Geo: 19.1348, -96.1414We stayed in Veracruz to be able to reach Xalapa (sometimes spelt Jalapa) and visit the museum there (see next blog). There was no hostel in Xalapa on the Hostelworld website (and that seems to be the only site that accepts our card payments!) so Veracruz it was.In some ways it reminded me of Brighton, very much a city by the sea, but with other interests and history apart from tourism. We visited the very informative town museum in a colonial building, and followed the history of the town from its founding in 1519 by Hernan Cortes, the Spanish explorer and conquerer, through to the 1950's. At times it has been a very prosperous city, with numerous activities and industries such as developing trade and access to inland Mexico, developing commercial links with other ... read more

Geo: 20.125, -87.45 Blog 16 We moved to Tuxla Gutierra which is 17 hours drive down the road from Tulum, in the state of Chiapas. But before saying more about that I want to add a few thoughts about Tulum. We were there for 3 weeks but it seemed more (in a good way) because we felt so settled and we were quite sad to leave. I think it was because the people were so friendly and we had chance to communicate with others (hotel owners and staff, Mateo, people in restaurants etc) as we saw the same people everyday. Even the traffic was very calm and always stopped to let us cross to the point where we often had a stalemate as we expected cars to ignore us so we would stand by the kerb, ... read more

Geo: 20.125, -87.45I thought some general pictures of Tulum might be of interest. Some days we do something special, like the cenote dive, or take the bus to a different place, others we just potter around within walking distance. Ten minutes walk from Dream Divers takes you onto the tracks into the jungle. We like to wander along them, looking for birds. Every walk produces something new. Yesterday we were lucky and saw our first Mexican humming bird. Lucky, because it is the size of a thumbnail, and if we had not been so close it would have been mistaken for an insect. Most people we pass say hello and many stop and have a few words, asking what we are looking for, or offering advice (yesterday it was about the danger of snakes, but we ... read more

Geo: 20.125, -87.45 We moved from Merida to Tulum on the Carribean coast last Friday so we have been here a week and plan to stay another two. Reasons for this sojourn? After the busy cosmopolitan Cancun and frenetic Merida we decided to spend some time in a more peaceful location near a beach. HostelWorld website enabled us to find our current location, Dream Diving Resort (name is grander than venue), and once we had been here a few days, we decided to stay.Our room is spacious, sparsely furnished with a double and single bed, table and two chairs, a hanging rail for clothes (but no hangers) and an ensuite with shower (and a hand basin so high that I feel like a 3 year old!). There is free wifi and drinking water but no food, ... read more

Geo: 20.8649, -90.3841 The Hostal reception arranged this trip for us and it was another example of their efficiency. Lunch was not included but when we met the others in the group they all had their lunch pre-booked (but obviously they paid more). We took a snack with us. However, the Hostal must have learned from other clients that the food was not good and the time it took in the restaurant meant that the others did not have chance to see the birds along the beach which we really enjoyed.It was an interesting day, first passing through a couple of small towns where we saw traditional houses still used as homes, a ruined hacienda, and learned something of the way of life in the rural Mayan towns from our guide who grew up in one. ... read more