Mexico

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Andrew could only have 5 days away from work and school, so we took off for a short tour around the Yucatan. When we arrived in Cancun, getting the rental car and finding our way to our cabana was no problem at all. Pretty much everyone spoke some English, so getting around was easy. We were actually staying on Tankah Bay which was just north of Tulum, and a private ex-pat community. There were 2 hotels there, but mostly it was large beach homes. The cabana was right on the prettiest beach I've ever seen. We could snorkel right off the beach, and we had the whole beach to ourselves. Not a single person crossed or even came near the section of beach we were staying on. The cabana was basically a bed and breakfast. Our hosts Art and June were a sweet couple who had moved to Mexico in the 70s(I think). June baked us fresh breads and pastries every morning, so we would sit in our lounge chairs and enjoy breakfast on the beach. It was a perfect place to stay, and I would recommend it to anyone! We toured the ruins in Tulum and swam at the gorgeous beach there. The rest of our time in Tankah Bay was spent snorkeling in the bay and local cenotes(fresh water pools in the ground). After a few days on the beach, we left for Valladolid, a small colonial town. On the way we stopped at the ruins at Coba. One of the last Mayan temples that you can climb is there, so we climbed to the top. It was a somewhat hard and dangerous climb, but the view was amazing. Getting back down was even harder because the steps were so steep and small. After Coba, we continued on to Valladolid. I just love colonial towns, so we explored a while. It was incredibly hot, so we decided to head back to the hostel to relax during the heat of the day. Our hostel, La Candelaria, was beautiful. The rooms all surrounded a little courtyard with tons of plants(and I love courtyards with tropical plants). I didn't know what Andrew would think of staying in a hostel, but he really liked it. We went out for dinner, got some ice cream and enjoyed hanging out in the central park people watching. The cathedral there was really beautiful too. There weren't many tourists there, so my spanish speaking ability was tested a little, but I survived, and actually remembered a lot more than I thought I would. The next morning, we left to go see Chichen Itza. Yet another ruin, but this one was exceptionally large and well excavated, as well as on of the "wonders of the world". It was a must see on this trip. Since we were staying close, we got there early and beat the heat and most of the tourists. By lunch time the place was swarming with tourists clapping to test out the acoustics... that got old. It was a little more commercialized than the other ruins, but I'm very glad we got to see it. Finally it was a 2 hr drive back to Cancun to get ready for an early morning flight back home. Quick trip, but we fit a lot in!

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