Tulum

Highlights:

• Ancient Mayan ruins right on the beach. Breathtaking! They understood a lot about constellations: they built their pyramids, observatories, palaces and other buildings in such a way as to keep certain stars visible, or so that the sun would rise and set between certain pillars, etc... Fascinating. 
• Tulum the town was our absolute favorite: there were restaurants and shops but it was the most authentic town with the fewest gringos. Great vibe and really kind people. 
• Party busses: imagine a bus with flashing neon lights and blasting Mexican traditional music going down the street! Hilarious! Pictures didn't turn out. :( 
• Our hotel room take 2 (see lowlights) was an apartment that was bigger than what we live in today... and with TWO FULL BATHROOMS right next to each other. That's what I call a vacation!
• At "Carmen", with some tongs you go around the bakery grabbing whatever baked goods you want. All for pennies!

 (pictured below: a little "restaurant" where you can find simple delicious home cooked dishes)

 (bread deliveries early in the morning--with a horn!)

Lowlights:

• We got to the archaeological site so late in the day that we had to rush through it before they closed. 
• We got lost trying to find our hotel (which was supposed to be in a bio reserve--a rustic cabana right on the beach) so we had to abandon that idea and find another. Luckily, there was a vacancy, but it was an apartment. Since the woman didn't take visa, she had to take 250 pesos less than she wanted because all we had was cash.