Saturday night is our first opportunity to meet our new travel companions, and we are full of expectation as we make our way 300m down the road. As we enter the hotel we are thankful we have already confirmed our additional night of luxury. It’s not looking so great for the future though.
It’s a mixed group who have already spent some weeks together travelling down through Mexico. Three young Aussie couples (obviously from Melbourne), an older Kiwi couple , an Irish lady from Spain(what?), a Swiss guy and joining with us 2 German girls, a Canadian lady and our tour leader for the next 17 days, Ernesto. We head down to the recommended tacos bar, opposite our hotel!
Next morning, it is with regret we try and stuff everything back into our backpacks, which have obviously shrunk in the heat of the few days we have been in Playa del Carmen and head off to the local bus station half a kilometre away, where Ernesto is waiting with our tickets. By the time we get there, we are already dripping in sweat. Fortunately, its only an hour to our first stop in Tulum.
My induction to travel in Central America is a gentle one. Far from the famous ’chicken’ buses ( resprayed ex USA school buses) I had expected, this local bus is airconditioned, with plenty of room for luggage underneath. There is no mad scramble to board and everyone is well accommodated. If I was only 5 foot tall (like most Mayans!) it would be comfort perfected. Unfortunately I’m somewhat taller and so spend the journey with my knees jammed into the seat in front. Still, it’s only an hour. When we disembark in Tulum and put on our backpacks to walk the short distance to the hotel I remind myself that NEXT time I should follow the old adage that you should pack half the clothes and twice the cash you think you will need. I’m sure I’ve clothes enough for the entire bus and several orphan children besides. Our accommodation, Villa Tulum, is conveniently situated opposite the supermarket and 3 kms from the town in one direction and 3kms the beach in the other. Yeah right. You try walking 3kms in 40+C of sun! The restaurant and communal area is open air and offers some relief from the sun but none from the mosquitos. Our hearts sink as we enter the room. No sumptuous beds, no deck and definitely no Jacuzzi! Still, on the plus side, there is an air conditioning unit plugged into a hole in the wall and there is a swimming pool to cool off in.
Most of us have decided to hire bikes whilst we are there and we eye the pick up which delivers them with keen anticipation. 18 speed gear box? Double suspension? Disc brakes perhaps? As we vie for the best ones it becomes clear that our expectations may well need to be realigned to Mexican standards. Well ,at least there’s a saddle, handlebars and a front and back wheel. And gears would only complicate things, wouldn’t they? And who needs brakes when you’ve got feet. I grab a bright pink number and try a practice pedal around the car park. As I hold my feet on the pedals to freewheel, Barbie (the bike) decides to come to an abrupt halt and throw me off. Hmmm. So that’s how the brakes work!
We set off towards the sea front. Caroline has managed to snaffle the prettiest looking bike of the pack but it quickly becomes apparent that looks aren’t everything as every time she sits on the saddle it slides down the frame making it impossible to peddle. By the time we arrive at the beach front cafe to have lunch it’s nearly time to leave. The views are stunning. Warm Caribbean waves breaking on white sand. I feel sure that some time soon I will not find this quite so breath taking but not yet. Its really too hot for food so we snack on Papas Bravas and guacamole & chips before heading off to nearby Cenote Colona for a cooling dip. Unlike the underground one we visited on the way to Chichen Itza, this one is set in a mangrove swamp and is really only a small pool. It’s not long before we get bored and head off back to the beach for a frolic in the warm waves as the sun goes down.
Back at the hotel I grab the shower first. At least it’s cool and wet. I’m just about to step in when I notice something small and dark peeping out from the tiles at the bottom. It’s probably only a spider, but as I look closely I think it must be a scorpion. Calmly I call my trusty assistant for a 2nd opinion. A squeal confirms my suspicions. I’m just about to hop in to complete my shower before seeking further assistance in scorpion disposal when I realise my trusty assistant has disappeared leaving the door ajar and me with only a small towel to protect my modesty. In a split second Ernesto is on the scene poking at the unfortunate scorpion to coax him out of his hiding place. Suddenly the scorpion makes a dash for it. Like lightning Ernesto has grabbed him and taken him outside to release him back into the wild. Continuing with my shower I find myself scanning nooks and crannies everywhere. I’m sure I read that scorpions travel in pairs... or worse, families!
Next morning we have agreed to cycle to the ruins in the cool of early morning and are there just after opening time at 8.00am. This ancient Mayan site is the only one on the coast and has a wall around 3 sides, the sea providing a natural defence on the other. There is plenty to see and I find it more interesting than Chichen Itza, if not so grand. The remains of many of the buildings still exist to provide many clues to life at the time when this was the main port. It is now home to the iguanas, and iguana spotting becomes a new challenge as we wander round absorbing the history and atmosphere.
Eventually, the midday heat gets the better of us and we mount our trusty steeds and head for home. In the evening , most of the group decide to hang around the hotel but 3 of us head for the nightlife of Tulum. Our taxi driver drops us off outside his recommendation, which looks a little grubby, with bright red painted walls and a football game on a small screen on the wall. Kids are running around and there seem to be plenty of locals, so we decide to risk it. We start with just a sample of empanadas, tacos and tostados, each filled with the typical local spicy meat mix of ‘pastor’. There’s are a large bowls balanced on a narrow wall separating the outside eating area from the inside, where you can help yourself to salads, spicy salsa, grated cabbage and the ubiquitous red and green sauces. Always one is spicy and the other not but you never know which will be which. No alcohol in these family tacos bars and so tamarind is the drink of choice to wash them down. After the first taster we quickly order more. They are light and full of flavour. Replete, we ask for the bill. “130 Pesos” says the waiter. “Each?” we ask thinking $10US is good value for what we ate. “For all” he replies. Double bonus. Cheap as chips.
We wander back down the high street trying to find a bar we had spotted on the way in, recommended in that traveller’s bible, Lonely Planet but are distracted when we pass a lively bar with a VW beetle inside in which there is a sugar cane press, with a guy feeding the cane and extracting the juice for the fabrication of the house speciality.. Mojitos. As we sit down, 4 more guys in the corner start jamming with a mixture of instruments and gravelly voices. Jazz in a reggae stylee. A perfect end to the day and our stay in Tulum.
It’s a mixed group who have already spent some weeks together travelling down through Mexico. Three young Aussie couples (obviously from Melbourne), an older Kiwi couple , an Irish lady from Spain(what?), a Swiss guy and joining with us 2 German girls, a Canadian lady and our tour leader for the next 17 days, Ernesto. We head down to the recommended tacos bar, opposite our hotel!
Next morning, it is with regret we try and stuff everything back into our backpacks, which have obviously shrunk in the heat of the few days we have been in Playa del Carmen and head off to the local bus station half a kilometre away, where Ernesto is waiting with our tickets. By the time we get there, we are already dripping in sweat. Fortunately, its only an hour to our first stop in Tulum.
My induction to travel in Central America is a gentle one. Far from the famous ’chicken’ buses ( resprayed ex USA school buses) I had expected, this local bus is airconditioned, with plenty of room for luggage underneath. There is no mad scramble to board and everyone is well accommodated. If I was only 5 foot tall (like most Mayans!) it would be comfort perfected. Unfortunately I’m somewhat taller and so spend the journey with my knees jammed into the seat in front. Still, it’s only an hour. When we disembark in Tulum and put on our backpacks to walk the short distance to the hotel I remind myself that NEXT time I should follow the old adage that you should pack half the clothes and twice the cash you think you will need. I’m sure I’ve clothes enough for the entire bus and several orphan children besides. Our accommodation, Villa Tulum, is conveniently situated opposite the supermarket and 3 kms from the town in one direction and 3kms the beach in the other. Yeah right. You try walking 3kms in 40+C of sun! The restaurant and communal area is open air and offers some relief from the sun but none from the mosquitos. Our hearts sink as we enter the room. No sumptuous beds, no deck and definitely no Jacuzzi! Still, on the plus side, there is an air conditioning unit plugged into a hole in the wall and there is a swimming pool to cool off in.
Most of us have decided to hire bikes whilst we are there and we eye the pick up which delivers them with keen anticipation. 18 speed gear box? Double suspension? Disc brakes perhaps? As we vie for the best ones it becomes clear that our expectations may well need to be realigned to Mexican standards. Well ,at least there’s a saddle, handlebars and a front and back wheel. And gears would only complicate things, wouldn’t they? And who needs brakes when you’ve got feet. I grab a bright pink number and try a practice pedal around the car park. As I hold my feet on the pedals to freewheel, Barbie (the bike) decides to come to an abrupt halt and throw me off. Hmmm. So that’s how the brakes work!
We set off towards the sea front. Caroline has managed to snaffle the prettiest looking bike of the pack but it quickly becomes apparent that looks aren’t everything as every time she sits on the saddle it slides down the frame making it impossible to peddle. By the time we arrive at the beach front cafe to have lunch it’s nearly time to leave. The views are stunning. Warm Caribbean waves breaking on white sand. I feel sure that some time soon I will not find this quite so breath taking but not yet. Its really too hot for food so we snack on Papas Bravas and guacamole & chips before heading off to nearby Cenote Colona for a cooling dip. Unlike the underground one we visited on the way to Chichen Itza, this one is set in a mangrove swamp and is really only a small pool. It’s not long before we get bored and head off back to the beach for a frolic in the warm waves as the sun goes down.
Back at the hotel I grab the shower first. At least it’s cool and wet. I’m just about to step in when I notice something small and dark peeping out from the tiles at the bottom. It’s probably only a spider, but as I look closely I think it must be a scorpion. Calmly I call my trusty assistant for a 2nd opinion. A squeal confirms my suspicions. I’m just about to hop in to complete my shower before seeking further assistance in scorpion disposal when I realise my trusty assistant has disappeared leaving the door ajar and me with only a small towel to protect my modesty. In a split second Ernesto is on the scene poking at the unfortunate scorpion to coax him out of his hiding place. Suddenly the scorpion makes a dash for it. Like lightning Ernesto has grabbed him and taken him outside to release him back into the wild. Continuing with my shower I find myself scanning nooks and crannies everywhere. I’m sure I read that scorpions travel in pairs... or worse, families!
Next morning we have agreed to cycle to the ruins in the cool of early morning and are there just after opening time at 8.00am. This ancient Mayan site is the only one on the coast and has a wall around 3 sides, the sea providing a natural defence on the other. There is plenty to see and I find it more interesting than Chichen Itza, if not so grand. The remains of many of the buildings still exist to provide many clues to life at the time when this was the main port. It is now home to the iguanas, and iguana spotting becomes a new challenge as we wander round absorbing the history and atmosphere.
Eventually, the midday heat gets the better of us and we mount our trusty steeds and head for home. In the evening , most of the group decide to hang around the hotel but 3 of us head for the nightlife of Tulum. Our taxi driver drops us off outside his recommendation, which looks a little grubby, with bright red painted walls and a football game on a small screen on the wall. Kids are running around and there seem to be plenty of locals, so we decide to risk it. We start with just a sample of empanadas, tacos and tostados, each filled with the typical local spicy meat mix of ‘pastor’. There’s are a large bowls balanced on a narrow wall separating the outside eating area from the inside, where you can help yourself to salads, spicy salsa, grated cabbage and the ubiquitous red and green sauces. Always one is spicy and the other not but you never know which will be which. No alcohol in these family tacos bars and so tamarind is the drink of choice to wash them down. After the first taster we quickly order more. They are light and full of flavour. Replete, we ask for the bill. “130 Pesos” says the waiter. “Each?” we ask thinking $10US is good value for what we ate. “For all” he replies. Double bonus. Cheap as chips.
We wander back down the high street trying to find a bar we had spotted on the way in, recommended in that traveller’s bible, Lonely Planet but are distracted when we pass a lively bar with a VW beetle inside in which there is a sugar cane press, with a guy feeding the cane and extracting the juice for the fabrication of the house speciality.. Mojitos. As we sit down, 4 more guys in the corner start jamming with a mixture of instruments and gravelly voices. Jazz in a reggae stylee. A perfect end to the day and our stay in Tulum.
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