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Published: April 10th 2013
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So back on the road again after 3 days....we headed back to the mainland of Belize where we caught a bus departing from the bus terminal at 7 pm at night arriving in Tulum at 1 am.
Now what we are quite use to is bus terminals. Bus terminals are always the pits of any country, smelly, filled with beggars, no selection of good food and always crowded. This bus terminal was no different apart from it being on one of the dodgiest roads of Belize where we were given strict instructions not to leave the terminal due to the crime around the area....however Dan and Scott being boys were desperately hungry and decided to cross the road and get some Chinese......I wished they hadn't as the food we received for what we paid for it was a disgrace. I HAVE NEVER HAD such a horrific mouthful of I don't know what it was (it was meant to be a burrito from a Chinese store) im sure it was not eatable.....complete waste of money and not a good experience hence why they should always listen to advice and should of stayed in the bus terminal.
7 pm arrived and on
the bus we hopped. People had warned us about the air-conditioning in these buses but I had no idea just how cold it was....I reckon in Mexico / Belize they have air-conditioning only with a on and off switch button and no control of the temperature which on this bus I'm sure was only around 10 degrees. Luckily I had tights and a hoddie but we needed the quilt from the bag and more layers as it was freezing almost to the point we thought it was a JOKE!! However the bus ride was fast and the seats were pretty comfy so we couldn't complain after some of the other buses we had previously experienced on this trip.
Arriving at 1 am we walked to a hostel that we had booked the day before advising them we were arriving late which is a good idea if you are due to arrive at ab-normal business hours. As the beds were already made up we all hoped into bed and hit the sack......
Day one in Tulum - we stayed in the main little town which was a main strip made up of shops, hostels and bars. Enjoyable we were
keen to hit the beach and so we did. We hired bikes, as the main beach is about a 15 minute bike ride from the town. Arriving at the beach I was amazed at what I saw. This was unlike any other beach we had ever been too and coming from NZ we have seen a few beaches......Tulum on the Caribbean coast was covered with white sand and emerald blue / green water with ancient temples parading the shoreline along with plenty of American tourists. I fell in love with Tulum pretty much like the first time I saw Scott. I didn't want to leave.....
Now Dan, Scott and I were keen to find some Mexican food and we walked along the beach to find a little local bar where we sat down and ordered some beers, fish tacos and ceviche. AND just like what the beach did to me - amaze me - so did the food. Best meal hands down I had all trip.....so fresh and yummy. And that night we met up with a Kiwi couple who we had met back in Nicaragua and that knew went my sister, Clare and Mark. We had dinner at
a little local and again great food!! Mexico was a hit right away and I knew the next few weeks were going to be great!!
Day 2 - With our bike and the temperature soring we headed off to the ruins which along the main highway is about a 20 mins bike ride. One word = PACKED. I was surprised at how many people there were compared to Tikal in Guatemala where we pretty much had the park to ourselves, these ruins where filled with holiday makers (Spring Break in America) and big bus groups making them less fun. We checked them out and had a swim down at the beach. Lunch time one of my favourite times of the day as its food time. The kiwi couple had told us about this seafood restaurant that was very popular on the way to our next destination so off we headed......fish tacos again mouth watering!! In the afternoon, on our bikes, we headed for a Cenote which are well known little water holes around the area that are great for snorkelling in and relaxing. It was pretty but I preferred the beach.
It was a Friday and we had
had action packed day. Dan had only a few days left of his trip before he flew home to LA and then onto Thailand and the night life was something we were all keen to check out in Mexico but wasn't happening in Tulum like we thought It may of been so we all decided "lets head to Player Del Carmen and head out to experience Spring Break!". So we jumped into a shuttle and only 45 minutes away Player Del Carmen awaited for us!!!!
So arriving late at night in Player Del Carmen proved hard to find accommodation so we ended up staying in a hostel for the 3 nights before Dan headed to LA. We had a private dorm room with 8 bunk beds and a toilet and shower off it so worked out well for us and it was only 10 mins walk to the beach. This place was party central and packed with Tourists. Tulum was less crowded but Player del Carmen had the "tourist buzz". There was every type of person from the young spring breaker on the prowl, the honeymooners, the American families, the cougars, the posh and the poor....this place is the
best place for people watching a sport that Laura thoroughly enjoys. Fifth Ave is the main tourist strip in Player Del Carmen which is a strip running for about 2.5 km which is filled with shops, restaurants and entertainers. It felt American but we both enjoyed it. Most of the restaurants were out of our budget so we just enjoyed watching people eat there. We found some cheaper local restaurants off the main streets which suited us just fine. The beach is made up off two large bays similar to Tulum but filled with people, beach cavanas and bars. We had our favourite part of the beach we went back day in day out. We had a big night out a few nights with the Kiwi couple and Dan before we all went separate ways.....nightlife was filled with spring breakers as expected but ladies drunk free so I certainly had a good night out!
We ended up spending
10 days in Player del Carmen before heading to Cancun for 2 nights. We went out to Island Majeres for a few days and then headed back to where we flew to New York. Another great meal was had on island
Majeres, it was Mediterranean and very good. Thanks to trip advisor we have had many great meals due to peoples reviews, its a great tool and I always recommend people to use it when in doubt as to where to go. One day 2 the weather packed in but we had a great time hiring a scooter and exploring and doing our own thing.
March 30th we headed out to the airport. We said our good byes and were both sad to end this part of the journey but exciting to see New York and start the next leg of the adventure!
One acknowledgment that needs to be made RIP Lummix ( my beloved Camera who served me 4 years and millions of memories) who some jerk in a diary stole her right out of scotts jacket....you are already dearly missed..
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