Maya ruins and more good food

We rose early in order to make it an hour south to the Tulum ruins when they opened at 8am. Good call - the parking lot was practically empty and we enjoyed the grounds, the ruins, and especially the views with few other visitors. There were a few lizards poking their heads out and the colors of the sea are surreal. It’s disappointing that you can’t really climb on or through the ruins but we enjoyed them anyway. The hoards of visitors from Playa and Cancun were beginning to arrive as we headed out.



Big lizards on wall at left and peaking out on right:




We overcame a minor disappointment when Mike’s and my favorite breakfast spot in Tulum was closed (Azafran), but found another keeper, Rincón Poblano (just north of the bus station) - inexpensive and delicious:



Then we headed west to the ruins of Cobá. I was surprised how many people were there but I loved the jungly setting and you can scramble around and climb the ruins to your heart’s content.






From the top of the big temple:


And from the bottom:


Some little friends:



From there we headed back to Tulum to 3 spots Mike and I enjoyed last summer, first to a popular locals’ spot called El Camello (the camel) for shrimp tacos:



Then to a cool produce market:


and a neighborhood grocery for cilantro, lime, bananas, avocados, chips, beans, and salsa for dinner before heading back to our comfy resort. Happy trails!