Spanish Language Blog

Well, it’s been a fun couple of months sharing stories and videos from my trip to Mexico with everyone here on the Transparent Spanish blog. Before I say “adiós”, here’s a little wrap-up of my trip, with some basic information and links to my previous posts in sequential order.

For those of you hoping to take a similar trip to Mexico, I highly recommend it. Don’t get caught up in all of the media hype about how it’s such a scary, violent country. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – Mexico certainly has its problems, but there are plenty of places to visit that are perfectly safe. Plus, it being 2012, there’s no better time to get out and explore the culture and history of the Mayans! In case you were wondering how we went about our trip, here are the details:

Duration: We were in Mexico for just about two weeks. One week was spent traveling around, and the other was spent in Puerto Morelos for the Mayan Holidaze music festival.

Itinerary: As our time was limited and there was a lot that we wanted to do, we really crammed a lot into one week. This is what we did: one day in Cancun, one day at Chichen Itza, two days in Valladolid (which included a trip out to Ek Balam), two days in Tulum, and then two days in Playa del Carmen before heading to the resort.

A map of our Mexico itinerary.

Transportation: We flew into Cancun, which has an international airport that connects to many cities in the US. On the way in we came from Chicago, and on the way out we flew into Dallas. In terms of getting around, we relied on the ADO buses. They were a reliable, economical, and comfortable way to get around, and we never had a single issue. We usually booked tickets a few hours in advance, but you probably wouldn’t have any problems simply walking in and catching the next bus. Stations are usually very centrally located, making it easy to walk to your hotel/hostel, which brings us to…

Accommodation: During our week-long trip running around the Riviera Maya and the Yucatan, we stayed mainly in hostels. In Cancun, we stayed at the Mayan Hostel, which was cheap and very convenient with friendly owners who cooked up a tasty free breakfast.

Near the ruins at Chichen Itza, we spent a night in the Delores Alba hotel, which has a nice little pool and great food.

Next up we stayed in the very quaint hostel La Candelaria in Valladolid. With a nice garden area that included hammocks and an outdoor kitchen with free breakfast, it was a great place to stay for a few nights.

Peaceful garden area at La Candelaria.

We then headed to Tulum, where we stayed in town at the Mama’s Home, which was more like a B&B than a hostel. Our spacious, private room was very reasonably priced, we were once again treated to a delicious, free hot breakfast, and they had nice bicycles available for rent.

Finally, in Playa del Carmen, we stayed at the Hostel Rio. Aside from a central location and a rooftop bar that provided free drinks for a few hours every night, it was nothing to write home about. Great if you’re looking to party all night long, but pretty awful if you actually want to get some sleep.

Of course, the highlight of the trip when it came to accommodations was the Now Sapphire resort in Puerto Morelos. For budget travel purposes, however, the rest of our trip was very reasonably priced and quite comfortable.

After a week of hosteling, this resort was beyond amazing.

Activities: Before dancing in the sand and taking advantage of all-inclusive accommodations, we did our best to get out and do as much as we could with the one week that we had. Our focus was exploring as much of the Mayan ruins as possible, and I’d say we were pretty successful –  we visited Chichen Itza, Ek Balam, and Tulum.

It's no wonder this is a New 7th Wonder of the World.

In Valladolid, we wandered the streets and stopped in a few of the colonial churches. We also took a dip in one of the cenotes, which had a rope swing and a nice ledge to jump off. In Tulum, we rode along the beautiful coast on bikes, stopping to sunbathe, swim, and eat. A trip to the Grand Cenote was a great way to beat the heat of the afternoon, and we spent our evenings in town eating, drinking, and being merry.

Grand Cenote in Tulum.

After such a busy couple of days, we didn’t do much in Playa but lounge on the beach, stroll along 5th Avenue to do some window shopping, and sample the nightlife a bit.

Cost: Since we flew in all the way from Beijing, our flight was the biggest expense, followed by the admission to the festival. As far as our week of exploring, it really didn’t put much of a dent in the old wallet. Bus tickets, hostel rooms, and local food were all quite cheap. Admission tickets to the ruins and cenotes were not too much, and in Chichen Itza we even got an amazing guide for a very reasonable price. Basically, if you’re alright with hostels, street food, and not going crazy in the big overpriced bars and clubs, you can swing a Mexico trip on a pretty tight budget.

In case you missed out on any of the stories from my trip, here they are in the order in which they were posted:

Overview

Cancun

Chichen Itza

Valladolid

Ek Balam

Tulum Ruins

Tulum Beach and Cenote 

Playa del Carmen

As for the videos, you can find all of my travel vids, plus a ton of informative Spanish lessons all on our YouTube page. Here are my two personal favorites:

A tour of Chichen Itza.

Wandering through the incredible ruins of Tulum.

Once again, I’d like to say a big “muchos gracias” to Transparent Language for giving me the chance to share my stories and videos, and of course to the wonderful readers who have made our page such a success. If you’re like me and your Spanish is basically non-existent, you’re advised to check out all of the resources that we have to help you learn Spanish. If you have any questions or comments about my trip to Mexico, feel free to leave them here. Adiós amigos!

One of the best preserved Mayan cities, the ruins at Tulum are a fascinating place to visit. With stunning views of the Caribbean Sea and incredible Mayan architecture and artwork, a day spent here is a day well spent on any trip to Mexico.

From Valladolid and Ek Balam, we jumped back on the ADO bus bound for Tulum. It was a short and comfortable ride, as the public transportation of Mexico once again delivered. Arriving in Tulum in the evening, we made our way to our hostel in the town. While there are plenty of fantastic beach side resorts in Tulum, we opted for the more economical Mama’s Home, a quaint little hostel owned by a local family. With a nice, big private room, a delicious free breakfast, and bicycles for rent, it was a great base for exploring the area. We strolled along the main strip and grabbed some dinner and drinks before calling it an early night.

Arriving at the archaeological zone of Tulum.

The next morning, we headed out on bikes to pay a visit to the ruins of Tulum. Located on the East Coast of the Yucatán, this is one of the best preserved cities of the Maya. Situated along the Caribbean Sea atop 12-meter (39 feet) tall cliffs, Tulum was a walled city that served as a major port for Cobá. Even after the Spanish occupation in Mexico, Tulum managed to survive for a solid 70 years or so. It’s believed that diseases brought by the Spanish colonists led to the demise of this great Maya city.

The name Tulum means “fence,” “wall,” or “trench” in Mayan, and the walls around the city helped to defend against invaders. With easy access to both sea and land routes, Tulum was also an important trading hub in Mayan civilization. These days, it’s an incredibly popular tourist destination, as busloads of tour groups show up daily from the neighboring resort cities of Cancun and Playa del Carmen. If you hope to beat the groups and the heat, it’s best to stay in Tulum and arrive at the ruins first thing in the morning.

Exploring the ancient city makes for a relaxing morning, as the site is not too big – it can comfortably be covered on foot in an hour or so. With the turquoise waters of the Caribbean and a white sandy beach as a backdrop, it’s certainly the most picturesque of the Mayan ruins in Mexico. Visitors are free to wander the grounds on their own accord, and knowledgeable tour guides are also available for hire.

Perfect postcard views at Tulum.

El Castillo

Within the city walls are a number of impressive structures, all displaying the wonder of Mayan architecture and art. The main structure sits on the edge of the cliff overlooking the Sea. Known as “El Castillo” (the Castle), this most likely served as a landmark for sailors. It was originally covered in stucco and painted red, and it served as both a temple and a fortress. Standing beside the Castle, we were treated to magnificent views of the Caribbean, stretching out as far as the eyes could see. If you’re so inclined, you can even head down to the beach and take a dip.

Many carvings of the Mayan “diving god” or “descending god” can be found throughout the site, including above the doorway of the Temple of the Frescoes. This figure, which appears to have bird’s wings and a tail, is believed to represent a Mayan deity who protected the people. The temple was used by the Maya as an observatory for tracking the movements of the sun.

Temple of the Frescoes

Temple of the Descending God and El Castillo

Sunbathing lizards

Another important structure at Tulum that depicts this figure is the “Templo del Dios Descendente” (Temple of the Descending God). If you’re curious as to why this figure is named the “Descending God,” it’s because he is always depicted with his feet in the air, as if he is descending from the sky. Inside of the temple are murals that depict both heaven and earth.

With stunning scenery, incredible architecture, and tons of history, Tulum should be high atop anyone’s list who is planning a trip to Mexico. In addition to the ruins of this ancient Mayan city, there’s plenty more to do in the area. It’s well developed for tourism, but not in excess (see Cancun and Playa del Carmen). In our two-week trip around the Mayan Riviera and the Yucatán, Tulum was hands down our favorite stop. With beautiful beaches, a variety of bars and restaurants, plenty of opportunities for fun in the water, and of course, the rich culture and history of the ruins, it really is hard to beat as a vacation destination.