Before booking my tickets to Cancún, I wasn’t aware that three cousins of my mum’s lived in Tulum, just a few kilometers south of there.
As a matter of fact, they moved to Mexico more than 10 years ago, and did well for themselves after that. I was happy to meet them and they’ve been superb hosts since.
This allowed me to use Tulum as a base of operations to explore the Yucatan peninsula.
Wisely guided by one of the cousins, I’ve visited two more Mayan sites: Cobá and Ek Balam. Cobá is home to the tallest pyramid you can climb, whereas Ek Balam has some original sculpture and is in a more remote location.
I had to challenge my stupid vertigo when I was coming down from the pyramid in Cobá: even though there was a rope, I always felt unstable due to the stone steps being way too small for my feet.
Food has also been over the top. I’ve been stuffing myself with all sorts of tacos, including the not-so-appealing cabeza de res, a.k.a. beef head.
These days the Mayan population in Tulun is also celebrating an annual festival: streets are flooded with vendors and street food booths, for the joy of kids and grown ups alike.
Yesterday, my last stop has been the so called la colorada, a beautiful pink lagoon next to a big saltwork facility. Apparently, the colour is due to some organism dying while the water evaporates and leaves only salt behind: a good metaphore for life.
There we could also see large groups of wild flamingos, all sorts of birds, and even a baby crocodile.
We also saw a snake coming towards us, but as nobody was bitten, it is hardly worth mentioning.
My plan for the next days is still a bit fuzzy. I’ll probably spend another couple of days between Tulum and Playa del Carmen, before deciding whether or not I should completely chill out in Cancun for the last days.
After witnessing Mexican roads (and bumps), the prospect of driving for hours and hours is suddenly not so sexy anymore.
It’s a shame, however, because it looks like that every corner of this state, Quintana Roo, is worth visiting.
The way I see it: more reasons to come back!