We got back 10 days ago from the Riviera Maya. We were very busy trying to see all of the different attractions: ancient Mayan ruins, cenotes, beaches, and coral reefs.
The first day there was Aline's birthday and we decided to go on an adventure tour. We waited in the rain at the pickup point in Playa del Carmen, then we picked up the other passengers: An italian couple, and a group of friends from Queens, NY. When we arrived at our destination we hopped on some ATVs and drove through the rainforest for 7 km until we reached the spot where we would go on to fly through the forest on ziplines, explore a cenote that is connected to various underground rivers, and learn about some Mayan culture. Sadly the photos from that day were lost since water leaked into our waterproof camera, but I promise it's all true.
After our adventure in the jungle, we went back to our bed and breakfast for a short nap before going to explore some bars and famous nightlife in Playa del Carmen.
On the second day we woke up early for another tour, this time of the ancient Mayan cities of Tulum and Coba. Tulum is the only Mayan ruin located on the beach. The archeological site of Coba is quite a bit larger than Tulum and it is buried in the rainforest. We were surprised to learn that the part of Coba that is open to the public represents only 5% of the complete city, and one could spend days getting lost in the jungle, discovering ancient ruins.
After a day of rest on the beach in Playa del Carmen, we went on a tour to the amazing Mayan city of Chichen Itzá. The ancient Mayans had an impressive civilization before it collapsed. They were advanced mathematicians and astronomers, as evidenced by their ancient astronomical observatory in Chichen Itzá.
After learning more about the Mayan and looking at more old buildings in the scorching sun, we went to refresh ourselves in the the cenote known as Ik Kil, which turned out to be our favorite cenote of the trip. Ik Kil is formed by a cylindrical hole in the ground that goes down about 40 meters, and then there is a pool of clear, catfish-filled water that reaches a depth of another 40 meters.
Now that we had our cultural enrichment out of the way, we were able to spend the rest of the trip snorkeling in the coral reef off the coast of cozumel, lounging on the beach consuming coconuts, and exploring a few more cenotes. It can be hard to choose which cenotes to visit since there are over 5,000 known cenotes in the Yucatan Peninsula. Fortunately, it is also impossible to make the wrong decision... They're all so beautiful!
On the second to last day of our trip, we took the recommendation of our BnB hosts and went to check out the island known as Holbox (pronounced hole-boash). Holbox was worth the trip for the beaches alone; you walk out into the warm ocean water for a few hundred meters, and still have the water only come up to your waist. There were plenty of people just sprawled out, bathing in the water about 50 meters from the shore. Another cool part about the island is that it has no paved roads and no cars, just golf carts and bicycles on sandy roads.
The next morning we caught a ferry back to the mainland and said goodbye to Holbox. Our next stop was Cancun, the world famous spring break destination. After checking in to our hotel downtown, we grabbed some cheap but tasty tacos and then took the bus to the hotel zone to see what all the fuss was about. It was easy to see what has been attracting tourists to Cancun for the last 40 years: gorgeous beaches, turquoise water, fancy hotels, and loads of margaritas.
After returning to our hotel to change out of our beach clothes, we headed back to the hotel zone to check out the nightlife scene. The going rate to get in to most of the clubs was about $40-$60 a head, which includes your all-you-can-drink buffet ticket. After splitting one Piña Colada in a bizzare bar called Fat Tuesdays, where all the employees are required to drink with the customers or run the risk of getting fired, we decided to search for a different place.
While happily ambling down the street in this otherworldly place, I took one wrong step, turned my ankle, and ended up in a painful heap on the streets of Cancun. I walked it off and we went to one last bar to watch some drunken, middle aged british folk absolutely killing the karaoke game. We hopped on the bus and headed back to the hotel. When we got off the bus, I realized that it was extremely painful to put weight on my left foot. After hobbling back to the hotel room, I took off my sock to find that someone had inserted a tennis ball underneath my skin over my left ankle, quite a painful prank.
The next day we managed to get back to Celaya safe, mostly sound, and a little bit sad that our vacation had come to an end.
