Days 145 – 149: Swimming with the Fishies in Tulum

After a couple of days of doing nothing spectacular, we decided to do a day trip to Tulum on Tuesday, December 19. It is under an hour’s ride away from Playa del Carmen and is comprised of three areas: the ruins, the city, and the beach.

We started our day with a visit to the ruins and managed to arrive there by mid-morning. After parking in the main lot, we went to one of the numerous kiosks scattered around the lot to purchase entry tickets. The vendor sold us a package that included access to the ruins, a tour of the cave at Aktun Chen park, and snorkeling in a cenote for the “local” rate of 1,400 MXN (~90 CAD). I guess we didn’t look like wealthy tourists to have earned the discount from the original 1,700 MXN (~110 CAD) that we were initially quoted. We’re still not sure if we got a good deal, but we’ll take it for what it was.

The Mayan ruins at Tulum are quite unique in that the site is well-preserved and is located at a beach. Unsurprisingly, it served as a seaport, trading mainly turquoise and jade. It was also one of the few Mayan cities protected by a wall. Some theories suggest that the wall was to keep out invaders, while others suggest that it was to keep out peasants as priests and nobility were housed within the walls. With its rolling hills and beautiful beach, it does seem like a place that would have been fit for royalty.

 

 

 

 

 

After exploring the ruins, we had lunch at one of the restaurants at the site and then took a short ride to Aktun Chen where we were shuttled from the reception to the cave for our tour and snorkel session.

The cave is one of the oldest in the Riviera Maya and is estimated to be around five million years old. It started out as a coral reef, then became a jungle when the coral died, then formed various minerals thanks to the acidity of the tropical rainfall, and was covered by limestone formations along the way. The tour is a guided one so no fear of getting lost. There are bats in the cave so it is important to listen to the guide and not make any sudden movements or noises to avoid aggravating them and getting bitten.

 

 

There are two cenotes located in the cave – the first is just for admiration and the second one is for swimming. For those who are unfamiliar, a cenote is a natural sinkhole that results from the collapsing of limestone bedrock that exposes the groundwater underneath. Mexico is famous for a plethora of cenotes, many of which you can swim in and usually at a small cost. The water was clear and had harmless little freshwater fish swimming about. The temperature of the water was cool enough to be refreshing without being cold and made for a delightful swim.

 

 

 

 

 

After the swim, we decided to explore the city center of Tulum. Upon seeing nothing to pique our interest, we rode through the main street of the city and headed for the beach area that houses numerous boutique hotels, restaurants, and price tags to match. The area was gorgeous with its thatched-roof structures and fairy lights strung everywhere. This was another one of those areas where the only locals to be seen were hotel and restaurant employees, while all the patrons were foreigners.

 

We shared a delicious seafood paella for dinner before returning to Playa del Carmen.