OR, MY FIRST WEEK BACK IN MEXICO AFTER OVER THREE YEARS.
Long trip from London, little did I know I’d be travelling for over twenty hours. Harsh work indeed!
THE FLIGHT AND JOURNEY.
The flight over was truly dreadful, long very cold and boring. BA sure has changed and taken a nosedive in many ways! That can count literally as they have a fleet of the now infamous Boing aircraft (bits didn’t fall off our plane I don’t think) , however the food, service and general vibe was awful, a kind of Easyjet with fangs. The crew had no manners and there is no leg space at all. I was lucky my lucky dip seating had given me an aisle seat. I would suggest taking your own food as theirs is inedible. They served pretend chicken for both meals that I wouldn’t feed my dog.
The two Indian airhostesses serving our section were inept and one had had some kind of Turkish bum implant that made her sticky out bottom a lethal weapon every time she turned around in the aisle. It smacked you straight in the face with any manoeuvre that she attempted. The two of them made a huge fiasco about providing some bint behind us with oxygen that she fake needed. It was like a comedy sketch as Tweedledum and Tweedledee attempted to plug in the oxygen in what looked like a straightforward socket to me. This they did while muttering if they should ask the captain? Kinda scary when they clearly don’t even know basic training . I got cranky with them and they got woke with me which just made it worse for she of the arse because after that I was merciless.
Fifty long years later, after having to deal with a grumpy crowd who had to queue at the back just to be told that they’d run out of most booze, only gin and red wine was left (Not a good look.) we finally landed.
Upon arrival I was relieved to see that I would be in time for my ADO bus to Tulum and so just had enough time for a tequila to welcome me to Mexico before the off. With the pick ups from other terminals and drop offs subsequently, it took three long hours to arrive. I leapt off the bus and went straight to Charlies Bar for a drink and a ciggy and to touch base with the crew. Immediately I was informed that smoking was now banned from all bars and restaurants even if they are outdoors! That set me off so I decided to go straight to the apartment that I had booked. It was now dark which is a thing I dread upon arrival which is why normally I book into an airport hotel and complete the journey the next day. Duh! After finding the door code I entered and went straight to my abode, I just had to get past the tricky key box to gain entry. Nah, it didn’t work. By then I was sweating and panicky, so knocked at the neighbours door and thank god they were in. He said that they had had the same problem and even opened the bloody double lock in the door for me. So kind, thankyou stranger!
Lovely little pad awaited me so I just pulled out a couple of bits and hit the sack after a full twenty hours of travelling. Tiny problem was that a street spotlight of incredible intensity managed to leak in from around the black out curtains. I had to somehow block the light in all sorts of ingenious ways. Then I crashed so to speak and was blissfully unaware of any other external nuisances. Sleep, a chance to dream and all that.
THE NEXT DAY.
I woke not knowing where I was. This is a common thing with exhaustion and travelling, my old birds, and it shouldn’t bother you, it’s par for the course. I however woke starving hungry and ate my takeaway tacos from the previous night already planning my route to the big supermarket to buy supplies. I remembered from before it’s a fair step from that part of town but it was essential for me to stock up with some organic goodies from there and also a couple of adaptors. I had incredibly misremembered the sockets here, after all I was only here for nine months ffs!
Even though it was early, the November sun beat down mercilessly on me as I retraced my shortcut to Chedraui. Upon arrival I managed to get my adapters (all my devices were nearly empty) I was slack jawed at the prices of everything. However I had a week there and I would need olive and coconut oil and organic salt and spices. I treated myself to a huge ribeye and some fruit and veg along with a good bottle of red wine. Salad stuff and freshly baked bread and fresh eggs were added. Bliss. I cabbed it back with my load at a vastly inflated price too. The warning bells were now jangling. The smoking issue, expensive everything and as I was later to find out paying to go on the fucking beach! Things have indeed changed here and I wasn’t a happy bunny. However I wasn’t going to let it spoil my trip I would just have to be careful with my money.
Top Tip: Getting an apartment is a very cheap way to settle into a place. It seems odd but it’s really much cheaper and more pleasant. I’m rather fussy with my food now and as it transpires the Mexicans ain’t. They love a bunch of E numbers and cook in cheap carcinogenic corn oil. Street food is a lethal cocktail now in main towns. I love to be able to prepare fresh food and have some icy beers without getting out a second mortgage. It’s also very calming preparing your food with some Zen music on and clutching a glass of wine. This was the only time my stomach didn’t rebel. You can plan your days and not be running around just to get a breakfast and also make a picnic for excursions, whether it be beach, cenotes or archaeological sites. Also bring some things from home like I do. This time I got cheddar and tea bags with me and I was very happy that I did.
After that it was plain sailing. I was organised but we just had the tail end of a hurricane to deal with which meant a lot of sudden downpours, however I just wanted to practise my Spanish a bit for the first couple of days and only ventured out to a cenote and pootered around chilling. I then hit Coba where I had been before but it seemed like a good outing and easy.
CENOTE.
If in doubt always go to a cenote. That’s my motto! There are a lot of cenotes about! Calming, and you absorb great minerals and heal your soul. Another collectivo ride to my favourite that sadly wasn’t open as the heavens had opened again and apparently it was ‘dirty’ as they put it. When the guy explained he meant that the deluge had stirred up the sediment so it wasn’t pleasant for swimming. Such a shame as the colour is magnificent and the boulders underneath make you understand the Mayan thinking of these being places to enter the underworld, add the very pretty colourful fish and you have the real deal. I would have to settle for the more pond like one thats surrounding was also flooded. It still was an oasis though.
I waded around looking at the wildlife and did a bit of Zen meditation. It was perfect for my somewhat jaded mood and my general fatigue and got me into the routine of getting buses cheaply. More importantly it meant that I was aware I would have to constantly change my plans due to the very turbulent weather.
Calmed and cooled after my swim I let myself off for the rest of the day and just hung out at the bakery and had excellent coffee and chewed the fat with my old friend the owner. I would sleep well that night.
COBA.
Let’s be honest, I was being sloppy and lazy and was ill prepared for my first few days. The glamour had gone from lounging around Charlies bar writing my journal drinking beers and mojitos and smoking copious fag for two reasons; one it was too expensive, and two you couldn’t smoke fags in the courtyard anymore. So I had to do a rerun of Coba that has the highest pyramid of the Yucatan peninsula, and also it’s an interesting site with its original white roads leading out to the surrounding Mayan cities of the time. See link for more Coba stuff.
Bumping along in a much more convenient collectivo than last time, I chatted to an English couple about, well, mostly me, and women travelling solo. About the highs and lows. Upon arrival I recognised everything! I thought that I would have forgotten but as I walked memories came flooding back. I had chosen to walk alone which was lucky as I became quite emotional at my connection with the place. At least this revisit wasn’t the disappointment I felt about Mexicos new petty laws and charging you for everything they can think of.
Scarily I think it was in Coba where I developed a pain in my hip muscle, probably from the constant climbing and jumping into the little villa sections which are my favourite. I like to sit and quaff water and fruit inside as if it were still a living city and try to contact the ancestors. I think I must have twisted something which actually was very bloody painful and would come back to haunt me later.
I finally met up and lunched with the couple that I had met earlier for a bite of lunch and waited for the hour trip back to Tulum. I had hit a wall again. The famous jet lag and sheer length of the journey over was still giving me brain fog. I started panicking about money now that I understood how expensive it had become, because I was so mentally dull I feared that I just wouldn’t be able to hack it. It was dreadful and continued for days.
BEACH IN A HURRICANE.
Well, the hurricane didn’t seem to want to abate so I decided I would go to the beach, in the rain, at least once while in Tulum. I made a little picnic of a cheese baguette (the bread was so good from the French bakery!) and a mixed fruit salad and my copper flask of water and trotted of to get the collectivo to the public beach. It was well worth the cheapo trip; no paying on that beach and the locals went there. We drove past the expensive hotel zone and I sneered through the window at the pricey silly area and we continued on the road that also led to my beloved Punta Allen (now ruined by a smart new road that ferries more idiots there many times a day instead of the once a day collectivo that took four hours.)
As we arrived I saw that it was indeed a special place with a huge rock at it’s centre. The waves were crashing in and the sky was ominous but what the hell. I was going to have an emotional day remembering my times of living on the beach three years previously. The tail end of the hurricane made for a strong undertow so you couldn’t really swim but dip and roll around in the surf. Finding a nice spot I set up for the day after having climbed the rock of course. Up there you could see the majesty of that powerful sea and feel the wind that whipped it up. Getting thoroughly drenched and laughing like a lunatic I returned to my spot. I was exhilarated and in wonder at the dramatic colour contrast of aquamarine sea and brooding dark clouds.
Sometimes things just feel right, even occasional rain was like a fresh new experience. In between the sun shone brightly so it changed from moment to moment. I was finally shedding the stress from London. Much like last time it had taken more time than I expected. I think the weary burden of city living is now heavier and more toxic than before on many levels.
The Mexicans next tome offered beers for free as there was really a party atmosphere, the generosity was amazing I dipped and sunbathed and gazed around at that sea and laughed and joked with the real people who I had craved to mix with. Also my Spanish was coming back so I felt part of the whole that was the beach that day,
Then suddenly without having noticed anything in that cool windy weather I felt a burning sensation, man oh man it was sudden and fierce. From then on I would have memories of that deceptive weather, I had my first serious sunburn ever.
LEAVING TULUM.
I had to hide from the sun on my last days there. I was red as a lobster. I didn’t feel so fucking clever then! Thank god for my cool flat, that I could shuffle around in taking copious showers and tutting at myself, at least I wasn’t staying at Charlies flat like before where I had had trouble sleeping due to the heat. I had made a date with a couple who had gone to Coba and I had chatted to, and had cocktails while discussing where I would go next. They said I must try Bacalar which has a huge lake and stuff. They meant well but it ended up being a very expensive folly.
Top Tip: Old birds will suffer aches and pains from time to time. Just contain them and rest if needed, don’t push and make things worse. My hip muscle only improved when I gave into it in Bacalar. I rested and read before doing my big archaeological section of a bunch of ruins in Campeche. Also the sunburn that I got on that cloudy day at the beach was clearly due to the complete lack of sun in England this past year, it simply wasn’t ready for any decent rays despite the very overcast weather. This just needed a shift in plans and a lot of water. Don’t panic you can always change those plans you had set in your mind. Just chill!
Old Bird Travels Solo! 