Mehling.org: Akumal

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March 20, 2008

Akumal

3/20 (Thursday)

We were joined for breakfast by the three hotel dogs (you're not supposed to feed them) who entertained us by chasing lizards as seriously as possible. We then packed up, relaxed, and used the hotel's VoIP phone to call Tedd and my parents. While Hol chatted with Tedd, the front desk clerk offered some tips on my Spanish (I was thankful). I told him our plans for the next few days and he offered some advice on where we were traveling and how busy it would be. Having recently felt the stress of trying to find a room for the night, I'm a little nervous about finding hotels later this week. He also drew a tiny map of where Yul Ku is located in Akumal. He showed me a picture of the lagoon and it looked awesome.

After checkout, we walked our bags up calle 4 to our new digs, Hotel Colorado and paid for the night. The room wasn't ready but they let us keep our bags in storage.

We walked up calle 20 and caught a collectivo ($25 pesos each) to Akumal. About 20 minutes later we were dropped on the highway across from the street that led to the beach. Akumal has a nice paved and shaded path down to the beach. Once we got there we asked directions to Yal Ku - about 2 kilometers north just beyond the point. We walked along the road for a bit, then along the beach in the water. Tons of worn, dead brain coral had washed up. Many people had used it to pave driveways, build speed bumps and decorated hardscaping. It didn't dawn on us until later just what that meant.

When we reached Yal ku, we looked around a bit... The park had a ton of statues, mostly female forms, intermingled in the jungle pathways. The lagoon looked nice and we could see some fish from the edge. We rented our gear (and a locker) and headed into the water. The lagoon did have a decent number and variety of fish... Unfortunately, it appeared hurricane Wilma had wiped out the corral near the front/ocean side of the lagoon. A ton of dead antler coral lay on the lagoon floor and you could see where coral had been pulled off the rocks. There were a lot of crevices and edges to explore and quite a few fish. No turtles, eels or rays.

Overall the lagoon was picturesque and a nice place to tool around... I can only imagine how nice was before the hurricane. The area was safe, wooden stairs made access fairly easy, and currents mild enough that it's an ideal place for kids to learn how to snorkel. After an hour or so we'd toured most of the lagoon and it was time to go. $7/ea admission, $5/ea gear rental, $1 for a locker (Paid in pesos, quoted costs are in US). There looked to be a number of private homes or rentals that also had direct access to the lagoon off of private docks, which regardless of snorkel quality, is a cool backyard.

We walked up the road to the restaurant at Hotel Que Onda for beers, tacos and guacamole, then continued walking into town. We stopped and walked along the main beach in Akumal before walking up the pathway to catch a collectivo back to Playa. It took a few minutes to find one that had a couple of seats available.

Back at the hotel we relaxed, read a bit and I watched the last few minutes of the Guatemala v Honduras match on the TV (first TV we've had). I would say that 25% or more of the programs and movies were imported from the US. No wonder why the world hates us. Most were dubbed, some were sub-titled and some had sub-titles with the English audio muted.

After cleaning up a bit we headed down to pick up our laundry (7$ US) and then on to find something to eat. Hol wasn't feeling well and just wanted arroz and veggies. The nice waitress asked if Hol was sick from food in Mexico... Hol told her she was embarazada, and the waitress replied "that's a happy kind of sick!". Her name was Elise and she was from Holland. She was going to recommend the local remedy for "bad stomach": flat coke with lime squeezed into it. We talked for a bit about living in Mexico. Hol asked about the water and Elise said no one drinks it, not even true locals. She said they wash the veggies and fruit in water that has some chemicals to kill anything. She said she now brushes her teeth with tap water, but will never grow immune.

Photo Album:
http://mehling.org/gallery/v/travels/2008_mexico/Day+7/

Posted by ben at March 20, 2008 10:00 PM


« Desperately Seeking Lodging \| Main \| Cozumal and Playa Palancar » March 20, 2008 Akumal 3/20 (Thursday) We were joined for breakfast by the three hotel dogs (you're not supposed to feed them) who entertained us by chasing lizards as seriously as possible. We then packed up, relaxed, and used the hotel's VoIP phone to call Tedd and my parents. While Hol chatted with Tedd, the front desk clerk offered some tips on my Spanish (I was thankful). I told him our plans for the next few days and he offered some advice on where we were traveling and how busy it would be. Having recently felt the stress of trying to find a room for the night, I'm a little nervous about finding hotels later this week. He also drew a tiny map of where Yul Ku is located in Akumal. He showed me a picture of the lagoon and it looked awesome. After checkout, we walked our bags up calle 4 to our new digs, Hotel Colorado and paid for the night. The room wasn't ready but they let us keep our bags in storage. We walked up calle 20 and caught a collectivo ($25 pesos each) to Akumal. About 20 minutes later we were dropped on the highway across from the street that led to the beach. Akumal has a nice paved and shaded path down to the beach. Once we got there we asked directions to Yal Ku - about 2 kilometers north just beyond the point. We walked along the road for a bit, then along the beach in the water. Tons of worn, dead brain coral had washed up. Many people had used it to pave driveways, build speed bumps and decorated hardscaping. It didn't dawn on us until later just what that meant. When we reached Yal ku, we looked around a bit... The park had a ton of statues, mostly female forms, intermingled in the jungle pathways. The lagoon looked nice and we could see some fish from the edge. We rented our gear (and a locker) and headed into the water. The lagoon did have a decent number and variety of fish... Unfortunately, it appeared hurricane Wilma had wiped out the corral near the front/ocean side of the lagoon. A ton of dead antler coral lay on the lagoon floor and you could see where coral had been pulled off the rocks. There were a lot of crevices and edges to explore and quite a few fish. No turtles, eels or rays. Overall the lagoon was picturesque and a nice place to tool around... I can only imagine how nice was before the hurricane. The area was safe, wooden stairs made access fairly easy, and currents mild enough that it's an ideal place for kids to learn how to snorkel. After an hour or so we'd toured most of the lagoon and it was time to go. $7/ea admission, $5/ea gear rental, $1 for a locker (Paid in pesos, quoted costs are in US). There looked to be a number of private homes or rentals that also had direct access to the lagoon off of private docks, which regardless of snorkel quality, is a cool backyard. We walked up the road to the restaurant at Hotel Que Onda for beers, tacos and guacamole, then continued walking into town. We stopped and walked along the main beach in Akumal before walking up the pathway to catch a collectivo back to Playa. It took a few minutes to find one that had a couple of seats available. Back at the hotel we relaxed, read a bit and I watched the last few minutes of the Guatemala v Honduras match on the TV (first TV we've had). I would say that 25% or more of the programs and movies were imported from the US. No wonder why the world hates us. Most were dubbed, some were sub-titled and some had sub-titles with the English audio muted. After cleaning up a bit we headed down to pick up our laundry (7$ US) and then on to find something to eat. Hol wasn't feeling well and just wanted arroz and veggies. The nice waitress asked if Hol was sick from food in Mexico... Hol told her she was embarazada, and the waitress replied "that's a happy kind of sick!". Her name was Elise and she was from Holland. She was going to recommend the local remedy for "bad stomach": flat coke with lime squeezed into it. We talked for a bit about living in Mexico. Hol asked about the water and Elise said no one drinks it, not even true locals. She said they wash the veggies and fruit in water that has some chemicals to kill anything. She said she now brushes her teeth with tap water, but will never grow immune. Photo Album: http://mehling.org/gallery/v/travels/2008_mexico/Day+7/ Posted by ben at March 20, 2008 10:00 PM		Bookmarks Ben's Resume Ben's Lists Mehling Photo Album Flickr Photo Album Recently Archived Cozumal and Playa Palancar Akumal Desperately Seeking Lodging See you in nine days Sian Ka'an Coba Ruins Tulum Ruins Finally! 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