Mexican encore 2014 & 2024

Tulum

Thursday 27 June 2024, Puerto Morelos

From the cool highlands of Oaxaca we flew to the steamy coast at Cancun to spend a night at the fishing village of Puerto Morelos before continuing to Tulum.

Hotel Amar Inn, Puerto Morelos, cool and shady

Leaning tower of Puerto Morelos
Fisherman cleaning his catch
Attracts frigatebirds
In the evening the main street fills with restaurants

Friday 28 June 2024 Puerto MorelosTulum

We organized a taxi to take us from Puerto Morelos to Tulum, stopping at 2 cenotes on the way. Cenotes are water-filled sinkholes naturally formed by the collapse of limestone in the Yucatan peninsula.

Pam getting into the Cenote Azul
Katie diving in
Cool water on a hot day
Another part of the Cenote Azul
Katie and Chanti
The Caribbean Sea near Casa Cenote
Mural of Mayan women making tortillas
It’s Margarita time
We enjoyed dinner of prawn tacos Maya style in Tulum with locally brewed beer

Saturday 29 June 2024 Tulum archaeological site

Last time we were in Tulum, on 2011 (here) it was a small sleepy village. With a new international airport and the Maya Train it’s become a place to be seen, expanding rapidly.

Tulum was one of the last cities built by the Maya with most of the constructions around 1200. It’s the only Mayan city on the coast and the only one still occupied when the Spanish arrived in Mexico.

With rain and very strong winds it was not the best time to visit the archaeological site at Tulum. Impressive nevertheless.

Entrance to the Tulum site via typical Mayan arch
Cenote House built over the source of water
Temple of the God of Winds – we were almost blown off our feet here today
Tulum was protected on one side by steep sea cliffs
The Castle, biggest and one of the oldest buildings in the Archeological Site
Temple of the Descending God, neither the walls nor the doorway are vertical, not a result of the passage of time, it was originally built that way
Descending God, a distinctive emblem of the Costal Maya
Temple of the Frescoes had an important social and religious function
Profile in the rock of the Frescoe Temple
Lots of iguanas in the ruins

Sunday 30 June 2024 Tulum cenotes

We visited two cenotes near Tulum – Gran Cenote and Cenote Calavera.

Steps leading down into the Gran Cenote
Gran Cenote
Swimming in the Gran Cenote
Cave in Cenote
Snorkeling inside the cave
Turtles in a line
Shower before entering Cenote Calavera
Katie and Chanti jumping into Cenote Calavera

Click the image below to watch Katie and Chanti jumping in video!

Video of jumping

Cenote Calavera
Katie on a swing in the Cenote
Chanti relaxing in a hammock
Turquoise-browed motmot
Yucatan jay
Iguana up close
This orchard is found growing along rivers and seashores in Mexico and Central America
Can’t leave before having Cochinita Pibil, traditional Yucatec Mayan slow-roasted pork