Beach Time

I love the beach!  We had an early breakfast at the hotel, then I walked up the beach toward the cliff side ruins of Tulum, and back.  It was a beautiful morning!

Tulum

We had a late breakfast at our hotel, then walked up the beach to the Tulum Archaeological Site.  It was likely built from 1200-1500 AD, with possible earlier occupation.  Tulum was a major seaport in hits heyday.  It was sighted by the Spanish in their first exploration of the Yucatan Peninsula in 1517.  The site is located on a high cliff overlooking the Caribbean Sea.  The largest and most iconic structure is the Castillo.  We enjoyed exploring the site, with its magnificent views of the sea below, and iguana skittering all about.  We found fresh fish tacos for lunch at a beachside restaurant, then went back to our hotel, and lounged by the beach.  A great day!

Oxkintoc and Coba

We ate breakfast on the terrace at Hacienda Santa Rosa, packed our bags and left Santa Rosa with the staff standing on the front porch waving to us.  We loved our time there.

We drove about 30 km to one of the first Mayan Puuc settlements that became a city with thousands of residents between 600 BC and 1450 AD.  As we approached we noticed many large mounds covered by jungle.  The Oxkintoc site has not been fully explored.  The road to Oxkintoc is in poor condition and we were the only visitors.  It is a magnificent site!

We drove east on the Yucatan Peninsula about three hours to visit the Coba Archaeological Site.  Coba is located in the jungle.  The uncovered structures are about 1% of the total structures on the site.  There are tree covered mounds everywhere!  Coba thrived from 350 BC to the early 1400’s.  It is about one hour from the Caribbean coast.  There were a lot of visitors late in the day, and we have been spoiled by visiting less busy ruins.  Still, Coba is impressive, with the tallest pyramid in Mexico and an observatory.

We arrived at Mezzanine Hotel on the beach by 6.  We’ll stay in Tulum for two nights.