Riviera Maya

El Templo del Viento.

There are two things I love to see when we travel: the ocean and ancient ruins. The Riviera Maya in Mexico has them both. 

El Templo del Viento, or Temple of the Wind, is an iconic Mayan fortress that is part of a larger archeological complex in Tulum. It is perched on a clifftop above the turquoise-blue Caribbean Sea. After years of dreaming, it was finally our turn visit this surreal destination. 

The route to this pre-Columbian walled city can only be obtained by walking. After running a gauntlet of aggressive solicitors trying to sell us to use “their” parking lot, we eased into a stall and paid 100 pesos. 

The paved pedestrian path was lined with a handful of hawkers, but mostly beautiful palm trees. We chose to walk, but some rented bicycles and whizzed past us. 

A colony of coatis.

Near the entrance of the site we found a colony of coatis loitering about, rummaging for any food they could find. This is an animal I had never seen before. It seems to be a cross between a raccoon and a monkey, with a long black-ringed tail that points straight to the sky. I'm sure they were well-fed from all the tourists that gawk at them day after day. 

The ruins at Tulum are from the Mayan culture. It was one of the last cities built before the entrance of the Europeans, and it is surmised that it was inhabited for at least 70 years after the Spanish began occupying Mexico. 

Temple of the Frescoes.

An iguana hanging out on the ruins.

We entered the gate of the walled city and the first thing to catch our attention were all the iguanas. They were everywhere! They crawled on the ruins of the ancient buildings and in the grass that grew around them. Their gray-scaled skin camouflaged well with the crumbling walls. The giant lizards tended to steal the show from the 1,000-year old structures. 

Although the ancient city of Tulum isn't considered a major town by Mayan standards, it was still very impressive. The walled-village included several palaces, houses, towers, temples and platforms. One such building is the famed castle, a pyramid-like structure in typical Mayan fashion. 

The characteristic that sets Tulum apart, however, is its proximity to the sea. 

El Castillo, overlooking the Caribbean Sea.

We finally made it to the edge of the cliff where the light-blue sea shimmered below. A sandy beach sat inside a small cove and thin white waves rolled in. Above the cove, atop a precipice of gray rocks, sat the Temple of the Wind, enjoying a majestic view and inhaling the scent of the sea that blew across its sacred walls. 

I must mention here that one must not confuse Tulum, the archeological site, with Tulum the modern city, which is a ten-minute drive inland. I will blog about the city of Tulum later. 

Iguanas everywhere!

The Riviera Maya is a 70-mile stretch along the eastern coast of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, beginning at Puerto Morelos and extending all the way south to Punta Allen. I will admit that our experience of the Riviera Maya was limited to the area around Tulum. 

Just south of the archeological site was Santa Fe Beach, which was the first place we dipped our toes in the sea. For December, the water wasn't too bad, but not as warm as the Andaman Sea in Thailand. I spent time wading in the water and diving into the waves while Jenelle sat on the sand and soaked up the sun.

Las Palmas Beach.

Supposedly, the entire coast in this area is open to the public. The problem is access. If you're thinking of popular beaches in California that come with a parking lot for 200 cars . . . forget it. Here, parking comes alongside a narrow road wherever you can find it. And if you park with your tire touching the pavement, you might get a ticket—at least that's what we were told by the Mexicans on the street conducting traffic. Once we squeezed into a narrow spot, they said they would “keep an eye on our car” . . . for 100 pesos! 

Our next evening we went a little further south to Las Palmas Beach. We made it just before dusk and had fun watching people. We quickly learned that we were the oldest and whitest people on the entire beach! Jenelle wandered to a small cove away from the crowds and found two large conch shells. 

Entrance to Santa Fe Beach.

Our goal was to make it to the beach at least once a day, and that we did. Our next visit brought us back to Playa de Santa Fe where we paid $45 each for a snorkeling tour. We put on life jackets, boarded a fishing boat and rode out to a reef that was a couple thousand feet off shore. Then we spent the next hour swimming with turtles, stingrays and schools of small fish. That was about right for me since that last time I went snorkeling I got sea-sick and had to sit out the last hour. 

One question I had before I came to Mexico was if the Caribbean Sea was always so blue? The answer (during our short week) was mostly yes. Especially if the sun was shining brightly. As it became close to sunset, the turquoise-blue transformed into a dark blue, with hints of green. 

Just another day's work.

We returned to the beach on our final night in Mexico, but this time to a different location further south called Playa Mirador. We found a thin strip of sand with a domed rock outcropping on the south side.

By the time we got there the sun was already low, but the air still very warm. A gentle breeze blew from the sea, sending a salty aroma overhead. 

The mood was very relaxing. A group of foreigners sat lazily on the sand and talked while one softly strummed a guitar. Others climbed the rock dome and then sat and watched the waves come in. Herons perched on a nearby rock. 

Two young brown-skinned brothers played in the shallow water, pushing each other and teasing. A mother washed her bare-naked toddler in the waves while the little girl cried and screamed. It brought a smile to my face. 

The sea was no longer turquoise-blue. It was too late in the day. Now it was a deep sapphire. 

Jenelle and I found a spot on the soft sand to lay down our towels. I was so tired that it felt good to rest on the towel and listen to waves come in and snippets of Spanish conversation. The breeze felt good.

Sunset over the Riviera Maya.

As the sun inched closer to the horizon behind us and the sparse clouds in the sky began to change color, the evening air continued to be comfortably warm. I opened my eyes and watched terns play on the water. 

Now that their deity had disappeared, many sun-worshipers picked up their towels and packed up, now walking to their cars. Not us. We were enjoying the evening too much to pack up just yet.

Jenelle and I sat on towels, watching the people and waves while making short conversation to each other. This would be our last time on the beach for a while. You see, we are desert-dwellers and an escapade like this doesn't come often. And . . . it just happened to be our 25th wedding anniversary, which only comes once! ♥