Non-peep, First time, Trip Report

[GEB44]

This is the second part of our Mayan Riviera vacation. The first part is on the Playa board.

The drive to Tulum was easy. I should have looked up some Spanish road signs before I got behind the wheel, but oh well. The beach road has been recently paved and is now paved all the way to the preserve. We found our hotel, Ana y Jose, when we got to the biggest speed bump we had ever seen. The road is filled with speed bumps, mostly fat rope, but this one was a mountain. The room was large, the beach was beautiful, and the staff was friendly, but somehow, I just did not get a good vibe from Ana y Jose. What Mamitas and Luna Blue was, this was not. But, it is just a place to sleep.

We had dinner in their restaurant that night, Almond Fish, which was great and ribeye that was average. But, it was a little pricey.

We had breakfast at the restaurant everyday. Here is the obligatory food photo:

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When we got to our car, we noticed that it had moved. On close inspection, we saw that the car had moved about 12” sideways. We could only imagine how they did it. Off to the ruins. We hired a private guide, Alex, and had a good tour. We were early enough to be ahead of the crowds. Boy was it hot and we did not take anything to drink to the site.

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My conclusion was that since the Monk burned all the records, we don’t have a clue about the Mayans. So you can make up your own story.

More later...

[jx2]

Thanks for the Tulum edition of your report:D I can only imagine those ropes on top of asphalt:eek: :( At least they would sink in the sand and be a little smaller.
Looking forward to the rest of your Tulum time.

[GEB44]

Off to the beach! We drove to Sian Ka’an. The ranger said there was a beach at 2 km and 8 km. We stopped at the first beach. The beach was almost deserted. It could have been a gorgeous beach, but it collects debris and is not maintained. But, it was a pleasant, relaxing place to soak up the sun.

We walked out to the beach at Ana y Jose when we returned. We noticed a photographer and a model. They were using the late day sun and she made a few changes. About this time, a meditator came along. After a time, he obviously could not concentrate and had to move his position:

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Dinner was at Piedro Escondito; chicken and pasta mare. Very good and a much better value.

Our first visit to a cenote. Grand Cenote. We are early and there are only two other cars there. We descend the stairs and are in awe. The place is beautiful. The water is clear, there are lots of fish, and the caves are everywhere. Only 3 other people there. Oh, a few scuba divers arrive and quickly disappear. I snorkel for a while. Dorothy doesn’t like the fish, so she enjoyed the beauty and the sun. It was easy to pass the time in this serene environment.



Then we headed to the beach at El Paraiso. Just north of the club, you can drive on the beach and it is a huge expanse. We found a nice area with no one around and spread our blanket. Unfortunately, the wind was picking up. While the sand was very fine, it still was everywhere. I am too old to worry about consuming my pound of dirt, but I am sure I added a supplement. But we hung on for quite awhile and enjoyed the sun. Finally the sun was overcome by clouds.

Stopped for gas. Didn’t do all the calcs, but gas was about the same as at home. I expected it to be either more, gouge the tourist, or less, Mexico has a huge supply.


Supper was at Zamas; on the beach where the wind was really blowing. They had a singing group that was unique, duo reggae. Penne pasta and grilled fish. Good and reasonable.

In the morning the wind is still howling. The curtains are down at the restaurant, but the sand is on every table. Not a beach day. We decide to try Coba. It is straight up the road, you cannot miss it. Well, when you are almost there, you come to this circle thing. I went left and Dorothy says “you are going the wrong direction”. So I did a Uey and then misinterpreted a sign. Started up the road and saw a sign pointed to a pyramid. Must be the right road, wrong. Kilometer after kilometer, no ruins. Finally we give-up and turn around. About the third bus we pass is headed to Chichen-Itza. Boy, that would have been a long ride. Finally back to the circle and take the right road and it is only a few kilometers.

Since this is our second ruins, we are much more casual. No guided tour and we do not even look at a map. The ruins are in the jungle and much more spread out, with fewer visitors. We visit the first temple and start on our way. We walk, since we did not look at the sign. Most people are on bikes or being driven on a three-wheeled bike. We find the next “ball court” and start back. We are stopped by a uniformed guide. He says,” That did not take long enough; did you go to the main temple?” We had missed the trail. So we turn around and head back. It is a hike and it is hot, but thank goodness for the guide. Finally we arrive at Nohoch Mul. It just zooms out of the jungle and people are climbing all over it. The better half, the cardiac patient, says, “I’m going!” So off she goes while I take some video. She is up in no time, although it is a good workout and passes many people half her age.

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When we got back to the entrance area we looked at the sign and saw that we had walked over 5 kilometers. But it was definitely worth it and we were glad the wind forced us here.

We are off again; back to Sian Kaan. This time I have to register and pay an admission fee. Same gate, about the same time, but different ranger. We drove down to Boca Paila only to find it is just a fishing lodge. We were disappointed by the limited access to the beach. It was either private property (in the park) or thick jungle. Found one access point, but it was still windy. We went to the visitor’s center and climbed the observation deck. The view is beautiful, but the wind has the crow’s nest really rocking and rolling. We considered a kayak, but did not feel like fighting the wind.

I had wanted to go to Gringo Dave’s for dinner, but could not find it. I think maybe the name is now Nachos. So we settled on Zahra. Chicken and fish. Very reasonable, but then sometimes you get what you pay for.

I awoke to find I was being visited by Montezuma. We had been very careful. I chowed a half a box of Pepto. Made it to breakfast and was doing better a couple hours later. Good thing because today is travel day. Easy drive to the airport, still wish they had better signs and turned in the car with only minor discussion. American food for lunch at TGIFriday’s. Our flight home was through Ft. Lauderdale; FF, you take what you can get. Thought it would be easy, thought wrong. Immigration did not have enough agents and two planes arrived together. What a line. Thank goodness, we were not in the non-US citizen line. Then the custom agent is putting everyone in the hand search line. We had planned to change our clothes in Ft. Lauderdale, but there is no time. We literally ran to the plane and just made it. But we sat and waited a long time because US Airways was not about to leave 50 passengers behind.

If you would like to see more Tulum photos go to:

http://community.webshots.com/user/bilgere

Great trip, really enjoyed the Mexican Riviera. Planning the next trip, not back, but to Maui.

[Maureena5]

Thanks for the nice report GEB! I know what you mean about Ana y Jose. My husband & I stayed there a few weeks ago. It was a bit pricey, but we decided to splurge a bit. We loved our bungelow....very nice accomodations, but I never felt any warmth from the staff. My husband went bonefishing for the day. I spent a good part of my day at the resort by myself. Unlike so many other Playa/Tulum hotels, I felt their approach with their guests was very cool and slightly standoffish. For the price of staying there I would loved to have had a few more smiles....Not quite my cup of tea. The beach at Ana's is gorgeous and it was a great place to go walking & exploring all the other places along the beach. We, too went to Grand Cenote. I loved it. Thanks for a nice report. It brings back great memories of the Tulum area.

[jx2]

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Looks to me that he had the best seat on the beach:p :D Thanks for sharing your trip report with us:D