Day 24: Coba to Tulum

January 27, 2018

After we started to use our tent less and hotels more, we had to learn something about booking in advance. After a brief flirtation with some other services, we settled on Booking.com. But much in Booking.com is not quite as it appears, and eventually I purported to write an article on Understanding Booking.com. But really there are still things we do not understand, or should I say, accept. The most important central fact is that though Booking may give you an account, may take your credit card information, may designate you a "genius" and give a 10% discount, and may use the same layout and terminology in describing various hotels, it is not them that is selling the accommodation, or even determining or verifying the claims that are made in the listings. In that sense Booking is much more like a Craigslist specializing in accommodation than anything, and the properties are just using it to post listings.

So last night we were looking for a place in Puerto Morelos. The Booking listing said "No credit card needed to book. Pay at the property. Cash only, property does not accept credit cards." But after you book, you get told that a 50% deposit is required. How shall you get that to them - by carrier pigeon? Don't ask Booking - though we did. They offered to phone the property for us to find out. But we just chose a different place, where the hassle was less.

Our next hotel related topic popped up in the morning, literally as soon as we did. We found that we had been barricaded in, with no escape to the street. That had also happened once in Spain. We were furious then and furious now. It's not just a matter of convenience and wake up times, it a question of safety.

In our country public buildings have emergency exits with big silver easy push bars, and illuminated Exit signs, of specified sizing. Now that's a paranoia as nuts as the people here, who must be defending against nocturnal bandito raids and have to throw padlocks and deadbolts on everything. But listen hotels "Don't Fence Me In"! I wrote out a note to this effect using Google Translate and gave it to the boy that eventually came to open the door, at 7:15. He studied it hard, but I'm not sure he could read. Next time I'll have to bring bolt cutters and a crow bar.

The road from Coba to Tulum is a simple straight shot with only one or two bits of settlement along the way. The first one was a little enclave of craft shops, that seemed to have a little more interesting and higher quality stuff than the average. Premier among these were two pottery places with that very colourful and attractive Mexican style of dish ware, sinks, and statues. The skeleton or just skull seems to figure in a lot of craft work here. This is surely related to the Day of the Dead national holiday, and to traditions and art about the dead that came from the Maya.

We bought one like this about 20 years ago, but somehow never installed it. They are gorgeous though.

Other than the craft shops, the road was quite boring, and today for some reason, very busy. Drivers were zooming along, passing dangerously, and (our favourite) riding on the shoulder. But a little extra entertainment came along as I got our first flat of the trip. It was a truck tire wire. It is important to find and remove these, else the new tube will just flat as well. We carry a tweezers for pulling out wires.

With this flat the road noise prevented me from calling out to Dodie. When she noticed that I had disappeared from her mirror, she assumed I had stopped for a potty break. She found her own "restroom" and waited there for 15 minutes, before starting to back to see what had happened. I was fine, fixing the tire, except we keep the pump on Dodie's bike. After having experienced the "Camino", I knew I could also walk to Tulum if needed. But after 50 years together I had to assume Dodie would miss me before that! Sure enough she came rolling back. I was glad to see her. Almost as glad as seeing that pump!

The road has to be quite boring to make this seem like fun.

Since we had been cycling without breakfast, we were happy to come back to the little juice stand that we stopped at when we were going in the other direction, way back on Day 7. It was a shady rest, with fruit and juices. We also got them to make us some empanadas, so it was a full service stop.

Across the street, people were still slicing up rain forest trees for lumber, using a chain saw. I watched closely for a bit, and was impressed that the slices were being done freehand. See below how accurate and luscious a slice looks. Woodworkers - what couldn't you make with that!

Making tortillas by hand, with a wood fire.

Cutting the top off the coconut to out a straw in.

Other skills were also in evidence nearby. Below is a man working on building and thatching a roof. In the photo he is lashing the horizontal bits (purlins) to the rafters with fibre. Then the bundled grasses are laid, from the eaves on up, just as you would do with shingles. I mused if later you could walk on this, like to clean your chimney. But of course, no chimneys are needed here!

The photo below shows the heavy traffic on the road, but also a sign that has been puzzling us. Google makes this out to be "Grant Change of Lights". Say what? Are there any Spanish speakers out there who can translate?

Tulum is a very active town, stuffed with hostels and backpackers, construction, and restaurants. We took a slightly back road in and noticed really a lot of hostels. Our own, the "Weary Traveler" turned out to be really super. It features the signatures lounge, where the world backpackers can lie around, but also huge kitchen and a nice pool. Because we wanted a separate room, we were led around the corner to an affiliated hotel building, on Tulum's main street. This one is actually called the Mundo Maya - Hotel/Hostel. Our 36 US dollar room is huge and exceptionally clean and airy. It has tons of hot water, and good quality hardwood furniture, beds, and door. We just love it.

Our hostel is cool, but they need that tourist rental jeep to be gone - destroys the vibe.

Our actual digs turned out to be around the corner on the main drag

Wall paintings at our hotel - here a cenote

A representation of the Tulum ruin, maybe the only one that is one the sea

The streets around us are just stuffed with restaurants and shops. It would take quite a lot of strolling to size them all up. But no need. We already spotted a Thai restaurant. It's not that we are sick of Mexican, but Thai!

Nearby streets are stuffed with shops and restaurants.

This restaurant looks particularly exotic.

Today's ride: 50 km (31 miles)
Total: 1,119 km (695 miles)

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