Every day that starts at 4:30 a.m. is a rough day, at least in Cindiland. But the carrot at the end of this day was a sugar beach in Tulum, 1,700 miles, 40 degrees, and a zillion stress levels away from Winona.
It has not disappointed, though I had to navigate through my first slack-jawed tourist day where I forget how to speak Spanish completely, can’t tell time, and find myself foraging through my luggage trying to find all of the clever places I packed things.
The hotel is everything its glossy webpage promised – but not so much a hotel as an expanse of hippie huts of varying sizes cut into a swath of jungle along the Caribbean. But my room was just a bit over $100/night because it’s the low season. Crazy cheap. Travel in the off season, you guys.
Fish tacos and an insanely good gin and juice, then a walk on the beach where I met the beach dogs… yeah, they have beach dogs in Tulum. I heard them down the beach barking and barking, but I was trying to shoot a couple of night shots of the resort from the beach so I didn’t pay them much mind. Until I felt the hot breath of one of them against my leg and I shit myself. Just kidding about the second part. But seriously, two dogs that are obviously pit bull mixes were all up on me where I was sitting on the beach bed and I had all kinds of visions of what could go wrong. Turns out they were super friendly – it’s just their beach and they are wary of intruders after dark. Thank god.
So I left the beach after handing out a few scratches and headed for a much safer option – the unlit road in front of the resort that heads to the only bar happening tonight on the beach road – Clandestino.
I spent one night in Tulum a couple of years ago and it was pretty awful because of the company. Same for Cozumel, where I’m headed next. This is more or less the redemption trip – I’m going to discover all of the charms this area has to offer without any of the crazy that I brought with me last time. Day one down, and so far, so good. I’ve learned that I’m lucky to get on the right buses and not get attacked by dogs and such, my Spanish is improving, and the locals in Tulum are pretty friendly even if English is a little rougher here than up the coast. It’s a very chill place. For example, one of the servers at the bar just lit up a bowl right next to me. LOL Not judging, just saying. I apparently don’t look like a federali. Haha.
Peace and love, friends. I’m going to finish a really mean margarita and go to sleep to dream about what tomorrow might bring.
