Tulum

6th - 7th August Tulum

Tulum is a tricky one... Originally, the place was an integral part of our journey and we were excited about the atmosphere and the beautiful beach. However, the days in Mahahual showed us that Tulum doesn't seem to be our thing. The beachfront hotels are expensive and a bit too luxurious for our taste. After the heat and noise in Calakmul and Balancar, we didn't want to spend the night in a tent anymore. The archaeological site is not very impressive (compared to the 6 sites we have already visited) and the town itself is not really worth seeing. So, we booked a wonderful hacienda-style hotel 7km away from the town and made a trip to Sfer ik, an architectural masterpiece in the middle of the jungle. The building itself is its own museum, and it also houses a gourmet restaurant and event areas. A truly impressive structure that justifies the high entrance fee of 20 USD. For the rest of the day, we mostly stay at the hotel, thanks to Netflix, watch a movie and enjoy the pool area.

Extensive cenote research leads us to Tak Bee Ha the next day. It is completely located inside a cave and is beautifully illuminated. The water is refreshingly cold and the visibility is easily 30m! We have a good time there for about 1.5 hours before heading towards the ferry to Cozumel. However, we still have two stops along the way. First, we snorkel at a protected beach, a natural reserve for sea turtles (although it's not the season), where the rain drives us away. Second, we have a delicious Torta Carnita in Puerto Aventura, which is really amazingly good and outrageously cheap. The small food stalls in the Pueblos know their craft! 2 hours before departure, we join the queue for the ferry with our car. It's a good decision to be there early! It seems like we are among the last few cars to find a place on the ferry. The crossing takes 75 minutes and reveals the mega-tourism projects that extend from Tulum to Cancun. Huge hotels (some are several hundred meters long) alternate with amusement parks, dolphin shows, and restaurants. A world that seems surreal and is not at all in line with our understanding of a vacation. Luckily, Cozumel is too small to develop in such a grotesque way. We look forward to more dives and a few tranquil days before our departure to Denver.