Date of Entry: February 1st 2017
Date of Writing: June 2nd 2018
I wake up early in the morning and head down to the docks watching the sun rise and grabbing a tasty breakfast before heading onto the big ferry, which will stop at another Caye and make us transfer but will eventually get me to Mexico, a country I’ve been waiting to visit for a long time. It’s a bit of a long early morning trip and the wait to switch boats takes longer than expected, still it’s neat to see a little bit of another island in Belize, even if I gone through Belize exit immigration there which means for the next few hours I’m not quite in any country officially.
It’s around mid afternoon by the time I arrive in Mexico, pay my entry fee of 500 pesos (Around 27 USD) and then wait for a shared taxi to take me the last few hours of my long voyage from Caye Caulker to Tulum.
I arrive in the somewhat run down city of Tulum and get left on the main street, walking a few blocks down to my hostel Chill Inn hostel, which turns out to be an amazing social place with comfy beds, lots of hammocks, a super social atmosphere and a staff that makes the best or second best (To only hostel Majdas in Bosnia) breakfast of any hostel ever. At any rate the sun is always setting so I follow my brothers recommendation and head out to La Malquerida for my first meal in Mexico. Tacos (fajitas to us Canadians) and oh my lord it is beyond heavenly. Mexico, I’m glad to be here, and I think I’m in a lot of trouble. I ate too much in one day, and I have a week and a half in Mexico, oh how I wish it was more.
The next morning, after an incredibly delicious crepe with a middle eastern twist breakfast, I walk to the main road and catch a cheap ride in one of the shared taxis towards the world famous Mayan ruins on the beaches of Tulum. I hop off and walk the 1 km or so into the ruins passing by the very different part of Tulum, which being on the Yucatan and only a few hours from Playa del Carmen and Cancun, is always full of tourists and many of them the all inclusive type. Who would have thought NFL merchandise selection would be more varied in Southern Mexico than in the U.S.
I smile and say no thank you to the vendors peddling their wares and then reach the entrance. As I’m about to get in line to pay for a ticket I look to the ground and find one sitting there waiting for me. Finding entrance tickets is always a nice budget bonus and to my surprise as a I make my way to the ticket scanners mine actually works and I’m in for free.
As I enter the ruins it doesn’t take me long to see that in terms of pure ruins these can’t even come close to comparing to Tikal. They are alright but nothing massive is preserved and they are even more crowded by tourists. But what Tulum does have in spades is location, I’ve never seen ruins beside the ocean before, and here the Caribbean is the most intoxicating shade of emerald blue (sounds like a contradiction but i swear it’s not)
At the water doesn’t just look inviting, you can actually swim alongside the ruins which is an utterly incredible experience, the water crisp cool and refreshing, the waves fun to play in and the view perfect (save for the slight overcrowding). It’s paradise and I spend at least an hour in the water before exploring the beach fully and re-entering the sea for one last dip before heading back up into the ruins.
Back up atop the cliffs I wander through the intense Mexican heat with very little shade available wishing I had never left the beach, though some of the views out to sea and the pictures I can snap make it worthwhile, and like I said while the ruins aren’t so impressive, the location does make this place special, even if it’s too full of tourists. Maybe the countless iguanas dotting the ruins could start eating some of them.
After the heat has finally defeated me and the ruins are filling up even more with tourists on day trips from Playa Del Carmen and Cancun, I decide to take a wander through the back roads and try to find some more beaches which will be less crowded. After walking about twenty minutes I find a path through the jungle that doesn’t seem to belong to a resort and take it. It leads me to a long strong of more sparsely populated incredible white sand beaches. I just wish it was a little less warm as I can only walk along it for about 45 minutes before heading back the way I’ve come and grabbing another shared taxi back to town.
Once there I relax at chill Inn hostel for a while before heading back to La Malquerida on my own and eating way too many delicious tacos. It’s not the cheapest place in town, but my god is it so good. Later that evening at the hostel I meet a cool swiss guy, and two nice British girls who are waiting for their Mexican friend to arrive, the next morning over breakfast I’ll talk my way into their car for a visit to Cobà ruins and a fun group adventure. Stay tuned.
