Tulum, Coba & Baclar Mexico

TULUM 

Tulum was as expected. Pseudo artists and eco lodge lovers destroying the very thing they profess to protect. All while pimping the local town for profit and greed. The Tulum ruins were well worth it though if you can look past the commercialization of the once mighty empire that once called the area home. Cenote Azul, my first cenote was ok. It was a little eerie swimming through the caves with the bats above. It was packed with people and large mostiquotes that loved Jim. 

COBA

We had to rent a car for this one. Jim first suggested we could take a bus to Tulum and then hitch a ride to Coba, yeah no. He did an amazing job driving and it was nice to have the freedom of movement to travel how and when we wanted to.  Coba was an hour and forty five from our place and we were excited to spend the day seeing the ruins and three cenotes: Takach-Ha, Choo-Ha and Multum Ha. Jim was extremely excited to climb to the top of Nochoch Mul Pyramid, one of the highest in the Yucatan. 

After trudging through the forest looking at ruins we come upon this beautiful pyramid shining in the sun and I suddenly realize there is a rope around the bottom meaning we can’t climb it. I pretended not to see it because I couldn’t handle Jim’s possible disappointment. The sign said iIt was closed due to Covid. As I slowly turn I see this frown turn into a smile and he says, “I guess we will have to travel to Guatemala and we can climb Tikal, let’s go check out the Cenotes.”

Coba has some very deep cenotes which are run by locals, usually sleeping in the shade just outside the entrance. They're truly beautiful bodies of water hidden underground so dark they need lighting and some of them have ventilation. The first Tankach-Ha we both took the plunge, Jim from the top 30 feet and me 15 feet. Jim ended up  walking funny for the rest of the day. 

Every cenote we went to this day felt like we had it to ourselves and they were beautiful. No tours, no music, nothing but a sleeping dog at the top who felt lifting an ear was enough work for the day. Some had showers out front with collected rainwater, others didn’t. As we descended the wooden spiral staircase, the bright sunlight faded as did the sounds of nature. We were welcomed to the sole sound of slowly dripping water falling into the crystal clear pool below. The history of what happened here and other cenotes doesn’t fade as we get closer and closer to the water. The ceiling is lit by small lights. As our eyes adjust, we see how immense the inside really is. With just the two of us inside, the worry about a group of others showing up slowly faded. We swam and marveled at the timeless beauty we were inside of and now a part of.  We weren’t as lucky with some of the other cenotes in the quiet department but they were nonetheless impressive. 

BACALAR

We took a bus to Bacalar to stay for a few days and it was nothing that I expected; but everything I needed. We stayed in a small place that we shared with the owner and other travelers. It felt like a 70’s motel. We went sailing with Emmanuel on Laguna de Bacalar which was one of the highlights of my whole time in Mexico.  The Laguna had so many different shades of blues and turquoise along with being crystal clear.  It was once a cenote but now is fed by many cenotes. We saw beautiful flora, a giant orange Iguana and huge stromatolites. We loved the food, friendly people and we felt completely safe walking anywhere day or night (the town was small enough to run into your neighbors and captain.) And to top it off the four hour bus ride there and back was comfortable, clean and easy. Bacalar was such an amazing display of the purest form of simple, time stopping, natural beauty.