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Tulum, Cozumel.. MEXICO

Thursday, July 26th, 2007

Ah Tulum.. the place where cabanas along the white sands and warm blue water can be found. I arrived in Tulum late in the afternoon on July 21st. We checked in at a hotel just 1Km from the ruins. We stayed in one of the beach front cabanas. The cabana is pretty basic with mosquito net that can only protect my face. Once we settled in, we walked for about a minute and enjoyed the warm Caribbean water. The water is so pristine… we were in paradise. Although there is a ruin in Tulum, I opted not to go the following day. Beach towns just makes me…um.. lazy… or lazier than usual. I don’t like to do much, other than wake up, eat, and hang out at the beach. It couldn’t be better.. the beach is right there on my face!

The following day I was faced with a decision to either leave Tulum or go to Cozumel. I really like Tulum, but I have been itching to do some diving. I suppose I can dive in Tulum, but Cozumel.. it is world famous. After four hours just lounging on Tulum’s white sands, I came to my senses. I realized I should go to Cozumel so I don’t have to do any moving during last five days I am in Mexico.

The bus ride from Tulum to Playa del Carmen took about an hour. From Playa del Carmen we took a 35 minute ferry to the only Mexican island on the Caribbean sea. We sat on top of the ferry to enjoy the view. Once we arrived, fist thing on my really short to do list is to find a dive shop. Score, the dive shop found me! Right when I got off the boat, there was a man who solicits divers off the ferry. I’m really starting to like this island… everything just comes to me.

The next three days, island life means waking up, go to the dive shop by 9AM, do a two tank dive in the morning, go to the internet café after a dive, make lunch, take a nap, wake up, go back to the dive shop and see about a night dive, dive, eat, drink, sleep.. then repeat. Diving in Cozumel is pretty awesome if you ask me. The reefs and corals, and marine life are first-rate. We saw turtles, lobster, bunch of other fishes, and apparently we were swimming with sharks that I didn’t see. They told me, while I was doing my safety stop, three sharks came. Oh well, there’s plenty of other opportunity on this long trip to dive with sharks. Perhaps in the Read Sea or in Asia.

My days in Mexico is almost over. My flight leaves in about 3 hours (sad face.. ). I will be in Los Angeles until the end of the month. So if you want to hang out with RJ the Great, holler!!!!

In conclusion, you might be wondering what I think about Mexico? It’s an interesting place. It’s a place where everything is possible.. where you just ask, and pay, and anything can be arranged. A lot of times, I am taken aback with what I see in front of me that leads me to a non-stop hysterical laughter. Also, at times, I am in awe by the beauty of the architecture, natural wonders, and cultures of the town and places that I am passing through. And yes, the ruins. Mexico has a lot of them. It fascinates me to be in an old city like Chichin Itza and Palenque. It’s fascinating to be in a historical place, and have a glimpse of how life must have been like thousands of years ago. Finally the beaches. The beaches and diving in Mexico is fantastic! Pick one, on a given day do you want to dive and or swim at the Pacific, Gulf of Mexico or the Caribbean Sea.. how cool is that.

Viva Mexico!!!

Campeche / Yucatan – My Camera Broke!!

Saturday, July 21st, 2007

Campeche.. such a pretty place next to the Gulf of Mexico. I arrived in Campeche half past three in the morning of July 18th. I hung out at the bus station for thirty minutes trying to figure out where I will check myself into. I then found the courage to take a taxi and head to the city center. When I arrived, the cathedral was bright and the zocolo was completely empty. It was absolutely stunning. What a Kodak moment! I didn’t even have to ask people to move to get a clean shot…

The hostel I stayed in is located in the heart of zocolo. At the roof, you get the million dollar view of the town, and three blocks east you can find the Gulf of Mexico. I arrived at the hostel at 4AM. The reception fellow insisted to check me in for the 17th and not the 18th. He claimed he can only check me in for the 18th unless I come in after 6AM. I then asked him if I can sleep on the hammock until 6AM. I’m not about to pay for an extra night! He said NO! Give me a break. We argued for a bit, then I won! I always win! Perfect, I now get 2 nights for the price of 1.

During the day, I went to check out the Cathedral. I learned that most of the saint statues dates back from the 16th century. I then walked across zocolo to check out Casa 6. Casa 6 showcases the lifestyle of the people in Campeche in the 18th century. After much walking around the historical center, I called it quits and head back to my dormitory for a little siesta.

Once I woke up, I run into Beat, a Swiss whom I stayed with in the same hostel in Oaxaca City and Puerto Escondido. The following day, we both checked out San Miguel Fortress. The fort was located on top of the hill. The colectivo dropped us off at the bottom of the hill. We then have to hike up which was painful under the mid-day sun. We thought, why not try to hitch a ride up the hill. With our good luck, a guy driving a Dodge Ram was nice enough to let us in the back of his truck. Score! The fort has an amazing view of the Gulf and the entire city. It also houses an archeological artifacts, and iguanas that roam around the yard. After, we headed back to the city center and checked out the botanical garden. The garden was really small, and they were charging 20-peso to smell the plants. Ya right! I don´t need to smell plants for $2 (maybe if we can smoke it I’ll pay – joke!). Baet and I left Campeche the same day to Merida.

We arrived in Merida late in the afternoon. We checked in and walked around the city for at least 3 hours. I like walking around a new place (weather permitting of course). You get to see things that you don’t normally see while riding in a taxi or taking a bus. There´s a lot more going on in Merida. That evening, there were traditional dances being performed at zocolo. After, we headed back to the hostel with our litre of beer. Again, we run into to a brother and sister team from Monterrey. They were in my dorm in Campeche. Gabby just cracks everyone up. She is from Mexico who jokingly hates on Mexicans and Mexico, and gringos in general. It was a funny night.

The following day, Baet and I took a bus to Chichin Itza. Just recently, Chichin Itza was named one of the new 7 wonders of the world. According to my research, Chichen Itza rose to regional prominence towards the end of the early classic period. That´s right, it was long time ago. I´ve seen four ruins since I’ve been here in Mexico, but I can honestly say that Chichin Itza is by far the best. The only downfall visiting Chichin Itza is the amount of people on the ground. It was a circus!

After exploring the ruins, we took the 2nd class bus to the next town of Villadolid. Villadolid is a small place with an easy place of life. It is the place to get to know the real Yucatan as they say. When we arrived, the hostel was full and we were left searching for accommodation while it was pouring rain. We saw a sign for 100-peso for 2-bed room. It sounded so cheap, and too good to be true. When we were inquiring about the room, we knocked and an elderly, fat, blind, shirtless man opened the door. I was seriously freaked out! He spoke to us in good English with his raspy voice. We wanted to see the room first before we pay, but the hotel was 6 blocks away. We then risked it and paid the 100-peso with a chance that we will be staying in a dungeon. At the end, it all worked out. The room was clean with two beds, an AC that we were instructed not to turn on since we only paid for the fan (ya, i´m really not going to turn that on now!). Score!

Today, we visited three underground Cenotes. We first visited Cenote Dzitnup, which was located 7 km from the city center. Inside, there was a massive limestone formation dripping with stalactites hangs from its ceiling. I then jumped in the water to swin with the underground fishes. Afterwards, we walked for a short time to see Cenote Samula, which is a lovely cavern pool with alamo roots stretching down meters from the middle of the ceiling. After swimming a bit, we tried to hitch a ride hack to town, but after about 20 minutes in the sun, we opted to take the taxi. We then headed to Cenote Zaci, which was set in a park with a zoo. Although swimming was not allowed in Zaci, the sight was still gorgeous to see.

We’ve been waiting to catch our bus to Tulum the last 2 hours. The earlier busses were full. BTW, my camera broke! Oh well… it could be worsed!

Chiapas: Cold to Hot…

Tuesday, July 17th, 2007
After over 13 hours sitting in a bus (first class mind you!) from Puerto Escondido I arrived in San Cristóbal de las Casas early in the morning on July 14th. My friend Ambien made the bus ride tolerable. ... [Continue reading this entry]

Puerto Escondido: What will I have for dinner??

Thursday, July 12th, 2007
I arrived in Puerto Escondido on Friday, July 6 via Pachutla. From Oaxaca City to Pachutla the ride took about 7hrs via the mountainous region of Oaxaca. Someone told me it was over 3,000 metres. Not sure ... [Continue reading this entry]

Oaxaca City: Ruins, Mole, Chocolate and Earthquake

Friday, July 6th, 2007
I arrived in Oaxaca City late Wednesday afternoon (4th of July). When I checked in the hostel Independence Day was being shown. The bus ride from Puebla to Oaxaca City was very scenic. It was a fine ... [Continue reading this entry]

Puebla: Free Tuesdays…

Tuesday, July 3rd, 2007
Hmm... Puebla... it´s where Mexico won the battle against France almost by default. Most of the French army was handicapped by diarrhea. Hence, the Mexican’s won the battle. Hey, it gives all of us a reason to celebrate ... [Continue reading this entry]

Mexico City: The Blind and the Beautiful…..

Monday, July 2nd, 2007
Let’s start with the most cliché of all, but as Mark Twain puts it "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw ... [Continue reading this entry]