Riviera; noun. 1. A coastal region with subtropical climate and vegetation

Our day today didn't start off too early; thank goodness since yesterday proved to be a long day.  And for me a rough night since I shared a room with what appeared to be Darth Vader, but in reality it was a loud snorer. After breakfast we made our way down to the hotel lobby to meet up with our driver, Manuel who drove us straight to Tulum. A somewhat nice drive along the Rivera Maya, which every year gets more and more developed with mega resorts. Hopefully a moratorium will be put in place to safeguard what is left of the jungle.

Map depicting Punta Allen below Tulum

We made our way to Tulum to grab some lunch and buy any last minute items we needed since once 

in Tulum, we would make our way on a bumpy dirt road into the Sian Ka'an reserve. We loaded up on liquid refreshments, a handful of good Cuban cigars and off we went past the ruins. 

El Castillo (the Castle) ruins on Tulum's beach

We went past hotel row in Tulum and finally reached the dirt road entrance to the a biosphere. We 

had to register with the guards and obtain our permits and agree to abide by the rules. 

Guard station at the biosphere's entrance.

And off we went down the dusty, bumpy road until we reached a place called Boca Paila. Boca
(mouth) because a channel connects the lagoons with the Caribbean ocean. The Aquamarine colors of the water captivate the iris of your eyes.....