OMG, Tulum! I got to spend a week in heaven, that is Tulum in the beginning of this new year. I could not have asked for more or for a better start of the year.
Tulum is about 2 hours south from Cancun, it is small and relatively undiscovered by tourists unlike Playa del Carmen (1 hour closer to Cancun). I haven't really been to any other ocean beach places so I can not compare, but Tulum is just beautiful. It is also very peaceful and has an amazing, special vibe. The town centre is very old and very mexican with nice little shops and bars/restaurants. The town is also very jungle-y up until the beaches where it changes into white sand.
We stayed in a villa halfway between the centre and the beach! Even though the beach could be beautiful to stay at, it is full of robberies and break ins so it was worth staying elsewhere and driving to the beach when we wanted. The beach road is called Carretera Tulum a Punta Allen, or beach road which is packed with beach clubs and hotels on one side and restaurants and shops on the other side. The food is really amazing everywhere we tried: Gitano, Ahau, La Zebra and Cenzontle. We wanted to also try Hartwood, which is apparently the best, but it only accepts walk ins, and the line for tables for same night starts at 2-3pm already and they open at 6 only. So unfortunately we chose to do other things, but maybe next time. But there are so many other cool places that look like some of the coolest places of London or New York but in a more beautiful setting.
I actually joined some good friends from London on this trip but I also met some new ones. I feel like for a good trip you need a good company and I was so lucky with my people I met some lovely, crazy people that I hope to see in the near future.
From beach time in Tulum and Cancun on the last day, to exploring Mayan temples we did so many things.
During
our stay we also went for a dip in a Cenote, which is an under earth
cave with a lake where for example the Mayans used to throw their most
valuable people who they sacrificed. We went to the Ik Kil Cenote, which
was about 2-3 hours from Tulum, next to the Chichen Itza Maya town. Ik
Kil was just beautiful, it was 50 meters deep, very dark, with plants
that grow on the surface reaching down in the water and with black fish!
We were lucky to go that day and just before closing, we had some time
to go in the water but with less people and also, we were very lucky
because that night there was an earthquake and so it was closed for the
rest of our stay.
We took the ferry to Cozumel, which ended being one of my most difficult days, but I am glad things happened that way, because I have been super stressed about anything and everything lately, anxious and scared of things thinking it is dangerous. Anyway, I never thought I will get seasick ever in my life, I have been on ferries and boats before, never felt my stomach but this time!!! This Playa del Carmen and Cozumel ride is just crazy. It was worse than my worst flight ever. First of all they covered the windows so you can't actually see what is outside which is obviously super bar for the brain when something is moving, the waves were crazy throwing the ferry all around, it was like a roller coaster. And I hate those. I had one of my worst panic attacks, some spent the whole ride in the restrooms and what makes the situation worse is that the stewardesses walk around with little bags in case someone gets sick and you can hear people getting sick around you. It was torture. It was 30 minutes to get to Cozumel and getting off the boat we spent another 30-45 minutes sitting on the deck drinking ice cold coke. On the way back I took an anti nausea pill and I suggest everyone to do that if you are even a tiny bit anxious about being seasick.
On the island we rented cars, an old Jeep Wrangler and an old Beetle both window, roof and almost doorless. Which seemed so much fun in the beginning also because I love these old Jeeps, but after a day of exploring Cozumel and late lunch at Chen Rio on the beach on the way back when we started the car, realised that we have no lights on this car and it was already dark. On this island there were no street lamps either and after while we also saw that the front window was so oily dirty that when there was a car coming from the opposite direction we couldn't see a single thing. I was holding on to the top railings of the open Jeep like I was going to die. It was a 30-40 mins ride because we needed to go fast to catch our return ferry, in complete dark. I know this is not scary for most of you, but for such an anxious person like me this is like a ride in hell. Anyway I am glad it happened because #YOLO.
We spent maybe 2 days on the beach in Tulum just eating drinking
cocktails and jumping around in the waves of the ocean! It was the best
times, so relaxing! We also bought matching bikini tops with all the
girls and wore them on our last night out in Playa del Carmen. Where we
also watched the sunrise from the beach in the middle of the party. I
also had a fantastic little rest there on a sunbed and then left around
11am with a "jungle shuttle truck" to our van and spent the last day in Cancun with a friend. The parties we went to were "Sacbe" on our very first night, it was set in the middle of the jungle and had the most amazing decoration and music. This was my favorite party, then on the 10th we went to Day zero and Rumors after party and the 13th we went to a BPM party in Playa. They were all in the jungle, very magical.
(On a
sidenote, I have to say I have had no stomach problems, ate whichever I
fancied but took a charcoal pill before and after also, never used tap
water for tooth/face washing and cooking; You don't really need pesos they accept US Dollars everywhere)
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