While it had been over a year since our last memory, this spontaneous rendezvous was enough to sustain any amount of time apart. The short trip was an adventure that did not allow ourselves to stay in comfort for too long. Both sharing a love of travel, we raced time exploring from the eastern coast beaches, toward the barren jungles inland, and circling around the Yucatan in search of civilization.
The beaches near Tulum were as breathe-taking as told and we spent a fair amount of time balancing them with the hidden cenotes. My favorite activity was certainly snorkeling for sea turtles, where we floated the waters as gigantic turtles the size of my torso slowly circled past us. Hate to admit, but I have a small fear of water (perhaps the unknown more than sharks) and it was very comforting to have my hand held throughout the entire swim.
Walked through history as we found many sacred sites marking the greatest Mayan centres of the Yucatán peninsula. Stumbled upon the ancient Mayan city in the protected tropical forests of Calakmul, Campeche and were ecstatic to know we were the only ones on the site, as this is not exactly your average tourist destination.
We climbed the many ruins deep in the tropical forest of the Tierras Bajas while almost placing my hands directly on a snake buried in the sand! I could almost picture the ruling ancient civilizations in this third largest biodiversity hot spot in the world. Needless to say, it felt like something out of a movie; being kissed on a Mayan ruin overlooking the forest canopy while the rain poured down our backs.
As every stereotype can be debunked, so can Mexico for being extremely dangerous. Of course crime exists, however it was far more easy to get around than imagined. While checkpoints provoked the fear of being abducted for ransom, the majority of locals were sincerely happy you decided to visit their home.
Despite the rumors of cheaper living, even the lesser touristic places charged us an altered amount because we were not fluent in their language. We were able to communicate basic needs and short sentences and you could tell they were pleased we were using their native tongue. Oh and I believe this may be the most expensive fruit in the history of fruit-kind.
BUDGET: While we originally budgeted a $1000 trip, it went a little over due to inaccurate car rental prices! Regardless, obviously on the cheaper end of travel.
