Tulum, the last stop on our tour. Located on the 'Mayan Riviera' on the Caribean coast, an ideal place for some sun at the end of our trip to put the final touches on the tan and relax afer all the 'hard work' of travelling..... Plus (as you should have expected now, after reading previous entries) a good base to explore some more Mayan sites....
As there is a little Mayan town set at a cliff top, overlooking the aquamarine blue of the Caribean, protected from attacks from the inlands by surrounding walls. Not the biggest of sites, but in terms of location and views (the grey-ish white of the stones against the dark blue of the sky and the bright blue of the sea) probably the most stunning. And, it has a beach at the bottom of the cliffs it is set on.
The other site we briefly visisted was Coba, about 50 kilometers away from Tulum, an very popular destination for tour buses from Cancun and Playa del Carmen. To such an extent that climbing the largest pyramid felt like walking the stairs in a large department store, in one big file.... However, as the site is set in a very large area of muggy jungle, after a while the masses get dispersed (or have left) which means that you have the site to yourself again. With the benefit of an increased probability of seeing some of the abundant wildlife - snakes and butterflies in our case.
Now thoroughly 'templed out', we went back to Tulum and spent the remaining time on the beach, lying in the sun (and shade of palm trees) on a comfy cushion in the white sands, every now and again dipping a toe in the very clear Caribean to cool off. We both agreed that it was the nicest beach we'd ever been on and an appropriate way to finish.
What was left was a 'last supper' (including some of our Mexican favourites: sopa Azteca (a spicy tomato soup with tacos), prawn cocktail, ceviche, enchilladas with salsa and the ubiquitous flan) in the little restaurant that in our short time in Tulum had become our favourite locality. Then packing our bags to commence our 30 hour trip (several plane trips and a bus, plus waiting time) back home. Reality and normality are awaiting.....
