The early Mayans must have known a thing or two about real estate, because when it came time to building Tulum, it was all about 'location, location, location'. The ruins that remain are fairly compact and not all that spectacular, yet they are among the most visited in all Mexico. Why? Because they sit on a cliff overlooking a beautiful expanse of soft sandy beach, making it entirely possible to admire the ruins while you are swimming in the warm waters of the Carribean. That and they are only about a two hour drive from Cancun.Instead of going straight from Merida to Cancun for my return flight, I decided to break up the journey with a night in Tulum. Most of the small town is geared towards high-end travellers, particularly the resorts that sit on the beach, so I was pretty excited to get my own seaside cabana for less than $30 (although compared to Merida, I regarded this as an extravagant splurge).
I was able to unwind at the bar with a good book and the sounds of the waves before taking a cab (because it was hot and I was too lazy to walk) a few miles down the road to the ruins. Tulum does a good job with signage and is so compact that this is the one place I felt ok foregoing a guide. I spent a few hours soaking it all in, comparing it to other ruins I had seen during the week, now happy to be able to discern Classic from Post-Classic.
I even thought of returning at night for the light show but in the end, the bonfire roaring back at the Papaya held a much stronger gravitational pull. At this point, after an unexpectedly excellent week in Mexico, I was more than content to just sit back, relax and marvel at how fortunate I am to be leading this life that I am leading.
Promise of una hora muy feliz at the Papaya Playa Resort.
Number 60: my little cabana by the sea.
Swinging by the sea.
At first, the mosquito netting worried me a bit, but this time of year, it was merely for show.
Part of the ancient protective wall and a guard house.
As I was posing for this photo, a late 60-ish woman from Spain piped in to say that I should put it on Facebook.
El Castillo: the principal structure overlooking the Carribean.
Temple of the Frescoes, this is one of the more detailed structures.
Sunrise in Tulum.
