Yucatán Peninsula • March 28-April 8

On April 8, I returned from another nice trip to my beloved Mexico. Each place I visited on this trip was new to me, and there were definite differences in the weather, the people, the food, the clothing, the wildlife and the terrain on the Yucatán Peninsula.

The weather was tropical- very warm, pretty humid, nice breezes. The people were generally very warm, and the great majority are Mayan. A lot of people wore more traditional clothing, and the guayabera is the shirt of choice for men.

The food was interesting- I tried pan de cazón (baby shark meat between stacked layers of beans and tortillas, covered in tomato sauce), pollo en escabeche (1/4 chicken in a bowl of flavorful broth, served w/ tortillas and salsa) and pollo pibil (chicken in a rich herb sauce, baked in banana leaves). For some reason, they called burritos "burritas"- not sure why. And they had different kinds of tamales there, which I didn't get around to trying.

I saw some interesting wildlife, especially in the state of Quintana Roo. Iguanas were roaming around all over, and there were some beautiful birds and butterflies. I saw a pretty strange-looking purple jellyfish, and some pretty quick little lizards. There are a lot of cool animals I didn't see- namely jaguars, toucans and monkeys. I didn't get deep enough into the jungle areas to see that stuff, but I'm hoping to do it next time.

There were actually a lot of places I learned of but didn't see, as this trip was more of an introduction to this area of the country. There are tons of cool ruins I didn't see, as well as lagoons and cenotes- sinkholes with underground caves where you can scuba or snorkel. There are also a lot of coral reefs, which I'd also like to check out.

What I did see were some nice colonial towns, some beautiful beaches and some impressive ruins. I started in the pastel-hued colonial town of Campeche, in the state of Campeche. It's a very tranquil, pretty, clean little town, situated on the Gulf of Mexico side of the peninsula. The beaches were not impressive, but the city itself and the protective wall around it (built centuries ago to stave of pirate attacks) were. I spent two days there, and it was a nice, relaxing start to the trip.

Next up was Valladolid, another colonial town, about a three-hour bus ride away in the state of Yucatán. It was a nice town, not quite as pretty as Campeche, but not without its charms. The people there were very nice, and it makes a nice base for exploring cenotes and ruins, but it was a little too quiet for me. After two days there, I was ready for some beautiful, relaxing beaches, which I found in the town of Tulum.

Tulum is about two hours by bus from Valladolid (and about two hours south of Cancún). It's in the state of Quintana Roo, and on the Caribbean side of the peninsula. It's situated on what's known as the Riviera Maya; a stretch of coastline that runs from Cancún in the north, almost to Belize in the south. While the town of Tulum itself isn't remarkable, the beaches there are right out of a Corona commercial. It's basically paradise, and it's what I'd been wanting to see for quite some time- warm, turquoise waters, white powder sands (crushed coral, actually), palm trees, warm days and nights, and some Mayan ruins on a cliff overlooking the sea. With some bikini-clad tourists and locals scattered along the beach thrown in for good measure, it wasn't a bad place to spend a few days.

After three days in Tulum, I decided to check out Isla Cozumel. It's a one-hour bus ride to Playa del Carmen, from which you take a 30-minute ferry ride to the island. While both places had incredibly beautiful beaches, both Playa del Carmen and Cozumel were way too touristy for my tastes. It was the cruise ship and party crowd, McDonalds, Friday's, Starbucks and overpriced everything. Cozumel has some great scuba and snorkeling, but getting to the nice spots requires a bicycle, scooter or taxi ride. I spent 2 days on Cozumel; one would have sufficed.

Next up was my final destination, the colonial city of Mérida. It's a pretty bustling and crowded city, but there's an energy there that was missing in my previous stops. The streets and plazas were filled with people and vendors, folk art and food, locals and tourists. With only a day and a half there, I didn't have much time to see all that much, so I focused on the main plaza, the guayabera shops and the main marketplace. I met some nice people there, and got a taste of what seems to be a really cool city. It's not quite as beautiful as some other colonial gems I've seen, but it has its own personality, and I'd love to visit again for a lengthier stay.

I learned a lot on this trip, and I have a new list of places I'd like to see on my next trip to the Yucatán. I'd like to spend more time in Tulum and Mérida, see some quieter beaches like Boca Paila or Celestún, and check out more ruins, like Uxmal and Calakmul. Overall, it was another great time south (way south) of the border. And while there are many other countries I'd like to visit, I still haven't had my fill of Mexico.

CAMPECHE, CAMPECHE


Hotel Colonial, Campeche




























































VALLADOLID, YUCATAN
































Cenote Zací (Zací Sinkhole), Valladolid
























TULUM, QUINTANA ROO


My cabaña at Zazil Kin, Tulum
















Path from cabaña to the beach












Crab burrow, Tulum












Mayan ruins, Tulum




























Don Cafeto restaurant, Tulum




PLAYA DEL CARMEN, QUINTANA ROO








ISLA COZUMEL, QUINTANA ROO






MERIDA, YUCATAN