To the Coast, Vamos!

We feel like we've really integrated into the ADO bus system in Mexico. We're old hats, old sombreros if you like. We sit up the front like pros, where there is more leg room, no engine creating a sauna, no toilet noises. We watch our 10th english movie dubbed in spanish, and unsurprisingly our spanish hasn't improved one bit. Ah well, Carry On Jamian.

We arrive in Tulum around lunch time and alight to find a billion tourists that look surprisingly like us. Most have American accents however. This is the young couples' Mecca. We eat a burger, ironically, but it was delicious, and make our way to our airbnb.

'Allo, where are you from??' A question we have heard many times before, this time with a french accent. Our neighbour is a lady from Quebec who has brought her young son to travel around Mexico. She seems nice enough, but we both agree, a tad nutty. Later the other neighbour appears, an English gentleman who spends most of his time on a laptop, he lends his opinion when our neighbours boy makes friends with a stray kitten(one of many). The kitten had approached us as we ate breakfast, meowing unhealthily quite like a chain smoker and making retching noises which we weren't sure were furball or disease associated. We decided to not pat the kitten.
'It is the biggest moment in an animals life when it first gets touched by a human', the man said as the boy fed the kitten chicken and kitten intermittently rasped a meow. He went on in a very philisophical way about the subject, and we agreed he was nuttier than the lady for sure.

Nutty neighbours aside, we headed out to explore Tulum on the bicycles that came with the accommodation. The roads were full of young tourists on bicycles. With seats too low, tyres a little flat and wonky pedals, we set off down the pot hole streets dodging stray dogs and communal chickens. The town has one main street and the ocean to the East so easy enough to navigate.

We made our way towards one of the many cenotes scattered around town. After some further research we learnt of a rare limestone cave formation that circled the town and made its way towards the Gulf. We chose the Grand Cenote to visit cycling the 5km North of town. Paying at first, what seemed like too much to enter, $180 pesos each, $12AUD. Once experiencing it, it was definitely worth it. A deep limestone cave system that you could walk down into then swim about the crystal clear water beneath stalictites and bats enjoying their slumber, while tortouises swam in the water. We had an amazing time swimming into each small cavern then being far too scared to venture into the black depth any further. The cave system can be scuba dived, but we just swam through following some of the rope guidelines. We spent a few hours here, swimming and relaxing on the grass at the top of the cave.

Another activity was a cycle to the coastal Ruins. Having seen our fair share we knew what to expect and were pleasantly surprised at the subtle variation of Mayan ruins sitting atop the cliffs edge. Iguanas certainly had the rule of the roost amongst these ruins, capturing the tourists attention as they struck a pose on the corner of a stone wall.
Mid way through our ruins walk we discovered stairs down the cliff leading to a secluded beach only for ruin patrons. A beautiful beach with Iguanas running across the sand to climb the rock cliff. We found some shade and took the chance for another dip, this time in the Caribean Gulf.

The nightlife in Tulum was apparently fantastic, but the prices were hiked, so we mostly sat out the front of our digs and drank 1L coronas which cost $3aud. I know what you're thinking, we're cheapscates. No, we're very thrifty backpackers who drink too much beer.

Anticipation is building as our flight leaving Mexico is approaching, when we slide into Cancun on the ADO, we are grateful to see that the suburb in which we are staying is less touristy and still has some of the gritty Mexican vibe we love and can enjoy in our final days. The following day we catch a bus to the hotel district and beach to observe the monoliths that are the hotels which overlook the pristine beach on one side and Hooters on the other. Each to their own.
We find the one free spot of shade on the entire beach, beside a lifeguard sign. The shade covers us for a few hours then reaches midday and we need to move on. Enough to dip in the water though and appreciate its clarity and warmth.

A final dinner at a slightly more upmarket restaurant and we splash out on a bottle of wine. We wish we could stay in Mexico, but the lure of the Cuban mystique is too intriguing. Hola Cuba, Adios Mexico!

Overall, our time in Mexico felt too short, a large country that we thoroughly enjoyed and found easy to traverse. With prices low we could sustain more time here and after further research there are many more areas we would like to explore. We always felt safe and found the people very friendly. Maybe one day we will return.