Tulum Finale

Photo by Ron Burdine

5 Days With ¨Hoo-lia¨ - Day 5

Photos by Julia Aron

Today is Julia’s last full day here and it will be a full one because tonight, Mexican Independence Day begins.

Independence Day is a two-day affair kicking off officially at 11pm tonight and going straight through tomorrow. The town of Tulum has been getting ready for the festivities for the last few days and this morning, the excitement is palpable.

We spend a lazy day at the beach and return home for a short rest before meeting up with Ron and Matt at Casa Dos to start the party. Ron, of course, knows a bunch of people who live here and we head into town to the Weary Traveler, the local hostel, to meet up with some of them.

It’s a lot of fun and I already know some of the guys from Ron and Matt’s poker game that I sat in on a couple of weeks back. It’s very chill and there are about ten of us, all chatting easily amongst ourselves.

Photo by Julia Aron

Gillian arrives. She lives here and has just returned from a couple of months vacation in Indonesia. She’s from New York and still has the edge that is only apparent (to me) in places like Tulum. A walking contradiction for sure, she seems like she should live on the Upper East Side, yet she lives in her van.

Gillian suggests we head over to the street fair to get some food. Though I’m starving, I’m a little apprehensive about diving in fully to the whole street food experience. I’ve been very free here with eating at places I wouldn’t normally try in the past, but carnival food feels a little over the edge for me. On our way over to the festivities, I turn to Ron. “It’s safe and all to eat, right?” I whisper. He assures me that it is and as an aside, offers, “Worst case scenario, you get some Cipro and you’ll be fine.”

Oooookay. Here goes.

Photos by Julia Aron


Our first stop is some sort of corn stand, where they smother the corn in mayonnaise and sprinkle it with spices. I’m game and Julia and I decide to share one between us. Somehow, we end up with something completely different – a corn soup of sorts. We go with it and it’s tasty - though I’ve never quite tasted anything like it.

The fair is jammed with people, rides, games, music, fair-workers on loudspeakers trying to entice people into playing their games. It’s no different than a fair you’d see in the states, except for the spinning sombrero ride!

After our corn extravaganza, we settle on a cross between quesadillas and tacos. The shell is doughier than a tortilla, almost sponge-like. There’s pork or beef. Gillian asks for one with just cheese and relieved, I follow suit. I would’ve eaten chicken, but pork, beef……no thanks.

The food is pretty good and there is no water to buy, so I settle on a tapioca-type drink and Julia orders a Jasmine tea-type of drink. We pay for our meal, which for the four of us, is around $10 – and head over to the town center where the fireworks are scheduled to start.

I haven’t been this close to fireworks for as long as I can remember. Living in NYC, you’re lucky to get a good spot on a roof deck on the 4th of July to watch the fireworks display. Here, it feels almost overwhelming to be so close to the noise and the actual launching site, which is not more than a few thousand feet from where we stand.

Somewhere along the way, we lose Gillian and it’s just Julia, Ron, Matt and myself. The guys are ready to head over to the beach to continue the party, but Julia and I are wiped out. We bid them good-bye and head home with me crossing my fingers that my street food experience will not come back to haunt me.

Day 4.....continued

Elated by our experience at the Cenote, we’re ready for more exploration. However, gas is a factor. We ask our friend at the gate if there are any gas stations nearby. He directs us to a place on the way back through town. Once again, Julia’s Spanish skills saving the day.

We find the place and I don’t see any gas pumps, but this is Mexico, so I wait for all the information before I make a final judgment. Julia hops out of the car and goes into the convenience store to ask about gas. A few minutes later, she comes out and waves excitedly, “They have gas!!” How much do we need?”

Surprised, I get out and tell the woman standing with Julia that we need 200 pesos worth of gas. She tells me it’s 280 pesos. We go back and forth until I finally realize that she’s selling us a container of gas! Julia translates my discovery and sure enough, we’re inches from buying some homegrown gas. “We’re not getting gas here,” I mutter quietly for Julia’s ears only.

We thank the gas lady and head back to Tulum satisfied with our efforts, but smart enough to know when to admit temporary defeat.

Photo by Julia Aron

On the way back to Tulum, we stop in the first town out of Coba to get “Cocos Frios” – cold coconut water. And I’m not talking about the kind you buy at Whole Foods. This is an actual coconut, chilled in a cooler, cut with a machete-like knife to create a small hole for a straw. Once you finish the water, you can give the coconut back and have it cut up into slices to eat.

I had this experience in Trinidad, though the coconuts weren’t cold. It’s delicious and we were both excited for the snack.

After the coconuts, Julia buys a hammock swing – a good alternative to her hammock obsession. It cost $20 and will fit nicely into her apartment back in New York.

Afterwards, we´re back on the road after a great day of fun and adventure.

THAIZ........R.I.P.

THAIZ, one of the dogs in the condo died yesterday. She was around 9 years old and succumbed to a tumor in her chest. She was a sweet little dog who was obsessed with catching water from the pool in her mouth if you "threw" it her way. Sometimes, she´d follow me back and forth as I did laps hoping for a little splash or two. She will be missed by her family. I´m glad I got to know her.


Que descanse en paz.