Puerto Aventuras day 8

To do list for this holiday:
Snorkel - check
Scuba dive - check
Swim in a cenote - check
Visit Mayan ruins

So there was only one thing left on our list: visit Mayan ruins. We could have gone to Tulum but I really wanted to head for Coba - set deep in the jungle. I had a hankering to be Mowgli dancing with the apes, or something. It turned out once we got there that that was exactly what it was like, except to the children apparently it was more like The Road to El Dorado.

Anyway. We got up at the crack of dawn to beat the rush. Stopped at the gas station and saw how many Mexicans were waiting there in the hopes of being picked up for work. Drove down to Tulum then along a surprisingly good road out to Coba - passing villages full of shops selling hammocks, embroidery, coco frio, and more.

Of course it cost more to get into Coba than we'd expected, but it was worth it. We rented bikes, and pedalled off into the jungle.

Ruins everywhere. I would go into the historic details but... um... Google is your friend here.

The kids loved it - climbing over the ruins, looking for vines to swing off, biking on to the next place. Ellie had to head back to the toilet for quite a while at one stage, so Mark, Hannah and I cycled on until eventually we reached the big pyramid.

Luckily there was a shack there selling cold drinks. We were hot, sweaty, and about to climb quite high in the sunshine. We bought a big Gatorade and some Oreos, then tackled the pyramid. Mark held on to the rope going up and down. I did OK without it, but my legs hated me by the time we reached the bottom. Hannah lost her hat halfway down, and ended up climbing off to one side of the pyramid to find it.

Back at the base we smeared suncream over our sweaty selves, swung off a good-looking vine, then cycled off to find ourselves a Mayan ballcourt. The kids immediately yelled 'El Dorado' the minute they saw it.

I was hot, sweaty and basically done at this point - and so was Mark judging by his red face. I took him back to the shop and offered him an ice cream, and nearly fell over when he said no. I insisted.

We now had a decision to make. We had enough pesos to swim in the Gran Cenote on the way home. Or we had enough pesos to have a cheap lunch somewhere. But not enough pesos to do both. We drove around looking for a restaurant that took credit cards (not easy) and eventually found one. Then we drove to the Gran Cenote only to find they'd put the prices up, and we didn't have enough pesos after all. But they took dollars too, so we were OK.

Gran Cenote was our third cenote and again quite different to the others. It has a fairly small swimming area that's open to the sky, but beyond the edges of the open area, the swimming area goes off for ages into caves full of stalagtite, stalagmites, and bats. The depths were being explored by divers while we were there. Every so often you'd see way down below some divers with flashlights, swimming past you, off into the tunnels. 

I impressed myself by swimming into the caves and even under some of the low roofs, swimming underwater on my back gazing back up at the stalagtites (under the bit to the left in the photo below). It really was amazing, even though I'm shuddering thinking about diving through those depths.

While we were there the oddest thing happened. Mike looked over at the family beside us in the water and said 'Raquel.....?' It turned out his old friend Raquel, from Georgetown, was there with her husband and kids. We chatted and laughed and took photos for Facebook. Amazing.

And then it was time to spend the last of our pesos on some very cold and very welcome cans of soda from the snack shop, and drive home. I was completely shattered and slept the whole way, then carried on sleeping on the back seat of the car while the others went for one last Nutella gelato.

And then it was home to pack... 

It was an amazing holiday. We stayed here http://www.vrbo.com/125036 and it was pretty much perfect. We ummed and ahhed about all-inclusives, but they would have cost us so much more. Maybe we'll try them one day. 

Puerto Aventuras day 7

To do list for this holiday:
Snorkel - check
Scuba dive - check
Swim in a cenote - check
Visit Mayan ruins

Sunday is the day off for the locals in the Riviera Maya, and we'd been told that cenotes and beaches and ruins would be busy. With Hannah still burnt to a crisp, we played it safe with a quiet morning and lunch at home. Lay on the patio or under a palapa, reading.

It was windy, so the waves were too high for snorkelling but were perfect for playing in the sea and jumping. Mark, Mike and I had a lovely time in the sandy bay by the Omni.

Mid-afternoon we headed out determined to find Cenote Manatee, down near Tulum. We drove down route 307. We drove back up route 307. We drove down again. We drove up again. We asked directions. Eventually we turned off at the signpost for Tankah, along a dusty road, past a lot of villas, and found Cenote Manatee.

It was cloudy, dusty, there were a lot of people there, and the entrance to the cenote is a very small area.

It was very different to the last cenote we'd visited. This one is a river that flows towards the sea, under a road, then bubbles up just off shore. You enter the water just at the bottom of the river before it goes under the road (yes, this totally freaked me out as a claustrophobe), swim upstream as far as you can, then float back down.

Lining the cenote are mangroves, and if you swim alongside the shore you can peer into the roots and see just hundreds of fish - big and small. It's beautiful.

We put on masks and snorkels, and swam up and down, admiring the fish and secretly wondering about crocodiles. The children then hired a double kayak and we repeated the journey, them paddling at top speed and me desperately swimming after them.

It rained a little - which was not a problem at all after a week of bright sunshine.

We really wanted to swim in the sea where the cenote bubbles up, but it was rough and windy, so we gave up. Casa Cenote - the bar - looked kind of disappointing. So we wrapped ourselves in towels and drove back to Akumal to enjoy La Buena Vida once again.

While we sipped our happy hour drinks and thought about what to order, we noticed a turtle swimming in the sea. And then a ray. And then another ray. It was a bit magical.

A mariachi band played, we ate our dinner, we had another drink, the kids swam in the pool and swung in the hammocks. We saw more turtles and rays. It got dark. Too late, it occurred to us that we didn't really want to drive home in the dark...

Puerto Aventuras day 6

To do list for this holiday:
Snorkel - check
Scuba dive - check
Swim in a cenote - check
Visit Mayan ruins

Mark wasn't old enough to scuba dive, and Ellie wasn't keen. We looked into taking them swimming with dolphins instead, but it was expensive and looked like a depressing production line. So instead Mike took them to Xplor. 

It describes itself as 'a natural adventure park unique in its kind where you can do thrilling activities in natural outdoor scenery. A day full of fun and safety guaranteed await you in this peculiar underground world'. At $270 for three tickets it had a lot to live up to.

While they disappeared off for their day of fun, Hannah and I went to the farmer’s market for grapefruit, avocado, bread and chocolate cake.

Our walk in and out of the town itself took us along the beach then through a small hotel called the Omni, with swim up bars, beautiful pools and lovely looking restaurants. On a bit of a whim I asked at the desk how much a day pass would be, and immediately bought two.

We nipped home for a beach towel each, some suncream and a good book, then back at the Omni we settled ourselves by the pool in the shade. I swam up to the bar and ordered drinks (the cocktails were reasonable whereas the sodas were bogglingly expensive).

Hannah became rather taken with sunbathing in the pool.

We ate at the beach bar. My fish tacos were pretty meh, but the squid followed by Hannah's steak tacos and fries were the best food I've had in ages. I ordered a mojito and - it being happy hour - I was given two mojitos. Just what you need when it's this hot.

I settled down in shady corner and read my book while Hannah swam in the sea and pool and generally ignored my advice about sun cream and shade. By the time we got home at 3pm, she was burnt to a crisp.

The others got home early evening, full of excitement about their day. They had ziplined for hours, ATVed, swum, and rafted through caves. Mark could not stop talking about it. Again, no photos, but take a look at the Xplor website...

Puerto Aventuras day 5

To do list for this holiday:
Snorkel - check
Scuba dive
Swim in a cenote - check
Visit Mayan ruins

Big day today. After spending about 25 years wanting to go scuba diving, I finally got round to it. 

After a lazy morning involving a lot of lying in the shade by the pool and reading a good book or two, Mike headed off with Mark and Ellie to snorkel at Yal-Ku lagoon. 

Hannah and I went off to Aquanauts for our Scuba Discovery course. I was a mixture of excited and terrified. We paid up, watched a video, met Nick our instructor and guide. Chose our wetsuits, then loaded everything up onto the boat. 

Even more nervous.

Met the captains – Victor and Francesco I think? Then we headed to the lagoon to practice some skills eg take out regulator, empty mask, breathe from emergency air supply. The most difficult bit was actually sinking underwater - even with extra weights Nick had to hold my arm to keep me at the bottom of the lagoon. Must be all the blubber.

We passed the test, so then it was out onto the big waves to the dive spot. Luckily it was about two minutes boat ride away, me not being a great boat passenger at the best of times. We did that thing where you put all your gear on so that you feel like a mummy carrying a load of heavy weights, then we all toppled into the water together. And then we went down to the reef.

It was amazing how once you were underwater it all made sense. We went down to 42 feet, where we saw coral, schools of fish of all sizes, a barracuda, a turtle, a couple of puffer fish. I didn't have an underwater camera so here are a few pics I've borrowed from others...

Hannah was totally calm through the whole thing, and it was a real shame when we had to return to the surface and find our boat. I was feeling slightly sick at this point, but after a huge drink of water and taking off the wetsuit I felt much better. 

Back to shore, we washed the saltwater off with a hose on the dock, then said our thank yous and goodbyes, and wandered off quietly plotting our next dive. We went to our favourite gelato shop for a Nutella gelato, then back home where we found Mike.

They'd had a lunchtime trip to Yal Ku lagoon - they weren't over the moon about it but it sounded like fun. Here (again) is a photo I borrowed...

Ate out at Latitude 20 - really like that place. We sat around feeling tired and gazing at our phones while we waited for our food, while large groups of people dressed in glamorous clothes and with drinks in hand turned up and looked like they had exciting lives. Meh.

I walked home through the marina then along the beach with Mark and Hannah - you can't see the dolphins behind them but that is their area.

Naturally once we were at the beach, the only thing to do was jump as many waves as possible, while the sun set, so that by the time we got home I had two bedraggled small people with me, one (Hannah) with a huge cut in her foot.

Puerto Aventuras day 4

To do list for this holiday:
Snorkel - check
Scuba dive
Swim in a cenote
Visit Mayan ruins

The wind was up, so the sea was no longer flat. Hannah, Mark and I tried snorkelling but it wasn't any fun, so instead we just rolled around in the waves.

A little later we headed out to Jardin el Eden Cenote, a nearby limestone sinkhole (this area is full of them). We drove down a track through the scrub, passing iguanas and roadrunners, then parked up, grabbed snorkel gear, and hiked the short way down to the cenote. Divers were putting on their tanks, kids were jumping off a cliff, and families were gently floating. It looked like an oasis.

We duly jumped off the cliff, snorkelled around the cenote (which left me slightly weirded out - it had some very deep bits and I'm not good with deep/dark spaces), and experienced the slightly strange sensation of swimming over divers and wondering if the bubbles were them or me.

We'd brought a big bag of crisps but after a while that clearly wasn't going to keep everyone going so it was time to brave the toilets, get changed, then drive on to Akumal. We drove around the pueblo briefly, then into Half Moon Bay.

We were delighted by La Buena Vida restaurant - it had a sandy floor, skeletons, crow's nest, pool, hammocks, and bar swings as well as an amazing location right on the beach. Had a lovely lunch of fish tacos, chile rellenos and tamarindo water. Such a beautiful area. Half Moon Bay seemed like the kind of place to come back to and rent a villa with more people.

The children explored the crow's nests and the hammocks, watched a show where three Mayan men drummed and shouted (Mark was fascinated), then we headed back home via a supermarket that made Wholefoods look like good value, but which had everything we needed including Coco Pops and margarita mix.

Hung out at home, swimming in the pool, and had a big pasta meal for dinner. Later a couple of party boats moored offshore from us and the people on board screamed with excitement non stop for about half an hour. Eventually Mike got out the binoculars then told me it was an all-female party and he was off to join in.

Puerto Aventuras day 3

To do list for this holiday:
Snorkel - check
Scuba dive
Swim in a cenote
Visit Mayan ruins

I'd hoped for amazing fruit in Mexico, so this morning Mike, Mark and I hit the farmer's market. It smelled SO good. Bought all sorts of fruit, some of it just based on its smell, as well as some home-made bread that turned out to be delicious. 

Then Mike, Mark and Ellie kayaked while Hannah and I snorkelled. The sea was calm, and we headed quite a way out where we found a beautiful reef with brain coral everywhere. We saw two rays this time, and many beautiful fish. We were out there for a couple of hours, and were shattered by the time we got back to the condo. 

My book (The Goldfinch - very dark!) and the patio (which is almost always shaded) beckoned. For lunch we chopped up grapefruits, ugli fruit, apples, avocado, and guavas.

Later that day we went to Xpu-Ha Beach (pronounced Ish-pu-ha) where apparently they film the Corona commercials. It was full of people, mostly lying on loungers under the umbrellas, enjoying the white sand, turquoise seas, and devilish margaritas.

We rented a couple of loungers under umbrellas at one of the bars, and chatted to our neighbours. The children swam then Mark spotted a turtle swimming right in front of him - next thing there were loads of people around the turtle. A waiter brought us each a margarita - small but potent. Near the brightly coloured bar buildings the kids were delighted to find hammocks.

We were planning on eating dinner at the beach but the bar closed at 6pm so instead we headed back to Puerta and ate pizza and ceviche at Papparazi's, where we (and by that I mean me) were tired and grumpy. I was in bed and asleep by 8pm, snoring to the sound of the ocean.

Puerto Aventuras day 2

To do list for this holiday:
Snorkel
Scuba dive
Swim in a cenote
Visit Mayan ruins

As we explored Puerto Aventuras, we considered signing up for dolphin swimming, snorkelling trips, diving trips, fishing trips, and every other trip imaginable. Everyone wanted to sell us something. Puerto surrounds a marina and dolphin enclosure, with restaurants and shops, and an inordinate number of property rental/sale offices. Mike's personal favourite was Fanny Rental's.

We stopped for a much-needed lunch at Dos Chili's (or is it called Pancho Villa?) including nachos, fish tacos, burgers, and Mike's winner - the garlicky fish. Then walked back through the Omni Hotel and along the beach to our condo.

Our property manager reassured us that Puerto is incredibly safe, so we left Hannah and Ellie at the condo while Mike, Mark and I went snorkelling. Biggest excitement was seeing a ray swimming away from us at high speed. Later I took Mark out in a kayak, which entailed much battling with waves. Then after a home made dinner, Mike took the children out for delicious gelato.

Why is it that the only good photo I have from today is of Mark in a wrestling mask?

Puerto Aventuras day 1

It was a long winter - the snow started in early December and didn't melt until mid-April. I had been working much harder than someone who is officially part time should be working. A holiday in the sun was needed. I booked a condo in Puerto Aventuras on the Maya Riviera in Mexico, and Mike got an amazing airmiles deal on flights. I did a stack of research into things to do, and put together our to do list for this holiday:

• Snorkel
• Scuba dive
• Swim in a cenote
• Visit Mayan ruins

We flew at 6am from Portland to Cancun via Baltimore. Mike managed to get us all business class seats for the longer flight, and I managed to restrain myself to only one cocktail (at 9.30am which felt like about 1pm).

As we'd expected, we had an entertaining time organising car hire and negotiating insurance. As always I was grateful Mike speaks Spanish. We stopped at a gas station for drinks, then drove down route 307 to Puerto Aventuras. Everything was in kilometers, and there were various police checkpoints. We kept passing signs for the various all-inclusive resorts that I'd considered, before deciding that we were better off in a condo right by the sea and pool.

Puerto Aventuras is a gated community, and once we were in we immediately got completely lost. We found a great-looking restaurant called Latitude 20 beside a dolphin enclosure, and it seemed easiest to stop for lunch... or was it dinner? Our body clocks weren't sure. Then we found our condo - the ground floor one on the right in this picture. The photo is taken from the steps down to the beach...

Turned out it hadn't been cleaned because the management company thought we were arriving the following day. We spent a while trying to work out how to call the management company from a US cellphone on a Mexican network (failed), then from a US cellphone using Vonage (succeeded), and eventually arranged for the cleaners to arrive.

The kids swam in the pool first, then I took them snorkelling in the ocean, while the maids hurriedly cleaned and Mike went to the Chedraui supermarket over the road. The beach directly outside the condo had a long shallow stony entrance, so we hiked about 2 minutes north along the beach to the Omni Hotel, and snorkelled from there, where the entrance was soft sand. We saw all sorts of gorgeous fish.

Eventually we all unpacked, stuck the groceries in the fridge and crawled to bed. Exhausted but excited.