One of the small albino turtles that relaxes and lives indoors now to protect it from the harsh conditions of the sun.

This is the sandy area where the eggs can safely lay and hatch before being released back into the wild.

One of the mis-shapened turtles: see his shell is pinched in.

There are some companies that just do good.They provide a much needed service that will help the environment and have an everlasting effect on the ecosystem. Tortugranja on Isla Mujeres is one of those do good operations that I want to tell everyone about and support as much as I can.

When we visited La Tortugranja, it was no surprise that we immediately fell in love with the sea turtles. They were so beautiful and graceful when they were swimming, that it looked like they were dancing with each swim stroke around the pool.

Each pool is separated by age and type, injured or albino (did you know that albino turtles even existed- I didn’t!).  

What I loved even more than the baby turtles, and baby turtles are adorable, were the conservation acts to help protect and re-release injured sea turtles into the wild.

The one building sanctuary, surrounded by 5 pools and one large sandy area to relocate and shelter new turtle eggs for safe hatchings, is a very small yet extremely effective operation. Last season, they were able to aid in the release of 67,000 sea turtles back into the waters off the island. They also rescued and cared for hurt, mis-shapened and albino turtles, all of which would easily die in the wild. (The albino turtles skin and shell is too sensitive for the harsh sun rays, which makes it very difficult to get food and be in the sun at all.)

If you are in the Cancun area, please spend your money (it’s only $3 USD) supporting this fantastic rescue.

(These photos were shared for Budget Travelers Sandbox, Thursday Travel Photo. Please check out the other bloggers who participated for more travel inspiration!)

Day Three: Exploration

The first couple of days of filming with the Travel Channel were all business- a lot of background shots to be able to tell the story of Cancun to viewers. And, while that was fun in its own way, Day Three was all about exploration, both for us and the crew, and the first time during the trip that I felt like we were actually traveling. We continued telling our story of saving money while not cutting down on experiences; our visit to Isla Mujeres (a small island about a 15 minute ferry ride away from downtown Cancun) was jammed packed with free beach visits, inexpensive animal encounters and discovering that sometimes the best deal is found right next door.

Filming us: Saving money in Action

Bob and Peter relaxing on the front of the ferry

We took the locals ferry because it was a few dollars cheaper than the tourists one and actually right next door. Public transportation proved to be a big money saver during our entire trip. If you were to take taxis everywhere in Cancun, it would add up pretty quickly, especially if you wanted to get out of the main hotel zone. By taking public buses and the less fancy ferry, you will save a lot of money, and get to mingle with the locals.

Our other money saving tip: Research the “snorkel tours” and see where they have the snorkeling. We discovered the the big tour group for snorkeling on Isla Mujeres was at one resort and cost about $70 bucks a person. After a little digging, we found out the they were only snorkeling in the water right out from the resort (not taking a boat out to the reef) and found a smaller hotel right next door that had the access to the same reef for only $5 dollars. Again, another huge savings without cutting experiences.

Watch the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGr5U2Z_pKw

If I were heading back to Cancun soon, I would stay at a hotel on Isla Mujeres, rent a golf cart to drive around the island,  and spend my days split between relaxing on the beach, observing the sea turtles at the Turtle Sanctuary and snorkeling in the crystal clear water. This island is my definition of paradise.

I just can't get over that water color!