Mayan Ruins In Tulum

Part of what makes Tulum so famous is the Mayan Ruins off the coast. Easy to get to, easy to get around, and just absolutely breath-taking. Word of advice: Go first thing in the morning!! Right when they open at 8am!

I cannot stress this enough. It gets SO freaking crowded by 9:30am, oh boy, the Man and I were glad to be outta there! Not to mention, HOT HOT HOT!!! I don't mean just a little sweat, I mean blasting hot & humid winds and unforgiving sunshine. It is smoldering!!

Other than the heat, it is a gorgeous place. It's one of the famous landmarks that Tulum is known for so it gets crowded quickly. There is only 1 big ruin, that is the "castle" back in the Mayan days. You cannot go anywhere near it because they are restoring it currently (bummer), but it is quite beautiful. The ruins are pretty small, so you can probably walk around the whole park in a good hour or so. It kind of reminded me of being in Rome, seeing the Coliseum in all its glory and beauty today. But smaller scale, of course. I love ancient architecture like this.

We opt to do a self-guide. Which was fine, because we just read all the captions and walked around at our own pace. The most stunning thing about the ruins is the coastline. If you're not into architecture and archaeology, go for the views. They are amazing. Words cannot describe the colors of blues you see from the cliff. The ocean is just magnificent.

The beach is just right there, and you can take the stairway down to go for a swim. It was high tide when we went so we didn't go down, but I've heard people do. The ocean just looks amazing, it's one of the most beautiful views I have ever seen.

We were done at about 10am (we got there at 8:30am) and there were herds of people coming in via bus. All the tour groups must get there around that time. Thank goodness we missed that!

(coastline of Tulum from the Ruinas, stairway down to the beach)

(coastline of Tulum from the Ruinas, steps down to the playa)

(The Ruinas)

(The Ruinas)

Architecturally amazed,
The Lady

Scuba diving in Cozumel

Our latest obsession is Scuba Diving.

After a painstaking and frightening experience getting Open Water certification (at least for me), we finally went on our first scuba diving trip to Cozumel, Mexico. I was a bit nervous of course, but heard many great things about Cozumel diving. It is supposed to be one of the best in the world. 

    (On the boat looking out at the ocean before our dive)

And it sure did not disappoint. Ever ounce of fear, hesitation, anxiety, fear, fear, fear (of death and drowning, did I mention fear?!) disappeared in a flash. This is how scuba diving should be. This is how it should feel. Not in a hood and a 7mm full wetsuit in 58 degree cold ocean water in SoCal. Scuba diving should be in a 2mm shorty in 80 degree warm ocean water with a slight drift. Perfection.

    (The Dive Master and the Lady passing through some corals)

Epiphany: One of the beautiful and life changing things about scuba diving (other than the beautiful sites) is meeting new people. Making new friends, meeting fantastic Dive Masters, hearing fellow divers' stories and experiencing diving with divers of all levels from all over the world. I came to a realization at how wonderful this new experience is. It's really life changing. How many people get to meet and rub shoulders with people from England, Brazil, Alabama or Colorado at once? How lucky are we?! It brings me great joy that this new opportunity has come into our lives! 

   (On Skinny Shark, the Tres Pelicanos' dive boat) 

So blessed,

The Lady