Posts Tagged ‘Tulum’

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Tulum is Bustling!

April 10th, 2013

Sunsets are a beautiful time of most days in Tulum, when the sun has been shining all day, with various clouds; cumulus – the puffy imaginative ones; cirrus – the long wispy ones way up high above everything, and what a fantastic backdrop it was for my drive from the airport in Cancun back to Tulum last week.

I knew that Tulum had become a municipality last year, and that brought an influx of tax dollars and permit fees directly to the coffers and hands of the new municipal government in Tulum and with that the town seemed to be exploding from the last time I came through.

Since I watched Playa Del Carmen blossum from a seedling int he late nineties to a fullscale city of late; I know all the tell-tale signs of a town on the edge of a massive popularity explosion.

What were customarily lazy roundabouts dotted along the main highway, in which usually only one direction had any trafffic to speak of, have become intersections filled with tourists, Mayans, ex-pats and tradesmen all hurrying from one place to another, with fully uniformed police now directing traffic where we know traffic lights are on order and will shortly force those young men and women to other jobs in the police force.

I was welcomed to the town with various degrees of “topes” those wonderfully horrific speed bumps of varying heights and visibility, leading up to a funnel effect of traffic creeping slowly past brand newly-constructed police kioks, with police in shiney new uniforms surveying every license plate and vehicle contents hour after hour.

Once on the main strip, I turned down the volume on my CD player to absorb the sounds of the city – police whistles, songs of tradespeople selling their wares from custom-designed tricycles, honking from slightly exasperated taxi and collectivo drivers, music blaring from shop keepers enticing buyers either to or away from their stores as the case may be, or the tinkle tinkle from rented bike bells avoiding carousing gangs of friendly street dogs – it was Mexican music to my ears.

I just love being back in Tulum, and I just love watching this town begin its journey to being a beach town with an energy to be enjoyed and indulged in!

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Those Little Fish Who Nibble Your Feet…

April 10th, 2013

I have been quite surprised and enchanted by the recent trend here in the Riviera Maya towards putting ones feet in a tank of small fish that hungrily eat anything off your feet they can nibble on, leaving your skin feeling soft and supple for days.

My friend swears by these “treatments” and has one whenever she has the time to enjoy one in town. She asked the clerk in the store about the fish and was told they were very special fish and cost about $250 pesos each, which is about $20 dollars mas o menos per fish…

Upon closer scrutiny of these unknown-til-now fish I realized they looked awfully similiar to those ones that can be found nibbling on your swimsuit and snorkeling equipment in many of the local cenotes.

My friends and I now enjoy our treatments swimming in any of the local swimming holes called “cenotes” that are found in the Riviera Maya. You will be nibbled on for hours by these wonderful little workers as you glide through the healing waters coming up from underground springs and caves.

There are many cenote sites along the Riviera Maya and very near to Tulum as well… Just to the south of Tulum on the main highway is a hidden little gem of a cenote still “undiscovered” by the tourist companies, and where one can enjoy a private swim and fish treatment.

Some of the other more popular sites are the “Car Wash” and Grand Cenote heading on the road to Coba out of Tulum.

It is so fantastic to think that one can enjoy a trendy treatment right outside your door, with nature greeting you and treating you to her finest of luxuries.

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Tulum’s Biggest Ecological Attraction

November 14th, 2012

One of the biggest tourist attractions in Tulum is the Xel Ha Ecological Park that is a must-see when visiting the Riviera Maya.

I am so looking forward to going, and there is so much to see and do, I will share my experience over the next few blogs.

Surfing online I found there were a number of methods to book my ticket, and a number of different packages available, but I ended up booking through Toño, the really friendly  concierge at the front desk of Playa Azul, just down from the Coco Cabanas where I am staying. They even arranged my transportation to Xel Ha, which is only a short ride to the north about ten minutes north of Tulum.

The Riviera Maya sits atop the the Yucatan peninsula, which is a huge limestone shelf, and over the millenniums since its geological formation, rain water returning to the sea has carved out a myriad of underground tunnels filled with fresh water, rich in minerals and filtered from soiled elements. Some of these underground tunnels emerge before reaching the sea, creating large tropical lagoons that edge the Riviera Maya.

Only ten minutes to the north of Tulum is one of these spectacular lagoons called Xel Ha, which means ‘colored water’ in Mayan because of the breathtaking rainbows that are formed over this area.

Xel Ha is a 212 acre area of inlets, cenotes, lagoons and caves where over 100 species of birds, 230 species of plants and 90 marine species flowers and trees call home. Over 60% of the park is ‘reserved for nature’ and the rest has been meticulously designed for maximum enjoyment by visitors with minimal disruption to the natural environment.

At Xel Ha one can take in all the fruits of the area – cliff jumping, snorkeling with marine life, swimming with dolphins, manatee encounters and even a live stingray adventure – these participation activities are complimented with cultural events, traditions and ceremonies.

Facilities and services like restaurants, changing stations with showers, washrooms and lockers are abundant throughout the park, as well as rentals of anything one might need; scuba equipment including flippers and masks, strollers, even your own photographer!

Even though I wasn’t going with anyone in a wheelchair, the park is fully accessible to people on wheels, there is even a hydraulic lift to enter the floating river.

It will be an exciting trip – I don’t know how I will fit it all in one day, but I will get rested and start out early!

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Celebrating Independence Day in Tulum

September 13th, 2012

I wanted to wear something special for the Independence Day celebration in Tulum so I bought a Mayan ‘huipil’ - a white dress embroidered along the neckline with bright colors and a ‘fajilla’ – a thin cloth belt also richly embroidered from one of the shops I found in downtown Tulum.

The celebrating starts on the evening of September 15th, and I make my way to the Tulum ‘zocolo’ – the main square – from my palapa at Coco Cabanas by way of a short taxi ride at 7 pm.

This is the last opportunity of the summer for the local mariachi bands to make some ‘dinero’ before the rainy season starts so they are out in full force. While some mariachis wander around looking for a paying audience many others have dancing and singing families clustered around them. One even has an ‘abuela’ – grandmother – singing her heart out with them. It never ceases to amaze me how many young and old Mexicans know the words to so many spanish songs!

Another thing I love in the ‘zocolos’ is to see the imaginary ways that the ‘triciclos’ – tricycles – are redesigned to become various stores-on-wheels. Tacos, candies, churris, even jewelry and toys can be viewed, cooked and/or purchased on these moving shops.

Some triciclos make ‘Margueritas’, not the drink, but a rolled up sweet crepe cookie that contains topping ingredients I never would have considered putting together. I tried, however, ‘cajeta quemada con queso’, which is burned sweet goat’s milk with grated Manchego cheese… I was absolutely pleasantly surprised at how great it tasted, so I didn’t wince when I saw someone asking for a nutella and grated cheese marguerita.

I love to see the way Mexican and Mayan families embrace their children. The peals of children’s laughter are always encouraged to ring out. Young and old alike take turns keeping the toddlers squealing in laughter by chasing, tickling, bouncing and squeezing their grandchildren, nieces, nephews, brothers, sisters and cousins.

At about 11 pm I hear quite a commotion of hollering as a car pulls up but I am relieved to find that is part of the celebration. When the mayor arrives the crowd knows that he or she will make a speech that will end with the famous ‘cry of Hidalgo’ and begin the firework display.

Independence Day is also known as ‘The Cry of Dolores’, which is a funny double meaning, as ‘dolores’ in spanish is pain, and it is also the place that the Catholic priest, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, in 1867, felt led to cry out for rebellion against the Spanish, and so began the independence struggle.

The Tulum mayor climbs up on an official looking platform and gives a speech that I understand a little, and it is a heartfelt patriotic speech to motivate and bring together the people in celebration of their heritage.

I could tell everyone was quite thrilled because shortly after he finishes, he lets out a great holler, which makes everyone in the square also cry out. The whooping grows to a very loud pitch and some of the children start crying and dogs start barking… the loudness of the crowd is soon overtaken with the launch of the fireworks.

I just love celebrating Independence Day in Tulum – it is such a wonderful expression of a Mexican culture that I have grown to love so much.

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THE WALLED CITY OF TULUM

August 20th, 2012

After enjoying the Four Directions Ceremony, we hopped on the open-air tram that took us the 1/2 mile road through the jungle to the seaside.

As we approached the sea, the air became cooler and fresher, and I could smell that wonderful salty aroma that I love so much.

I am so lucky to be staying at the Coco Cabanas, because last night on my sunset swim in front of my cabana, I swam out and looked to the north and saw the ‘Castillo’ from the Tulum Ruins sitting majestically on the bluffs. How romantic the scene looked, with the sun setting behind it!

There are a few points that make the Tulum Ruins different from all the other ruin sites in the Mayan World.

Tulum was built on a cliff overlooking the Caribbean facing the east. If it was one of many Mayan seaside cities, it was the only one to survive over a thousand years of pounding waves and hurricanes.

Tulum is also a walled city, which is unusual for the Mayan cities of the day. Tulum means ‘wall’ in mayan, hence the name, although the name ‘zama’ may have also been used in reference to the city facing the ‘dawn’.

The earliest construction of Tulum began around 564 A.D., but it wasn’t until a thousand years later that the town flourished. It fell into disuse shortly thereafter, forgotten until its rediscovery only 150 years ago!

During its busiest life, Tulum was a busy port and link to the Mayan trading world. Food stuffs, fish and industrial products were traded here in Tulum.

Some of the products sold and traded included copper jewelry, jade artifacts. obsinian tools and of course many of the agricultural goods grown and irrigated in the area.

After entering the site, the main building that is famous is the ‘Castillo’, the castle… it sits high atop the bluff, and functioned as the lighthouse because of a simple but ingenious method the Mayans developed to bring marine transport through the dangerous reef that runs the length of the Mayan Riviera to Honduras.

When a big fire was built in an alcove in the deepest wall away from the sea, the boat would align itself with the fire shining through the window in the wall closest to the sea, and that heading would lead the boat through the safe opening in the dangerous reef.

And on the other hand, if any boats were not welcome to the port they could be allowed to crash on the reef without the aid from the lighthouse.

There are other sites in the Walled City of Tulum, all marking the architectural feats of this colorful and ceremonial culture.

In the Temple of the Initial Series, I found columns, rooms and murals. In the Temple of the Wind God I found a building designed without corners. That represented the limitless of the wind and thereby revering its god.

Many other smaller sites mark the Tulum ruins and I was glad I brought the guide book I borrowed from the lobby at Coco Cabanas.

The Walled City of Tulum is just another one of the many historical sites I love in Tulum.

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TULUM POLE DANCING

August 6th, 2012

Just ten minutes from my Coco Tulum Palapa and I was standing in the market outside the Tulum Ruins. I was waiting for the open-air tram to pick us up and the Mayan warriors were just finishing a dance in the square.

A piercing sad wail came up behind me as I was still slightly mesmerized from the Mayan dance… and I turned to see five somber Mayan teenagers emerging from the background smoke in a brooding dance.

All were wearing looser fitting tunics that were more gaily colored, with lots of long flowing pieces of fabric in mainly white and red hanging as belts and head bands.

Mayans have many ceremonies revering nature. This fascinating pole dance honors the Creator through the Morning Star ‘Quetzalcoatl’. After 1500 years of this ceremonial practice, ‘Los Voladores’ – the Flyers – are found throughout Mesoamerica performing this extremely dangerous ceremony.

As the whistle played by the priest pulsated with the throb of the conch shell still being played behind me, I became curious to the purpose of the thick flagpole they began encircling.

I saw bars equally spaced welded up one side of the pole, and when I realized they were going to climb the pole ‘ladder’, the way some of the boys were looking nervously upwards, I, too, looked up and to my horror I saw the pole went straight up about 80 feet above the crowd. Up there, swaying in the wind was a small horizontal drum-like seat and a small rotating platform.

Two of the teens seemed almost reluctant to begin their climb, (as I would be) and with their mentors leading the way they danced around the bottom of the pole, stopping in each of the four directions to ask permission for the ceremony to continue, (and perhaps pleading with God to find an easier way to make a living) while the shrill flute continued its taunting.

The boys and their mentors started to climb their way to heaven. Apparently that is exactly what the representation of the pole is for – it denotes the ascension from earth to heaven; the human being trying to transcend out of the heaviness of earthly bodies to ghostly one-ness with the Universe. The four ropes leading up to the platform from the ground are silver umbilical cords representing to which we are all attached to one another and to the Creator.

The ‘priest’ is the last to climb the ladder and places himself on the top seat at the very top of the pole. He continues to play the flute and the five rotate to face each cardinal direction to give thanks in a song and get permission for continued safety  – talk about tempting fate! -

His flute is played to represent lightening, and the drum beat he makes with his feet represent the heartbeat of Mother Earth.

The climax of the ceremony happened suddenly to me, as for a split second I was thinking that all four boys fell backwards as if struck by some unknown force, but because of the method they were tied to the ropes, the rotation of the platform caused the falling boys descent to be slowed. They were upside down on a merry-go-round to the whoops of some of the boys of the same age in the audience.

The number of rotations around the pole during their descent is representational of many astrological signs and planetary connections that I find quite interesting for such an ancient civilization ceremony.

After the four flyers touch down on the earth they wait as the Priest descends while the setting sun ends the dance and the five offer their thanks to the Creator.

I just love the dances of the Mayans in Tulum and I love that these ceremonies are still practiced for our enjoyment.

I just love Tulum.

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DANCING CEREMONY AT THE TULUM RUIN MARKET

July 16th, 2012

After dropping my new hammock and wooden Mayan carving off in the car, we headed back towards the main square at the Tulum Ruins Market. We were excited to get on the open-air tram that would take us through the jungle to the ruins at the sea, but I didn’t know what wonderful experience I was in store for around the corner.

As we hustled through the bustling market the wonderful smell of ‘copal’ smoke greeted our senses.

Copal is a dried tree sap that is burned in all Mayan ceremonies. It is the fresh version of the sap that originally created the rock hard ambar with bugs and insects of the past.

The Mayans believe the billowing white smoke of the yellow sap cleanses the soul. I cannot even describe the smell as it isn’t similar to anything we burn up north. It is vaguely reminiscent of burning a glob of cedar sap with an added sweetness. All I know is I love it.

We heard the piercing wail of a wood flute joining the low bass drone of a conch shell being played. These two organic instruments make up the most familiar sound of Mayan music and combined with the smoky smell of the copal had me swooning with excitement in anticipation of walking through the ruins of the thousand year old Mayan monastery.

The Mayan teenagers were dressed in warrior outfits made with leather and roughly woven hemp fabric. All had large headdresses carved from wood with feathers and painted with the famous Mayan indigo blue. They had covered their dark bodies with charcoal soot with white paint designs of animals and flowers.

One teen had the largest and most ferocious headdress, and was leading the group in a dancing circle around the burning ceramic pot of copal in the center.

I lost all sense of time and space as the delicious smoke and music encircled us. As the young teen played the flute, I felt lulled into a swoon. The music built to a crescendo as the beat of the conch shell increased and the wail of the flute became piercing, as if warning us of an approaching threat….

That’s when I heard another long piercing wail coming up behind us…

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SHOPPING AND DINING AT THE TULUM RUINS

June 25th, 2012

I was so excited to visit the Tulum Ruins because unlike other ruins in the Yucatan Peninsula, the Tulum Ruins are the only seaside Mayan ruins to survive the pounding waves of the Caribbean Sea.

Scientists surmise that any other large ancient Mayan cities built as ports would have been swept into the sea long ago. The only reason the Tulum ruins survived was because it was situated high atop the rocks in Tulum.

We arose from our Coco Cabana palapa to the wonderful sound of the sea and birds. We had heard that many of the restaurants at the Tulum Ruins market mall served authentic Mexican dishes so we skipped our usual breakfast of fresh fruit and jumped into our rental car, arriving at the Ruins only 8 minutes later.

It was promising to be another wonderful sunny day in Mexico as we climbed out of the car.

I could smell the delicious ‘pollo con salsa de poblano’ – ‘chicken with poblano sauce’ tacos wafting to the car and I was in heaven immediately. We spotted the source of the tantalizing smell and headed in that direction.

The abundance of local visitors to this establishment was a good hint that the food was good and popular. We ordered the most popular dish and our taco order appeared almost moments later. Jose our waiter cautioned us about the different hot sauces he served us.  He explained that even some of the local Mayans cannot eat the green habanero sauce!

Janice, one of our fellow guests at Coco Cabanas was sitting at a table near us, and she was sweating and drinking full glasses of water as she explained that she applied a little too much habanero sauce to her tacos. She was furiously reaching for serviettes to wipe her running nose while she ordered even more water.  We were all amused as Jose returned with more bottled water and a look on his face that said, “I warned you”.

The tacos and fresh orange juice were delicious and we were ready to head for the tram which would take us to the beach to the ruins, but we all were sidetracked by the multitude of artisan shops brimming with hand-made gifts and souvenirs.

I entered a store containing all kinds of sparkling trinkets. At home I have a ‘holiday wall’, where I hang something to remind me of my vacation for the place and year I travelled.

One of the most popular souvenirs in Tulum is the royal Mayan face carving from various colors and types of wood.  After viewing the many different forms and sizes of masks, I decided on one that was stained dark brown with an orange trim.  It’s about two feet long by six inches wide.  I can picture a perfect spot on my wall for my new purchase.

The next item on my list is a hammock.  This store contained every type and size imaginable.  The store clerk assisted me as we unfolded a beautifully woven hammock containing all the bright colors one would expect from an item made in Mexico.

As the Mayan clerk refolded the hammock after I decided to buy it, she was especially proud to explain in broken English that her grandmother taught her how to make hammocks when she was a child.  She continued and was pleased to state that there was a piece of Mayan culture in almost everything in this store.  I was happy to see these young Mayan senoritas were so proud of their heritage.

We placed our purchases in the car, full, happy and ready to experience some more wonders of the Yucatan Peninsula.

It’s time to head for the Tulum ruins.

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EK BALAM RUINS TOUR

April 18th, 2012

Only 15 years ago a wondrous ancient Mayan city named Ek Balam was recovered and presented to the world as another treasure recaptured from the ravages of time for modern adventurists to explore.

Ek Balam is the name of the ancient cluster of pyramids and building and it means ‘black jaguar’ in mayan, and when this pueblo was inhabited earliest in 100 B.C. in was surrounded by a jungle ruled by the mighty black jaguar.

The fact that most of the sculptures and decoration of the site were not affected by time and are well preserved makes Ek Balam special for that reason. Scientists estimate the site will be as large or even larger than its neighbor, Chichen Itza.

A really nice Italian couple I met also staying at Coco Tulum just returned from a tour to Ek Balam and insisted that it was worth venturing out of my beach hammock to add an historical adventure to my holiday.

I did some research on the internet and agreed with my new friends that I would love to visit Ek Balam. Since I enjoyed cenotes too, and there seemed to be a few on the way to Ek Balam, I decided to rent a car so I could stop where I liked on the way back.

Ek Balam is a site composed of many temples, two palaces and a large pyramid in the center of the city.

One of the main buildings is one of the largest Mayan buildings ever recovered; it is the Acropolis measuring almost 500 by 200 feet with a height of almost a hundred feet!

From the top of the pyramid I would be able to see the ruins of Coba that are 30 miles away.

This main building is believed to be the tomb of the ruler of the city around 800 A.D. named Ukil-Kan-Lek-Tok. (Mayan divine snake head) The Acropolis has a large entrance built to represent a portal to the next world.

Unlike many of the other ancient pueblos in the area, Ek Balam has a defense wall surrounding the city, much like the Tulum ruins near the Coco Tulum where I am staying.

There are many ‘sac-be’s’ ( white roads) connecting Ek Balam to Chichen Itza, Coba and other local pueblos used by farmers and traders of honey, corn, wax and cotton produced in the area.

Like many other ruined pueblos in the area, Ek Balam’s population took a drastic plummet around the year 1100 A.D. due to conflicts and political fighting between the Mayans.

Nevertheless it remained inhabited almost until the arrival of the Spanish.

I was looking forward to my day trip to Ek Balam, and visiting the old Mayan pueblo of the same name right beside it where I could also buy my own hand-made hammock.

Life is good.

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Mayan Grandma recipes

April 17th, 2012

okra fruit

I love all the natural wonders I find around Tulum.

I love the sea, the beach, the wildlife, the jungle, the flowers, the birds, the music and I love my strolls through the little pueblo of Tulum, where American, Canadian and European tourists rub shoulders with the wonderful indigenous Mayan people.

I hitched a ride with another guest from the CocoTulum Resort and 5 minutes later I was in the Tulum city center.

I strolled around the main street and looked in shops and boutiques as the friendly shop owners tried to start chatting with me. I love practising my spanish, so I enjoy conversing – usually about the weather and the area.

As I passed the Palacio Municipal beside the center park, I saw that most of the small restaurants lining the outside of the ‘zocolo’ (main square) had huge ‘barbacoas’(barbecues) fired up and billowing out wafts of deliciously smelling aromas.

Each little restaurant had patio furniture compliments of Coco Cola hosting a Mexican family or two and business people chatting and eating ‘cochinita pibil’ or ‘pollo’. (pulled-pork or chicken)

I love to cook, so I love watching the various cooks making their specialities in each establishment.

When I saw one little old lady under a large tree and behind the smokeintently chopping vegetables at her wood table I approached to find out what culinary treat she was preparing.

I recognized the fruit she was slicing as okra;I have seen it at home in the supermarkets – it’s a three inch long green pod containing small white seeds.

She looked like she was preparing a pickle using the okra, because she had a few clay containers of spices and a pot of jars sterilizing on another smaller fire.

When I approached her she smiled at me with a cheeky toothless smile from a face like a cherub. She thought I wanted to order some chicken so she tittered to a young man sweating and flipping meat on the grill, but I spoke to her in my broken spanish and pointed to the okra she was cutting up and placing in the pot boiling beside her.

She must have understood me because she went into her palapa and came out with a jar of pickled okras. She opened the jar and gave me a sample.

I have never really tasted okra before, but what a treat it was. The okra had a smokey sweet taste with a touch of dill. I could taste garlic and of course olive oil. The effect was delicious. I wanted more.

The young man who was working at the BBQ emerged from the smoke and explained to me in english that his ‘Abuelita’(grandmother) could only speak Mayan, no spanish and no english.

He offered to translate.

Abuelita told me many things about okra that I didn’t know. First, okra is technically a fruit, not a vegetable as everyone thinks. It loves hot climates and is grown right here in the Yucatan.

The spanish call the okra plant ‘quimbombo’ or ‘guigambo’ and her grandson added that sometimes in english it’s called ‘lady’s fingers’.

Abuelita told me that okra is very simple to grow and is very nutritional. It is full of good things that fight sickness and cancer. She said that okra is good for preventing diabetes, and that the gooey texture and dietary fiber in okra helps to make blood sugar levels stable.

She also added that one can reduce blood sugar levels by soaking okra in a glass of water overnight and drinking the water on a empty stomach in the morning.

Okra can be used in many ways, roasted, boiled, fried, breaded, raw and one of the most popular uses is its ability to naturally thicken soups. It also can be used in pickles which Abuelita had been making for many years.

I noticed she had many jars of her sweet pickled okra on a shelf and asked to buy one from her.

Her grandson gave me a wide grin and said that she would be happy to ‘regalarme’ a jar, which means to ‘gift me’ with a jar.

What a special treat from such wonderful people.

I love Tulum and I love the Mayans.

I happily returned to my Coco Tulum cabin knowing I learned something new today and that I made some new friends.

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