Cancun - Mexico

Isla Mujeras from our hotel window

Cancun - Mexico

As we were meeting our friend Barbara in Cancun we got on a bus directly there from Tulum and booked ourselves into a cheap hotel near the beaches in Zona Hotelera. I had heard from several people that Cancun had too many tourists and was over commercialised. I didn't find it as bad as other people had made out, after an afternoon of drinking Corona and catching up with Barbara we headed into the centre for some traditional Yucatan food and a couple of bottles of wine.

Lucy, getting up to mischief on the boat to Isla Mujeres.

The following day we decided to get a ferry to Isla Mujeras, a small island 30 minutes away from Cancun. Historially is was meant to be where buccaneers or pirates kept there women (hence the name "Women Island" or Isla Mujeres). It is a beautiful island, crystal clear water and white sands but we had come here for the whale sharks which migrate here at this time of year to feed on plankton. We booked ourselves a whale shark tour for the following day and enjoyed the busy town.

It was an early start which proved to not go as smoothly as we hoped. Our captain left us sat waiting for 30 minutes whilst someone was ""checking" his boat. There was something clearly wrong with it! He finally managed to get it started and we were on our way into the open ocean... it wasn't very calm and our friend started to go very pale as she became more and more sea sick. When we finally arrived at the correct point we were informed that there were about 100 whale sharks there. They were huge, easily 20 to 25 feet long but they are completely harmless and vegetarians.

Some whale sharks were bigger than our boat

Lucy and Barbara look on as the sharks pass by.

Barbara had never been snorkelling before so that added to the sea sickness and being nervous about being in the ocean she found it quite a struggle but she managed it. We got about 2 hours in total swimming with these gentle giants before the sea sickness was effecting others and Barbara announced that she felt so bad that she wanted to die. We set off back to Mujeres as quite as the boat could go. Before he took us back we stopped near the north beach for some more snorkelling in a reef nearby. The captain also made shrimp cerviche and brought cold beers, it was a great way to finish the tour.

Lucy and Barbara in the water.

Under water with the sharks.

Our underwater camera was a bit rubbish, but captured the moment.

Me on the boat.

The next day we decided not to do anything quite as extreme as yesterday so we booked Barbara to do a 'Sealife adventure tour' and the nearbly dolphin park. Barbara got to meet Manatees, Sea lions and dolhins up close and could touch and feed them. It was a great experience for her especially getting to swim with dolphins. The rest of our time on the island was spent relaxing on the beach and drinking cocktails and tequilla shots in the bars!

The manatees dining on letuce

A pelican overlooks the feeding of the seals.

Tequila. Going, going...

...and gone.