Cancun. Notorious for parties. Whatever. I’m not here for Spring Break, I’m here to drive a fu***ng speedboat! WOO!
Thats pretty much the only reason I’m spending a night here other than to fly out. This sounded too awesome to pass up. Basically you get a mini speedboat, go out from the lake, through the mangroves, and out to a reef in the ocean for snorkelling before caning them back to the dock. This was so freaking fun.
They tell you, “no zig zaging”. Whatever. They also said its almost impossible to capsize these things, but I reckon I came close a few times! 
I did make a trip to the beach too, which was surprisingly empty, and at the hostel they had a party with a Pinata! That last photo is my last meal in Mexico, not exactly thrilling, but it was the only vegan option at the airport! The speedboat however was definitely a great way to spend my last day in Mexico and cap off this awesome adventure.
Te quiero Mexico! Hasta luego!
Tokyo stopover »« Akumal Playa Del Carmen
Playa Del Carmen may as well be in the U.S. Everything is in English, the prices are more expensive, its full of touristy crap, foreign foods, and packed with American Tourists. This is the least Mexican place here so far! But the beach is huge and there are a bunch of nice bars with comfy looking couches if you can afford it! This place is all about catering to rich American tourists.
There is a great little Venezuelen restaurant however, called Kaxapa Factory. This isn’t a Vegetarian Cafe as such, but they will make a vegan option of anything on their menu! The Venezuelan family running it are really nice and friendly. I went for breakfast, and while their door was open they weren’t planning to serve until lunch time. But they put out a table and made me breakfast anyway! Really, really good.
Akumal Playa is a short ride away and known for its turtles!! I went snorkeling here and saw a bunch of them just chillin out, chewin the grass and coming to the surface every now and again. Fun watching them, and I bumped in to the German couple again! haha
Speedboating in Cancun »« Tulum
Tulum, I finally hit the East Coast of Mexico! The hostel I stayed at had rescued a Coati! They named him Oscar and he was a cheeky little devil, he scratched the shit out of my ankles and stole my phone and tried to take it up to the roof! Good thing he dropped it. Still cute though and the guys assured me he had his rabies shot too haha.
The ruins here aren’t particularly interesting, and they are literally ruins, barely recognisable, but the location and setting is just beautiful. Right on the beach and spotted with Palm Trees, these have to be the most scenic ruins in Mexico! There is even a small beach which you can only access from the ruins site.
I Caught up with American Girl Kelsey that I met in San Cristobal, & German couple Sabine & Andy who I have been randomly bumping in to since our hike in Oaxaca! While hanging on the beach, I managed to step onto a sting ray!! I stood on something very soft, squishy and moving, and lifted off very quickly. The water was shallow but breaking waves made it really hard to see, I just saw the shadowy outline of a ray and after talking to a dude that worked on the beaches he said there are lots of them around! Sorry mate!
Akumal Playa Del Carmen »« Chichen Itza & Cenotes
So after another night bus I arrive at Valladolid! Really not much going on here but its the closest town to Chichen Itza, the most famous tourist trap spot in Mexico, and some awesome Cenotes (like deep wells or caves). I had heard mixed opinions of Chichen Itza; its 12hrs into the middle of nowhere, and, although still only $12, cost 3 times more to enter than the other pyramids. But, I had to check it out for myself, and its en route to the North East coast.
The whole site is UNESCO Heritage listed, and the main platform, el Castillo, is impressive. It is in very good condition, looks great, and on the Spring and Autumn equinoxes, is said to cast a shadow that resembles a snake wriggling on the stair case. Apart from this, however, the site is pretty underwhelming, and there are just so many tourists and hawkers trying to sell you crap that I didn’t spend much time here. The Teotihuacan pyramids are much more impressive in size, and the Palenque ruins are more interesting in general to look at.
The Cenotes on the other hand, are amazing. These are deep caves with water at the bottom, and are said to have been used by the Mayans in ancient practises. Today they are simply stunning swimming holes. Mood lights slowly change colour inside the caves so you get all this different light off the the rock formations, and a small amount of natural light through the caves hole at the top. The water is beautiful! Clear and cool and fish swimming about. The two big ones are Cenotes Samula and Dzitnup and are very close to each other. In town, Zaci is a more open Cenote that is like a public pool with swing ropes and ledges to jump off. I found these more interesting than Chichen Itza!
PS: Thanks to the random French dude who lent me his super wide lens to get some of these shots
Tulum »« Palenque Trip
