It’s our final morning at the seaside, which we celebrate by sleeping until 6. Cleo even sleeps until 7, which means that Tim goes alone for a sunrise walk at the beach. What a life!
We have breakfast and a hard time to wait until 9 before we jump into the pool, as we don’t want to wake other guest too early. We also go for a final kayak trip, snorkeling tour (despite the hard wind which results in only 1 meter sight under water – we still see many fish), and then we pack our bags and clean the appartement to leave the seaside which we enjoyed despite the hard wind in the past days.
We leave for a 1 hour drive to the Coba ruins, one of the biggest and most powerful city states in the northern Yucatán area before 600 AD. Just like Tulum, Coba was also abandoned at the time the Spanish conquered the peninsula around 1550.
It’s a short walk through a forest before we see the first piramide which reminds us straight away of Apocalypto, a movie we saw about the Maya times, and where the Maya elite beheaded men at the top, and the skulls rolled down the many steps. Not very nice, but practices that did happen here. There are also nice stone enscriptions, some skull stones and some tunnels which the children enjoy running through.
Olga and the kids spot cargobikes that would fit the three of them. They do not hesitate for a second and let themselves been driven through the jungle since the site is very spread out.
Tim walks as he has to get his 10,000 steps a day. The site has two Mayan ball fields, a palace, a watch tower and several pyramids. At one far ends lies Ixmoja, this 45 meter high pyramid is among the highest on the Yucatan peninsula. Tim catches up with Olga and the kids and they see each other one more time at the big watch tower. Tim walks to the other end where there are more steles and buildings. The rest go to the exit and get an ice cream.
It’s another hour drive to our new apartment in Valladolid. It’s in a small gated community and we have a small private pool in our garden and two big ones in the communal garden. What a luxury! We go grocery shopping so we have enough food for the coming days. When we’re back it’s time to enjoy the pool, cool off, eat some pasta and get ready for bed.