- robert orben
this post is long overdue and because my memory isn't what it used to be,
i figured i better not wait any longer...i'm not getting any younger.
i'll begin by sharing tulum has been on my bucket list since i was in my teens.
it wasn't on my top 5 list because of it's beautiful beaches, although they are probably
the most beautiful i've EVER seen...to date. it was the mayan ruins surrounding tulum
that i had been wanting to visit since my high school spanish teacher shared about her
adventures trekking all over the yucatán. i was fascinated with the mayan culture and their
pyramids, and knew i had to visit someday.
as many times as c and i have visited mexico, many were surprised we had never been to this
part of mexico. the real reason is because tulum is on the caribbean side of the country,
which means there is no surf. this is tragic for active boys who like to surf, specifically the
biggest boy in the family where vacation is synonymous with surfing. with a trip planned to florida to visit family over thanksgiving, we figured it was the perfect time to see this part of mexico since it's just a short flight to florida from there.
we started our trip by flying out of tijuana, mexico to cancun on volaris airlines, and we left cancun as quickly as we could after renting a car. we headed to tulum, a quainter and quieter and much more beautiful town 2 hours south of cancun. tulum was built up more a tiny bit more than i had imagined, but there are wasn't a single building over 2 stories and the town was an perfect mix of budget hostels and boutique hotels, and simple cafes to restaurants with chefs trained in paris. the town still had the bohemian charm i was hoping for.
the boys and i checked into our hotel, La Zebra, which was truly a bit of heaven on earth.
it was everything a mega hotel isn't....low slung, no more than 15 rooms, and all rooms opened
directly on the beach which meant we could walk right off our little room's deck and sink our toes into the sand. it didn't have a pool, and didn't need one because the ocean was less than 30 yards away. we could see and hear the crashing waves from our room - a luxury i enjoy even more than a warm bath {the warm bath comes in right behind it}.
it was clear, an architect and landscape designer were used at this property because the attention to details was seen from everywhere - from the materials to the vegetation that was used for the landscape. the employees were warm, and because it was a small hotel, we learned many of the staff's names and they ours. the best surprise for me was that the beaches in tulum weren't giant lakes like most caribbean beaches - flat and still. those couldn't be more boring. the way the currents and wind move, the beaches do get some small crashing wave which made it so much more enjoyable. finn and scout were able to check out the hotel's boogie boards and play for hours in ocean. the weren't surfing waves, but again, we knew this going in. c kept himself busy boogie boarding, playing paddle ball and soccer with scout. i almost forgot, there was an elderly man whose job at the hotel was to stamp La Zebra in the sand all throughout the property. he used a mold and a bucket of water and would meticulously work on these stamps throughout the day.
when scout would find one that was stepped on, he would get upset and look for the culprit.
he was determined to catch someone in the act and call him out, but he never did. {i was kind of hoping he would}.
we did venture out of our hotel to explore the little town of tulum,
and to eat at various restaurants we even found a fantastic italian restaurant in 'old tulum' that received great reviews on yelp. we ordered a few pizzas and they didn't disappoint.
we spent two days visiting mayan ruins, the biggest being
chichen itza. because we had our own car and and had the flexibility
to avoid arriving with loads of tour buses, we were able to plan on trip to beat the tour buses to the park.
because chichen itza covered such a large area, we decided to get a guide to help us appreciate what we were seeing and how the mayan people lived. we shared the cost of the guide with a kind german couple. for 3 hours, we explored the park and various sites and learned so much! the boys enjoyed seeing where the mayan warriors held games and contests and were fascinated to learn that humans who were sacrificed, were probably drugged before they were thrown into cenotes. {more to come on cenotes further in my post}. though the mayan believed those sacrificed would go straight to their heaven, it's still human nature to resist death. *of course* i should note that tourists are no
longer allowed to climb on the famous iconic pyramid at chichen itza.
yeas back, an older woman fell down it, and died and it's been closed since.
the second ruin we visited was coba. it was smaller than chichen itza,
but the favorite for all of us. the reason being most of the ruins are not
fully excavated and unlike chichen itza, the jungle hasn't been cleared away.
the ruins are tucked back in the jungle which makes it feel more authentic.
in order to see the largest pyramid, visitors either have to hike a mile in to see
it, or they can ride bikes {or for the disabled or elderly - a pedicab is available}.
typically, I'd hike, but the boys and i had gotten up early and got on the road so we
could be at the gate when the park opened because we didn't want to deal with crowds.
to get to the main pyramid quickly, we opted to rent bikes for a few dollars each
and we ended up having a blast. there were probably a hundred bikes to chose from -
all different sizes. we each selected one and we were off. we were the second ones
at the site and quickly climbed to the top. yes, this one tourists are still allowed to climb.
as i hiked with the boys, i asked the boys to "tread lightly" explaining how bad it was for
us to be climbing on the structure. in a few years, i am sure coba too, will be closed for
climbing.
we also enjoyed swimming and exploring a few cenotes, which are
basically sinkholes that contain freshwater which the mayans used
for fresh water. today, they are used for recreation, and they are spectacular! maybe not all, but so many of them are truly breathtaking and the good news is there are literally dozens throughout the region. we had no trouble finding them, and avoided the ones that were frequented by tour buses and tourists from cancun's hotels. there was only one time i regretted not bringing
my digital SLR camera and it was when visiting the cenotes. my
iphone simply couldn't capture their beauty...the water color and my favorite cenote was one that had caverns to swim into. the boys enjoyed this
one too, but their favorite was the one that had a zipline over it.
we would get a running start from a deck and glide over the swimming hole and drop about 20'. i thought perhaps the thrill of ziplining for the boys was over since they've been doing it since
they were little {they did the real deal when scout was just 4 and finn 7}, but this was a different
experience because of the freefall.
this vacation was a perfect blend of relaxation and adventure and
one that all of us will remember forever. if you haven't been to tulum, i highly recommend you visit. just don't tell all your friends so it doesn't become the next cancun. *wink*
