The Lost World Is There If You Search For It

"And Mexico, or something in it, certainly makes foreigners worse then they are at home." -D.H. Lawrence, The Plumed Serpent. 

Sixty years ago, Quintana Roo was a savage, dangerous and lonely place full of impenetrable jungle, hidden Mayan ruins, dangerous chicleros and friendly Indians. Today it's one of the world's busiest tourist spots, full of "all in one" resorts, expensive hotels, American restaurants selling $20 hamburgers and $15 burritos and "Eco" parks that will set you back $130 per person.  The hotel that Amy had her conference at, the Fairmont Mayakoba, posts  a room price of 1000 US dollars per day just for their cheapest room. And there is nothing Mexican about this place; it could be plopped down anywhere in the world and you wouldnt know the difference. Let me say right here that anyone who spends over $80/night for a hotel in Mexico (okay, double that on the Mayan Riviera) is either crazy, naive or doesn't know how to travel here. And if you are in a small town, you can get a nice, clean place for $40. The joy of traveling in Mexico is not to be trapped in a place where you don't experience the country you are in. The joy of traveling here is to experience Mexico as it really is, in the small towns where local families hang out at the beach, where couples dance to the town musicians at the bandstand, where lovers embrace in a dark corner of the town square, or where you go to the town mercado and sit next to a local person and ask him what he's eating..and then actually order it. 

And it's so easy to do. Really. Amy and I often use Tripadvisor, especially for hotels. This works almost anywhere and we've found it a great resource. Fellow travelers are a much more reliable source of information than travel books, which are usually written years before and rarely updated. You'd be surprised at some of the out of the way places that are on Tripadvisor. 

Traveling by public transport in Mexico is easy. The first class bus system is, next to Peru's, the best we've been on. The buses are clean, comfortable, cheap and safe. For local transportation you can take combis; cars or vans that take local folks to surrounding villages. Even a 3rd class "chicken" bus isn't that bad, if you're not going too far. Also, not speaking Spanish shouldn't stop you from exploring this wonderful country. You can always get around with a few words and some sign language. 

Worried about eating in small, local places?  Don't be. The Mexico of yesteryear, where every tourist who came here got Montezuma's revenge, doesn't exist. I've been to Mexico over 20 times, eaten in local markets, from street vendors and in some places where most tourists would run screaming from and I've never gotten sick. Not once. As long as you're careful, don't drink the water and don't eat salad (except in nicer restaurants), you should be fine. I've had some of my best meals in the mercados. Oaxaca's mercado is especially good and you can eat a great meal for a couple of bucks. That saves you some $$ so you can go out to the finer restaurant for dinner, where you might, if you splurge on tequila and wine, spend $30. 

And of course there's the safety thing. It's really true...don't believe everything you see on the news. As long as you're smart and don't go to places you shouldn't, there is no problem. While there is petty theft and you need to be careful about your valuables (we use the hotel's safe or use luggage locks), serious crimes against tourists are very rare here. 

Michel Peissel's Lost World is long gone. But I think we've found that, if you search hard and get out there, you can still find a world in the madness that is the Mayan Riviera where the people treat you as guests, not tourists, where the fish you eat is caught by the fisherman who lives down the street, where there are still streets made of dirt or sand that have huge potholes where you can't hurry to the next place. There is still a place where you can walk in ancient ruins and be the only visitor that day, or where you can buy a hammock from the family that made it. 

You just have to look for it. 

In search of a Maya...

KWe are flying back from Cancun to Houston, and I am reflecting on the oddness that is the modern "Riviera Maya."  Just for fun the last few days, as we drove back and forth a few times on the 100 mile highway that runs its length, I started writing down the names of some of the self contained resorts and entertainment features:  grand Mayan, Mayan palace, Tulum Dreams, mayakoba, Barcelo', Carmelo', x-plo, Serenis, Jolie Jungle. It's all very "grand" and either very snobby or very Disney.  Or both.  But if you'd been here last, twenty five years ago... What a sad cartoon of a very magnificent culture and civilization that you can't find anymore!  You can't even find the Mayan food.  Along the coast you can no longer find much of the delicous savory orange-lime marinated cuisine of the area, the cochinita pibil, the poc chuuc.    You can find pretty good Mexican and veracruz seafood. And the mexican folks who have moved here from all parts of Mexico, to staff it all, are a lot of fun.  But the Mayans and their cuisine and their beautiful matriarchal society, their dignified elegant way of dressing, seem mostly to be in hiding -- you can see a few Mayan faces here and there, guarding cenotes, selling hammocks, but, mostly they seem to hang out in hard to find small enclaves well inland and well screened from the silly highway.  And with them has also gone the simple palapa architecture, the sandy floors, the simple hammocks, the easy access to the crescent beaches and the cenotes and the lagoons. And because i know that this culture  used to be here, and that it is still to be found a little ways inland, where Mayan dads can still be seen bicycling their huipil-wearing wives and kids around in pedicabs, I miss it.

As far as the option of coming here to stay at a big all inclusive hotel on a remote beach... Compared to staying in a town or village...  I'd have to say that The Fairmont Mayakoba, the site of my conference, though it had some nice features, was actually the most boring luxury hotel I've ever visited. I actually felt very sorry for the doctors at my conference who had elected to stay there.  The variety and spice that we had from staying in an actual seaside town, with actual Mexicans sharing it with us, was not  even perceptible  there at all.... There were very cordial polite Mexicans on site doing useful things like driving us around in electric golf carts and valet parking our cars, smiling a lot, but.... Really!    And like many of the resorts and Eco parks, the sanitized version of the Mayan natural world created for us to see there was completely uninspiring.   When Craig and I walked into the swampy forest down in the ruins of Muyil or Xel-ha or Coba, especially in the early mornings, we surprised all kinds of creatures, giant lizards and iguanas and squirrels and heard lots of birdsong. Walking the manicured walkways of Mayakoba, along their channeled lagoons which are such a silly travesty of the actual wild mangrove swamps, I heard... Almost nothing. Strained to hear even some birdsong.  Hardly a peep.  We didn't pay to go in any of the "Eco" parks but I imagine its the same.  Similarly when we found some of the little remnants of beaches which don't yet have hotels on them, we found crab tracks and bird tracks and a flamingo or two... A few dunes... a few rocks... a few tidepools.... But the fancy Mayakoba, the "all inclusive" style resort, has a hard packed machine swept clean beach about ten feet wide, with a view about a quarter mile down on each side to--- more resorts!  

We love the life and vigor of the small old beach hotels and beach towns. Part of the fun is wondering who will show up to party and dance usually mexican style at one of the remaining low budget seashore restaurants, which come into existence for the sunlit hours then fade away.  To see friends greet each other and catch up and laugh as locals do about the latest gossip.... To try out the different competing small restaurants and cafes so you can people watch and interact with both locals, and other adventurous tourists... But in these self contained hotels, sometimes there is a string of them in a row, what you mainly see are overly tanned visitors who are clearly strangers to each other, who spend most of their time lying flat with eyes closed with nothing much on, with the younger ones spending their energy  to play organized beach volleyball.  Me, I'd rather see some local girl and guy dancing!  A couple doing wedding photos on the beach.... to meet a local dog or cat... And buy a coffee, beer, or limonada on the street, rather than run up the hotel tab. 

So... Stay in a beach town like Puerto Morelos or playa.... And/or, Rent a room in a b&b on a bay somewhere with a few competing restaurants down the beach... Wherever you are, lock up your valuables carefully, or take stuff with you, 'cause petty theft does exist... But it exists in the big smarmy hotels as well, and no one in the Riviera is wanting to harm you!  They just need cash like we all do... Spend your money locally where it may do some good... Leave some tips.... And have fun!  And you just may spot a Mayan...now and then...

Also see... 

http://articles.philly.com/1987-12-27/news/26206721_1_dive-shops-quintana-roo-chetumal

. 

A look back to Quintana Roo, in December, 1987

Here is a wonderful look back... A travel article published in 1987! 

http://articles.philly.com/1987-12-27/news/26206721_1_dive-shops-quintana-roo-chetumal

(In contrast here is a look at today's remaining public beaches

https://www.locogringo.com/mexico/ways-to-play/riviera-maya-beaches/)

1987:

In The Sunny Yucatan, Off Mexico's Beaten Track In Hammock, Rv Or Tent, A Camper's Dream Coast 

By chicki mallan

A full moon spattered light across the white beach, and tiny ripples of water reflected silver as they rushed to shore. Five captivated campers sat silently in front of their RV at the edge of the beach, not moon-gazing, but intently observing one part of a life cycle - turtle hatchlings escaping from their buried eggs and fleeing to the sea.

This scene is repeated each year along the Caribbean coast of Quintana Roo on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. Campers, in tents, RVs or camper-trailers, are among the few that have the opportunity to witness this fascinating sight.

Not too much is heard about camping on the Mexican Caribbean. But anyone who reveled in Robinson Crusoe, or skin-divers, or sun-worshippers, or isolationists should visit the Quintana Roo coast while there are still long stretches of isolated, pristine beach, edged by the most seductive sea in the world.

Along with beaches for simple camping, the Caribbean coast offers dense groves of coconuts, waterways lined with mangrove trees, archaeological remains of the Maya, scattered villages, small cafes, simple beach resorts as well as a couple of deluxe hostelries with dive shops, and a few campsites with full hookups.

Exotic wildlife is rampant, especially tropical birds. The sharp-eyed early riser will see bright-colored parrots, toucans or the kitelike frigate bird gliding silently overhead.

The easiest way to search out desirable camping beaches is by car. The main coastal highway (Route 307) in Quintana Roo runs parallel to the coastline

from Cancun to Chetumal but often veers away from the sea.

Between the two cities there is a plethora of wonderful beaches. Most are vacant, and a self-contained RV or tent-camper is free to use them. Narrow, hard-packed limestone roads branch off the highway toward the sea. Some are marked, indicating beaches; others are treasure hunts.

For instance, exploring a road about six miles south of Pamul brings you to a scenic beach called Xpuha. Here is a group of huts in the midst of a coconut grove where people make their living harvesting and curing coconuts for copra, weaving hammocks and fishing. There are no tourists, just friendly villagers, and the small cafe on the corner where you turn off serves terrific fresh fish.

The Caribbean coast is renowned for diving and snorkeling off the Belizean reef, fifth-largest reef in the world; it parallels the coast for 175 miles south to Chetumal. If you're a scuba diver with your own compressor and equipment, the Quintana Roo coast offers miles and miles of rich dive spots where you'll see fish in Day-Glo colors, corals reaching out in exotic shapes and sponges in myriad forms.

If you are in need of dive equipment, several small resorts along the coast have dive shops where you can rent what you need, with the presentation of a certified dive-card.

About an hour's drive south from Cancun, Pamul offers good beach camping with 15 trailer pads, including electricity, water and sewage - plus use of showers and toilets in the small hotel on the grounds. The daily fee is about $4, depending on the number of people in the party.

Tent camping is permitted for $2 per two persons, including use of toilets and showers. A small cafe next to the hotel usually offers fresh-caught seafood in addition to other typical dishes at reasonable prices.

Beachcombing is productive along the northern rocky shore of Pamul, where you'll spot unique shells, coral and all variety of interesting flotsam brought in on the current from places far from the Yucatan Peninsula's shores. The water is crystal clear, and fascinating sea life abounds in the shallow tidal pools surrounded by rock and limestone.

Snorkeling is ideal on the reef, 40 yards offshore.

Large, lumbering sea turtles return to Pamul's beach each year and lay thousands of eggs in the sand. Several weeks later the tiny hatchlings (about three inches in diameter) break out of leathery shells and make their way down the beach to begin life in the sea.

Sadly, turtles are multiplying in smaller quantities each season because of the intrusion of man on land and sea. At sea, they're harvested - illegally - in large numbers. On land, nests are raided by local thieves that take the eggs to public market in Merida and sell them for high prices to men who believe the eggs have special qualities that enhance virility.

Man is only one predator of the giant turtle. More than half the eggs are scratched up from the sand and eaten by a variety of small animals that live in the surrounding jungle.

For some, camping on the Peninsula means flying to Cancun, renting a car or hiring a taxi and heading south on Route 307 until coming to a sign that says ''Capitan Lafitte." A left turn on a dirt road leads to the shore and another sign that points to Kailuum Camptel - a lazy-man's camp-out.

In safari tradition, it's camping with a touch of class. Roomy, modern tents on a 2 1/2-mile beach are furnished with large, comfortable double beds; communal hot-and-cold showers and clean toilets are close by. Each tent is shaded by a shaggy palapa - a thatched-roof structure - strung with hammocks facing the sea for lazy afternoon siestas. Expect daily maid service and gourmet dining, but no electricity.

Along with sand and sea, the restaurant is one of the great attractions at Kailuum; the food is outstanding. The dining room is a large palapa hut on the beach, and dinner is served by the twinkling light of hundreds of candles.

A bar occupies one end of the dining room. Each guest makes his own drinks and, using a numbered pegboard, keeps track of his tab - to be paid at the end of his stay. The whole feeling of the resort is much like the honor system of the bar - relaxed, intimate, friendly.

The daily price for a tent, including breakfast and dinner (November through April), is $33 per person, double occupancy. Kailuum closes September and October (rainy season). Reservations are needed, through Camptel Ventures, Box 2664, Evergreen, Colo. 80439; phone 800-538-6802.

If, as a camper or RVer, you yearn for bright lights, go to Cancun. There are modern high-rise hotels, many restaurants, discos, cinema, classy shops and lots of tourists.

While there are no "official" campgrounds in Cancun, RVers will find several places to park along "the strip" and even in some hotel parking lots (check with the manager first). At Playa Linda, a beach right off Paseo Kukulcan, RVs can park in the parking lot; no hookups available.

About six miles north on the road to Punta Sam, two campgrounds offer all hookups for RVs and are close enough to the "big city" for campers to enjoy its many attractions.

One of the big draws to the Mexican Carribean coast is its Maya history. The most spectacular Maya ruin along the Quintana Roo coast is Tulum, perched on a steep cliff overlooking the sea about 80 miles south of Cancun.

A half-hour visit is enough time to wander the grounds, inspect the old structures, and climb to the top of El Castillo, a pyramid and temple, for a bird's-eye view of the ocean and the entire walled ceremonial center that was in its glory 500 years ago.

After visiting Tulum, continue past the parking lot on a road that parallels the sea. Don't let the route fool you - it's only paved for a short distance and then it becomes a potholed, washboard rural dirt road. But it will lead you to some excellent, untouched camping beaches, some with facilities, some without. If you are tent-camping, you'll find several sites that offer toilets and showers.

Continuing on the road will bring you over a rickety-looking bridge (it's safe) and into Punta Allen. This lush, tropical locale is an artist's setting for a lobstering village. Here you can either park on the beach with an RV or pitch a tent at no charge, or stay at Cuzan Guest House where an American woman, Sonia Lillvik, and her Yucatecan partner, Armando, operate a laid-back, hammocks-only cabana resort.

But if you stay at the guest house, you better like lobster - during the season you eat it three times a day. There is no electricity, and no entertainment is provided, but it's a fabulous place for star-gazers, sun- worshippers, birdwatchers, fishing enthusiasts and jungle explorers.

A bungalow for two persons, with two meals and a snack, is about $35 daily. Reservations are suggested. Write to Sonia Lillvik at Box 703, Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico 77500, and allow a month or more for round-trip mail.

A Long Time Ago in a Galaxy Far, Far Away

"Do we really want to travel in hermetically sealed popemobiles through the rural provinces of France, Mexico and the Far East, eating only in Hard Rock Cafes and McDonalds? Or do we want to eat without fear, tearing into the local stew, the humble taqueria's mystery meat, the sincerely offered gift of a lightly grilled fish head? I know what I want. I want it all. I want to try everything once.” ― Anthony Bourdain, Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly

As I mentioned before, we are trying to find places here in Quintana Roo that are still relatively old timey and our guide has been a book from the early 1960s, The Lost World of Quintana Roo, by Michel Peissel. Peissel was a 21 year old Frenchman and studying finance at Harvard. But in 1957 he had a 3 month vacation and decided to go see two friends in Tepoztlan, Mexico. They partied and drank a lot and at some point, the three friends came up with the idea to explore the savage coast of Quintana Roo, which at that time only had three small villages and was mostly unexplored. The three friends would go by boat down the coast, looking for lost Mayan ruins and eventually making their way down to the coast of Columbia. They sent the hapless Michel on his way alone, promising to meet him at Isla Cozumel, at that time a place with very few people and even fewer tourists. 

Peissel then got a telegram that his friends couldn't get away and would hopefully meet him in Belize. Michel, almost ready to give up, decided to press on alone as he was sure he could hire locals to sail him down the coast. Little did he know that he would end up walking almost the entire 200 miles to Belize, through thick jungles, along pristine beaches and meeting friendly Mayans, hiding from bandits and finding 14 undiscovered Mayan ruins. Instead of the week he was planning on going down the coast he took 3 months. But he made it, wearing a blue blazer, grey flannel slacks and sandals and somehow avoiding malaria, diphtheria, poisonous snakes, crocodiles and several robbery attempts by gun toting "chicleros". Chicleros are people who get the sap from the chicle trees, which is made into chewing gum. Chicleros were almost all felons and really bad guys and Peissel was afraid for his life, right from the beginning of his journey.

After receiving word that his friends wouldn't join him, Peissel hired a boat to go from Cozumel to the coast. His fellow passengers were three chicleros, each carrying a gun. But he made it to the coast without incident and landed in a cocal, or a hamlet, called Puha, a place owned by one family and consisting of three huts. 

For most of his journey, Peissel was helped by local Mayan people and lived on tortillas and raw turtle eggs. Each time he reached a new place he asked if there were any ruins there. He found 16 Mayan cities, 14 of them never seen before by anyone outside the local community. The Ancient Mayan cities were thought to have been built by dwarves by the local Mayans, since all the doorways were so small. 

Of course most of the coast Peissel saw 55 years ago is long gone, with millions of people living here and the gigantic tourist industry taking over practically everything. But there are still a few places, although not exactly the same, that have the character of a Mexico of another age. 

Well, Puha, or Xpuha as it is really known, is still here, owned by the descendants of the people Peissel met. It's hard to find, only a small sign on the highway, and now has a few nice restaurants, a home or two, Mexican families who come here to enjoy the rarity of a public beach and the tourists here are mostly campers who stay for weeks or months at a time. Xpuha is a 2 km wide crescent bay, with the most gorgeous white sand you can imagine. The water is turquoise blue and crystal clear. It is truly a little piece of paradise sandwiched between two mega resorts, which thankfully you don't see or feel their presence. Somehow, the wonderful owners of Xpuha have held back from selling out to the resorts, who you know damn well would love to destroy this place. 

So that was Wednesday evening. Today, Friday, we went back to Xpuha to explore and have lunch. Well, I learned that looks can be a bit deceiving because there were many more folks at Xpuha. It seems that there is a big resort, Tulum Dreams, a couple of hundred yards south of the campers' spot. When we walked down there (on the nicest, powderiest, cleanest sand I've ever walked on, let me tell you), there were quite a few folks and every one of them seemed to be speaking Russian. I imagine that Tulum Dreams goes after the Russian market big time. Several of the Russian women also like to go bare breasted. As it turns out, it's not the young women who like this, but the women of a certain age who have apparently spent years on similar beaches around the world and for whom, unfortunately, gravity has long won out over tissue turgor. 

But even with the big hotel here, it's still a beautiful beach. Most of the people at the hotel stayed right at their hotel, not venturing 20 feet beyond the property, as they had no beach chairs on the rest of the beach. So north and south of the Russian paradise that is Tulum Dreams was a mostly empty beach with sandpipers, pelicans and the more adventurous tourist. 

Thanks to Amy's research, we went to another place that our intrepid explorer, Peissel, traveled to...Tankah. This gorgeous beach is a few miles north of the large town of Tulum. There are a couple of small resorts at the south end of the bay, but this place consists mostly of beautiful vacation homes which are mostly occupied only during the high season..the month of December. We are staying at the Tankah Inn, a small B&B of 5 rooms and we are the only guests. Our day consisted of relaxing in hammocks, walking about 5 miles along this beautiful beach and eating both lunch and dinner at Casa Cenote, a small place on the beach. We had amazingly fresh fish in a nice ceviche and fish tacos for lunch and a whole grilled boquenete for dinner. 

This morning we walked up to Manatee Cenote. This is owned by a local family who you pay 25 pesos to and then you snorkel about 200 meters up to the cenote. The water is cool and refreshing and is mostly fresh with a little bit of sea water. There were many fish, like turpins and what looked like a salmon. Te mangroves are right on the water and you swim right under the roots. It was very nice snorkeling here. 

Friday evening and we are back in Puerto Morelos. We had dinner in a Mexican/Lebanese restaurant and walked around this marvelous little town. There was a small hula show in the town square, to the music of Keali'i Reichel. 

Finding (parts of) The Lost Coast

Intimate, elegant, private and small

No, I'm not talking about an Italian restaurant or a hotel. It's a lovely ruin, called Muyil.  It's 20 minutes south of Tulum, where the noise of tourism recedes and there is just the long straight two lane highway through the jungle with a few Mayan hamlets along the way. 

Muyil, was once a bustling city and it apparently lasted until the Spanish arrived, a trading town with access to the Caribbean through canals and it has some lovely buildings still standing, that were still in good shape when our buddy, Michel peissel, stumbled on it in his misadventures that he writes about so beautifully in The Lost World of Quintana Roo.  

Anyway its small 'castles' and chapels really are elegant.  It has a class that Coba which is probably less than fifty mikes away as the crow flies, and is much bigger and more famous, totally lacks. 

And, except for the local caretakers and official staff, we had it to ourselves.  The local village of Muyil takes TLC of it, they have made beautiful white paths that circle the trees and they have created beautiful benches to sit and admire the buildings.  And after a group of three europeans left shortly after we came. no one else is there.  There are three different temple complexes there and many other small buildings, and they have great lines, great stair like silhouettes and chapel-like peaks.

Today was our day for getting lucky and finding small corners of the Mayan Riviera that are still calm natural gorgeous and with local flavor.  

Why did we have to have luck to find these?  well, if you are not familiar with the Mayan Riviera, its increasingly like this.   My conference is at the Fairmont Mayakoba, and its one of the fifty mega hotels along the coast that have replaced the local small beach hotels that themselves replaced the informal palapas, and it has covered acres and acres of the coastline with manicured golf cart paths and hideous luxury.  To get to the main highway you'd have to call a taxi!   To get to the beach you have to ride in a golf cart, with fawning attendants and fawning courtesy from people I'd much rather have talk to me with the natural friendliness of Mayans just being themselves.   All this artificial luxury, and overmanicuring of nature, is something that I personally find unpleasant!  When you zoom along the four lane highway, all you see are the giant fake gateways to these big corporate funded monstrosities, with names like The Royal Tulum, Esencia, The Barcelo, the Dolphenium, the Tulum Liverpool.  

So where does a normal person go? We found out that the two towns we have liked staying in, Puerto Morelos and Playa del Carmen, are some of the few places left that locals can go to, where simple cafes serve to you at cheap plastic tables with your toes in the sand, and we wanted something like this, with a little more country feel. 

With the help of the web, (during a lecture about gynecological surgery), I was able to research some of these. By law, all beaches in Mexico are open to the public, but, no one has to let you there by a road. But there are just a few that have not yet sold out to the big corporations.  

Today was our search for those pieces of the coast that are not yet multinationaled and where a local person would not be too clearly excluded from showing up to enjoy the beach or the sunset, and where you could know that you were in Mexico, especially in Mayan Mexico, and with a peacefulness and a feeling of connection with nature that we ourselves would enjoy.  And we were looking for a place to spend tomorrow night. 

Our search first took us to the coast south of Tulum, where we read inspiring accounts of hotels "off the grid" on solar energy. We had this vision of isolated little places along a deserted coast with local flavor. Not so!  What we found down there was a crowded shabby chic with little hotels packed neck and neck with a clientele like you'd see in backpacker ghettos in Bangkok.  It felt like Monkey Forest road in Ubud, except not in Bali! There wasn't a single Mayan thing about it, except some of the hotel names! 

So next we found: Tankah.   We liked this bay because 1) it's part of Michael Peissel's journey, it was one of the few inhabited coves along the coast in 1953, and 2) we've found a really nice place to stay, the five bedroom Tankah Inn, we will be the only guests due to off season. We want to write about this later after we have explored it

And then as the sun was setting and we made our way homewards, searching carefully for one of the few other public beaches, turning down every possible lane, we found it! In the middle of LaLa land, north of Xel-ha "eco-resort" (Ha! is right) and "X-plor" Eco adventure park(barf me out) and just south of the Royal Tulum and the Elysium or whatever it's called,  we found it!  Xpuha Bay, where Michel made his first landfall!  And what a beauty!  Soft sand palms and locals AND the property is a holdout, the two brothers are descendants of the very families that took care of our fearless adventurer in 1957!  I'm sure they could get millions for this land!  They rent it to long term campers and small restaurant beach clubs, and local folks come to eat and build sand castles, and local fishermen still push off fishing from the sands, every night!  

Sanity in the Midst of Craziness

“The first condition of understanding a foreign country is to smell it.” – Rudyard Kipling

We are now on the Riviera Maya, a 100 mile stretch of the eastern Yucatan coast that goes from Cancun to Tulum. This part of Mexico has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, some of the best diving and snorkeling anywhere, and has the second longest coral reef on earth. It also consists almost exclusively of big, fancy schmancy resorts costing hundreds of dollars per night, private beaches where the only locals you will meet are the ones serving you your margarita, and giant "Eco Resorts", that are anything but eco. 

But amongst this overdeveloped and overpriced craziness is an oasis of sanity, the small town of Puerto Morelos. Somehow, someway, the city fathers here have fought off the corruption of the big resorts, Mexican government and the almighty dollar to keep their lovely small town small and, as far as is possible here, Mexican. There is a very, very nice white sandy beach that is, gird your loins...public!  This means that, as opposed to about 90% of the rest of this coast, where the big resorts and Eco parks have taken over the beaches and the public (unless you pay to get in or are staying at the resort) isn't allowed, can come and enjoy themselves. Yesterday we saw many local families enjoying refreshing beverages and frolicking on the beach. In addition, there are many tasty restaurants with the freshest fish you can imagine...one is actually owned by the Cooperative of Fishermen from Puerto Morelos. And the town really can't grow anymore from its three streets as behind the town is a huge swamp that you can't build on. 

Before we got here we had a nice long drive through central Yucatan, to the Mayan ruins of Coba. This was a HUGE city of about 70 sq. kilometers. But very little has been excavated and the little that has is a bit disappointing. The only really big building is a pyramid about 2 kilometers from the entrance. So most of the tourists, especially the ones in the big groups, get there by pedicab. So you're walking along in this nice jungle, listening to the birds, while literally hundreds of tourists whiz past you in their pedicabs. The good thing about this is that the drivers are local Mayans and this gives them good jobs.   But I have to say that of the 25 or 30 Mayan ruins we've been to, Coba is probably my least favorite. The best part was going off a side trail, which I'm sure is illegal, and climbing up partway on an unexcavated building, with strangler figs and tumbling boulders. 

Further on up the road we stopped at a hammock store, as we needed a new one since our cats have pretty much destroyed one we got in Merida. There we met a local Mayan man, Alberto, and bought a nice hammock made out of sisal (or henniquen as it's also known). 

Scenes from Puerto Morelos...

There are very few things in life better then sipping an ice cold beer with your toes in sand. 

Do you see the dog and the duck?

For dinner we went to a nice place on the beach, Ojo de Agua, and had a whole fried local fish called a bocanete, or something like that. AWESOME!