Mexico Food Diary!

There is no sincerer love than the love of food - 

George Bernard Shaw

 El Camello Jr, Tulum

 La Malquerida, Tulum

  La Malquerida, Tulum

 Pollo Bronco, Tulum

 Altamar, Tulum

 Altamar, Tulum

Mango Cafe, Isla Mujeres

Chichen Itza!

Chichen Itza is one of the world’s 7 wonders, and it is a pretty incredible site. However, compared to Tulum and Coba, Chichen Itza is very touristy which really detracts from the enjoyment of the site. All around each ruin are stalls with people trying to sell you souvenirs  - the constant harassment in such a sacred site ruined the affect Chichen Itza was suppose to have on me. The main attraction – Pyramid of Kukulcan or El Castillo is very impressive. All in all, I would say that Chichen Itza is worth a 
visit for the grandeur and complexity of the history, but do make time for the smaller sites of Tulum and Coba which offer different experiences.

Coba!

We decided to hire a car to drive from Tulum to Coba and then to Chichen Itza and to drop the car in Cancun in the evening. In theory, this was a great idea because it was the quickest and cheapest way to see everything we wanted to see. However, in reality our car broke down in the middle of the highway on our way from Chichen Itza to Cancun and if it wasn’t for some very helpful Mexican people we could have been stranded for a long time! (The car rental company was Payless and I do not recommend them due to their dodgy cars and their terrible service!!)

But firstly we arrived at Coba at 8am to escape the tour buses. Coba is an ancient site located within the Yucatan desert. The easiest way to get around this huge site is to hire bikes to ride around yourself or to have someone ride you around. We, of course, decided to walk. On the map the sites look close together but in reality they are far apart unlike some of the other sites we had visited. 

The main site to see is the Nohuch Mul pyramid which you are allowed to climb. A word of warning: the steps are very steep with no support! I climbed halfway up and felt a strong sense of vertigo! However I pushed through and reached the top to see the incredible views over the jungle. Since we had arrived before all the tourists, we had the top of the pyramid all to ourselves  - pretty incredible!

On the drive to Chichen Itza we stopped at the Suytun Cenote. We were the only people there and it was the best way to cool down after spending the morning in the hot Mexican sun!

Tulum!

We only had a few days in the Yucatan region and decided to spend them in Tulum which was close to a many cenotes (which is the Mayan word for sacred well and is a sinkhole in the earth’s surface) and to the different ruins we wanted to visit. We stayed at El Jardin de Frida Hostel (also pleasant surprise was the dog called Frida who lived there!) located in town which has private and dorm rooms. The garden was an oasis where we could relax and plan the rest of our trip!

The hostel staff was lovely – at 8pm on the day we arrived we asked they could organise a cenote dive for us the following morning. They called their friend Roxy at Get Wet and booked us in. Our guide was great – we were picked up from the hostel, given a choice of cenotes we wanted to dive in and provided gear and a snack! We chose to dive in Dos Ojos and I don’t know how to describe the grandeur and the beauty of this incredible dive. I really wish I had an underwater camera – but even then it would not do the cenote justice!

We also ventured to the Mayan ruins of Tulum which are situated on ocean cliffs offering stunning views. The word Tulum means Wall in the Mayan language because it was one of the few walled cities the Mayans ever built. We arrived when it opened at 8 before the tourist buses arrived and after wandering around the city for a while we headed to the beach!

Cayo Levisa and Cayo Jutias!

Being in the Caribbean it would have been a shame to miss the idyllic beaches of Cuba. Whilst we were staying in Vinales we took a day trip to relax with the locals at Cayo Jutias: It may sound strange but if someone offers you lobster whilst you are sitting on the beach, take them up on the offer! It will be cheaper and better than the food in the only restaurant!

After our time in Vinales we decided to spend a couple of days on the island of Cayo Levisa. It had great accommodation with excellent air conditioning, though the water can run dry on the island until it is replenished by boats from the mainland. It was lovely staying only 20m from the beach and swimming in the amazingly warm, turquoise ocean! The only downside was the food which was simple and all meals are basically the same (which came as a shock after being spoilt in Vinales!). We had heard that Cuba has some great scuba diving so decided to give it a go. There were some amazing sights to see but the diving in Mexico was definitely better!