Adios Mexico

It´s been awhile since my last update- just been too busy lazing by the beach and partying!! We spent 4 nights in Playa del Carmen in a really good hostel. The weather finally improved and we got to get some sunbathing in. First time in the Caribbean and it was beautiful, so clear and warm. On the Sunday we went on a snorkelling trip and this time did see plenty of marine life. Had about an hour swimming around the reef and while the coral was quite dull in colour, did see loads of colourul fish- bright yellow, rainbow coloured, black dotted fish- on a couple of occassions came across shoals of fish maybe a hundred in number just hanging about together- it was fantastic. In general Playa is full of tourists on a two week trip that have taken a day trip down from Cancun or are staying in one of the hotels for the length of their trip. So its a bit more built up and resorty than some of the places we have been. I really liked this place, many good restaurants and plenty of clubs- have really gotten into the latin, salsa music over here, just have to learn how to dance to it properly!!

One of the afternoons we made our way to Tulum, another set of ruins right on the ocean about an hour outside of Playa. These ruins are not so decorative as previous ones we have seen but their location makes up for that. Eventhough the day was a bit dull, the turquoise colour of the ocean still shone bright and irradiated the ruins- they were beautiful. There was a couple of metres of beach on the site that were cordoned off as a reserve for turtles. During May-September the females return to the beach to lay their eggs. It would have been fantastic to see them but i think it happens usually at night. Further down the site, there was public access to the beach and we spent the afternoon in the water- history, culture and beach all in one afternoon- a perfect way to spend the day i think!

From Playa we made our way to Isla Mujeres (Womens Island) for our last few days in Mexico. At this stage the English girl went on to Guatemala to continue her trip. The best to see the island is by bike so one of the days we rented them from the hostel but when we went to collect them not one of them was in working order- some had pedals missing, others the saddles, still others had no chain. So we got our money back and rented bikes from a local shop instead. We spent the morning cycling all over. The island has a turtle reserve where it protects eggs from predators and keeps baby turtles for up to a year (during which they are most likely to die) before releasing them into the wild. It was impressive. Further on up the coast is a lighthouse which you can climb and you get the most wonderful view of the island. Cycling back along the East coast you can see where a lot of damage has been done by the hurricanes, some of the coast has just disappeared over the last few years. After all that cycling we just had to lay on the beach for the afternoon. We rented sunloungers but within 15mins of getting them the heavens opened and we had to run for cover under the palm trees. We tried to argue with the guy who rented them to us and get our money back but no luck- so when the rain stopped we sat on the loungers for the rest of the afternoon eventhough it was cloudy, just on principle!!

We only spent one evening in Cancun, the night before we were due to fly out. Have to say getting the taxi from the ferry port to the hostel, i didn´t feel i was missing out on anything. And according to the Lonely Planet, Cancun is mainly a resort full of hotels.

Can´t believe our journey through Mexico has come to an end- have enjoyed it so much and seen so many different things. There is so much culture and nature to see. I would definitely recommend it to anyone.....just make sure to bring your raincoat!