Getting another itch - must scratch soon

Summer is starting officially in my little corner of the blue marble and I am getting an itch to see another part of it. I've noticed that ads pertaining to flights seem to be populating on my facebook ads lately. And it has me looking at places I want to see, and pondering things about airports I've been in and all of the adventures I've been on - hell, I even sat here and re-read my entries from India onwards today!

China might be on hold for a bit - new expenses cropping up that make it prohibitive at this time. But then, there is nothing stopping me from seeing another Wonder, a little closer to home - in Rome, Italy. :) Something to ponder...

Day 7 & 8: Tulum and Cancun

You can tell by the difference in times, that there wasn't much to write about here. On the Thursday in Tulum, I went shopping for some last minute gift items and then had breakfast with everyone I'd met that was still at the hostel, before heading into Tulum to board my bus to Cancun. The ride was uneventful - I slept the whole way; the week had drained me.

Its tough to be constantly on the go, trying to get it all in, because you feel you may never be back that way again. And most people would tell you that this is the wrong way to do it. Me, I know how large this world of ours really is and I want to see it all! I can't for the life of me think why I would visit anywhere twice when there is so much more that I haven't seen and experienced. But that's just me - it doesn't have to be your philosophy at all. In fact, unless you are exactly like me, I would recommend you follow everyone else's sage advice and take things slowly.

Cancun was literally nothing more than a stop for the night until my morning flight so I did *very* little aside from eat, grab some other last minute items and sleep. And have a proper shower... :)

And, as has been noted, I am back home, it's snowing and I fucking hate winter. Life goes on, much as it always did, and I eagerly await the next adventure, be it to Italy or to China. In fact, China is the plan for late 2013... but you will be reading all about that over the course of the next 18 months no doubt.

Day 6: Tulum and Coba

Oof - what a hangover. We all stayed up drinking until 4:30am, knowing full well that we'd be hiking the jungles of Coba today and climbing the tallest climbable pyramid in Mexico. Got up at 7:30am and waited until 8:00am for breakfast. Lisa and Catrin were leaving today, heading to La Candelaria in Valladolid, but we were all going to go see Coba first, before they caught their bus and I caught mine. What an adventure! Coba was surreal! We even sat on a ruin and ate sandwiches - how cool is that?

The climb up the pyramid was pretty tortuous for some, but I made my way up in good time - winded and sweating like a pig, but hey ... I didn't at 39 (almost 40) get beat up to the top by a bunch of 20-somethings! LoL! The view from the top was astounding. I was shooting with the big camera, so there aren't as many photos as I normally would have, since I'm shooting in RAW format, and they hog up 11 megs per photo and my card was rapidly filling up. I did get quite a few though, so worry not!

After spending an awesome day in the jungles at the ruins of Coba with the girls, I caught my bus back to Tulum and was SOOO tired, that I didn't even make it out for a final dinner with Cam and Amina, who were leaving in the morning for Chetumal and Belize. We did do breakfast the next day though. I had to share my room with two obnoxious guys who kept farting and snoring all night though. It was funny at first, since I was so tired, but then it got just downright too much. I was tired! Eventually I drifted off, and slept until the next morning, no problem at all! Photos?

Coba - yep, its a jungle in there!

A ruined temple you could somewhat climb up

Another cool ruin you could walk on and through!

I mean, it was jungley in there!

About to mount the castillo

Looking down at fellow climbers

The view from atop the castillo

Thats more or less the day - didnt do much else, although I wish I had've seen a cenote or two, just for the sake of a nice cool swim! More later!

Day 5: Tulum and Akumal (redux)

The title gives it away, but today was pretty much a repeat of yesterday, except this time I was not doing it solo. Everyone wanted to go swimming with the turtles, so it was off to Akumal for me again, but first, I went and solo'd the ruins here in Tulum before breakfast at 8:00am. There were only about 15 people in line ahead of me and once we all got in, everyone more or less scrambled all over so I didn't have anyone in my photos (just the way I like them sometimes). It was a very cool, if somewhat haunting place. I can't quite put my finger on why it felt that way, but it just did. Might have something to do with the fact that it was the one place the Spanish never found nor conquered all those years ago. I did get a lot of great photos too!

After the ruins, I went back to grab breakfast and to collect my gear and companions for the return to Akumal. Another 20 pesos, 20 minute colectivo ride to Akumal and we were swimming with turtles again! I could never get tired of that! We also swam over to the coral reef, now regrowing (devastated by coral fishing and hurricanes), and watched a multitude of fish going about their day, ala Finding Nemo - again, many photos ensued. In hindsight, I should not have stayed in the water so long, for 1) the sunburn I would later have, and 2) because an hour underwater caused my camcorder to blow up. Not really, but it may as well have. I think I didn't dry it too well, and then we went on a long bike ride back in Tulum (8 km) and the humidity and heat made the display get all wonky, and then just die. Suffice it to say, its not working, and from that point forward, my available photos decrease, as I don't like to pull the big boy out when in crowded places, unless I have no choice. Aw well, it survived India and most of Mexico - I guess the $200 I paid was worth it! At any rate, I've got it in a tub of rice at the moment to see if that might make things better, although I have my doubts.

Tulum Ruins

Crazy mini huts at Tulum Ruins

Tulum's Castillo

Akumal - Finally got him coming up for air!

Akumal - fish hiding from Barracudas

Akumal - Some colourful fish

And thats about it kids... more to follow. Coba tomorrow and a long climb up a pyramid in the jungles of the Yucatan!

Day 4: Tulum and Akumal

I'll be honest, Tulum was a whirlwind leg of the trip and the internet access was really slow, so I waited until coming back home to write these portions of the trip. I stayed out with my new bunkmates a little late Sunday night to go grab a late dinner and to get acquainted with everyone at the hostel. A great bunch, mostly from France, with one girl from Russia. Went and had some Mole Enchilladas with a nice big glass of Jamaica - cost 65 pesos.

In the morning, I had an amazing breakfast (photo courtesy of Cam) of fruits and a main consisting of a nacho cup filled with rice, spiced hamburger and veggies, washed down with fresh coffee and a passionfruit, strawberry smoothie. After digesting and playing with the resident coati, Oscar, I jumped into a colectivo and headed 20 minutes north of Tulum to Akumal to snorkel the reefs and to my supreme pleasure, to swim with gigantic sea turtles! Also saw cuttlefish, stingrays and loads of fish!

At night, I met some other denizens of the hostel (Davis from Montreal and three girls from Germany, Lisa, Lisa and Catrin) and we all went for dinner in town - what a fucking bike ride! We all made plans to head to Akumal again tomorrow to see the turtles, including Amina from Denmark. That sums up the day rather well - photos to follow.

Breakfast at Posada Los Mapaches (Thanks Cam!)

Oscar playing in the tree near my room

Sea Turtle at Akumal!

Stingray at Akumal - I was a little afraid to be so close!

Me at the beach after my snorkeling adventure

More to follow folks!

Day 3: Valladolid to Tulum

Sorry about not posting guys ... Sunday was a very busy day, running everywhere to get the last sights in before 5:30pm when the bus left for Tulum. I do have a lot of pics to share! There was just so much that happened, so putting it all down in detail would take hours... suffice it to say, I hit multiple cenotes, Ek-Balam, another series of Mayan ruins and ate a whole tonne of amazing street food! Enough said.. bring on the photos!

Ek-Balam as seen from the top of the main temple

X´chachen Cenote at Ek-Balam

Samula Cenote

Fresh tortas made with pork

Soren and I eating those tortas!

Day 2: Valladolid and Chichen Itza

The camera issue is finally sorted out! Lucky thing too as I filled my SD card already and had to drain it today! LoL! Today was a whopper of a day. Started early at 6am, woken by the roosters in the neighbourhood, which was quite cool! Went for a coffee americano and headed to the local Mercado to have breakfast, which ended up being tamales with chicken and beans and included salsa fresco! Yummy!

It goes without saying that I went to Chichen Itza today. I literally had the pyramid to myself for near to every picture I took as the crowds from Cancun had not started to arrive yet, which I was immensely thankful for! I got a lot of great shots, but shooting in raw format really limited how many photos I could take. I think I ended up with around 100 or so, since the raw format shots are around 10 megs each. Its all good ... the backup camera has 8 gigs free and takes great photos too! Yes, there will be some today! After Chichen, I went to Ik?Kil Cenote and swan in the sinkhole with a fucktonne of catfish. Even got some photos and videos of that - and yes, the underwater mode on the camera works the charm! Bring on the dive at Tulum! :)

Spent the rest of the day chilling around town hunting down a few more sights and the elusive torta, of which I had 3 - 2 chicken ones and 1 pork. So yummy! 14 peses each, so like $1.10 canadian. Three tortas is about the size of a large baguette - yeah, I am a pig! What will tomorrow bring? Not sure, but I do know you're ready for photos, right? Here they are.

Me at Chichen Itza - See? The place was empty!

Segunda Cenote at Chichen Itza

Me jumping into Ik-Kil Cenote!!!

The catfish swimming in Ik-Kil

Okay kids, thats it for today... gotta go and relax for the next few days of amazing adventures! If Im not online tomorrow, dont worry - Ive got the transit from Valladolid to Tulum, and it'll likely be late, so I may not find internet right away. If thats the case, I will find one first thing Monday morning. Hasta Luego Amigos!

Day 1: Cancun to Valladolid

I am really tired and sweating like mad ... its about 34 degrees here! Spent most of the day walking around town once I got here at around 3pm. Went and saw the cathedral, a cenote in the middle of town, and generally took in the sights. Tomorrow it is off to see Chichen Itza ... I know som of you have been looking forward to those photos. For now, Im having trouble uploading photos... Ill try again tomorrow. But yes, am fine and loving the heat and serious lack of snow!

Can't sleep

Way too excited and it's difficult to sleep! Woke up at 4:30am today, but somehow managed to get an extra hour, finally calling it quits on sleep at 5:30. Which is fine, I guess, since I will have to be up at 3:00am tomorrow to get to the airport. Feels surreal to know that in 24 short hours, I will be sitting on a plane, taxiing down the runway, heading towards the next great series of adventures as only I can do them!

Karl Pilkington, mate, you got nothing on this! :)

I am one short day away from leaving all of the snow and the cold and all of the other wintery shit that I detest with a passion behind. Hurry the fuck up Friday!

36 hours

Its so fun to think that tomorrow morning, when I take my first break of the working day, I will be just 24 hours away from standing in Cancun, waiting for my ADO bus to Valladolid!  Which means, the last minute crunch is on - and there's so much to do! At least, I think there is... now I have to take stock.

Actually, Im in fairly good shape here, all things considered. Aside from online checkin with my carrier, and booking a last minute bus, I'm pretty much ready. Gonna re-check my bags tonight and ensure my med kit is stocked. Maybe even test my camera under water, just to be sure it'll work while I still have access to lots of rice and time to dry it out should it go horribly wrong. LoL!

Well, if I have time to type, I've got time to continue getting ready... next entry: Valladolid on Friday!

Final Prep

Just four short days until departure for the land of the mayan sorcerers and a whole new batch of media to chronicle the neverending travels of this idiot abroad. In the final stages of trip prep - called my bank and credit card company yesterday to put travel notices on my accounts so they won't freeze them once they notice my cards being used in another country (good advice to use should you travel anywhere!). The last thing I'd want is to need cash and not be able to get it, or heaven forbid, have the machines eat my cards as stolen or something! Fuck, that would so suck!

Other than that, its all about optimizing my packs and being sure that I have everything I need and nothing I don't. I think I've gotten it down to the essentials to make the trip a success. It's pretty much down to those last minute things you forget about before going ... mostly household chore crap that you don't want to have to deal with when coming home. How prosaic is that? To be worried about getting the laundry and dishes done before take off? LoL!

Just a few more days and then its off to Chichen Itza and Ek Balam and of course, all the great food that only Mexico can provide!

Lightroom 3 and the merits of shooting in RAW

I've been using Adobe Lightroom 3 this week to do some post-processing on some of my shots from las years excursion to India and I have to tell you that I am really impressed with the results you can easily achieve with digital photo stock and this application. From something as simple as white balance correction to tone splitting, its a snap! Look below for before and after examples from Rishikesh, India and Central Park, NYC. The after shots really do look like how I remember it...

Left: Before corrections   - Right: After corrections

Left: Before corrections   - Right: After corrections

And if it can make a JPEG look that good straight from the camera, how good will shooting in RAW format be, I ask myself? And then that begs the question - should I be shooting in RAW for all of Mexico? If so, I may not have photo updates for you all...

One week to go!

This is the worst part of traveling, the waiting. Counting down the days definitely doesn't make departure day come any sooner that's for sure ~ in fact, I'm fairly certain it makes it take longer, relatively speaking. Getting very excited though and cannot wait to park my ass in the sun, on the beach, chilling out and not worrying about the myriad of things that typically weigh us down in our usual daily lives. Or maybe I'll swing in a hammock between two palms... or maybe... Hurry up next week! I wanna go!

Two weeks and counting...

Getting ever closer to single digits until departure day! I can almost hear the waves of the Caribbean washing ashore at Tulum, if I close my eyes - but then images of all of the great food I'm going to eat springs into mind. One thing I am very eager to tuck into is fresh sea urchin - mind you, it's only the roe, or eggs, that you eat, but still ... fresh from the sea, with that buttery, lobster-like flavour and texture? I'm sold - and I'm sure it won't be costly at all.

And thinking about sea urchins is making me imagine all of the great underwater shots I'll have from this trip. Kinda wish I had've done some in Goa last year, but didn't want to chance damaging the video camera, so far from home and with a long road ahead. This trip, oh hell yeah, its going underwater. The chance to film manta rays, moray eels, sea turtles, etc is just too awesome an opportunity to pass up!

Two more weeks until I can replace the hammock I left behind in Toronto all those years ago - two more weeks until I can tie it up to some palms and just chill the fuck out, swaying in the breeze. Life is good my friends, doubly so when you travel...

Soundtrack - Mexcio 2012

Last year, Toronto's Our Lady Peace ended up being the soundtrack of my sojourn through India. This year, I have settled on the debut album from Los Angeles' The Glitch Mob. It's got just the right blend of energy and melody and is tinged throughout with a subtle bittersweet sadness. It totally works for me right now and reflects my mood lately - which is to say, all over the map. Well worth the listen, if not the purchase. Check out their latest, We Can Make The World Stop.

That one is a little more energy and chaos - and it's so damned catchy! The whole album is quite good; I haven't hit a track yet that I didn't like. I haven't been this surprised with a release since Rammstein's last album, which is saying quite a bit.

21 days and counting!

Three short weeks to go until my cameras get dusted off and do their magic. I'm so happy that they invited me along again on this year's trip! Maybe I'll be nice and return the favour next time.

Been doing a lot of research on transportation - how to get from here to there sort of thing. Seems I may be investing in a few taxis, as colectivos and buses don't make either the routes or the stops I need. Ah well, there is always hitchhiking - and we all know me by now; if its an unnecessary risk, I'm likely to take it. Not sure who I get that from in the family?

What I do know is that I am eager for the beaches of Tulum, like seriously...

Started thinking today, that I may turn this blog into a website - something I want to continue pondering. It would make more sense, organizationally, to do so, and I could have separate sections for images, videos and text, broken down by trip... hmmm...

Sounds like fun, I'll bring the beer...

The government of Canada has travel warnings for Canadians going to Mexico posted relating to scams, violence against tourists, theft and kidnappings. Sounds good and all, but how is that knowledge supposed to keep anyone safe? Is it meant to deter a person from traveling to a foreign country? I faced worse in India, trust me. Theft, violence, scams and kidnappings in Mexico? Hmm... I went through terrorist bomb threats, maoist insurgence and anti-north american sentiment (and violence I might add) in India. Not to sound indifferent, but a travel advisory that contains nothing different than I might face in my own country? No, I am not worried at all. Obviously, I will be taking precautions for my own safety, but what the government is saying doesn't worry me in the slightest, nor what we read in the media. A few isolated events do not a trend make...

Last Hostel Booked - Mundo Joven, Cancun

Finally booked my final night in Mexico, in Cancun, at the Mundo Joven. Shared accomodations, but for the price, it can't be beat; especially for it's location. Its near the bus terminal and some zocolos - and who doesn't like last minute souvenir shopping? Seems like a rather nice place, from the reviews and photos. Rooftop bar, hottubs, hammocks, you name it - its a backpacker's heaven. All of that isn't the main reason to take it though - it's the proximity to the buses that's the big sell for me. Easy to get to after arriving from Tulum and easy to get to the airport the next morning.

Everything is booked now, aside from my inital bus to Valladolid, which according to my hosts at La Candelaria, won't be an issue - tonnes of buses leave Cancun going to either Valladolid or Merida, and no matter which, they all stop in Valladolid. So... no worries, om shanti shanti! LoL! Been a long time since I've had the need to say that!

SKROSS World USB Charger

So I went and bought my SKRoss USB charger today - only $26 which is quite good consider it is a multi-plug adapter that works in over 150+ countries. I tried it out on my camcorder and it happily charged away! So that's great! No more three hour waits in cyber-cafes waiting for my devices to charge. And, it has two usb ports, so that a plus too - ipod and camera charging at the same time. Yup, not bad at all for $26!

SKROSS - World USB Charger

Now, to Dukoral or not to Dukoral... that is the question...

Finally got my tickets

Air Transat is a strange carrier. I paid for my tickets almost two weeks ago and only now did I get my ticket. I'm sure this may be normal, but I'm one of those people; when I pay for something and the money has changed hands so-to-speak, I want something tangible in return. Ah well, alls well that ends well - I've got them now.

So that means, all I need to do is figure out how to book a bus ticket for Cancun to Valladolid, which to my research is pretty much impossible. Sure hope I can get a seat on a bus as soon as I land... would hate to lose a few hours in Cancun waiting for a bus with seats...

Just about a month left until departure - jazzed as all hell! Tamales, Chilaquiles, Tinga, hmmm... not to mention Modelo, Dos Equis and Tequilla Blanco chico! :)

That's a relief!

My flight insurance finally went through ~ I guess there was a problem, internally, with RBC insurance, so my cancellation and baggage insurance hadn't been processed. Got word yesterday from my agent that it finally processed and got the paperwork via email. Load of stress off my mind... now if only Air Transat would send me my bloody tickets. I gotta ask myself, what kind of airline takes your money immediately on booking, but doesn't send you your e-tickets until a few weeks before your flight leaves? Mental...

On another note: Finally gathered all of the gear from the India excursion that I'll be taking into the Yucatan this year. Of note, the mosquito net! LoL! Feels weird to look at all of that gear and remember it's use or non-use at this time last year. Nostalgia, from a mosquito net - incredible! :)

A few items left to purchase and I can call it a done deal. Of note, the USB charger that plugs into the wall. $50, but oh so worth it! My camera can charge overnight now instead of me having to sit in an internet cafe for three hours waiting for it to charge, like I had to do pretty much every day while in India...

Dear Family Members...

Do me favour will you? Keep Nana calm - she's all stressed out about me getting shot or beheaded in Mexico. No amount of me telling her this won't happen is making her feel any different or any better.

Thanks! :)

I must be crazy!

No really. I haven't even left on this trip to Mexico yet; I haven't even put all of the money into it that I will by the time it concludes - and what am I doing now? Thinking about the next trip afterwards. And where might that be, you ask? Beijing, China. Another Wonder of the World, the Forbidden City, Xi-an... and all of that amazing chinese food! Too much to do in life, not enough life to do it all in! LoL!

And then of course, there is a *very* up in the air trip to somewhere in the Caribbean in the winter next year too. My poor bank account and passport...

Posada los Mapaches - Tulum

Booked my stay in Tulum this morning. Going to be staying at a place called Posada los Mapaches, which has a 96% overall rating from backpackers the world over on pretty much every travel site I've looked into. What sold me was that its a 5 minute bike ride from the ruins and the beach (bikes are free at the hostel). Also included is free wifi, breakfast and computers for internet use. $70 Canadian for four nights too ~ not shabby. Did I mention the rooms are huts on the sand?

Yes, thrilled indeed! Might be a little far (10-15 minute walk) out of main Tulum, but then, who wants to be dropped into the middle of the madness that is a tourist town? I can get to where I need to go without any hassle at this place. And the adventure continues... one last night to book in Cancun before coming home and all will be set ~ aside from the transit between destinations, since I cannot book them online.

India was awesome and everything...

... but I gotta tell you, the more I dig into the things I can do, see and eat while in Yucatan and Quintana Roo is blowing my mind! I've found a few little things today that I just *have* to do. Vague, yes, and I won't be spoiling it now! These are gonna make some amazing shots for the 2012 video! The only thing I am not liking so much is the Bull Shark they caught off the coast of Tulum (look below):

Holy fucking creepy ~ and I wanna go diving???

Bull sharks aside, the chance to encounter manta rays, moray eels and sea turtles in the wild is just too much to turn away from - and hell, there's a one in a million chance of seeing a whale shark??? Sign me up!

As Winnie the Pooh would say...

...there's a rumbly in my tumbly. Just been thinking about all of the amazing street foods I am going to get to chow down on soon, and I gotta tell you, I'm completely stoked! All those roadside taquerias serving all of my favourite crunchy, munchy morsels of beefy goodness. Oh my... I'm almost starting to think the Wonder is second to the food on this one, although Chichen Itza is something in and of itself.

Speaking of pyramids - found out yesterday that aside from Coba, you can climb the pyramids at Ek Balam as well. Should make for some amazing photo and video opportunities. And thinking about it, I might just add a 3rd night at Valladolid to fully appreciate the town and it's environs before heading south to Tulum. It won't change much of my plan, just make arrival in Tulum the next morning, rather than the night before ~ and who wants to check in at night and not see anything anyway?

India One Anniversay

One year ago today I was arriving in New Delhi India on that most excellent adventure of 2011! Looking forward to re-reading my travel journal over the course of the next few months, day for day. Namaste!

La Candelaria - Valladolid

I had noticed when I booked the room at La Candelaria that there was a notice to advise them if you would be arriving after 16:00, so without a clear arrival time in mind, I dropped them an email. I have to say, the rapidity of their response was quite refreshing, considering the budget level I am traveling at - I can't say you'd get faster response from a chain hotel on the Mayan Riviera, that's for certain. And I was equally impressed that there will be a small package of travel options for me when I get there on how best to see the sights I want to see in the area! Now that is service!

Booked into Valladolid!

Well, I've booked two nights in tranquil Valladolid at La Candelaria. Opted to take a private room rather than do the dorm thing. Seems like a better idea for the initial leg of the trip, considering the amount of running around I am going to be doing in the area. I'm going to be exhausted by days end, and I don't think sharing a room with 13 other people will afford me much sleep. Downside is that in order to have that private room, you have to pay for two people's stay. Still... $40 Canadian for a private double bed room for two nights is something I can more than live with. Now all that remains is figuring out how to get to Valladolid from Cancun ~ LoL! It is easy enough really, its just that I can't book bus tickets online, so have to go to the main terminal and buy them direct.

Chichen Itza, here I come!

I've also found the place I want to stay at in Tulum as well ~ seems nice enough and it's a 10 minute walk to the ruins and the beaches. So, on the Sunday, I'll have to figure out how to get to Tulum from Valladolid and that gives me like, 4 days there to explore Coba, Punta Laguna, Tulum, etc...

And as cool as all of that sounds, and it is, but I'm really jazzed for all of the food! :)

New Snorkeling Gear

Just to be prepared for Tulum and because it was still available to purchase at MEC, I went and grabbed my snorkeling gear today. The flipper design is kind of radical ~ love it!

With this is hand, I cannot wait to hit the beaches down south! Six weeks to go today! Yahoo!

To get in the mood...

Been feeling slightly ambivalent the last few days; life just seems to go that way sometimes. Up, down, up, down, ad naseum. Plotting the route I want to take has been like sitting on a fence not knowing which way to tumble. Finally I am just going to go with my gut and head into Valladolid (pronounced Vaya-doh-leed) and do the ruins as I said I would. Thought about going to Tulum first, but really, I want the chill stuff at the end of the run, not the start.

Changed the banner for the blog today to one of Tulum - India was great when it was about India, but now it's on to other things and other places. Wish I could change the joer2india thing... gonna look into it.

Decided on my first guest house in Valladolid today, called La Candelaria - the image below will tell you all you need to know on why I want this for days one and two.

Hammocks at La Candelaria, Valladolid, Mexico

Its about $10 a night for a room which is alright - its not India, but it'll do! There's showers (hot), laundry, free internet, breakfast included (please, please, please include churros). Looking forward to it!

It's on!

Got approved for my time off today and came right home and bought my tickets! I'll only be there for 8 days but the distances between sites I want to visit are so small, it'll be nothing like India was. Basing myself out of Valladolid for the first few days will chop more than half of my desired site visits from the list. From there, I can access Ek Balam, Chichen Itza and the surrounding cenotes. I'm super pumped about visiting the local markets too ~ grasshopper pizzas with cheese, here I come (quesadillas de chapulines con queso)!!!

From Valladolid, it's a simple bus ride south to Coba, Punta Laguna Monkey Sanctuary, which is like a day's visit and then south again to Tulum for a day or two at the ruins, the beaches and diving the reefs.

Time permitting, Isla Mujeres off the coast of Cancun. My goal is to stay far away from Cancun though, as its not the sort of place I want to be at. Too commercialized.

Anyways, more to follow... gotta do some digging bus routes, hostels, etc...

Quintana Roo, Mexico 2012

Put in my request for time off today for the end of February to go backpacking the ruins of the Yucatan. Found a couple lesser known places that I'm really keen on seeing, based around the town of Valladolid, namely El Bakam, Chichen Itza (obviously) and a few cenotes around Valladolid like Dzitnup, which really has my goat at the moment.

Dzitnup Cenote - 10 minutes outside Valladolid

From Valladolid, I'll make my way southeast towards Coba and Tulum where I'll spend a few days being Indiana Joe in the Jungle and of course soaking up some rays on the playas in Tulum. From there, back up to Cancun to head over to Isla Mujeres to do some reef diving and visit a sea turtle sanctuary.

Pretty excited! Hope I get the time off ~ flights are fairly reasonable at the moment and would hate to wait and have them climb too high. More to follow...