Isla Mujeres

Iguana longing for Cancun

The day after Coba and Tulum, we caught the bus from Playa del Carmen to Cancun then ferried to Isla Mujeres. Isla Mujeres was a perfect combination of our favorite parts of the places we’d already visited. It combined Tulum-like blue oceans with the quaintness of  Holbox and the modernity of Playa del Carmen. The main strip was stuffed with touristy shops but we only had to walk a few blocks to escape them.

First we rented a golf cart and headed towards Tortugranja, a small turtle farm where they protect turtle eggs behind wire cages and  safely house juveniles (under a year old) in swimming pools. I have to admit I was a little disappointed by the “sanctuary”. Besides being very small, the turtles were swimming in open pools with little to no supervision to keep tourists from treating it as a petting zoo. The pools inside seemed a little crowded  and the ones outside poorly protected from the sun. Still, it was fun to see the creatures up-close and know that at least there’s movement in the right direction.

From Ix Chel

Next we puttered over to the Ix Chel Temple site. What remains of the structure is located on the southern-most tip of the island and the eastern most part of Mexico, which is carved out to create sheer walls that drop off into the ocean. There’s some pretty eclectic (hideous?) art along the path from sculptors from around the world. But the fantastic view from the winding path which curled around the cliff was well worth the visit. And as we looked out at the ocean we saw a couple of sea turtles off in the distance and within seconds we could see other turtles swimming towards them from all directions. Eventually the individuals reached the couple and from where we were watching it looked like a big green-brown mass. Then after a few minutes they dispersed as quickly as they came. Hmmm…

After Ix Chel we hopped back in the cart and cruised the rest of the island. Eventually we ended up at the beach on the north end. I played in the water and Kel lazed around on the beach until we were hungry. After that we returned the cart to the rental place and strolled around the residential areas, sniffing out some grub. Eventually we ran into a street with European inspired buildings and restaurants. I ordered coconut fried shrimp and ended up splitting it with a stray cat. She broke my heart with her skinny little body and injured eye. I wanted to scoop her up and bring her back with me, but instead I offered to peel the fried outer layer off of her portion of the dinner. I’m sure the restaurant was really happy with me. At least I have the best boyfriend in the world who didn’t even complain that I was throwing half of my expensive meal on the ground.

Click here for a slideshow of more of my pics from Isla Mujeres. They look best in full-size mode.

Mayan Ruins: Cobá and Tulum

Tulum

Our first full day in Playa del Carmen we decided to visit some Mayan ruins. Kel had already been to Chichen Itza so we opted for Cobá and Tulum.

Cobá

Coba was pretty rugged. A number of structures are still being unearthed and you can see people in white lab coats dusting and scraping away. Not to mention that every once in awhile you’ll see a stone corner sticking out of an otherwise generic mound of dirt, which kinda made us feel like we were on the set of Indian Jones. It was a super hot day and there was a lot of ground to cover, so we rented some rusted out bikes and flew by the suckers walking on foot. The main attraction is the Nohoch Mul pyramid which is 140 ft tall and the tallest Mayan structure in the Yucatan. We kicked it’s trash and bolted to the top in record time. Its hard to get a sense of just how lush the surrounding area is until you see it from a bird’s eye view. But once at the top you can see just how thick the vegetation is and understand how it could have overtaken the enormous structures over time.

Tulum

Tulum was pristine and insanely beautiful. The ruins are located along a rocky cliff which drops off into the most vividly blue water I’ve ever seen. It was candy blue colored and seemed completely unreal. I couldn’t stop talking about it. We were caught of guard when about half way into our exploration we were herded out by bossy dudes with whistles. We tried to make a break for it and see one last ruin, but they cut us off at the pass and so we waddled out like everyone else. Defeated, we decided the only way to lick our wounds would be to consume a margarita or two. After which we decided it would be a good idea to sneak a few pictures on the “trenecito” or “little train”, which was basically a tractor with a train-like shell. It took a little coercion from Kel because I was certain that the passing Federales were going to gun me down. I know how those guys feel about their trenecito!

Cobá

After that we taxied into the modern city of Tulum and had some delicious Mexican fare, followed by a taxi ride back to Playa del Carmen by a young local who had lived in Colorado for a few years and used words like “heck” and “gosh”, which was frick’n neat. And that was pretty much of the end of Ruin Day (duhn! duhn! duhn!)

See a slideshow of photos here. They look a lot better in the full-size mode.