After the short stay in Playa del Carmen we went to Tulum, where we wanted to visit our first Mayan site. Although there are apparently also colectivos that drive from Playa del Carmen to Tulum, we decided to take an ADO again, because we didn't want to squeeze into a colectivo with our luggage. The driver and the other passengers for sure would not have liked that either. So we went to the ADO station in Playa del Carmen in the early morning and after a little waiting time we went on to Tulum!
The city of Tulum
Arrived in Tulum we were a bit hungry at first, so we sat down in a small bar at the street corner and got some food.
Nachdem wir uns bei Rincón Poblano mit leckerer Zwiebelsuppe, Quesadillas und Alambre gestärkt hatten, konnten wir auch direkt zur Unterkunft (Werbung) laufen und dort einchecken. Nach kurzem Ausschwitzen und einer Verdauungspause ging es auch sofort los mit einem Rundgang durch Tulum.
The city reminded us very much of Cancun, but much smaller, somehow more peaceful and without the hotel zone. Since Tulum is a very popular destination, there are many souvenir stalls with all kinds of stuff. We walked through the streets and then at some point we went to the Chedraui, which is on the outskirts of the city. The Chedraui is a big shopping store where you can find almost everything. It reminds us very much of the German Real or Walmart. We stocked up with provisions and I got a bathing suit there, because I didn't have any with me until then, but always went swimming with my sports pants.
Although we spent the day just traveling, eating, walking and shopping, the day somehow went by very quickly. In the evening I went swimming in the pool of our accommodation. But since it started to pour at some point, we relaxed the rest of the evening (the sky was impressively red that evening).
The Mayan ruins of Tulum
The next morning we had breakfast in a small cafe around the corner. Originally the cafe was probably a garage, but the owner made the best out of it and we had fresh juice, delicious coffee and delicious fruit bowls.
Afterwards we went to the colectivos, which drive along the main road. We had read before that the colectivos do not take tourists so that they fall back on the cab drivers. But this is not true, because we drove without any problems in a colectivo to the Mayan ruins for a total of 40 Pesos (less than 2 Euro).
The ruins are not far away from the city, so we were there very soon. After walking for about 15 minutes along the road towards the ruins, you will find the cash desk and the entrance on the left side. You have to expect to be approached very often by people, whether you already have a tour, want to buy this or that or take a photo with a chained animal...
After we finally made it inside, our jaws opened. The combination of nature and architecture was something completely different for us. We had not seen anything comparable until then. We were overwhelmed.
The sky was a little grey that day, but we were actually quite happy about that, because it was very warm and very humid even without the sun. Every time the sun came out, we preferred to look for a shady place. Beside many tourists from the USA we also saw a lot of iguanas and a lot of huge blue butterflies (of which I unfortunately couldn't take any pictures again).
After reading through all the information signs and having had enough, we left the site at the southern exit to get to Playa Santa Fe. We didn't have any swimming gear with us and actually wanted to go to the beach the next day. But we wanted to have a look anyway.
In comparison, the beach in Playa del Carmen is an absolute joke. Santa Fe was really a paradise. The colors of the water, the sand, the spaciousness, the Mayan ruins in the background and surprisingly only a few visitors.
We strolled along the beach and unfortunately had to disappoint a Mexican in the end that we did not want to go on a boat tour with him.
Später fuhren wir wieder mit einem Colectivo zurück in die Stadt. Hierfür stellten wir uns einfach an die Straße und winkten das erstbeste Colectivo zu uns heran. Wir konnten uns noch zu den anderen Passagieren reinquetschen. Ein Mitfahrer hatte eine kleine durchsichtige Box mit Essen dabei, die er am Straßenrand verkaufen wollte. Nachdem wir ihm also 10 Minuten gegenüber saßen und auf sein Essen schauten und er an der gleichen Station ausgestiegen war, beschlossen wir, das auch einfach mal zu probieren. Es handelte sich dabei um „Kibi“, also frittierte Klöße, die entweder aus Fleisch oder Käse bestehen. Wir entschieden uns für die Käsevariante. Der Verkäufer schnitt die Kibis auf und füllte sie mit einer Mischung aus Zwiebeln und Salat! Seehr lecker! Kurze Zeit später hatte Calli leider etwas mit ihrer Verdauung zu kämpfen.
At the beach Playa Paraiso
Since we spent three nights in Tulum, we could afford to go to the beach again the very next day, this time to Playa Paraiso. We also had our swimsuits with us and were early, so we had a very empty and beautiful beach for the whole morning. We sat down at a place where a few palm trees gave us some shade.
After a successful dive I could discover a nice big shell at the bottom of the sea. Although this is nothing special here in Mexico. But still I was happy like a little child and since then I felt like a treasure hunter!
Later a small squirrel visited us, too, which had tried to pull half a coconut through a wooden fence. Of course this didn't work out and the squirrel then simply nibbled out the white coconut fruit. We also allowed ourselves a coconut that lay on the ground. With the help of the key to our accommodation we drilled three holes into the coconut and drank the delicious water.
Later the rain started to pour, so we packed all our things under a poncho. The wind also made it colder outside, so we warmed up again by swimming in the sea. But also this downpour was over again at some point and also our beach stay we soon ended.
On the way back we met a lot of coatis at the roadside. They showed almost no interest in us and were therefore not shy, so that I was able to take one or the other photo.
Ebenfalls toll war der Besuch in einem kleinen Restaurant namens „El Tacoqueto“, welches eine sehr typischen mexikanische Atmosphäre hatte. Die Dekoration der Tische und Stühle waren sehr simpel gehalten und die Decke war aus Bambus. Um unser Essen zu bestellen, konnten wir vorab einen Blick in die Küche werfen und dann einfach auf die Töpfe zeigen, was wir probieren wollten. Das Essen schmeckte wirklich klasse!
We found that Tulum was very worthwhile for us. The ruins, the city, the beach, the animals. We can only warmly recommend to visit the place if you should be in the region. We spent 3 nights in Tulum. We went back to the ADO station to take the bus to Valladolid. Although we were unlucky with the tickets again and had to take a bus later, we just sat down again at Rincón Poblano and could stay there for a while. We met another US-American woman who we could proudly tell about our trip so far and we also had a nice chat with the waitress. Afterwards we waited the last minutes at the roadside and watched the events around us.
The next step was Valladolid and its surroundings!
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