Swimming around Yucatan peninsula: Sinkholes, Caribbean beaches and ... beers

Smoking canon against Pirates in Campeche

Since the beginning of our trip (I mean the non-bicycle one), we had the opportunity to discover Oaxaca mountains and beaches with its famous waves, the jungle, lagunas, waterfall and maya temples in Chiapas, after what we decided to head North on the Yucatan peninsula with its Caribbean beaches. 

Arriving in this part of Mexico was totally different from what we’ve seen that far, a way more touristy, expensive, sometimes you can forget you are in Mexico, and feel you could be in Miami!

Walking in Campeche streets

We arrived last Sunday in Campeche, in the very early morning, the first town settled by the Spaniard in the peninsula, fortified to prevent the many attacks from the pirates, but after all, quite boring, it was a little cloudy, nobody in town and nothing to do... However, Campeche market was very busy, lots of good food and quite entertaining!

Campeche Market

Merida's main plaza

After a few hours we decided to head at Merida to buy some of its famous shirts! This city on a Sunday night was a lot better, in February, March, there is festivities with traditional music and dances in the main plaza, many people but very quiet, warm, enjoyable. The next day we just did some sightseeing, museum, other markets and got our Guayaberan shirts. Randomly at night we met Ary, a friend from Vancouver, very surprisingly as I had no idea I could have met him there! 

Cenote Yokdzonot

After Merida, we went across Yucatan Peninsula, to the East Caribbean coast, stopping on the way in different Cenotes or sinkholes, huge wells in karstic formations with roots dipping into it, fishes, some half subterranean with light wells and turquoise water. It was definitely very beautiful, we sometimes got the chance to be by ourselves swimming in there, although, it’s still pretty touristy, with buses coming, lots of facilities around a little expensive, many vendors, but still worth it! We’ve also stopped in Chichen Itza on the way, another Maya temple, but with an important Toltec influence. There we joined a guided tour with the French club med’ which made this already fascinating site where they were playing with light, sounds, their knowledge of astronomy and architecture, even more interesting.

Observatory of Chichen Itza

Cenote Samura

Cenote Dzinup

Chichen Itza

Coconut petanque in Akumal

Tulum Ruins

Arriving in Tulum, we’ve been soaked in a very international ambiance, sun and beers. We did amazing snorkeling 20 km north from there, in Akumal, swimming with sea turtles, rays and big fishes, around corals reefs, 50 meters from the beach, eating coconut opened with a Swiss knife right from the tree.






We’ve also been in the first resort in the coast, but which has been built by the Mayan 800 years ago on top of limestone cliffs with white sand beaches and coconut trees, they were not too bad over there! We had some good parties, starting on the beach playing petanque with coconuts, go in town listen some live music and back on the beach which made us stay there a little longer as we needed to check out early...

Tulum Ruins

Akumal

After all we left pretty hangover to Chetumal stopped in some turquoise lagunas, blue sinkholes and did some pretty efficient hitchhiking to finish our last 40 km. There we couchsurfed a night, and then had to debate for a little while to know where we were going. The first idea was to go straight to Guatemala but as we needed to cross Belize and pay the border fees we thought it was a pity not to stop. Then there was boats options to go in islands and atoll in Caribbean sea, or the bus, the Mexican immigration who was making us pay the same fee we paid to go into Mexico to go out... Apparently a new law from January 1st switch the entrance fee with an exit fee, so if you go in before and out after you just pay twice... They got us pretty upset, but that’s how it is and you can’t really debate about that. The last decision had been to take a ferry to the Island before heading at Belize city.

In San Pedro on our stop before Caye Caulker

We arrived in Caye Caulker yesterday, and same refrain, turquoise water, white sand beaches, coral reefs, coconut trees, good snorkeling and so, same old, life’s boring... No, we haven’t done much here as today was very rainy, but I’m already glad we stopped, in a 2 hours ferry ride we totally switched culture, we really feel in the Caribbean, lots of rasta, now speaking English, or Spanish, we never really know. That’s a very laid back island 100meters wide to enjoy sunset and sunrise on the sea with 1000 people living there. Then we just went fishing today, with a canoe in mangroves and in the lagoon but it wasn’t very successful, in addition we got caught in a rainstorm which stopped us on our way and got us soaked... 

Caye Caulker

Then we’ll spend a few more days in Belize to enjoy snorkeling, try to see some more wildlife, and then head to Guatemala for a few more weeks! Stay tuned! 

Raf 

Caye Caulker

Caye Caulker, Canoeing in the Mangrove