When things are bad they can only get better. The clouds parted finally and we have had sunshine for the past week, a small blessing but welcomed with open arms. After our bug ridden night on the beach just past Cuidad Del Carmen we rode onwards to the colourful city or Merida. There we spent our first night, as recommended to us by the Lonely Planet, at a hostel called Nomados. There we found some respite from the heat in a pool surrounded by palms, lounges and hammocks which we spent a lot of time in relaxing.
Come nighttime we retreated to our room which had three fans, three bunk beds and some lockers. Despite the fans and no windows it was hot as all buggery, so the next day we moved a couple of blocks away to the air conditioned Hostel Luna Nueva where we spent the next two nights. In Merida we picked up a part for the KLR which our wonderful sponsors M&M Motorsports had shipped to a local FedEx store. Once installed the KLR was up and running and now filtering oil as it was missing the oil filter bypass pin. Chris and Shaun road to some nearby cenotes and had them pretty much to themselves. For those who don't know what cenotes are, they are sinkholes that are filled with crystal clear water for the most part, or if you are Mayan they are portals to the underworld. Whichever definition you prefer, they are simply amazing and we'll worth a trip to see.
Leaving Merida we set off towards Tulum with a stop along the way at the Coba ruins incedentally, our first of the trip. It's amazing to think that a culture that hadn't invented the wheel built these towering stone pyramids in the middle of the bush. Climbing to the top provided a 360 degree view of the surrounding landscape which was thick forest as far as the eye could perceive. From there we pushed onwards and arrived in Tulum where we had booked a hostel that provided free bikes to pedal our way across town. Once unpacked we made or way to the beach for a dip. On arrival we were met with disappointment that the entire beach was covered in a thick layer of seaweed. Asking around we found that the entire Caribbean had been affected this year with copious amounts of it. With that realisation we hoped back on the bikes and went into town for some tucker. Mmm Mexican food is great and Mexican pizza is even better! The next day we changed hostels yet again in the never ending effort to save money. Packed and unpacked once more we set out to see the Grand Cenote. The name is well suited, it was quite grand and worth the $150 pesos to enter. Snorkeling in amongst cave systems, fish, and turtles is immensely fun, so much so that we spent 2 hours there.
Today Chris and Shaun went to Cancun to pick up Chris's passport and see a dentist to fix Shaun's tooth which looms good as new. Tomorrow we will be moving on to our last stop before Belize: Bacalar! See you there.
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