Five Side Trips from Cancun, Mexico

We love little week-end adventures, and last week-end Yankee and I decided to head to Cancun for some fun in the sun.  We needed a break from the cold weather and leaky roof.  Why stress over something when there is nothing we can do about it (at the moment)?  Instead, we headed to some sunshine and warm weather.  This was sort of a last minute trip.  After having fun in some snow and ice, we decided that we should go to Cancun and explore some of the history and culture there. We discovered that there are at least five side trips from Cancun to take in a week-end.

 

We flew into Cancun and had lots of points so that we could stay for free at a nice hotel for a few nights.  Our first night there, we stayed in Cancun and got up early the next morning and departed to visit the ruins of Tulum.

 

 

We rented a car and headed out on an easy drive through some small towns. Before we knew it, we were at Tulum.  These ruins were on the water and had some amazing views.  It was packed with tour buses due to its proximity to Cancun and Playa del Carmen.

 

 

After spending some time walking around and exploring Tulum, we got back in our car and drove around 45 minutes to the ruins of Coba.

 

 

 

Coba is quite large and very different from Tulum.  While Tulum is set on the water, Coba is more in the jungle and really spread out.  You can either rent the bicycles or get the bike taxi to take you around.  Otherwise you will be doing a lot of walking.  We opted to rent the bikes and enjoyed riding around to the different parts of the ruins.  Plus, they had bike parking so we could park our bikes and get closer to the ruins.

 

 

 

This is one of the ball courts at Coba.

 

 

After riding a little while, we came across this ruin that we could climb to the top.  They had a rope to help us climb.  It is hard to tell, but the stairs are steeper than they look, and this is also higher than it looks.

 

 

Saturday night we stayed in the charming town of Valladolid.  We really enjoyed the charm and colorful buildings in the town. We noticed a lot of tour buses also stopped in the town so we are glad it was on our itinerary.  They had a very vibrant town square, and we enjoyed relaxing in the warm weather and loved the view of this beautiful old church.

 

 

After dinner we walked around the square and noticed how pretty the church was at night.  We heard bells and then I noticed two brides.  I booked it across the street to get a better look.  One bride was coming out of the church and another bride was on the side waiting for her turn.

 

 

 

It was a tad windy, and her train was blowing in the wind.  It was really beautiful.  At that moment  all was right in the world, and I could feel the love in the air.  Something about a wedding just makes me smile.

 

 

 

Early on Sunday we hopped back in our car for the short drive to Chichen Itza.  This is one of the new Seven Wonders of the World.  The area opened at 8 am, and we were waiting at the gates.  If you ever go, it is a must to get there by 8 am.  You will get to see a lot more without all the people.  Plus, the vendors are not all set up yet, so you do not have to deal with them that early.

 

 

Walking around was amazing and breathtaking.  I see why it is a wonder, and I highly encourage you to put this on your list of things to see.

 

 

The age and history is unbelievable.  It’s fun to sit back and think about life years and years ago.

 

 

 

We broke down and bought a selfie stick before the trip.  While I think it is ridiculous looking, it was amazing how many people now own a selfie stick.  However, it worked out great to take our photo when no one was around.

 

 

Here is an up close of the serpents head and the carvings in the stone.

 

 

 

The craftsmanship was unreal especially when you think everything was done by hand.

 

 

Here’s an early view of Chichen Itza.

 

 

The last side trip of our weekend was the ruins of Ek Balam.  These were more “hands-on” so that we could really explore all the ruins.  Plus, they had one that we could climb to the top.  Here was the view from the top looking out to some of the other structures.

 

 

Those stairs do not look steep, but believe me they were.  I felt like a three-year-old going down one step at a time.  After exploring Ek Balam, we headed back to Cancun on Sunday and enjoyed the beach for a few hours before one more dinner in the warm air of Mexico.  Monday it was back to reality and the cold in Syracuse.

 

 

Do you like weekend getaways and if so what is your favorite?

 

 

Cheers!

 

 

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