Maya Riviera – Beautiful Mexico

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On our way home from Belize we drove through the Maya Riviera and spent a couple nights in Cancun. We couldn’t be less then three hours away from this Latin hot spot and not visit. On our trip we came across a few bad accidents. Thankfully we were not involved in any of them! I can only hope no one was hurt but I kinda doubt it. The vehicles were mangled masses of metal. We tried to visit an English congregation in Cancun on the day that we arrived for a special Bible talk. When we found the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses it turned out to be a Spanish congregation and the meeting was already over. It was very disappointing but at least we tried!
Out of the three beaches we visited during our short visit, the most beautiful was in Tulum, a hour from Cancun. We did not pay the entrance fee to see the Mayan pyramid on the beach. By this point we were done with pyramids. ( Read previous blogs about our Belize adventure below. ) Instead we asked for directions to the public beach and we were not disappointed. The water really was as beautiful as the photos show. The sand was the whitest I have ever seen. It was gorgeous! The town is pretty cute too. We found a gelato shop that was amazing! I am loving that stuff. There seems to be a lot of it in Mexico. On the walk to the gelato shop, I passed a Spanish store owner and his son studying the Watchtower magazine. Alexis and I introduced ourselves and we talked for a few minutes to our fellow Jehovah’s Witnesses. Tulum has an English congregation also, as well as Mayan and Spanish. Things are going well and they have a new Kingdom Hall that the congregations share.
Below the photo of Sawyer doing the crab walk in Tulum, there are a few shots of Playa Tortugas, Cancun. It was an exciting day! First, Alexis, our sweet daughter, made us 16 sand castles for our 16th wedding anniversary. Later, my float plotted an unsuccessful, escape attempt out to sea. I rescued it. Before we left, Brad and I went snorkeling for a few minutes. It was not pretty. The coral looked dead and I have never seen so much trash under the water. I was afraid to put my feet down on the ocean floor! At least it was the end of the day. We went home and enjoyed the pool at the condo we rented for the weekend. Found it on Airbnb. It was nice and cheap! And it helped wear the kids down for a good night’s sleep.
The other beach we enjoyed that weekend is called Playa Akumal. It’s between Tulum and Cancun. It was crowded and I was skeptical at first but we went there for one good reason. Sea Turtles. I didn’t get any photos myself but click here for a link to Google images, showing you Akumal’s turtles. Brad and I swam out to the turtle zone and we saw a Stingray and two turtles feeding on the sea grass. They were beautiful and very accustomed to people. One of them swam between us and I was able to reach my hand out and touch his shell as he passed. Probably a No-No but I don’t regret it. Our girls stayed on the shore with David, this time for safety. You can pay for a guided tour to see the Sea Turtles but it’s not necessary if you are a good swimmer. Just notice where the groups are hovering in the water and swim in that vicinity. I love animals and even though we saw Sea Turtles in Belize, ( The girls too. That’s another story. ), I was happy to see them again. Akumal was an awesome experience and lived up to it’s TripAdvisor reputation. Signing off, heading for my warm, cozy bed, Tina

20 thoughts on “Maya Riviera – Beautiful Mexico

  1. Haley Bradley says:

    I love Cancun. That’s were we went for our honeymoon in 2001 The beaches are absolutely gorgeous, but it is sad that ocean has become so polluted. We went there also for our cruise in 2006 and corral was almost gone then. I remember we seen a ton fish for our honeymoon but so little just 5 years later. I can’t wait for paradise so we can enjoy all the creations like Jehovah intended. It looks like you had a great time. Love you all, Haley

    • Tina Ernspiker says:

      It was beautiful. Tulum was my favorite. We are hoping to go back in the future and visit a few other beaches. Love ya too!

  2. Rudy Garza says:

    Very nice post about your travels. My wife and I will be staying at the Barcelo resort May 25 thru May 30. We want to go to an english hall in Tulum. Would you happen to have an address?

      • Rudy Garza says:

        Yes I did look online at JW.org. It says starting January they have english meetings. I have seen different posts from different friends that talk about meetings in English in Tulum. So I thought I would ask if they did have something. Oh well. We will go to Playa Del Carmen to an English hall. Thanks for your reply. You have a happy looking family.

        • Joed says:

          Hi, we are off to Mexico in October and are very keen to get to a meeting or two while are out there. Was the Kingdom Hall easy to find in Playa Del Carmen? We are staying about half an hour north up the coast from Tulum and what was said about the beaches makes me want to make a trip there.

          Thanks
          Joed and Susana

          • Tina Marie Ernspiker says:

            We had trouble finding the KH in Cancun for the English congregation. The website info was not correct. When we did get there the meeting was in Spanish. The website times were also incorrect for English! Oh well. At least we tried ;-) We loved Tulum! I could spend a week there. The beach is the most beautiful I think I have seen thus far. Plus you can visit the Maya pyramids. Last I knew Tulum does have an English hall. We met a brother studying his WT on the street and he said they have an English hall as well as Mayan. I think I would visit there for sure. Plus go to Playa Akumal which is near Tulum and swim with the sea turtles. You don’t need a guide. Just snorkels. Have fun!

  3. Dawn says:

    Hello! Just came across your blog while looking for a phone number for the Tulum Kingdom Hall. My husband and I are going to be flying into Cancun from the US in March. We are looking to possibly relocate to an area of greater need in an English speaking cong. and trying to get contact info before we head out. We talked to an Elder in Cancun that said there was a need there and in Cozumel, but we are wondering about Tulum because we would much rather live out of the city. Any info that you could share (phone numbers emails) would be greatly appreciated! ….BTW I homeschool two kiddos too.

    Your Sis Dawn

  4. Dawn says:

    Thank you Tina. Yes, we have the address on JW.org, but no phone number for the Tulum hall. We will keep working on it. … I have a boy age 10 and girl age 8.

  5. Sergey says:

    Hi sister. My name is Sergey. We with the wife and the daughter fly in November to Cancun. Also we will live 5 months there. Whether prompt please there are in Cancun Russian Jehovah’s Witnesses? Maybe you have Skype or phone of local brothers from which it can be learned. Thanks!

    • Tina Marie Ernspiker says:

      When I checked JW.org for Russian meetings in Cancun nothing came up. The nearest Russian group was in Mexico City. Sorry, I can’t be of more assistance. I do not have the information of any brothers in Cancun. We were only there a few days!

  6. JEN says:

    HI there! We are visiting Riviera Maya and Tulum with our 2 homeschooled girls to study the ancient Mayan culture. We will be going to the Coba ruins as well as the ones in Tulum. Any other advice? Do you know of any homeschool groups in Tulum? We will also visit denotes near Coba! Any advice you have would be great!! Thanks!

    • Tina Marie Ernspiker says:

      Hi, Jen! By the time we arrived at Tulum we had seen so many Maya ruins we decided to opt out of the ones in the Riviera Maya. The beach in Tulum is amazing and I have heard that the cenotes in this area are awesome as well… We were supposed to visit one of them but passed the exit and decided not to turn around… We sound like terrible road trippers! Just remember this is after four weeks in Belize :-) Be sure to visit Akumal too. Not for anything Maya related but for the sea turtles. You can snorkel with them on this protected beach without a guide. Akumal is between Tulum and Cancun I think. Don’t know of any homeschool groups… Have fun, though! It’s a beautiful area.

  7. Renée says:

    Hello!
    We are traveling to riviera maya in a few weeks and we’re wondering if there are any brothers who offer airport transfers? Also any brothers who do tours etc…. thanks for any info! BTW are you related to the Ernspikers in Paducah Ky.?
    Thanks
    Renée

    • Tina Marie Ernspiker says:

      We are related to those Ernspikers! That would be my husband’s cousin :-) Small world! And unfortunately, I do not know any Witnesses that offer those services in that area. We are actually an 18-hour drive from the Maya Riviera. Not the same circuit or district and our connections are few. Sorry! Have a wonderful trip though!

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