Jasmine's 2011 Trip: Tulum ruins, Mexico

Holy Guacamole! That first night, it was tough to fall asleep it was so hot (later, Rafael was nice enough let me borrow a huge fan). The following morning, I had breakfast tacos and fresh pineapple juice. Then I talked to Rafael about riding out of his bikes out to Tulum's archeological site, which is only about 4 km away. I figured I'd stop at one of the public beaches on my way back (there is also beach at the base of the 39 foot cliffs that the ruins sit on but it is usually pretty packed so I was going to skip it). At that point, Roxane, one of my roommates, mentioned she'd gone on bikes with her boyfriend Gabriel the day before and that the heat had been so brutal, they didn't feel well afterwards. I reconsidered :) I decided to take a collectivo (small bus), to the site instead. You can catch them anywhere on the main avenue.
Tulum is a walled city and that was once as a major trading center of the Maya. Located on the east coast of the Yucatán Peninsula, the ruins are one of the best-preserved coastal Maya sites. It was one of the last cities inhabited and built by the Mayans. Tulum was at the height of its power between the 13th and 15th centuries, even surviving up to about 70 years into the Spanish conquest of Mexico. The Mayans living in Tulum may have eventually succumbed to diseases brought by the Spanish settlers. Today, Tulum is very a popular tourist destination.
As a matter of fact, compared to the Laminai ruins, the Tulum ruins felt overrun with hundreds of tourists, some of them carrying brightly colored umbrellas! It was difficult to get good shots/views of some of the structures. I had to be patient, which is usually not a problem, but I was melting! Everybody was! By the time it was 11 most of the people were standing under trees for a little bit of shade, and there was no breeze. Then it was the tourists with umbrellas that looked smug (haha or maybe I imagined it). On the plus side, I couldn't help but get loads of information regarding the ruins because there were so many tour guides at the site. Anyhow, the ruins were lovely and the views from the cliffs breathtaking. There were dozens of light yellow butterflies flitting around the ruins. I took loads of beautiful pics. To cool off, I decided to stay at the beach for a few hours. It just continued to get hotter and hotter. I eventually took a taxi (with AC) back to the hostel, and I was so grateful I hadn't gone out on a bike; I think Roxanne saved my life!
The next day, Gladimar and I were planning to visit the ruins in Cobá.

The guides really went all out!