Tulum, Mexico

Photos

Tulum easily has the nicest beach I have ever been to. I was talking to some English girls who said they thought it was nicer than Thailand's. White sand, clear blue water, no trash, no crowds. Very nice. I had been up to Playa del Carmen and Cozumel a few days before hand and they have nothing on Tulum. The town itself, along with the cheapest accomodations, is a little ways away from the beach so I rented a bike to get there. The ruins at Tulum are also right on the coast set up atop some cliffs maybe 30 feet above the water. If it hadn't been for the setting they wouldn't have merited a trip. But with the setting.... wow.

Also around Tulum are some more cenotes. I went snorkeling in one, the Grand Cenote. It gave me a new respect for cave divers. Like most cenotes, this one in just a part of a vast underground water system and it had underwater caverns that extended back into complete darkness. Just swimming near these openings was unnerving, my imagination kept getting the better of me and I'd picture something big and horrible swimming up out of it and pulling me in... shudder.

Visited the ruins at Coba as well. These were very nice. The site is so spread out that it's best to rent a bike to get around. Most don't however, and so some of the more remote ruins were utterly deserted, even at the height of the day. I spent 20 minutes among ruined temples, houses, stelae, and other structures without another soul in sight. Amazing how different the place feels when there's no one else around. So much easier to connect with the past and feel the history of the place when you're not distracted by everyone else climbing all over the place. Met a nice crocodile there as well