RTW to Mexico - Coba Ruins

If you have read about our travel posts, you will know how overly ambitious we are during our travels. We woke up at 6am to continue our journey to the pink lake in Las Coloradas. Las Coloradas means “the red” in Spanish. The pink phenomenon is actually due to red-coloured algae, plankton, and brine shrimp that thrive in the salty environment. As the water evaporates, these organisms become more concentrated, glimmering pink in the bright Mexican sunlight. You can read more about it here - The Unbelievable Pink Lakes Of Las Coloradas In Mexico. To be honest, it was quite underwhelming as compared to what we were expecting (based on the article above) that we forgot to take a photo with Donald and Piglet!

In our previous post, we mentioned how bad our accommodation was. We basically could not find any place for dinner and had to sleep with an empty stomach. So right after our visit to the pink lake, we drove up to the nearest town - Rio Lagartos for petrol and to find breakfast. Rio Lagartos seems to be big on boat tour/ride to see animals such as flamingo as we were constantly approached by people asking if we wanted a boat ride. Anyway, we ate at some random place (no photos because we were too hungry) and continued our journey to the Coba Ruins.

Coba Ruins is less touristy than Chichen Itza, and hence, one of the very few ruins which allow tourists to climb up the pyramid. No history/background of this site for you readers as KPO being KPO, decided not to hire any local guide this time round. But we hired a trishaw for MXN 140 in the compounds as we were too lazy tired to walk. The largest pyramid at Coba, called Ixmoja or Nohoch Mul, is located 2+km from the entrance (so 5km to and fro). For people as tired as us, you can consider paying a small amount and save the hassle of walking. Lol.

The pyramid is 42 meters (138 feet) tall and similar to El Castillo, was lined with slippery and small stone steps. KPO decided to do his long overdue exercise by climbing the peak. I refused and insisted on staying below as it looks too scary. 

Look at all the people climbing it!

View from the top!

Once we are done exploring the place, we decided to have our lunch at one of the restaurants El Faisán located near the exit. We decided to try the "Regional Mayan Chichen" dish because we just visited a Mayan site. Lol. But wrong move. The chicken was so dry and the Mexican sauce is just bad. Imagine eating rice with the sauce which taste like red bean paste (sweet) and dry chicken breast (salty). I cannot explain how bad it is, but they just don't complement one another. So poor KPO had to finish my food as he believes we should not waste food.

We then head down to our next destination, Mercado 28, which is a flea market located at Cancun. The drive is approximately two hours long. Once we entered Cancun, we realised how big this city is. It felt even bigger and more crowded than Merida. Mercado 28 was a little disappointing. It mainly sells touristy stuff like colourful bags, keychains, magnets etc. Nothing much that we can buy. 

As I felt a little hungry (from barely eating anything during lunch), we decided to check out La Parrilla nearby which had really good reviews on Google. We ordered buffalo wings as a starter and enchiladas with mole sauce because KPO googled and said this is like the top 10 Mexican food and I wanted to try something local. Big mistake man. The mole sauce is the same freaking bean-like paste that I had for lunch! Almost puke and refused to eat after a few mouths. Poor KPO who was still full from lunch had to finish the rest. I was so upset I told KPO I will lose weight on this trip. KPO then mumbled that he will definitely gain weight. Lol. Sorry KPO. When we asked for the bill, the waiter asked for tip and KPO wanted to give a nominal 10 MXN but he rejected and insisted that it should be 10%! Although it is not much but to be forced this way, it didn't feel good.

Anyway, we checked in to Kavia hotel after that. We managed to get it at SGD 43 per night and will be staying there for two nights. Looking forward to exploring Cancun area tomorrow and updating you guys.

Total damage:
Coba Ruins Tickets - 160 MXN (80 MXN each)
Parking - 60 MXN
Tricycle Ride - 140 MXN + 10 MXN (tip)
Lunch @ El Faisán - 175 MXN
Dinner @ La Parrilla - 340 MXN + 34 MXN (tip)

Our Google Timeline

You might be interested in these articles too:
- Our KrisFlyer Star Alliance Round The World (RTW) Trip Planning/Booking
- RTW to Mexico - Chichen Itza
- RTW to Mexico - Coba Ruins
- RTW to Mexico - Isla Mujeres
- RTW to Mexico - Tulum
- RTW to Peru - Cusco

Do like any of the following for the latest update/post!
1. FB Page - KPO and CZM
2. Twitter - KPO and CZM
3. Click here to subscribe using email :)
4. Instagram - KPO_and_CZM (Did you see those delicious food photos to the right --> Unfortunately, you can't see it on mobile.)