Water, wheels and a wedding

We were both really excited to be back in familiar territory when we crossed from Belize into Mexico. I think in some ways we wondered if the reason we liked Mexico so much a few years ago was because it was at the very beginning of our trip and we would have been excited about traveling anywhere. But this doubt was put to rest when we reconnected with friendly welcoming locals, beautifully diverse landscapes, flavorful food and mouth-watering pastry shops.

We spent our first few days in Tulum, a town on the western coast of the Yucatan that was built up around a fortress of Mayan ruins of the same name. One of the highlights of our time there was renting bikes to get ourselves around. The wheels wobbled from side to side with every rotation and I wasn't sure if I was going to still have both pedals by the time we returned the single speed cruisers, but it was an awesome way to get around a conveniently flat town with wide shoulders and even some multi-use paths. One of our rides took us to Gran Cenote, an incredible fresh water aqua pool in a stalactite-filled cave that opened up to beams of sunlight streaming down. Sea life was not the focus of this snorkeling trip, but swimming through the geological formations was unlike anything we had ever experienced.

The next morning we woke up well before sunrise, put on our headlamps and biked along the deserted highway to the ocean side of the Tulum ruins. We walked along the beach until we found a comfortable outcropping of rocks where we could sit, enjoy some Mexican breakfast rolls and attempt to watch the sunrise. The sky certainly got lighter, but there were too many clouds for a clear sunrise. Because we got such an early start to the day, we avoided the hordes of tour groups that surfaced later in the day and were first in line to enter the famous ruins situated on rocky cliffs overlooking the aqua sea below. Although the craftsmanship and size of these ruins were not as impressive as Chichanitza or Tikal, the backdrop of crashing waves below certainly added to the majesty.

From our backpacker accommodations in Tulum, we left bright and early for Playa del Carmen where we would be living in style for the next three days at the all-inclusive resort that our good friends Erik and Katie had selected as the location for their wedding. It took a little while for us to get used to our beautiful air-conditioned room, people waiting on us, and eating and drinking whenever and wherever we wanted. But we managed. Although devoid of any local culture, it was a wonderful couple of days of reconnecting with old friends and meeting new ones. Erik and Katie have already heard this a number of times, but we were so excited to discover how cool all of their friends and family are. On any given morning after walking a few steps down the beach, we would find a group familiar face, pull up some lounge chairs, strike up a conversation and enjoy the day. Along with playing in the waves and getting drinks from the swim-up pool bar, we enjoyed learning to sail a four-person catamaran, a night of karaoke, a bonfire on the beach, and of course a beautiful wedding that so perfectly represented our two dear friends. It was a wonderful end to an amazing month of travel.