I feel like I have reach the ultimate level as a solo backpacking traveller.

After I left Calakmul, I eventually arrived at Tulum at 3am in the morning. I had a booking for a night at the hostel, but I decided not to go, because 1. I wasn't sure there would be someone there to open the doors for me, 2. I was only staying a night. It's a waste of money to check in, sleep for 4 hours and then check out. So I made the decision to sleep at the bus station. The security guard there was very nice about it. He told me to sleep on the corner bench, let me access the staff toilets (public toilets costs $5 pesos each time) and told me he would help watch my belongings as I slept. I used my bag as a pillow, so there was no need actually, but regardless, I felt alot safer. I actually ended up sleeping till 7am. Ahahaha.

I then took a bus to the tulum ruins, before heading to Playa Paraiso nearby. The walk from the Tulum ruins to the beach was only 1km. But when you had to carry 13kg worth of belongings, it's insane. Someone offered to give me a ride when I asked for directions, but because he was the only person in the car, and the road was secluded, I decided to give it a miss. Eventually, I made it to the beach and the sand and water was awesome. Except for the seaweed that stood between the water and the sand. Regardless, I swam and sort of had a morning shower there.




I spent a night at the bus station, I bathed in the sea and I ate oranges and a snack bar on the beach for breakfast. Wow. I really know how to survive lol.

After which, I took a cab out (I give up. Walking with 13kg is no joke. Great job army guys) and took a collectivo cab to Valladolid. Valladolid is a really small town and they happened to have a cenote just a few blocks away from centro. Round 2 of snorkelling coming right up. Valladolid also had a private house with a private collection of art pieces, but unfortunately, I missed the tour timings for that. Nonetheless, I had tamales and ice cream for lunch there, before heading off to the final stop of this 9 day trip - Merida.







I arrived at Merida pretty late and thought the town was dead quiet. Thankfully I was wrong. As I walked towards the centro from the bus station, there were more and more people and there was even a fiesta happening at the centro.

The next morning, after a quick but filling breakfast (this is really rare, for a hostel to provide a filling breakfast), I headed off to Celestun, a town 2.5hrs away by bus ($56, Oriente bus company). There I took a tour for $200 pesos (with 7 other people, for that price) and saw flocks of flamingos and other bird species. We were brought into the thick mangrove forest too. Besides the flamingos, there weren't really much to see/do in Celestun. I enjoyed a quick fish dish for $60 pesos after the tour and took the collectivo ($40, 1.5hrs) back.









The day ended for me at around 6pm, and its the first time I had the time to relax and just chill in the hostel. The fact that the hostel was clean and comfortable, with strong wifi everywhere helped too.



Tomorrow would be Chichen Itza, and cenote Ik Kil. Probably the last ruins and cenote I would visit in Mexico. In prepration for it, I have actually gotten myself a free ticket for the night light show at Chichen Itza. Can't wait for it. And hopefully I would be able to sell of my snorkel at the cenote tomorrow, ahahah. I managed to sell off a pair of shorts I was intending to throw at the second hand clothes shop below the hostel. I think I really am cut out to be a traveller, ahahaha.