My legs are covered in bed bug and mosquito bites and I´ve been awake since 4 this morning because Jay and I missed our bus stop in Tulum and ended up in Playa del Carmen. But really what do I have to complain about? We sat on an abandoned coral sand beach and watched the sunrise over the azul Carribean Sea.

The last few days in Mexico have been wonderful albeit itchy. The day after we got to Merida we took a bus with a fellow Canadian from our hostel in Merida to Cuzama. The bus ride was followed by a bici-taxi ride and then a horse drawn cart on rails set in a dirt path to the Tres Cenotes.

The cenotes were breathtaking. Crystal clear, kool-aid blue water in a cave! As soon as I was in the water and swimming around I couldn´t stop yelping with simultaneous joy and fear. We´ll post those photos and more as soon as we´re back in the U.S. with our laptop.

The next day, Friday, we missed our tour to the Ruta Puuc ruins but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise because it rained off and on all day. We did catch it on Saturday and saw five ruin sites just south of Ticul, where my grandparents lived for 30 or so years. Xlapak, Labna, Sayil, Kabah and Uxmal, the last of which is truly elegant and awe-inspiring. I´ve been lucky enough to see most of these on my previous trips to the Yucatan when I was 5 and 18 years old but it was awesome to be with Jay on his virginal excursion into the ruins. And no one got sacrificed!

Now we are at our intended destination of Tulum at a backpacker´s hostel, very close to the ruins, mingling with folks from all over the world. It´s packed, for what reason I do not know, although Carnival is this week, so that could be why... Well, I gotta pee, so farewell.

-Janet