Tulum, Mexico

Tulum. A welcome escape from the metropolis that is Cancún and our last stop in Mexico.

A local taco joint just down the road from us became a quick favourite and our dinner spot for three nights in a row. Don't fix what ain't broke and all that. This place was rammed every night and rightly so. Night one involved naive amounts of red chilli saucing, which quickly left us all with numb tongues, mouths and lips! Lesson learnt that this chilli sauce was not to be messed with and substantially less amounts were used on following nights.

Like Valladolid, Tulum is well known for its cenotes so our newfound gang were keen to check these out. Armed with free bicycles from our hostel, we took on a good 20km ride on a mixture of cycle paths and genuine highways, out to Cenote Dos Ojos. Whether we were really allowed to be cycling on what was essentially a shoulder of a dual carriageway/main highway remains unknown but we made it there and back unharmed, the only casualty being Scott's chain coming off when he cycled too hard trying to race a truck. Boys!

Cenote Dos Ojos was a bit more on the commercial side so we found ourselves being roped into doing a tour as we would only be able to visit a small portion of the cenote on our own. The others had intended to dive the cenote but it turned out to only be 8-9m at its deepest points so it wasn't really worth it. So snorkels and fins were donned, along with wetsuits for us girls. This cenote was completely different again to the others Mike and I had already visited. Instead of being wide and open and just one pool, it was almost completely covered, you could touch the ceiling with your hand (or smack it with your head as we all did a few times) and it was a borderline maze at times. It quickly became apparent why we needed a guide. We were each given a torch to use underwater as well because most of the cave was really dark. The tour itself was probably a bit more express than we would've liked, but the water was insanely clear and we all enjoyed snorkelling around and looking at the various different formations of the cave. One portion was rightly called bat cave, with many tiny little bats hanging in the ceiling crevices - all only about the size of the palm of your hand. Crazy!

Not learning from our excessive sweating on the first day of exercise in 28 degree heat, the team ventured out for a 6km M.E.R.C to the beach. Mount Eden Running Club doesn't have a great history, dating back to our Auckland days. Usually a boys running club that frequently involves multiple members breaking down or bowing out mid-run for some reason or another, this run was no different. Clearly adding girls into the mix only added to these statistics. Cat tripped over and grazed her hand and leg, followed shortly after by me bowing out due to a combination of a lingering cold and my tight IT band playing up yet again. Before long the heat got to us all and we walked the last km to the beach together. A swim was much needed by the time us sweaty messes arrived, so we spent a good half an hour in the sea, body-surfing the waves and playing with a waboba ball. The water here is so warm but still refreshing at the same time, so nice!

Post-swim the realisation set in that we needed a way home again, so Cat, Rich and I took a taxi via the supermarket to get lunch for the team while Mike and Scott braved the brutal heat of the day to run another 6km home again. Nutters.

Rich is an avid NFL follower so when we saw a couple of bars were going to be playing the Super Bowl final, we decided we'd lock it in as a Sunday afternoon activity. A few beersies and a couple of drunk weirdos at neighbouring tables made for some interesting side entertainment whilst trying to grasp the rules of a game I haven't watched probably since visiting family in the US 11 years ago. Of course the others were supporting the underdogs, but considering my family live in New England I thought I'd better support the Patriots too. And what a comeback it was!

Mexico has been an awesome country to explore. So much culture, great food, some wicked scenery and natural wonders to hang out in, not to mention the stunning white sand beaches. Definitely would recommend it for a visit. Next up, country number 40 for me! We're heading to Belize - Caye Caulker island to be exact. Can't have a break from island life for too long right?Read more