Wow, day five, already? Yes! And time for an awesome adventure!!

The animals greeted us on the way to an early breakfast, we had to be in the lobby at 7am!

Then the adventure begins! We drove about 45 minutes to Tulum, the site of ancient Mayan ruins.

Tulum is the site of a pre-Columbian Mayan walled city serving as a major port for Cobá. The ruins are situated on tall cliffs along the east coast of the Yucatán Peninsula on the Caribbean Sea in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico. 

Tulum was one of the last cities built and inhabited by the Maya; it was at its height between the 13th and 15th centuries and managed to survive about 70 years after the Spanish began occupying Mexico. 

Old World diseases brought by the Spanish settlers appear to have resulted in very high fatalities, disrupting the society and eventually causing the city to be abandoned. It is one of the best-preserved coastal Maya sites.

It was also a city of great class distinction, you were either part of the 15 percent wealthy, underclass, including nobility, artists, philosophers or, you were part of the 85 percent working class who served them. 

We teased MissA, we were her 85 percent!

Next, it was a cenote, pronounced si-notay, if that helps! is a natural pit, or sinkhole, resulting from the collapse of limestone bedrock that exposes groundwater underneath. They are especially associated with the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico, cenotes were sometimes used by the ancient Maya for sacrificial offerings.

This was amazing and as soon as I can get some photos off my go-pro and they’re decent, I’ll share. 

You go into the cave with a life jacket, helmet and headlamp, its a wee bit dark! You see stalagmites, stalagtites, a few albino fish and bats. The bats didn’t bother us at all, they were tiny and kept to themselves in the cieling. The water was fffrreezing! But what a mechiah, a relief, after how hot Tulum was! 

We had a muy fabuloso guide named Oscar, very knowledgeable and funny. Gave our tour in English and Spanish, for the other family that was with us.

After the cenote, lunch at a local beach, a little play time in the water, so beautiful!

Then it was back to the hotel, get a little pool time in, we had some time to kill before our dinner reservation at Mare Nostrum, the Mediterranean restaurant at the resort. With our package we got two reservations at one of their formal sit down restaurants. We chose Mediterranean for tonight and Japanese tomorrow. 

It was a lovely setting, the small buffet was set up for appetizers, nothing like the buffets we’ve been to for other meals. There was some salad for me and they made me a verdura, vegetable, tempura from the Japanese restaurant next door and Chef Mario happened to be there and spoke to our server and one of the chefs you be sure I got something that I could eat, love him! 

After dinner, a nice stroll around the resort to the beach to take in the sight, smell, fell, pure fabulousness of the beach at night! Sigh…

Tomorrow… another day in paradise. Buenos Noches!