We arrived in Tulum downtown and immediately caught a cab for a place that Benny, Caroline & Tom knew near the beach.

We arrive to find it booked out and instead head back to where we saw some restaurants with accommodation nearby. We drop bags with Caroline and all do separate recons on accom prices ... 

A lot are very steep - what happened to Lonely Planets 'Backpacker Haven' description?!

We decide on Zahar - an open plan rustic chic place that backs right into the point (which is unfortunately a hill and interrupts the view & airflow!).

Upstairs has a queen bed for Tom and Caroline downstairs has a set of bunks and another queen bed suspended from the ceiling with ropes! All are covered with mosquito nets.  

The bathroom is also part of this room and sectioned off with bamboo that is not entirely of blackout quality and does not go to the ceiling - lucky we're all friends here now!  The bathtub looks like it was stolen from the toboggan ride and there's no shower head - just a hose style one coming from the tap.

For $100 a night total it's good enough though! 

We throw our bags in and head straight down to the beach for a swim ... 2 small picturesque coves are less then 10 metres from our backdoor.

That night we have a delicious dinner of 'fish tacos' across from our hotel. It's quiet season so we only see a handful of other diners.

I have a terrible nights sleep as there's no fans (electricity goes out all over town at 11pm anyway), and the mosquito net is so tight around the bed that it starts suffocating me during the night and think the Mosquitos were biting me through it as my arms and feet were up against it!

I awake about 4am and go outside to cool down and admire the beautiful stars outside - so bright with no light around town!

I try to sleep again but as I can't I instead get up to watch the sunrise and take loads of photos!

By the time it was peaking above the horizon, there were another 5 people also siting on the beach enjoying it with me! (Seems I wasn't the only one having trouble sleeping!).

I went for a swim after, then a walk down the main street, then for a walk to the next beach.

Still noone was up when I returned so went for breakfast on the ocean and used the wifi to upload photos to Facebook to make you all jealous!!!

I ran into the others on my way back and joined them at another cafe.

We made plans for the day, deciding on Grand Cenote and the Tulum Ruins.

We did them all by cab which seem to cost mostly $5 everywhere!

The Grand Cenote was gorgeous and exceeded my expectations (mostly as I had no idea what they were?!).

It's the entrance to an underground river and as it's made of limestone the water is a beautiful blue and stalactites and stalagmites abound!

They can be dived or snorkelled, but with my asthmas I stuck with the former. (Tom dove and said it was incredible!).

We then stopped in downtown Tulum after for lunch and chores, then did the ruins late arvo (although it was still stinking hot!!!).

Unlike other ruins where it's all about the history, Tulum was all about the location! 

I mean yes they are incredible at 1600 years old and a former Mayan village but the grounds were so meticulously maintained that it looked like a golf course, and the ruins themselves are roped off.

The most beautiful thing about the sight is the incandescent blue water of the Caribbean which makes the backdrop to most photos.  It is seriously stunning!

We went for a swim after on a white wide sandy beach that was a short walk from the ruins.

Drinks in the arvo at the same place I had breakfast - a photo on the wall taken from a magazine shows Jude Law & Sienna Miller canoodling there -  hey if the place was good enough for them I suppose it was good enough for me!

More mexican and margaritas at another place opposite our hotel, where mosquitos that were undeterred by our DEET and extra layer of spray, in turn fed on us. 

Dinner was followed by a couple of free tequilas shots given to our table - both polished off by me as no one else could drink them!

I slept better that night (you'd hope so wouldn't you?!)

I did awake at one point though, ( hot and scratching my mosquito bites), to see someone walk past outside with a torch.

I then got paranoid as we were on ground floor and both the front and back doors were wide open!

I tried to get back to sleep telling myself it was just security but awoke to a noise a short time later ...

I'd swapped with Benny and was now in the swinging queen and someone was walking past it with a torch!

Without thinking I opened the mosquito net, blocked their path and yelled, 'HEY!'.

Caroline screamed and I think mid block it dawned on me it might be her or Tom coming down to use the toilet  - what the f%#k am I doing!!!!

Very funny! So yes it was the reason and explained to her what happened to lead me to that point.

Benny half woken by the commotion says something random and unrelated to us then goes back to sleep (I won't rely on him to guard the place).

Caroline joins me peering out the window and we spot the guy with the torch again - watch  him for a bit but just conclude he works there, leave the doors wide open as it's stinking hot and go back to bed.

We wake up late for the free included yoga but go anyway.  The guy in reception is useless - tells us he's not sure where it is and if it's on. 

He sends us away then grabs us again as he's found someone who knows something.

We arrive 20 minutes late and the instructor Muriel is waiting alone.

We apologise and she starts the class for the 2 of us - it's easy which is good as I'm tense and sore again!

After we wait for Benny ... He's gone MIA after an early morning trip into town to see the travel agent about flights to Cuba. He comes back almost 3 hours later and thankfully with tickets, so Caroline & Tom don't neck him for making us late to rendezvous with their contacts in Puerto Morales.

We catch a cab back to Tulum town centre, a shuttle to Playa Del Carmen then change to another Cancun bound shuttle, and get off on the highway near Puerto Morales ... Another cab to Pousada Amor and our mission is complete!

We are an hour late for our rendezvous with Caroline's contact (a friend of a friend who is dating a local tour guide).

All is good though as there's a message for us to meet her boyfriend, Paz at the pier at 3pm.

We have some lunch first then head over to meet him.

He and another guide take us and one other out for a snorkelling tour only 10 minutes ride from the shore.

We see a great variety of fish and many really large ones.  

We see another nurse shark but to me looked more like the reef shark as was maybe 4ft and larger then the ones in Belize.

We also see a turtle on the way back to the boat.

After we meet his girlfriend Lu and her friend who is visiting from England, and have a drink with them.

Cab after back to Playa Del Carmen.