Even though we are incredibly lucky and even more thrilled to be doing what we're doing, living on the road in a small camper comes with its own set of stresses and challenges. Doing it in a foreign country with an unfamiliar language and customs just adds to that. And although we have been moving at a snail's pace, we still felt like we needed to just stand still for a little while and decompress. We'd been looking forward to the Yucatan Peninsula the whole trip so it seemed a likely place to stop.
Camping options were surprisingly hard to come by in the area when we first arrived, but our friends Josh and Jenna managed to find a place called Camp Akumal where we spent our first night in the Riviera Maya. Despite their name, they're not actually a campground, but a small hotel with several room and apartment options. The owners, Dana and Fabian, were so friendly, and their property was so beautiful, we decided that after this first night we would return when our visitors left, so we booked a studio for a week. Which turned into two weeks. Which turned into three.
Normally we don't jump on the bed or let Malta on the furniture when we rent a place but....
Camp Akumal is tucked far enough away in the jungle between Playa del Carmen and Tulum to feel remote and secluded but close enough to everything to be convenient.
It's populated with wild critters and home to three mischievous cats.
They have some bikes that are free to use, and we did, almost every day, taking Malta on long rides through the jungle roads around us. It made a great base to explore up and down the coast which was made so much easier by not having to pack up the camper and break down camp every time we wanted to go somewhere. We started out thinking of this as a little vacation, but it ended up being the most like normal life since we'd left home. We could hop in the truck and go out to dinner or a movie, or even just go to the store, without it feeling like a chore.
We checked out the nearby Cenote Azul.
We had a great time on our first scuba dive of the trip with Blue Experience.
We were invited to a dinner with other Pan Am overlanders where we finally got to meet John and Mandi and catch up with Joe and Josee and Amy and Guy who we'd met in San Cristóbal. We got a little lost on the way there, but the house was hard to miss with four large overlanding rigs parked outside.
But to be honest we spent most of our time hanging out at the pool or in the air conditioned room enjoying all the space. We do love our camper, but it can get a little cramped.
We also managed to take care of some much needed maintenance (it can be difficult to get your oil changed when you have to take your whole home to the shop), and once again tackle an ongoing, ever frustrating problem we're having with our refrigerator not staying cold.
All in all it was just the refresher we needed, and when it was finally time to leave we were incredibly excited to get back to our cozy little home on wheels.
