Showing posts with label Beach. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Beach. Show all posts

Friday, July 26, 2013

Tulum in Full Bloom

Tulum, located just south of Cancun and the Riviera Maya, is a pre-Colombian walled city from the Maya civilization.  It's coastal location made it an ideal location for both land and sea based trade within the larger Yucatan Peninsula, especially for obsidian (volcanic glass or "lava rock").  It is believed, based upon murals and structures at the site, that Tulum was a central location for the worship of the Mayan "Diving" or Descending God.
map of Tulum from its wikipedia.org page
north west gate
 


the surrounding wall
  


Temple of the Frescos
 

the main (west) gate
El Castillo
the Great Platform
turtle egg nests

north east gate
stairs to the beach
view of the Caribbean Sea

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Iguana Scare You


Today has been a relaxing day here at the Aventura Spa Palace Resort.  A wonderful breakfast buffet followed by pool time which included an invigorating session of water aerobics.


The weather has included lots of time with sunshine yet still somewhat cloudy.  A couple of times it looked like rain.  There is a 30% chance for rain showers for each of the next several days.  Around 2:00 we did hear several bouts of thunder and could see lightening out over the waters off in the gulf.
 

One of the things about this resort that I hope to explore more is the wildlife which lives on the property.  As we arrived yesterday, I noticed a sign indicating some iguanas and a couple of varieties of monkeys.  While walking the main grounds and along the coastal rocks I have seen almost a dozen iguanas so far.  Sometimes you just stumble upon one popping its head out from the hole it's burrowed under the side of a sidewalk.  It can startle you!!!!  I hope to take one of the nature walks later and maybe see some of these alleged monkeys.