Tulum

Tulum was my next stop. This area was more my style. The beaches were undeveloped with simple palapas that could be rented out to a weary traveler for a bit of shelter. There is so many things to do around Tulum that I could have spent a week and still had more things I could have done. The first thing I did after taking a quick dip at the beach was to check out the Mayan ruins in the area. The ruins themselves are small in comparison to the others I have seen, but who cares with a location such at this. Perched on a cliff just above the Caribbean with sandy white beaches below. In the evening I was able to talk to a few people to see what else I should do in the area and they gave me a few great ideas. In the morning I started early because I knew I had a lot to get in. I started by going to Xca-Cel, this is a beach just north of Tulum were the coral reef is only 20 meters offshore. I got there and I had the entire beach to myself. The snorkeling was by far the best I have done to date also. Throughout the day I was really wishing I invested in a waterproof case for my camera. The coral and the fish, Wow. It was fun chasing schools of a thousand fish and the colors of other fish were amazing. I could have spent the whole day in that one location. After a long walk I made my way to El Gran Cenotes. A cenote is an underground river cavern that has collapsed leaving a hole that you can get down into and access the network of rivers. El Gran is a must see if you are in the area. The water was crystal clear and schools of friendly freshwater fish chase you around as you swim about the caverns. The second Cenote I did was called the Temple of Doom. It was well worth seeing, but the snorkeling was nothing compared to El Gran. However this place was great for jumping in and having a good time.