I had desperately needed this vacation. Things hadn't been going well with my girlfriend, seems like we are fighting all the time. So I decided that I needed to get away for some time to myself. I'd always wanted to go to Cancun, so I just went. Flying in over the Caribbean was amazing. The water is the most beautiful color I'd ever seen. If you haven't seen it, I can't describe it.
I'd always been fascinated with the Mayan Indian area, so I had plans to see some of the old ruins. I know for sure that I will check out Tulum. It's right on the beach and looks spectacular. When I made it into the terminal I noticed one big thing: it was all college-aged kids. OK, I'm not that old, I'm only 32, but I felt really old in this crowd. I guess when I ran away from home I should have checked if it was spring break. Well, I didn't plan on staying in town much, so it should be fine.
I took the hotel bus from the airport. The town was pretty interesting, and noticed that it caters pretty heavily to us American tourists. The check in clerk looked a little frazzled, but she got me my room without having a nervous breakdown. I ended up being on the 5th floor facing the water. Things were looking up already. I got unpacked, pretty much, and decided to go check out the Caribbean. I put on my baggy bright blue swimming trunks and grabbed a room towel.
As I was walking out they gave me a beach towel to lie on. They are much better than those little ones. They think of everything here. I'll definitely give them a good review of my stay. I'm kind of a voyeur at heart, so I stayed up from the water so I could see most of the beach, and all the people. I'd never seen so many people under 22 before. It was pretty scary. Nah, just kidding. I was enjoying the view though. There were tiny bikinis as far as the eye could see.
Eventually I decided to go for a swim, so I hid my room key under the blanket and covered it with my shoes. An old trick I learned from swimming by myself all the time. The water was great, and very clear. I bet you could see 50 feet around you in any direction. You could spot the occasional fish, but I'd assume they mostly stayed away from the giant mass of people. I felt like yelling "shark!" And running out of the water, but I was getting tired.
After drying off and rinsing my feet, I put my shoes on and headed back towards the hotel. In the lobby I noticed this group of 5 girls checking in. they were all happy and laughing at each other, except for one. This stunning brunette looked like she didn't really want to be there. I can always tell when someone feels like a 5th wheel. I smiled and nodded to her as I went passed, then took the elevator up.
I showered to clean off all the sand and opened my curtains, in case anyone wanted to see me naked. Maybe someday I'll quit doing that, but most likely not. Next I grabbed my binoculars from my carry on bag and moved the chair closer to the window. I don't normally use the binoculars for this type of sightseeing, but the temptation was too high. I found a few nice specimens to ogle, I mean study, and was soon getting quite aroused from my spying.
I was starting to feel a tiny bit guilty about watching them so I retired for the day. Tried out the TV but there was not much to watch, unless you are into the Bumblebee Man. Sorry, a "Simpsons" reference to Mexican television. I drop so many Simpsons references that I'm waiting for my friends to hire the mouse to whack me. You'd think he'd get sick of killing the cat all the time, so I watch my back.
I had supper in the hotel restaurant and then just spent the rest of the night in my room. I'm happy to report that the room was quiet enough that the partygoers did not wake me up. In the morning I checked with the guy at the desk about Tulum tours. He said there was one everyday, and that it leaves at 9am. I had about an hour so I had some breakfast and got my camera, camcorder and sunscreen into my backpack and made it just in time to get on the bus.
It didn't take long to realize that these bus drivers were insane. They made Otto look like an upright citizen. Fine, I'll stop the Simpsons references now. The roads here are very narrow, but that doesn't mean anybody slows down. We'd pass another bus coming at us and miss him by inches. When they've done this a few times you don't get as scared and you start to enjoy the scenery.
I looked around the bus and it was almost all college kids. They behaved pretty well. I'm guessing most were still hung over. I did a double take as I spotted the cutie from the hotel lobby. She recognized me too because she smiled at me. Her friends were busy hitting on the guys behind them and she was again bored. I gave her kind of a "what can you do?" expression and she chuckled.
People get restless on bus rides, so the guide started asking questions. He asked if anyone knew where we were. A bunch said Yucatan Peninsula, of course, and he said that was wrong. After nobody answered I raised my hand. He pointed at me and I said "we're actually in Quintana Roo." He had a surprised look on his face and asked how I knew that. I told him that I could be smart on occasion, which brought out some laughter.
We had a short stop in a little town called Playa Del Carmen. It's a very quaint town right on the water. It has your usual shops and tourist traps, but go another block inland and you are in a normal town with normal people. Nobody was running out trying to sell you pullovers or blankets. You have to like that. I respect these townspeople for keeping this place somewhere they live, not a dollar sign.
After we all made it on board again we headed the 40 miles or so south to Tulum. I'd read that the Mayans living in Tulum had all up and disappeared about 500 years ago. Some think it was from European visitors. I know that would make me leave too. They must not have showered back then either. Well, whatever happened to them is over, and they left a huge city built of stone behind. I could tell we were getting close because I could see the people selling their junk on the side of the road.
We all piled out and headed for the visitor center. Was that here 500 years ago? I'll have to remember to ask the guide Antonio. He seems pretty smart. I kept looking for the "I lost my head in Tulum" shirt, but didn't see one. They must be out. I knew the Mayan's sacrificed people, and I have a terrible sense of humor. You should see my Tombstone, Arizona shirt that says "how's it hanging?" with the two guys hanging from the gallows. Classic.
As we gathered by the entrance to the ruins, we were aurally attacked by some Macaws up in the trees. Those suckers are annoying. We entered thru an actual walkway thru the stone fence. Very cool. It even had an arch over it. After everyone was out of the way I took the obligatory picture. When Antonio started with his walking tour I switched to the camcorder. We looked at living quarters, the game area and the sweathouse.
The sweathouse is where they let them sweat before they sacrificed them. I asked if they used it on tourists, which caused everyone but Antonio to laugh. He said only on guys that looked like me. I like this guy already. He pointed out the carvings in the rock, which was amazing. There was even this upside down guy carved in. We were told that this was their sun god, coming down to them. That's the one they murdered, I mean sacrificed, people to.
The ball court was interesting too. I think if we played by their rules our multi millionaire athletes might try a wee bit harder. In the Mayan version of football, they kill the losing team. Pretty good incentive I would imagine. I found some Iguanas and followed them for a while until Antonio told us to come back. Guess he wasn't done with us yet. He pointed out the Castillo, which is the highest point overlooking the water. Even back then the rich got the best view of the ocean.
This concluded his official tour, and we were now free to wander the area alone. I saw a couple of topless teenagers tanning on the beach below. I thought about telling them that nudity is an insult to the Mayan people, but I'm not telling someone to cover their breasts. I'm not that mean. So I used the full 900-time zoom on the camera for a nice keepsake, and moved on to the other side of the beach, which is another high point. You'd probably recognize from the movie "Against All Odds."
I saw my new cutie friend from the hotel and bus again. She asked if I'm always a smart-ass and I told her "of course." She laughed and said she was kidding. I smiled back. I asked if she was having any fun yet, and she said she really loved this part of her trip. She wasn't very enthused about her friends, but she was glad she could see such beautiful things out here.
I blushed and told her "you are very kind, but I'm not THAT beautiful." She roared this time and hit me playfully on the arm. Her friends were coming by again so she said "guess I'll see you on the bus." I told her I'd be there, and if I wasn't, Antonio was locking me into the sweat room. She laughed again and was on her way. I turned the camcorder her way and filmed her walking away. If I don't see her again I at least want to remember her butt swaying in the midst of the ruins.
I took a bunch of still photos to remember, also. They are easier to hand around at gatherings. The Castillo was a breathtaking piece of architecture, considering it was probably 900 years old. Plus the U-shaped beach seemed to be cut right out of the cliffs, so I captured that as well.
Antonio didn't kill me after all, as I made it back to the bus. I filmed some of the banana trees in the jungle to the left of the road, since I found them very amusing. Nobody would believe me if I didn't. "Honest to God banana trees, I swear." "Sure, right" as they make the finger circling the ear gesture. We all enjoyed a 90-degree can of Coke, courtesy of the bus company. We were technically in the jungle so nobody refused it and we toughed it out.
