Leaving the Coast (Jan. 2014 or 15)

Today we leave beautiful Tulum and head for Valladolid. Tulum still has a bit of the untouched feel once you leave the archeological zone. Only the Subway AND the prices at the better restaurants, have trickled into town. There is building going on everywhere though. You see modern designed homes next to squalor. If you have $80 k to spare you can get yourself a very nice two bedroom home. The garbage everywhere and lack of recycling bothers me. I want to understand it, change it, see less garbage amongst the green. Fellow travelers have been so enjoyable, Sarah from Queens who had to stay an extra day due to east coast snow, Bob and Karen the very likeable Jehovah Witnesses from Sauk City, Minn., Rob, Maria, and Santana from Oregon. Then there was Heather, the border from the Midwest. We rode to the Grand Cenote on our bikes yesterday. Chris commented that the highway was much like Wisconsin in August. The center water was cool and refreshing. The freshwater turtles were fun to watch especially when they were being fed.