Tulum, Mexico was a very cool trip. We showed up in the pitch dark of 6:30 PM in what seemed like the middle of the jungle. It was pitch black, and the 6 of us walked through the dense palm trees on sandy paths with headlamps
to the check-in desk.
In the zona hotelera of Tulum, there are no power lines. Everything is quite literally off the grid. All phones and credit card swipers are cellular, and computers are connected by… I don’t really know how. The resorts are mostly bungalow/palapa-style housing run on solar power for all electricity. Our bungalow had the luxury of having a door in order to keep the outdoors out, but had no outlets and only two lights hard-wired into the “solar-system.” Don’t let me confuse you, I am not complaining. I absolutely LOVED it. I felt very relaxed and will maintain that I slept in every day, because there were no clocks to contradict me. When I did get up, I would go for a nice run on the beach then enjoy some of the best coffee I’ve ever had from the restaurant across the street from our hotel.
Tulum is a special place. There are scenic Mayan ruins right on the ocean, a secluded setting, a relaxed mood, and great restaurants. I do fear all these great things will soon be the downfall of this place as larger resorts replace the small ones and phone wires are inevitably hung; but, for now, Tulum is a special place.
I’ll let the pictures fill in the details, click on the thumbnails to see the full picture.
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- The beer that quickly became my stand-by for the trip. Darker and heavier than the rest, but still tastes suspiciously like Corona.
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- The thatched roofs of other bungalows sticking out of the top of the jungle
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- One of the original Mayan structures looks out over the ocean. This structure was one of a pair of lighthouse-like building that marked the break in the reef where fishing boats could come into shore.
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- The beach at the ruins. See the large iguana in the lower part?
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- The main structure at the ruins. Apparently the King, his family, and priests were the only ones allowed to live in the primary stone structures.
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- Iguana. We saw quite a few of these bad boys.
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- Some shopping up the street from our hotel. More of an authentic feel without the high-pressure of sales you find in the bigger tourist areas.
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- Displaying a couple of our souvienirs at the bar.
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- My impression was this is where I would go if I were injured and/or deathly ill.
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- Back at the hotel, a shot from a table set back in the shade.
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- The lovely couple that convinced us all to come out to Mexico for their wedding. Congratulations Jamie and Blaire! Beautiful day, beautiful couple.
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- A few of the locals hanging out at the beach visited us after the ceremony
