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Intro to Tulum
Famed for its seaside Mayan ruins and cheap sand-floored huts along over 12 kilometers of quiet beaches, Tulum is a big-time backpacker destination. Theruins can be seen in an hour or so, but many folks linger for a few days doing little but practice the sit-and-stare-then-swim (repeat) impulses that we all have deep down inside. Tulum is near good reefs too, and snorkel tours are cheaper here than in other beach towns. It's also a good base to check out area cenotes (large, natural limestone caves used for water storage or ceremonial purposes) and Coba ruins.
History Tulum is believed to have been an important port town during its post-Classic heyday (AD 1200 - 1521). Buildings were painted red, blue and yellow, with ceremonial fires burning atop the seaside watchtower. Arriving by boat in the 16th century, Spanish conquistadors were impressed. Named by the Spanish, Tulum is Mayan for "wall." the site's original name was Zama, or "Dawn," - watch the sunrise to realize why. Tulum was one of Mexico's last ancient cities to be abandoned, about 75 years after the Spanish conquest.
The Ruins Seeing the temples atop surf-splashed Caribbean cliffs, and a beach below, it's not hard to imagine a post-Classic Maya or two begging their boss for a transfer here. These days the location of the walled ruins may be more impressive than the site itself. Many visitors charge through them like children eating breakfast on Christmas morning, with the gift of a dip waiting.
Our Experience
We took a bus from Chichen Itza to Playa del Carmen... except - we got off one stop too soon. Of course, we did not realize our mistake until it was too late! Our bus was gone. So, instead of spending one night in Playa del Carmen (near Cozumel) we jumped to our next stop further south - Tulum.
A nice guy (clearly out to make a buck - but very nice) greeted us when we "accidentally" got off the bus in Tulum. He helped us find a cheap hotel room WITH air conditioning!! We spent the rest of our evening in Tulum walking up and down the main drag (Avenida Tulum) eating dinner, watching World Cup soccer, and playing on the Internet.
The next morning we got up and made our way to the coast. We found a place to stay... a cabana on the beach! It was so beautiful. After we got settled into our cabana, we walked down the road to the ruins Tulum is famous for. According to Joe, the pictures definitely do the place justice. It was absolutely spectacular!!! Ruins
perched atop a cliff overlooking the aqua blue waters of the Caribbean Sea. It was just cloudy enough to keep the breeze feeling cool as we walked around. (But not cloudy enough to prevent me from getting fried. Ouch!)
I told Joe before we left for Mexico that there were lots of BIG, UGLY, SCARY iguanas living in the ruins on the Yucatan (Uxmal, Chichen Itza... and, not surprisingly... Tulum). Let me tell you... the creepy things were EVERYWHERE. I get very, very scared and girlie acting when I see one - especially if it is big and moving. After shrieking several times I got a hold of myself and calmed down... a bit. I actually even took a picture semi-near one.
Joe's take: Ok, so when we went to Chichen Itza, Lila claimed that iguanas were everywhere. I imagined those things EVERYWHERE. They were soooo not everywhere. However, they were sneaky, and despite my being a smartass about it, they were there. Fast forward to Tulum: you couldn't walk without almost stepping on one of those guys (maybe not that bad, but close). Eventually we (Lila) got used to them, and it was a pretty neat aspect
of the ruins.
After spending a couple of hours at the ruins, we walked back to our cabana and went for a swim. The water was perfectly cool. We must have swam for about an hour before heading in to shower and eat supper. If we have not already mentioned it... and I do not think we have - the food here in the Yucatan is GREAT. We have been eating traditional Mexican dishes almost every night. For about 7 US dollars you get a nice sized, positively delicious meal. Tortillas, refried beans, and rice are almost always included (plus the main dish).
After dinner we sat on the beach and had a Corona con Limon. It was served in the cutest bottle I have ever seen! It was called a barrilito (little barrel). After that we crashed. All night we could hear the waves and the wind. It was a little hot, but really peaceful.
Mexico to Belize
We hopped a bus from Tulum to Chetumal, Mexico fairly early in the morning (about 3+ hours). It's interesting to note here that despite the fact that Lila 1) drank a big margarita with not-so-purified ice AND 2)
consumed an entire glass of "homemade" lemonade (again with possibly not-so-purified water), I, Joe "Iron Stomach" North, was the first one with stomach issues. I spent the entire bus ride kinda in pain, but I lived.
Shout out to Christine: Mexican first class buses play random recent movies. This particular bus played an Asian flick - subtitled in Spanish - that was exactly like a cross between The Matrix, E.T., Men in Black, and Back to the Future. It included: a very Matrix-like bullet dodging scene, a friendly E.T.-like alien, saving the planet in cool-looking clothes, and changing one's future and fading away - ring any bells?
We finally arrived in Chetumal, accidentally asked a cab driver to take us across the border (mistakes like that here only cost ~$9), crossed the border with no problems, and hopped another cab to Corozal, Belize.
Up Next...
Corozal and beyond in Belize.
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rabbit
non-member comment
pictures broken?
Hey Joe, I'm on my mom's laptop, and the only picture I can see is the last one. Would like to see proof that you're still alive. Alex