivo stop. We made it home and didn’t make it out of the room again till the next morning.
It was our last day, or rather morning in Tulum, before heading down to the Belize border, and we still had’t visited the ruins. Jumping into a taxi we were inside the archeological site by 9.30 and began weaving in and out of the tours to get our own view of the main reason we visited this town. The structures are impressive enough within themselves but when set upon the backdrop of the beautiful Mexican coastline, they become all the more picturesque. We wandered around for a few hours in the baking heat, interrupted on occasion by small spats of yet again more rain, reading the signs and learning about the uses of the city back in its hay day. These include being an important port, situated on the highest point of the coastline for obvious strategic reasons and also religious and ceremonial meaning. 

After the visit we packed our things and again headed for the comfort of the ADO buses to make our way down to Chetuaml, to catch the next day ‘ferry’ to Belize. Ferry being used lightly here as it was more of a speed boat with a small number of airline seats crammed in. Our one night in Chetumal, the capital of the Quintana Roo region of Mexico was uneventful, its very much like a ghost town apart from the few clothing stores blasting out cheesy pop music as if they are a club. We did however, catch a beautiful sunset purely by chance

Mexico, its been a pleasure, mostly. Until next time.. 

  
Jonny & Hayley 🙂