Playa del Carmen, Mexico - Day 4

Today was our last full day in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. It started off very, very early at 6:00 in the morning getting ready for a full-on day of adventure ahead. We were picked up by our guide Frank soon after and then were driven for 45 minutes to our first stop the Maya Ruins in Tulum which we walked around for about an hour or so, all that was needed in my opinion, and we learnt some interesting things. For instance, these ruins were once used by people for trade and for living there, different than the Chichen Itza site which was used for big gatherings of all the people and where nobody lived. After walking around for a while it was back to the van through the markets laid out by the entrance. Here is what we saw.

Next it was on to our first “adventure” spot, the Tankah Eco-Adventure Park, we arrived changed into our togs and started the short walk around an open centote (like a lake) and saw a few people zip-lining their way across it. We stopped occasionally taking photos of the scenery and colourful birds, sadly I don’t have the photos of most of the day as Frank (the guide) took photos and videos of us on his Go Pro (don’t worry, I will update this post when I get the photos and/or videos). We finished the short walk when we dropped our towels and things off before getting harnessed up and choosing our wooden brake. The way the brake worked is that it was shaped like a 7 and when we were getting close to the end you would place it in front of your “trolley” (part of the whole zip-line system) on the zip-line and that would slow you down. Anyway, we went up the first tower that would sip-line us back to where we first started to walk around the cenote (sen-oh-tay). When we got to the top Frank said, “If you want to do something a bit more extreme you can do it upside down like this.” and just like that he was off, going upside-down, pretty fast on a zip-line, legend. Next was my turn, as soon as I went over the edge I tried to go upside down and apparently, I was successful, as I neared the end of the cenote I looked at Frank and got some, hopefully, good pics of me. When mum and dad had made their way to the end it was up another tower and this time they flipped me upside down before I left, they tried it with dad but it just wasn’t happening, they sent me on my way and off I went. This time round when it was Frank’s turn he decided to be the cool guy by not using his brake the conventional way, instead, he dragged it along the ground at the end and it worked out pretty well. Now it was time for the final zip-line, they again flipped me upside down and away I went, I stayed upside down for almost all of the trip and at the start I saw a turtle pop up in the cenote so, I did the smart thing and shouted, “I SEE A TURTLE!!!”.  From the zipline it was down a ramp and onto the dock to board the next part of our journey, the canoe. In the canoe, we paddled our way along the cenote going in and out of small inlets infested with mosquitos, sadly, no turtles were to be seen but we did, hopefully, get some good pictures of us. From the canoes, it was on to our next port of call, the cenote, it was a short walk to the cenote where we dropped off our towels and went to the top of a small cliff. From the cliff, Frank dove into the see-through, glass like fresh water and swam over to the small dock to record us jumping off as a family but, as my parents were reluctant I jumped in and then they shortly followed as Frank reminded us it was all being recorded and there wasn’t a lot of space in the camera. We swam around for a while wearing snorkelling goggles provided by Frank and my parents sat on the steps on the dock letting those famous dead-skin eating fish have at it, this was free unlike the hundreds of people selling them at a high price in the malls etc. Might I also say, the cenote was all alone until we got there and another couple from the same tour company arrived, very secluded. I jumped off the cliff a few more times doing dives, staple dives and tricks before we headed back to the van ready for the next spot. Due to the weather, we couldn’t participate in the snorkelling we had planned out at Sea so we instead we chose to go to another cenote in a cave with stalactites and stalagmites (formed by the calcium and minerals in the earth) popping out of the ceiling and ground. It was an amazing trip in the cave and as we were snorkelling we saw everything underwater, it helped that Frank was a free diver meaning that when he dropped the camera to the bottom of a, relatively, shallow area he could just dive down and get it. Frank was great he knew when and where to take pictures of us and thanks to it being a Go Pro it didn’t matter where we were. We climbed up the ladder to ground level and caught the van to a restaurant where we had pre-ordered our lunch which was a four-course meal of local dishes, very nice food. 

Zip lining upside down across a cenote, turtles, 

canoeing in open cenote

1st cenote / cliff diving, fish pedicure

2nd cenote underground

3D Museum

Afterwards it was a short drive back to the hotel in time for a relaxing afternoon. Later in the evening we headed out in the hunt for sombreros after visiting the 3D Museum of Wonders full of optical illusions and photo opportunities for all of us, it was great fun. Sadly though, we didn’t find any sombreros that were “us” I guess you could say. Here are the seriously cringey photos of us. Viewer discretion is advised. I'm sorry in advance.

Me opening the bank to all my riches.

Mum the surfer chick.

Alice in wonderland, trippy, slidey scene.

Long way down.

Even longer way down.

Dad saving the day yet again.

Gotta go fast.

Dad and his poker.

Chilly.

Back at the hotel it was dinner time, beef filet and tomato soup, I nice way to end the full on, adventurous day. Tomorrow is our last half day in Mexico before we fly off to Dallas on a 3-hour flight landing at about 8 at night. Until then, goodbye.

Joseph Hewson