MEXICO- TULUM (QUINTANA ROO)

The apartment had been cleaned and fresh bed sheet and pillow cases put on the bed, two thin towels were laid on a chair in the corner. The small cooking area  was not altogether so clean as we had expected, so I took a dish cloth and wash up liquid and thoroughly washed the long stone slab on which the cups and saucers, plates and glasses stood, and properly washed & cleaned them.

                                                        Iguanas every where

We shaved and showered and lay down on the big bed and soon were asleep. When we awoke, it was afternoon and after freshening up, went out to see the town. There were fruit and vegetable stalls in the street in which was the apartment, and two kiosks selling bottled water, soft drinks and sweets and sundry snacks. So it was easy for us to buy water etc, on our return. As we turned the corner to enter the main street, Avenida Tulum, Alex saw a Subway outlet, the fast food company shop. We had missed seeing it when we went to have a look at the apartment. So he knew where to have vegetarian snacks.

Tulum was a small place, with just one main street, shops and small eating places and hotels and hostels on both sides of the road. It reminded me of those windblown hick towns you see in spaghetti western movies, where a gun totting gringo would suddenly appear to be downed by the sheriff. We walked on and passed the bus station where we had alighted earlier and enquired if there was any market or supermarket. We were told that there was a super at the walking distance of about ten minutes, which turned out to be nearly one kilo meter and was called Super Mar Carib. A small place where we bought some beer, a small bottle of rum and soft drinks. A sign in the window informed us that sale of alcoholic drinks was open from 8-22hrs, monday to friday, from 8-14hrs. on saturdays and no alcohol was sold on sundays. Mexican authorities control the sale so that the consumption is restricted. In bars and restaurants there was no such restriction.

On our way back, we stopped at El Mariachi restaurant where we had grilled fish with cold beer and Mexican coffee. I was not feeling so good, so we decided to call it a day and on our way back, we bought two bottles of mineral water and went to the apartment.

In the evening I was feeling better so we decided to go to the beach and have look around. We took a taxi to the beach, where the wooden cabins were and were surprised at the dissolute dark cabins sitting in the heat on stilted thin poles. Not a tree was around them. On enquiring we found out that many were without toilets and rent varied between 550-700 pesos per night. That there were some self contained bungalow types, which were near the ruins, in the Hotelera Zone, but the rent was from 1500 pesos and upwards per night.

 There was only one restaurant at quite some distance on the beach and walking there on the powdery white hot sand, was not very pleasant. As we walked on, the wind stirred up and suddenly it started raining. There was no shelter so we started running, wet and full of sand, to the taxi stand, took a taxi and went back to the apartment.

                                 A view of the beach at Tulum from the Zona Hotelera