Tulum
Our Tulum/Xel-Ha tour got off to a slow start. In a (thankfully)
air-conditioned van, tourists like ourselves were gradually gathered from various
resorts, including the much ritzier Iberostar
Paraiso del Mar. After an hour and a transfer at Playa
del Carmen, we were headed south 60km to Tulum. The national archealogical
preserve lies at the extreme south end of the Mayan Riviera.
South of Tulum, the highway turns away from the coast and runs through the jungle
on its way to Chetumal, the capital of Quintana Roo at the border with Belize.
Tulum is one of only a few Mayan ruins site on the coast, and by far the most
significant. It was a very holy site for the Mayans during the post-classic
period. Besides being the location for series of palaces, a number of the buildings
on the site are remarkable astronomical tools. During each of the summer and
winter solstices and the spring and fall equinoxes, light shines through particular
holes in a building designed to work only on that exact day.
Tulum is located on a cliff, at a small hole along the long barrier reef that
runs the length of the Carrbbean side of the Yucatan peninsula. Thus it is easily
defendable. Defense was an important concern, demonstrated by the walls that
surrounded the site.
We had an enjoyable guided tour followed by some time to wander around for
ourselves. Unfortunately, it was a very hot day during our tour, and since the
site offers little or no shade, we did not stay long. Our photos of Tulum take
up most of the Day 5 album. If you ever go to Tulum, as on any excursion in
the Mayan Riviera, be sure to take along plenty of water. If your trip is not
immediately followed by a visit to Xel-Ha, take some
swimming gear and use the beach at Tulum to cool off.
Our excellent and humourous tour operator for the day, Jose, warned us off
the local food found at Xel-Ha, so we used the extra
time we had in Tulum out of the sun at Subway. Usually we would prefer to each
local food when travelling rather than something we can get at home, but we
made an exception this once.
Though well worth the visit, Tulum has become the ultimate tourist trap. An
optional 2 minute trolley ride from the parking lot to the entrance costs 15
pesos, but better yet, a trip to the bathroom will set you back another 2 pesos.
An interesting note about Tulum, similar to the other ruins we saw at Xcaret
and other facets of Mexico, is that the lack of wealth makes for less infrastructure.
In Canada, such a site would have a ton of official-looking aging bilingual
government signs, guard rails and velvet ropes, along with an indication that
research is ongoing, interpretive materials, etc.. The lack of government 'crapaphanalia'
was a welcome change.
After sweltering in Tulum, we were ready for the short trip north to Xel-Ha.
