Despite the weather this week being quite temperamental, I explored spectacular ruins and soaked up some fantastic natural wonders, including more waterfalls than I can even count! I made my way from San Cristóbal de las Casas to Palenque, leaving the cool high altitude for the sweaty jungle, then on to sweltering Merida. On Friday we made a quick stop at Chichen Itza before finishing the group tour here in Playa del Carmen. I’m finally at the beach!

I’m sad to say goodbye to the group I’ve grown to love in the last two weeks. There are definitely many good reasons to join a small group tour, but the best part is always the other travelers you get to know so well along the way. More to come this week about the highlights of southeast Mexico that we hit and a post on the pros and cons of small group travel.

As I write this, I’m sitting in a cafe in Playa del Carmen enjoying my third tasty cappuccino and preparing for my first day of my PADI Advanced Open Water course. I’m so excited to get back underwater again! I can’t believe it’s been a whole year since I last went diving in Utila and completed my entry level certification.

This coming week I’ll be covering the 5 specialties I need to get my advanced certification – deep diving, underwater navigation, fish identification, peak performance buoyancy and drift diving. When I’m not diving, I’ll be soaking up the rays (fingers crossed for sunshine!) in Playa del Carmen before heading back to Merida for my half-marathon on Saturday.

Have a great week!

One of the dozens of waterfalls in the national park surrounding the Palenque ruins.

The Palenque ruins seem to grow magnificently from the surrounding jungle. Some of the most epic ruins I’ve seen, ever!

Misol-Ha watefall – wow! Swimming beneath the thundering water was the highlight of my week.

Made another friend while wandering San Cristóbal de las Casas. I’m thinking a post dedicated to the adorable dogs of Mexico is in the works!

Crossed off my 3rd of the 7 World Wonders with a visit to Chichen Itza. It was fantastic until the throngs of the cruise ship masses arrived.