Tulum Travel Diary: Budget Accommodations and Adventure Exploration

Alrighty, so here we go back down to Mexico and I can start to come to the conclusion of my trip and any type of advice I can give to anyone looking to backpack. I’m by no means a seasoned traveler and am learning on the fly as well, but I think any kind of advice can help. Travelling also with the weight of cancer in the back of my head also can be a hinderance, but in many ways also it can be used a motivation pushing you to do things you would’ve never done before. Maybe ask yourself what’s holding you back from discovering new and out of your comfort zone places? You may just find some answers you need…

Time for a Change of Scenery

It’s now day eleven when I awaken, it’s about 8 a.m. and I feel refreshed after taking a down day to rest and recharge besides the sweat beads on my forehead, they turn the AC off at most hostels about 8ish and they heat up quickly. I’m up showered and packed within an hour and at 10 I say “Adios” to the very nice guys at the desk whom I’ve gotten to know over the past week (they also helped me with some Spanish). After grabbing a fruit bowl from the local market, 50 Peso, so $4 and some change CAD and it tastes delicious.

A Different mode of Transportation

Instead of taking the usual mode of transportation I opt for taking the Collectivo, which is basically a big cargo van with as many seats jammed into in as possible, seatbelts are very optional. I walk about half an hour to where the vans gather and wait in line and I notice I’m the only “Gringo” in line. I hop in the van, swishing between all the locals is just part of the sweaty fun and at 50 Peso for the hour ride south again 4 bucks how can you go wrong and surprisingly the vans have AC, bonus! After the adventure ride I’m dumped at a gas station fifteen minutes for my next hostel in the smaller town of Tulum. I was still about two hours before check so I take a quick tour around this much smaller, hippier town. It has a much different, laid back vibe and also feels about ten degrees hotter basically because it’s further inland and partially built into the jungle. Here you do have to watch the mosquitoes as there is a risk of catching a virus here such as west nile disease, although the odds are still pretty low and I wasn’t there during peak bug season. Lunch was three smaller burritos at 45 Peso, $3.75 CAD and a fruit drink. After Lunch, sitting in the park to do some writing it was time to go check in at my next hostel called “Moonshine”. At $12 CAD per night this was by far the cheapest place I’d stayed and was a little curious has to how the accommodations would be. Once again it was a dorm room of ten beds and one shared bathroom, although I think five or six people was the most I had in my room. This time I was on a top bunk luckily it came equipped with a small fan to help cool me down and the AC was right beside me. The first night there was uneventful, as I just found a market full of street vendors and bought some cheap tacos to fill me up that day. A quick swim after dark helped cool me down before bedtime, which came pretty early at ten p.m., but after some reading and writing it’s quickly midnight and I have some plans for early tomorrow.

Day # 2 The Ruins of Tulum

Up and early on day to in Tulum and after grabbing some fruit at the market I’m off for the day to see the ruins which are about a half an hour walk. Most people drive, bike or moped it there, but since I’m budget travelling and falling behind I’m hiking it. I leave at 8 a.m. to beat the heat and the crowds and it’s always interesting who you’ll run into on a walk from the beggars, to the guys trying to scam you, then there is just the other backpackers doing the same trek for the day. It’s set up like a theme park in there and I feel a little odd just walking through, although I’m stopped a few times by guys telling me I owe a fee to get into the park even though I haven’t reach the parking area yet, SCAM! I smile a pretend and pretend I can’t understand them, ” no compendro” is all I say, even though I do know they are looking for some cash and watch as plenty of other tourists hand over some Pesos, it’s always better to mind your own business. I enter the park and it’s a little confusing as you have to pay a state tax at one spot and entrance fee at another, one only takes cash and the other only takes a card, weird… All together it’s still only about $20 CAD to check out the ruins and worth the money, if you like a little history and beauty. The site is littered with many ancient buildings, temples, Mayan lookout posts that sit right on the beautiful coast. Many people hire guides, but you can walk through yourself and read all the plaques that give you the same info and any guide would or do what I did and pretend you belong to a tour group and follow along until they noticed I didn’t have on a wrist band, oops, lol. I spent a good three hours there and I saw everything I needed too and the sun was also starting to blaze down on me as well. I ran into a guy from the hostel who said he was headed to the beach, I would’ve gone, but I had no bike and it’s a four mile distance, so I just took my sweaty body back to the hostel for a swim, some late lunch and shower. For dinner I met up with my new buddy Phil from the hostel and we just went a couple doors down and I think I had some fish tacos that night and a cold beer, my first and only one while in Tulum. Being exhausted from the sun I went back to the hostel had a dip in the, read for a bit an found my way to bed early that night.

The next morning I don’t think I rolled out of bed until 10ish, the heat and all this sun after close to two weeks had gotten to me. Lot’s of water and a swim didn’t even help and I knew my body was telling me something, rest! That day was spent between going to the market for some fresh fruit and chilling in bed giving myself a break, having cancer has told me that I have to listen to my body or things can get bad and quickly. By about dinner I was feeling better and I bumped into Phil again at the pool and we decided to go and grab some pizza, even though Mexican food is great sometimes we just need that comfort food. Tonight would be my last night in Tulum, I was on day fourteen now and with only four days spent in Tulum I only scratched the surface of what it has to offer. It was a later dinner, so by the time we got back to the hostel I was once again ready for bed and knowing I had to travel again the next day wanted some solid sack time. Morning came and I went to grab breakfast, then packed up all my stuff again, checked out and went back up to the pool to chat with a few other travellers while I waited to go and grab the Collectivo back to Playa, where I would be meeting up with a special guest again to finish off the trip with. When it was time to leave Phil had made his way up to the rooftop and I was able to wish him well on the rest of his travels and I started my walk down to the stop where I would catch my ride back, once again 50 Peso.

On the Road Again

After being dropped off at the station it was a long forty-five minute walk in 35 degree Celsius weather to get to the loft I rented for the week, sweet relief some privacy! I’m not gonna lie I stripped down out of those sweaty clothes, that I’ve been switching in and out of for two weeks now and stood under that luke warm water for I don’t even know how long. Gathered up all my clothes and washed them in the sink, rinsed them out and hung them off the balcony to dry. Went up to the roof where I relaxed in the shade, with some ocean breeze and a good book. Until the time came to walk back to the bus station to meet my next guest, someone who I was waiting to see, my wife Tracy.

Thanks for all your continued support and following along, please leave me a comment if you have any questions, consider subscribing and like the post. I’d appreciate it very much, Steve