Azulik - Tulum Trip Report - Part 8 (the FINAL CHAPTER)

[TheWindyCity]

Azulik - Tulum Trip Report - Part 8 (FINAL)

Wednesday, May 9

The day we dreaded had finally arrived. The only good thing this morning was the sun rising to say "Adios mi amigos!"

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We awoke extra early to finish packing and try to check out by 7:00AM. The Federales walking the beach got a little too close for comfort this day, walking past our villa and up the stairs past our deck.

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After packing, I moved the bags outside, and a worker passing by gave me a hand. The poor guy...the look on his face when he lifted Mrs. Shop-aholics bag!! I apologized, and explained that my wife put Mexico in there to take back with us. It wasn't easy getting to the reception palapa through the sand! Once there, we waited for them to bring the laptop in for check-out and we were on the road by 7:40.

We drove to the pueblo for breakfast and also to make a few stops for last minute goodies. We went to La Nave for breakfast after finding out they opened early, and also, that they made ham and cheese croissants, thinking this would be great to order for the plane ride home. Alice had a great cup of cappuccino,

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and I had a regular.

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The coffee at La Nave was fresh brewed and very good. They serve a basket of fresh baked Italian artisan bread, which was excellent. We ordered, as you may have guessed, a farewell Huevos Moltulenos breakfast. It was pretty simple, but good.

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We enjoyed the street scene at this early hour, watching everyone going to work, the shop owners laying out their wares, and the Mexican women washing down the sidewalks. The owner, a hard working guy that seems to be there at all hours, was taking a moment with his daughter.

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After breakfast, we hit the back streets to find the tortilleria I had spotted earlier, where the locals go, Tortilleria Lu Lu.

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The tortillas are sold by weight, and we bought what amounted to about 2 dozen for 10 pesos, about half of what we pay at home.

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I had pictured Mayan women grinding corn and rolling them out by hand, but these were done by a machine.

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Who could resist opening the heavy paper wrapping and eating one, even after a big breakfast? Not us! They were very good and warm, with a nice light corn flavor

We headed back to the main street and stopped at Pan de Carmen, the bakery in town, for some pan de huevos to take home.

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One of our favorites is the croissant type Mexican roll filled with chocolate! We were on our way by 9:15.

Driving to the airport was uneventful, as I was pretty careful to watch my speed. We still made it to the rental return quickly, by 10:45. We went to check our bags, and we were told we could not carry on OR check in the wall decoration we bought for our daughter's room, because it may be too sharp!???! After talking to several people, we were allowed to have the item shrink wrapped and tagged for check in. We made it through security by 11:25, and our boarding time was 12:25 for a 1:05 PM flight out.


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I avoided buying and packing away liquor in Tulum, opting for the duty-free shop at the airport, and carrying it on. After all, I already had all of Mexico in our bags! We sampled various tequilas, picked up a few great bottles, and also selected a bottle of the Mayan honey-anise liquor, Xtabentun. We schlepped everything up to the cashier, and guess what?? No liquids can be purchased an hour before BOARDING time...not flight time, but boarding time. We saw many, many sad faces, as this was the case for a lot of people. There were baskets of liquor to be restocked everywhere around us in the check out line. The odd thing is, they do not announce it or post this anywhere. Even if we had known, it wouldn't had helped, as we did not make it through security with an hour to spare. All I kept thinking now is "Please don't let them take our Mexican rolls and tortillas!" While we waited at the gate, I bought a bottle of water at a stand near the gate. As we boarded our flight, our carry on bags were checked again. Can you believe they confiscated the water I just bought? Still sealed? Seems like they need to post something to this fact. I saw a couple with 3 young kids, and the same thing happened to them.

The flight home was quick. We enjoyed the sandwiches from La Nave, and we looked over our photos on the camera screen, trying to hold on to what we had just left behind.

A few days after our return...we longed for our favorite breakfast, Huevos Moltulenos. We went to a Mexican store and purchased what we needed to make what came out to be a great version, complete with fried plantains, and even better than a few of the restaurants we visited.

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It was great, if for a brief moment, to be back in Tulum!

[rtsuser]

Thanks for the great string of trip reports. Your attention to detail and love for the area shine through in each report. It's been fun enjoying Tulum with you both.

[PhyllisB]

Fantastic report, WC! You take excellent pictures! I had thought that I wouldn't want to stay up near Copal/Azulik, because I enjoy the wide open beaches further south, but your report makes me reconsider that...

I'll be sad tomorrow when I get to work and there's no new installment! Thankfully we have some other folks getting back from their trips to pick up where you left off! (hint hint, Dan!) :)

Phyllis

[bellydancer]

Have throughly enjoyed your trip report. Lots of awesome pics!

So I take it you made it through customs with your tortilla's...were they in your carry-on or checked luggage?

[TheWindyCity]

Thanks everyone..it was great to relive our trip through writing the reports.

The tortillas and bakery goods were no problem. We carried them on without question. To be safe, we spelled out everything on the customs declaration, including two big bottles of honey.

[Karen in OH]

A perfect trip report, good info and awsome photos. Thank you for taking me back!

[minniemex]

http://www.smileyarena.net/Library/extra_large/sayings/default/bravo.gif (http://www.smileyarena.net/download.aspx?id=12565)Great report WC - enjoyed every minute - http://www.smileyarena.net/Library/words_library/thankful/default/sparkle.gif (http://www.smileyarena.net/download.aspx?id=7992)

[SassyGirl]

Thank you so much, WC, for your wonderful trip report! From beginning to end it was so captivating and the photography was out of this world!

[Gale in KY]

Thank you for such a great virtual return to Tulum..reading this, I could hear the ocean, feel the wind on my face..taste those wonderful meals. Truly a gift you have given those of us who are stuck at home!

[dcap]

Just as I commented on the emails and here before, great report, enjoyed it very much. Now I've got the bug to go even more.

[procrastinet]

Absolutely brilliant trip report, and excellent photography. Thank you for sharing it with everybody.

I agree completely about the outrageousness of the no-water policy. All water is confiscated or thrown out before security, and then all the shops inside sell water - which is then confiscated at the gate. My wife almost caused a scene when the girl checking our bag took the three big bottles of water she'd bought for the flight ($12 total at the exorbitant airport-mall prices). Just like you, they were all sealed and bought within the security area. I have no idea what they think they're protecting against.

Welcome back and thanks again for such an evocative and thorough report.

[mayaflya]

Windy,

Great report....as you know, your trip report from 2006 (on another forum) was instrumental in our deciding to make our first visit to this magical paradise. Now, it's not quite been a year, and we have made two trips to the Mayan Riviera. Thanks for your willingness to share your experiences in such a beautiful and personal way.

muchas gracias, amigo

mayaflya

[AdGuy]

Fantastic job, TWC! Being a big fan of Huevos Moltulenos, I loved the comparison photos from the different restaurants. I also loved that you made your own once you returned...did you include anything special in your recipe?

[TheWindyCity]

Just for you, Lee:



Huevos Moltulenos

Ingredients:
Tostadas (or fry your own corn tortillas until crisp)
1 can black beans, mashed, or 1 can of refried beans
Chihuahua cheese, shredded
Cotija cheese, crumbled, or queso fresco, crumbled
Diced ham
Thinly sliced red onion
1 can green pigeon peas
1 egg, fried
Mexican Crema style sour cream
2 ripe plantains, sliced and fried until golden
1 ripe avocado, sliced

Sauce:
1 can stewed tomatoes
1/4 cup diced onion
1 clove garlic, minced
For the sauce, put the three ingredients in a blender and pulse about 5 times, put in a small sauce pot, and heat through to cook the garlic and onion.


Construction:
Presentation is everything, so try to follow this sequence:
Smear a layer of beans onto the tostada. Add shredded Chihuahua cheese. Add the fried egg (this will melt the cheese). Add a few tablespoons of the sauce. Then add ham and red onion. Drizzle on the crema, and finish it off with the pigeon peas and finally, the cotija cheese.

Garnish the plate with fried plantains and sliced avocado, add your favorite habanero salsa or pico de gallo.....provecho!


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[Jessie James]

thanks for such a great trip report

[boreal j k]

Yum, that is something we are going to have to try in Mexico when we go down in April. Looks really , really good.Maybe even try to make it at home.

[mgsipa]

My wife almost caused a scene when the girl checking our bag took the three big bottles of water she'd bought for the flight ($12 total at the exorbitant airport-mall prices). Just like you, they were all sealed and bought within the security area. I have no idea what they think they're protecting against.

I don't think they're protecting against anything. I think there's a truck out back where all the still-sealed water bottles go, and they re-sell them as new. I think it's an enterprise...lol

Next time, open each bottle and take a big sip before giving it over to them. Don't contribute to the Mexican bottled water economy!

[heenan]

Enjoyed each installment. But if I ate one of those moltenous (sp) things for breakfast, I'd never make it on my beach walk!