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 catchAttracts frigatebirdsIn the evening the main street fills with restaurants
Friday 28 June 2024Puerto Morelos – Tulum
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 AzulKatie diving inCool water on a hot day Another part of the Cenote AzulKatie and Chanti The Caribbean Sea near Casa CenoteMural of Mayan women making tortillasIt’s Margarita timeWe 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 archCenote House built over the source of waterTemple of the God of Winds – we were almost blown off our feet here todayTulum was protected on one side by steep sea cliffsThe Castle, biggest and one of the oldest buildings in the Archeological SiteTemple 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 wayDescending God, a distinctive emblem of the Costal MayaTemple of the Frescoes had an important social and religious functionProfile in the rock of the Frescoe TempleLots of iguanas in the ruins
Sunday 30 June 2024 Tulumcenotes
We visited two cenotes near Tulum – Gran Cenote and Cenote Calavera.
Steps leading down into the Gran CenoteGran Cenote Swimming in the Gran CenoteCave in CenoteSnorkeling inside the caveTurtles in a lineShower before entering Cenote CalaveraKatie and Chanti jumping into Cenote Calavera
Click the image below to watch Katie and Chanti jumping in video!
Video of jumping
Cenote CalaveraKatie on a swing in the CenoteChanti relaxing in a hammockTurquoise-browed motmotYucatan jayIguana up closeThis 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