Day 6: Tulum

November 30, 2021

It has been two years now that we have not been dealing with cash at home. So it's a change to be back to handling bills for so many transactions. And out on the road, we also need to take care not to be flashing great wads around, nor throwing it on the ground when we go to haul out a phone or a guide book or something. That's the background to our arrival last night at our hotel in Tulum. As it happens, though arranged through Booking, they also were clear that they wanted to be paid in cash. There was some confusion as well, because we changed our room from a balcony to ground floor, and that changed the amount. Booking as well had quoted prices in Canadian dollars, but of course the hotel needed pesos.

So the kind of sun stroked Dodie was also a bit muddled as she went in to pay for the room. Later, she did some puzzling over how much they had actually charged her, trying to compare with the messaging from Booking. All that is par for the course. Often Dodie will send me in to buy something, and I come out with no idea how much I have paid. I can also lose the register receipt between the counter and the door!

But this time Dodie decided she was 4000 pesos short. Counting up all her cash, it just was not there. She also found a change purse where she had been keeping money was nowhere to be found, and it seemed logical that she had dropped this with the cash while digging for adjusted amounts to pay the hotel at their counter.

As always happens when you lose your wallet, there was a lot of turning things upside down, plus trying to remember what might have been where. Don't you hate those times? Dodie especially so, because she prides herself on organization. Several quite agonized hours went by. Dodie decided she no longer knew where anything was, and was probably going crazy.

This continued until we also tried to find our headlamps. We had actually made a list of what is where, and Dodie consulted it about headlamps. But it also had a special note: "Don't forget about the 4000 pesos stashed in the special bag." Duh! Yes, Dodie had truly dropped the little change purse, but not the 4000 pesos! It looks like we're going to eat today after all!

What ultimately turned out to be a super day had a further rocky start as we experienced abyssmal service and a pathetic, expensive breakfast of dry toast and coffee from the hotel.

Breakfast? Can not really be styled a one jammer because the butter was 1/2 rancid and the jam runny. Poor show, Andrea's of Tulum!

But soon we were off, operationalizing our plan to rent bicycles of such low quality that we could freely park and leave them anywhere.

Of course a low quality bike can take some skill to manage. With coaster brakes you have to start off in a particular way, and when you use them to stop your feet are busy braking and not so available for keeping you from falling over. Generations of kids knew all about this in the old days, but never us. Even so, Dodie hopped on her clunker and was rapidly in business.

The bike could be older than the cyclist!

Our first target was the super famous Tulum ruins. We came as early as possible, so as to miss any tourist hoards being trucked in from the major centres. We were largely successful in this, though a few pesky groups did get in our way. Later, the people did thicken up, but they never were a major problem. Everyone is supposed to wear a mask on the site, but this was only followed sporadically including by us, since after all it is outdoors.

Down to the ruins.

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Tulum is almost unique in being situated right by the sea, and in fact the former Mayan city of Tulum not only subsisted mainly from the sea, but was a major port in sea linked trade among Mayan cities. From our point of view, what we experienced was a truly wonderful conjunction of jungly landscape and Caribbean seascape, juxtaposed with the iconic Mayan buildings. Without trying to be an archeologist, you can just super enjoy ands experience these three factors.

The national guard was deployed recently to defend the tourist zones from gangster shootouts.

Here is a selection of shots to help recreate the feel of this wonderful site.

"The Castle", one of 16 structures still standing on the site, and the foliage.

The "Inner Precinct" has 8 structures standing, but one is able to see the foundations of many more.

Frescoes still visible on some buildings depict various gods. This stylized image is very artistic. The sign we took this from had images like this for many other characters.

Of course we were also looking for interesting flora and fauna that would agree to hold still. Unfortunately that did not include any agoutis this time. But we did spy these:

We are seeing these Iguana everywhere. Someone at the entrance offering to pose for pictures had a giant orange one in his arms! This one here is using the orange flower to boost his photo appeal.

There is also a beach at the Tulum ruins, and by taking a wrong turn we almost got there. It's quite far, though, and when we realized our error we turned around. So we have yet to set a toe in the Caribbean.

Our objective water-wise was not an ocean but a cenote. Yucatan's limestone subsoil is pock marked with holes that collect water, and which can be joined by subterranean rivers. Cool and shaded, these are the best swimming spots imaginable.

But Yucatan has many hell and heaven type contrasts. To get to our chosen cenote, the Grand Cenote, we first had to re-enter highway 307. To even get onto the right side of it, we had to use an overpass:

Heading south on 307, the roadside was littered with all kinds of activity from roadside stalls to heavy construction. One machine was tearing up the road and spitting pebbles and huge volumes of dust. My mask took a break from filtering out viruses and had a go at standard dust for a change.

Finally the corner where a right turn takes you toward Coba. Straight ahead would be central Tulum town. On this corner, amid roaring traffic,. cement mixers, dump trucks, etc. was a BBQ stall, making really nice charcoal broiled stuff. We got a burrito which was really super, with tasty meat (of some kind!) and the wrapper nicely toasted or fried.

Also on the corner, and

really every corner and many in between was a Covid testing operation. The enterprising Mexicans have taken enthusiastically to this cottage industry. In this area the price is uniformly $US100 for PCR.

The burrito gave us strength for the remaining kms on the Coba road to Grand Cenote. We passed another one on the way, but thought it rather expensive at 250 or so pesos. Grande Cenote turned out to be a little more again. Aside from the price they had a few other "irritants", like insisting everyone wear a life jacket, or charging 30 pesos for a padlock for a locker, and no, you can't use your own. But in the end it was really swell. The water temperature is just right (cool), and the scene is beautiful. With peace of mind from the 30 peso locker and not having to tread water, because of the life jacket, it was all 100% fun!

The previously maligned (by some!) Umidigi Bison phone came into its own too, happily taking photos in the water:

Turtles on the rocks, but no fish to be seen

Splashing in the cool water is hungry work, so we headed for a place we had spotted last night. It is an improbable German bakery, found along 307. We learned some of the story from "grandma", whose daughter had married a German man. The man and his Mexican father in law are the bakers, and they are making some very good stuff. Grandma not only allowed me to take some photos, but she also posed for one:

We capped our day with a final spat with the surly hotel girl. First we asked for Dodie's drivers' license back. It had been demanded as some sort or deposit. Now it was revealed that it had been held hostage for the return of the TV controller. We sent me to fetch that and slapped it on the counter. Next we learned that we would be locked in in the night, and the gate not opened until 8 (at best). This has happened to our fury in other countries as well. We hate being locked in, and always want to leave early. Our standard argument ploy of what happens if there is a fire, as usual went nowhere. But we did spy a small hole beside the prison wall:

I said I would throw our bikes through that hole, and if the plant had to die in the process, so be it. Cooler headed Dodie is not so sure. She also vetoed me collecting a metal bar for banging on the prison gate, and she frowned to see me studying the gate bolts to see if I had a tool to disassemble them.

Her final, much more pacifist plan, is to eject me through the hole, to go find breakfast stuff (certainly not dry toast), thereby saving time and allowing us to stand and wait for bicycle freedom. Bicycle freedom. There could be a slogan or a movement in that somewhere!

Today's ride: 15 km (9 miles)
Total: 160 km (99 miles)

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Rachael AndersonGreat writing! I agree with you about getting locked in. We had a place where we were locked in but didn’t realize it until morning.
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2 years ago

Scott FenwickAmazing to see your pictures of Tulum today. I was there with a couple of buddies about 40 years ago. We slept in a grass hut near the beach and there was not another sole around. We climbed all over the ruins by the beach and swam in the small cove below. The next day we got back on the bus and headed into Belize. Looking back now those were amazing times. Thanks for the memories.
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2 years ago

Jacquie GaudetWe agree about using cash again! We’ve discovered that most places in Andalusia take card payment now, though we’ve no idea if this is new.

I change my Booking account to whatever is the currency where I’m travelling or booking. It takes conversion out of the equation.
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2 years ago

Sue PriceWe loved the ruins in Tulum but not so much the town - too many tourists! I wonder what it looks like now? Smart you for staying near the ruins and getting in early. We are taking our time, here in the other side of Mexico, getting acclimated and exploring our surroundings. It's a bit weird not cycling to a new place every day, but it is VERY relaxing!!!
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2 years ago

Rich FrasierThat must have been a record for getting Bill to ID plants and animals! The poor guy must be exhausted. I’m going to have to up my « mystery plant and animals » game when we get back on the road next spring. Great writing, by the way!
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2 years ago

Steve Miller/GrampiesTo Scott FenwickI think we have some somewhat more positive memories even from 2008, when we came through by chicken bus.
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2 years ago

Andrea BrownWe've been locked in before too, and do not like it one bit. And the owners don't like getting waked up early to let us out either, but that's the deal.
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2 years ago