The Amber of the Moment: Tulum (Day 22 -19/1/14)

Ruins by the Caribbean

There's not much to do in Tulum, which suits me just fine. It's a quiet coastal town on the verge of developing into something much more commercial. You can feel that the locals are ready for it, there are a plethora of shops around that sell carbon copies of the same range of items. The locals are relentless in chasing me for a sale... "Almost free," "I give you good price on three cigars", and "Only a dollar". When I emphatically state that I'm not interested they still continue. A selfish Australian part of me wants to just shout "Get out of my personal space. I'm Australian, we need space!" I don't shout anything though. It becomes tiring, I refuse to make eye contact a lot of the time but it still doesn't stop the dogged haggling.

The one thing that is worth checking out in Tulum is their Maya ruins. These ruins aren't particularly grandiose but they sit out on a beach cliff top, overlooking an impossibly blue sea. This is the Caribbean, the Atlantic Ocean... we eagerly head down to the small white sand cove to touch the water.

Gulf bridged. I have now touched another ocean. I have gazed out onto the Caribbean Sea and it's really beautiful.

The ruins are crowded with tourists, not as many as Chichen Itza but still a substantial amount. These ones are mostly loud and crude... every time I spy some wildlife a lumbering American or careless Mexican will shout and come crashing over, scaring it off. It's frustrating, but I also feel like a hypocrite complaining about it - obviously I'm a tourist too and this isn't my country. Should I be annoyed when I see a group of 20-somethings climbing onto off-limit ruins to pose for photos? Honestly, it drives me mental. Why can't people just be more cool about things?

One great thing about the Tulum ruins is that they're covered in Iguanas. These lizards seem to be claiming the city as their own, lounging on the ruins, pathways... yawning indolently as they get their photo taken. I estimate that we see at least 30-40 of these lizards.

I also spot an Agouti off a more secluded pathway, but no one around us seems interested in the shy cat-sized rodent.

Agouti are found throughout Central America. They are exceptionally strong for their size, and can open Brazil nuts with their teeth and hands. They are a relative of Guinea Pigs, Capybaras and Chinchillas.

After the ruins the Duck and I return to Tulum, drink pina coladas, get sunstroke, feel sick. The day spirals down gently as the sun sets in a palette of pinks and oranges. We take a taxi back to Luna Llena (our accommodation) and laugh as the driver makes an unannounced stop upon seeing some guy on a bicycle. He apologises in halting, sheepish English to us, and flags the bicycle-guy down. They talk for a few seconds, the bicyclist opens up his backpack and pulls out about 30 CDs. They discuss something and then our driver pulls out his own CD, and they swap discs before saying goodbye. Random.