Jasmine's 2011 Trip: Tulum pueblo, Mexico

I caught the 7 am boat from Caye Cualker to Chetumal, Mexico. It took about 3 hours. When we arrived at the Chetumal's international docks, we had to lay all of our carry on bags on the ground so a dog could check for drugs. I walked through the town to find a bank/ATM with a group of lovely Australian girls I'd met on the boat, then took a taxi to the ADO bus terminal, to catch a bus to Tulum pueblo. That was another 3 hours or so.
I had arranged to stay at a new hostel (no reviews on Hostelworld yet) and was planning on going directly there, but was surprised to run into some friends from Yuma's at the station. Rowanne and her cousin Jasper were waiting to catch a bus at 9:30 pm and were meeting Gladimar, another girl who had stayed at Yuma's for dinner that night. I made plans to join them after I checked in.
Most of Tulum pueblo seems to be built to support the tourists that come to see the Mayan Tulum ruins by the beach, which are just outside of the small town. It is the southern most coastal city of what is called the Mayan Riviera, which runs all the way north to Cancun. Five miles of highway 307 runs directly through central Tulum. This is the town's main avenue, and it contains most of the hostels, restaurants, Internet cafes, tourism agencies, artisan shops, a police station.
El Jardin de Frida was at the end of town. I probably paid too much for the taxi (50 pesos for a 3 minute ride, if that) but figured the distance was long enough to be painful with my massively expanding back pack, and in the end it was only about 3 dollars! Anyhow, I met Rafael and Jaime at the front desk. Rafael is the owner, and Jaime is a photographer who works there part time. Any reservations I had about the hostel evaporated as soon as I walked through the main courtyard to the room I'd be sharing with 3 other people. It was clean, bright, spacious, and very quiet. Rafael showed me around and then introduced me to the in house chef, Adam. It turns out the hostels kitchen also serves as a small but popular local restaurant. I also met the resident pets, two very sweet dogs named Frida and Flaco, and a kitten so-cute-its-ridiculous named Coco.
I met back up with everybody and we picked a place to eat. Afterwards, we said our goodbyes at the station. Gladimar and I walked down the main avenue getting feel for the town. We had a piñada, a local drink that tastes like a piña colada, but with no alcohol. It was refreshing. Tulum is just as hot as Belize, but there is no ocean breeze to cool you off.
I eventually ended up staying here about four days longer than I had planned to. I had originally come to see the Tulum ruins and sea turtles, but there was so much more to do. Frida's is such a lovely place to stay, and the town is a great hub for day trips. There are loads of options for snorkeling, diving, visiting ruins, beaches, or swimming in cenotes (cool freshwater springs). Great eats too, and everything is very affordable. Here are some pics from the town itself:

The Virgin of Guadalupe. She is a national icon, and is everywhere in Mexico.

Small world! Rowan and Jasper.

The courtyard.

Ancient Mayan guard dog :)

The door to my room.

Adam, the chef. He is a fount of positive energy and believes that people should come to a restaurant to be "restored". Chatting with him is a great way to start the day.

Coco loco.

Frida's has a weekly farmers market, as well as a jam session on on Tuesday nights.

My roommates: Roxane from Argentina, Gladimar, and Eva who is from Spain.

A frosty piñada, I think I had one every day I was in Tulum.

Gladimar wins over Coco easily.

Roxana, works with crafts, I love her color palettes!

Coco helps out with a blog entry.

This adorable little girl lives at Jardin de Frida with her family, and is a big fan of Angry Birds as well as my hat :) Coco is her side-kick.

Local news.

And international.

Market.

Mexican hipsters.

Is it a shirt or a bag? Actually, it's both!

This talented trio played a combination of funk and jazz.

Flash rainstorm on the way back to Frida's one night.

Large sombreros make for awkward hugs!

Tulum's annual guitar festival. Flamenco jazz. Outstanding!

A new roommate, Fabiola, from Mexico City. One afternoon we rode out to a natural spring, el cenote Crystal, just a couple of kilometers south of Tulum to cool off.

A cenote is a deep well, natural pit or sinkhole, characteristic of Mexico and Central America, resulting from the collapse of limestone bedrock that exposes groundwater underneath. The word is actually from the Yucatec Mayan language and is associated with the Yucatán Peninsula and some nearby Caribbean islands. Cenotes were sometimes used by the ancient Mayans for sacrificial offerings. People visit them to relax and and cool off. You can even go diving in some of the larger ones.

Further out in the pool you can actually catch fish by cupping your hands around them!

I wish I had brought an underwater camera with me. It is very pretty, the bottom of the spring is only about 15 feet down and the is not much dirt or sand present, so visibility with goggles was great. There were patches of deep green algae on the floor, but no layers of murky plant growth like you see in some lakes. Near the edges of the spring, there are a few large fallen trees with submerged complex root systems that are home to schools of small freshwater fish. The cold, clear water was refreshing after the sweltering heat of the last few days.