December 2020
Swimming with and amongst pelicans is one of the highlights of our stay here, in Akumal. We encounter turtles and stingray in the ocean too but it is the pelicans that steal the show!
Akumal is a very small town South of Cancun, between Playa del Carmen and Tulum. Despite its location, squeezed between highly populated tourist enclaves, Akumal has more of a laid back feel to it. If there is any traffic, it is that found between plunging pelicans competing for landing rights on the surface of the ocean in the tranquil cove.
The “Flower of the Water” cenote
We carefully select our next cenote from amongst the myriad cenotes within easy driving distance of Akumal. We choose one that is off the beaten path, somewhere between Akumal and Tulum.
One turn off the main road and we make our way along bumpy, dusty roads, going deeper into the jungle.
Our destination: the Flower of the Water cenote, because it is open and fairly small. Upon arrival, a sleepy “attendant” points to a small stack of life jackets. The life jackets are required, not because the cenote is deep, it is not, it is fairly shallow. The life jackets are to help protect the underwater plant world and the fish which are abundant here by keeping humans on the surface of the cenote. We walk along a small path which winds through the lush foliage.
At the cenote’s edge, we take in the reflection of the trees, rocks and the sky on the surface of the water; the lime green tropical water lily pads that cover most of the cenote; the iridescent water ~ where jewel tones are abundant. We have the place to ourselves. We sit for quite a while at the water’s edge absorbing all this, beauty, unaware of the underwater world that awaits us.
I put my snorkel gear on and gently push off into the cenote’s translucent waters, head down. Sunlight pours through the water, magnifying the colors and shapes of this unusual plant world and of the fish which float by. I feel as though I am in some kind of magic underwater dream world.
The surface of the water and the visuals of the forest that grows below it, are starkly different. Underwater, the sunlight shines through, creating a luminous quality all around. It feels ethereal to be floating above this world and looking down into it. The stalks of the lily pads are long and elegant. The fish seem surprised to see us and swim by curiously. Most of them are a golden orange color. The goddess of water in the Mayan world, Ixazalvoh, surely had her hand in creating this beautiful underwater forest.
Yal Ku lagoon
Akumal is known for two things primarily; the turtles which hatch annually at a nearby beach and the Yal Kul Lagoon.
Yal Kul is an inland lagoon that connects to the Caribbean. Fresh water from many of the surrounding cenotes escapes to the sea, via the lagoon. The result is a calm waterway that creates a natural estuary full of both fresh and salt water in an area no deeper than ten feet. This unique eco system of brackish water, allows two populations of fish, fresh and salt water fish, to cohabit. It therefore makes for an ideal snorkeling site.
Our digs. A condo with an ocean view!
You may recall that just over a year ago we were still using our Sri Lankan house as a place to gain home exchange credits and also as Airbnb hosts. Even though we have now closed the Sri Lankan chapter of our Green Global Trek, and have moved out of our Sri Lankan home, we still have home exchange credits from that time period. We were living in Viet Nam while travelers used our jungle nest to base their own Sri Lankan adventures. Now we are about to reap a week’s worth of those home exchange credits here in Akumal.
By the end of the week, we are not ready to move on and so we write to the owners and luckily they are fine with extending our stay a few more days. We are so enjoying this region that we want more time. This is why we enjoy a slow pace of travel and ideally having the flexibility to keep going and extend when a place really resonates with us. And in addition, our car has given up on us and is at the mechanic for a few days. We consider flying back to Oaxaca and dumping our car, for a brief few moments… Nah, still so much more we want to see and do, and we know we will appreciate having our Art Gallery on Wheels back at home base in Oaxaca once we end our road trip. So we deal with another round of mechanics and it just is what it is….
The bed faces the ocean, as does the couch. It’s cozy, functional and tranquil.
It also has an unusual art collection of crosses on one of the walls… Different sizes, from tiny to large, to different colors and a variety of materials such as wood, metal, ceramic. One of our favorites is the Frida Kahlo one….
After our fill of nature and the string of cenotes, we will be heading out to some of the smaller archaeological sites in the area and hope to expand our understanding of the Maya world.
We are currently at our current home base on the coast of Oaxaca in our long term Airbnb here. We are still catching up on this epic road trip at the end of 2020, which generated more content than we had time to write about during the trip itself.
Stay tuned….
The video of swimming with the pelicans is brilliant. The sounds of them hitting the water took me back to several trips in Mexico. On one occasion we were stand up paddle boarding with a massive flock. Most of them were resting nearby then I must have gotten a bit too close and they all took off in unison. The sound of their wings all around me was astounding.
The cenote swimming looks blissful. So peaceful. I can definitely see why you would want to extend your stay in the area.
So glad that you enjoyed the video fo the plopping pelicans and that it brought back your own good memories. We were transfixed watching them, and also stood very still so as not to bother their “back and fros”…
Two beautiful cenotes, one being the lagoon area, a beautiful beach and a comfy condo with an ocean view. Doesn’t get much better.. and we have learnt to stay when we love a place rather than rushing off to the next location. Although mind you, the next spot was equally beautiful. Coming up soon.
Peta
Love all the water photos – the ocean, the cenotes, the lagoon. So absolutely breathtaking.
So happy that you have enjoyed all our ocean lagoon and cenote photos. It was such a plethora of beauty to take in….
Peta
Marvelous post, Peta and Ben. From pelicans to cenotes to yoga on the beach…you are loving life. Thanks for the great photos and lively storytelling.
Thank you Jane for such kind words! We ARE loving life. Glad to know it shows….!
By this stage, all our car woes from earlier on and present were really just a hiccup for us compared with all the beauty and natural wonders.
Peta
What glorious experiences.
Thank you Peggy, we really enjoyed every minute of this stop.
Peta
I was thinking about our pelicans, which are quite large, and I wouldn’t get too close to them. You did very well. What a beautiful place to stay for a while.
Yes, we are always very cautious around any wildlife to be still and to be respectful so as not to disturb or bother them. We were surprised how very large pelicans actually are once you get up close. And then we wondered how such heavy birds can fly so gracefully.
Peta
I could watch pelicans for hours. I recall a day in Zihuatanejo where we sat at a beach bar sipping huge mojitos watching the pelicans fish. I felt like I was in heaven. A wonderful post. You do find the most amazing places to stay. Enzo looks contented.
Darlene we DID watch them for hours, it was such a treat. Wondering whereabouts Zihuatanjo is? We are always welcoming suggestions for more trips in Mexico as we continue our discovery.
We work quite hard at finding good home exchanges and Airbnbs then other times we don’t pre book and we just take our chances with whatever we find along the way.
Esco was very content on this road trip which initially surprised us but at the end of the day as long as he had his bed, us and his food, he was a happy camper. Akumal and Tulum were the first places which had dog restrictions on the beaches and in other places. We certainly were taken by surprise. In Zipolite, our home base, dogs are free to go anywhere and we just kind of expected this to be true at other beach locations, but not so.
Peta
Zihuatanejo is on the Pacific Coast, about 240 km (150 miles) northwest of Acapulco. It had the finest sand beaches I have ever walked on. We were only there for one day on a cruise stop but we loved it.
thanks for getting back with the answer. I will check it out, sounds amazing!
Akumal looks like a real find, thanks to your wonderful pictures (and Monet comparisons). So great that you have the flexibility to linger in a place like this.
Johnny we were thrilled to discover Akumal, which we probably would not have, had it not been for our home exchange. This trip had no exact ending date, which was indeed very freeing as we knew that other than our pre booked home exchanges, we could stay or go as suited our fancy. We could have stayed longer but we were excited to get to our next destination which actually was the end goal point of our trip.
Peta
You guys are making me sick to my stomach – the organ which might be connected to the region in my brain that generates jealousy . . . Here I am in the twilight of my life, locked in my house, quivering in fear I could contact the Covid Delta variant and the two of you are sending pictures of swimming, eating, snorkeling, doing yoga without a care in the world.
Pleeeeeze, if you have any compassion left, at the very least, post pictures where you look a bit downtrodden.
Apologies Judy, certainly not our intent. We were very conscious of the fact that so many people were in such dire straits, under lockdown or quarantine while we were on our road trip. It felt surreal at times.
However, consider that we got “locked out” of our home base country, Viet Nam when Covid became recognized as a global pandemic. We were in Sri Lanka at the time and had to scramble, I’m talking twenty four hours to pack, choose a new country, get to the airport and leave. Not knowing where we were going to stay, live, and really how things would turn out. So maybe that might make you feel a little better….??
We searched for some downtrodden photos. Maybe when the car broke down and we headed to the ninth mechanic of the trip. But no, there were none. Sorrryyyy we stayed upbeat throughout, as is our tendency. You might not want to keep reading about this trip 🙂
xoxo
The landscape the water the ever changing sky pelicans snorkeling…but what I want to talk about is Peta in her cutoffs cycling barefoot like a teenager. Go ahead, rock my world.
Hahaha, I love it!!
I had to go back to the photo to confirm that I was indeed barefoot. Ah yes… I am not the best bicyclist, so I really have to focus when I am riding a bike, even when there’s no traffic, it’s sunny and we heading to a lagoon to snorkel.
We always so enjoy your comments. You make us chuckle.
xoxo
Absolutely gorgeous. No surprise that you would want to linger in such a tranquil place, in a beautiful beachfront accommodation with a magical cenote within biking distance! It makes me feel peaceful just seeing your photos and reading about your experience. I also appreciate your artist’s eye in your choice of adjectives…Prussian blue, teal, and slate are so much more descriptive than simply saying “blue.”
Your pelicans remind me of our pelicans here in Florida in our bay. They are so much fun to watch! I’m curious about the temperature and humidity where you are. We are mostly loving Florida, but not when the temperature is mid-80s and the humidity is also mid-80s. Ugh.
Thanks Laurel. Akumal for us was very peaceful. After hours on the road in a car without AC I might add, now that you mention the heat, we were most grateful to be on bicycles and chilling in our lovely abode overlooking the ocean.
Aside from the pelicans, it was the colors of the ocean that had me not wanting to move or go anywhere, just to stay and soak it all up. It felt as though we were inside a painting. A moody seascape. We saw a movie once about being INSIDE a Van Gogh painting and this is exactly how it felt.
Peta
The weather in December in the Yucatan is close to perfect. Definitely hot but not too much so. Here on the coast of Oaxaca right now in June it is in the low 90’s with a humidity factor of about 60%. I was shocked to read how high the humidity is in Florida. But I did once live in Miami and now that you mention it, I remember how hard that was. Here in April and May the humidity gets intense.
That cenote looks just right for me. I’m not a strong ocean swimmer but I do love to snorkel around in warm, tranquil water. I saw quite a few pelicans this morning on my walk by the coast but I didn’t get to see them hunt like in your video – they are marvelous! I’m very much enjoying your journey.
Thanks Janis for reading and traveling along with us. The cenote was aftually not warm, but more on the refreshing side as the water comes from underground. But in the heat, the cool temperature was very much appreciated. The lagoon was warmer though due to the mingling with the sea water.
Peta
Nature, nature, nature … you were surrounded by it, and it looks so lovely! The ocean water with the pelicans indeed looks impressionistic, and the hues are gorgeous. Glad you were able to go at all and even extend it at the end.
Lex, this leg of the road trip was oriented around nature, of which we were much in need. I love cities but after a while I just can’t wait to get out and get to the ocean, forests or any other nature to restore.
Yes, we were very fortunate to be doing this trip during the pandemic and really it was open ended as our rental house back in home base of Zipolite was no longer available. So we could extend the trip as long as we wanted as we were not paying rent at home. That gave us an incredible freedom with regards to timing.
Thanks for reading us!
Peta
Your wonderful posts definitely make my feet itchy. Swimming with pelicans and turtles– what could be finer? Thank you once again for the well-needed virtual travel.
Donna it is our pleasure to be able to share our travels and adventures and to give your feet a tingle 🙂
The world is still a hodgepodge of regulations and covid restrictions but we are glad that we used this time when we couldn’t travel outside of Mexico, to get to know the country we are now living in and calling home, a lot better.
Peta
This seems to be heaven…Between sweaming with the pelicans and snorkeling in the Monet’s like water lilies ….Unreel‼️‼️‼️Splendid and inspiring photos. Thanks Peta and Ben…..Bravissimođź’“đź’“đź’“đź’“đź’“Jacqueline
We KNEW you would like the Monet visuals and Monet reference! Thanks for visiting! I am oh so amused because sometimes I imitate your delightful FRRRench AcccENT, but here you did it for me.
Yes, we were SWEAMING, but without the accent, we would be SWIMMING in these waters.
Gracias
Ton fils…
I love every bit of this. It made me so homesick for Mexico. We swam with the turtles at Akumal, but it was at Rio Lagartos that I remember the pelicans fishing, and also at La Manzanilla. So many of them diving and diving and diving.
We also love the cenotes – the Flower of the Water cenote and also the lagoon both look very special.
Alison, it is great to be able to share our road trip in Mexico with people who have travelled here before, because then they really know how special it is. This particular cenote was so amazingly beautiful and magical that we did not go to another cenote after this one. Nothing could improve on our cenote experience here, which was quite perfect.
The lagoon was perfect for snorkeling. Warmer than cenotes and full of all sorts of fish.
Peta
Pelicans are amazing birds. I have fond memories of them plunging into the Sea of Cortez when we first visited that area sixteen years ago. We haven’t experienced it in such an abundance ever since, but it sure looks like Akumal is a perfect contender. I honestly could watch them forever.
I am impressed with the environmental concern in these cenotes. And such clear waters, wow. I can understand why you were reluctant leaving that area. I would be too.
Beautiful photos as well, Peta and Ben. Do you have a new camera?
Thanks Liesbet. No new camera, all our photos are taken on my phone! We do hope to get a good camera one day though especially for watching wildlife. In this case with the pelicans I was able to get some good shots because we were so close to them. Normally with wildlife or birds, the phone camera is completely unsatisfactory in terms of the results.
Yes, it is great that the cenotes are being protected. There is one cenote that is called Car Wash cenote. The reason it has that name is because decades back the locals would bring their cars there to wash them. Thankfully that practice has stopped and the cenote is now only open to people for swimming.
Peta
You brought me back fond memories from Akumal, our last trip before pandemic. The pelicans were amazing along the shore, and we loved both cenotes we visited.
I love all your trip, well maybe not the part when you’ve had to go so often to a mechanic LOL
Have a lovely day🙂
Christie