We
had arranged to go snorkeling in the morning so we're up early and on our way
to some cenotes and the beach to enjoy the turtles.

At
the dive shop we got our gear and a piece of string to make a wrist strap for
my gopro. We jumped in the van with Abel and we were on our way to the first
stop. This was a mixture of a salt and fresh water cenote and made me think of
a mangrove with the way the trees were growing out of the water. While swimming
here we saw a few fish in the amazingly clear water. Rowan even pointed out a
little crocodile which got my heart racing as we looked for its mother! We kept
swimming for a while before heading back to Abel who was waiting for us to head
to the beach.

At
the beach we grabbed our snorkeling gear and life jackets and took a walk
through the seaweed that was in the shallows before swimming out further where
we got to swim with some turtles. They are such graceful creatures and are so
relaxed. They munch a bit on the ground before heading up to the surface every
2 minutes or so for some air. After seeing a few turtles we went across to a
reef where we saw some brightly coloured fish, coral and even some incredibly
well camouflaged fish. As we made our way back to the shore we saw a few more
turtles and even some rays.

The
next stop was Dos Ojos. Here we left the life vests behind but grabbed some
underwater torches. We swam around in a cenote (ojo un) before taking a walk to
ojo dos where we swam for a while and even swam through some narrow tunnels and
low ceilings all the while having to keep an eye out above and below for
stalagmites and stalactites. The low ceiling opened up into a bat cave. Here
there was a small opening in the ceiling which let's in a little light and that
the bats use as an entry and exit. We used the torches to see all around us but
one of the most striking images was that of looking back at the cave and how
the light was streaming in through the hole in the ceiling. We left the bat
cave and returned to ojo dos before making our way to the van for a much needed
beer as we were on our way back to the hostel.

We
took a walk around the corner from the hostel where we got a barito and
quesadilla for lunch before heading to grab some colectivos to Cancún. The
colectivos where pretty well organised and after a change in Playa del Carmen
and another colectivo in Cancún to meet the ferry. All in all it went rather
well and only had to wait a little in between.

On
Isla Mujeres we took a walk to Poc Na hostel to try and find a room. Luckily we
got one but it was only for one night but we can face that problem tomorrow.
After checking in we met some aussies and joined them for an amazing dinner at
Lolitas where I had some kebabs in a peanut sauce. I also managed to enjoy some
of the other dishes and some very tasty hot sauce.

After
dinner we returned to the hostel for some drinks and a good party. We also went
to the beach to see the turtles laying some eggs but unfortunately there were
none to be seen.