Tulum - Beach, Mayan Ruins, and a Surprise

'The world is small!' - I have to say, I can't really agree with this statement after my trip, but I realized that we are all somehow connected through social networks. This became particularly clear in Tulum. In addition to this blog (which is admittedly far from being up to date), I posted pictures on Facebook and Instagram in a timely manner. This is also how a friend from Germany, who was on the other side of the border in Mexico with his girlfriend and would be traveling there for a few more weeks, wrote to me shortly after. And so it happened that we met in Tulum.

After my arrival at the hostel (we five girls had once again rented a hostel), the two of them picked me up and we spent a very nice afternoon together before they continued on their way. It was somewhat surreal to meet them at the other end of the world. They were the first familiar faces I had seen in several months! We were able to connect with a lot of things from home, and yet I had experienced so much in the meantime and so much had changed for me. I felt like I was getting a taste of what awaited me back home. In any case, I was happy to see them, even if only briefly.

The next day, the five of us girls went our separate ways during the day. Two went to cenotes, two took a day trip to Chichen Itza (Mayan ruins), and I decided to rent a bike and explore the Mayan ruins in Tulum.

However, after Tikal, the ruins were not very spectacular. But they were admittedly very different. The ruins in Tulum are younger and from a port/trading city of the Maya. From there, you have a beautiful view over the sea, but it doesn't have the mystical jungle atmosphere of Tikal. After about an hour, I felt like I had seen everything and decided to go to the next beach. However, at that time, this beach in Tulum was flooded with stinking seaweed. So I didn't stay long.

It was still a bit early to go back, so I decided to continue along the beach and see if I could make it to one of the cenotes nearby. I actually rode the entire beach promenade. There, one hotel is lined up after another, interrupted only by a few cafes, restaurants, and souvenir shops. I couldn't find the entrance to the cenote and instead continued on to the entrance of Arco Maya, a national park south of Tulum. At the entrance, I was initially unsure if the park required admission. So I gathered all my Spanish knowledge and asked one of the officials at the park entrance. He initially said that I would have to pay a few pesos for admission, but I could ride my bike in. Then he asked me if I was traveling alone. After I answered yes, he was a bit puzzled, but then laughed and said I could continue without paying admission, I just had to be careful not to have a Mexican fall in love with me. That confused me for a moment, but I decided it must have been a joke and continued on.

In the park, I met some Mexicans, one of whom showed me the lagoon where there are supposedly crocodiles and manatees to see. However, I was not prepared for a trip to the lagoon and also didn't feel like doing it alone. So I set off on my way back to the city. By then, I had already been exposed to a lot of Mexican sun and heat and noticed how much it was affecting me. On the way back, I took a long break at one of the cafes and drank as much water as I could. However, the sun was burning so much on my skin that I pedaled hard on the last few kilometers through the city to get back to the hostel as quickly as possible.

I spent the evening with the other girls. It was our last evening together, and we drank, told each other about our day and our travels in general. It was really nice! I realized the next morning how much the sun had affected me. Somehow, it had completely knocked me out, and I slept soundly until late in the morning. I wanted to travel to the next destination, Valladolid, together with the German girl from our group. Fortunately, our bus didn't leave until late in the afternoon, so I had time to pack my things and have breakfast in peace. After that, we strolled through Tulum a bit with the others and looked for souvenirs. It was a bit sad to finally say goodbye to the other girls. Because, as often happened on the trip, these people had grown close to my heart, even though we had only known each other for a few days. But I believe that you always see each other (at least) twice in life...