Our last stop

All that effort at Cancun on a borrowed laptop trying to get hotels confirmed for the last part of the trip proved to be a waste of time. The hotel in Merida was closed when we got there, while the hotel at Tulum - although everything it claimed on its website was a long way from town and even further from the beach. Found an alternative at the Posada del Sol - Italian owned, like many of the businesses here - which faced on to the beach and a funky room with a huge open bathroom. Naturally, the beach and cold beer beckoned - only a week until we are back in London - and our plans for an active afternoon were postponed. Great fish restaurant next door for dinner - although the prices are definitely Riviera Maya levels - have paid less for a meal in Nice!

Booked a trip into the Sian Ka'an Bisophere for Monday which turned out to be slightly less than wonderful - although the 30mins floating down a freshwater canal in the wetlands was one of the best parts of the whole trip! They also served us a great lunch, but the boat tour of the lagoons to see the wildlife was a challenge since it was done so fast that everything was frightened off and even included a collision with a mangrove tree - so that Linda ended up with a bruised head and the captain's tip went out the window!

Tulum is three locations - the Mayan Ruins on the coast, the beach community where we stayed and the town which has grown up on the highway - complete with all the usual brands. Headed to the town in the early evening for internet and dinner. Internet was a challenge - lost about an hour's work when the computer dropped its connection - which is why I am behind schedule with the blog! Thankfully dinner was great - restorative beer and real pizza in an Italian restaurant.

For our last day, we headed for the Mayan ruins - very different from the others we have seen - Tulum was a fortified coastal town which guarded one of the important sea routes and much more functional than the temple sites. Then we drove to Akumal bay - hoped to snorkel in the bay but it was too choppy, so we headed for the Lal-Ku lagoon - which is inland and quite shallow. Great place to swim and snorkel and watch fish although it was a little busy. Had also planned a visit to the caves at Aktun Chen but after 90 mins in the lagoon, we had had enough and headed back to the beach again.

Another great dinner in a spanish restaurant - best seafood paella for a long time and a floorshow during the meal which was billed as live music, but was mostly juggling and acrobatics, and surprisingly entertaining.