Tulum - Life between commerce and hipsters

After a relaxed bus ride, we arrived in Tulum. The ADO bus stop is located, as always, right in the center, so we didn't have to go far to our accommodation.

This time we chose accommodation that had a communal kitchen. This allowed us to cook for the first time on our trip.

The arrival day in a new place usually goes the same way for us: to the hotel/Airbnb/hostel, drop off bags, freshen up, and then get an overview of the city. To do this, we stroll through the streets and in the afternoon, we go to a supermarket to stock up on breakfast, drinks, and other things.

In the evening, we bring our findings to the room, eat something (either something from the supermarket or in a restaurant) and then plan our stay in detail. Since we change locations on average every 3 days, we only inform ourselves roughly in advance and then plan the details on-site.

We have only heard good things about Tulum. Friends have given us restaurant and excursion tips, but we were a bit uneasy because a few months earlier a German tourist was killed in a shooting. From our experience, however, we can say that we felt safe. As in all cities, we were cautious with our belongings and did not show anything valuable.

Now to the city itself:

The city center is not directly on the coast, but about 5km inland. The city has now become very touristy and extremely popular with backpackers. We met many tourists from the USA and Europe. In the city center itself, there are many restaurants, bars/clubs, a lot of souvenir shops, and shops for everyday needs. It wasn't super nice, but we could feel the vibe of the city.

The next morning we rented bicycles and drove to the beach (Paradise Beach) and what can we say?! It was truly paradise. Beautiful sandy beach and blue, clear water. We found a shady spot and relaxed on the beach all day. We had great waves, which made cooling off in the sea even more fun. Unfortunately, the beach itself was very crowded. In addition to bars that rent sun loungers and umbrellas, there were many fruit and jewelry vendors walking along the beach.

In the evening, we had our first self-cooked dinner, which tasted excellent. Although you have a huge selection of new dishes thousands of kilometers away from home, you still miss the familiar food from time to time.

Speaking of food:

Roman is a big fan of Mexican cuisine. He loves tacos, burritos, tortas, sopes, and everything else there is. One of the most important activities was always to try out the best taco stand in town and compare which tacos are the most delicious. His favorite is Al Pastor Tacos. Al Pastor is marinated pork that is layered and then grilled (in principle, it looks like a kebab spit). The classic taco consists of a corn tortilla, the meat, pieces of pineapple, onions, and cilantro. The sauces are served separately and you can help yourself to taste. So far, most sauces weren't too spicy and very tasty - they will be recreated at home and you are all invited, look forward to it! Unfortunately, Leonie is not a big fan of the food. Too meat-heavy, too much cilantro, too spicy. Well, at least the Marquesitas tasted good and have been the object of desire since the first bite on Holbox.

Okay, we're getting off track. Back to Tulum. The next day, we went to the Maya ruins in Tulum in the morning. We rented the bikes for two days, so we made a relaxed bike tour of about 20 minutes. When we arrived, it was already very hot and we were once again attacked by tour guides and information stands that wanted to sell us something. We entered the Maya ruins without a tour and did not regret it. With the heat, we were not interested in walking for hours in the hot sun. Nevertheless, the place was beautiful. The ruins are located directly on the coast, so you could look out onto the wide sea. On the other side, the jungle could be seen, so this mixture created a unique backdrop. In addition, there were countless iguanas to admire.

After about 2 hours, we were ready for a cool-down. So we got back on our bikes and rode to the nearby beach. We spent about 2 hours there, enjoying the cool water. As a conclusion, we rode along the Zona Hotelera with our bikes. Here, beach clubs, expensive hotels, and restaurants lined up one after the other. They all had their private sections on the beach, and you could buy a day pass to use the beach chairs, showers, and toilets. The buildings were all very beautiful and decorated in a boho style. Here, alongside hipster downtown, the Instagram commerce has arrived. However, we had to hurry to return the bikes on time, so we didn't manage to go to one of the bars.

The return journey felt like a workout, as we were already 20 minutes late, but we had to return the bikes that evening. After (almost) arriving on time, we sat down for a last dinner in a restaurant that was popular with the locals. And behold: Roman found the perfect tacos. Juicy, flavorful, and affordable. So we could leave Tulum the next morning and continue our journey to Playa del Carmen.