12. Time Slows in Tulum

Shall we go to the beach or stay at the pool? That’s pretty much all we need to decide every morning. We arrived in Tulum on Tuesday the 20th and will be here till Tuesday the 27th. Our hotel is called Howlita and we got a deal on it because we reserved WAY ahead of time and put one night down. It comes to about $65. a night with the taxes. However, just like in Valladolid, #7 has real limitations. The room is like a 12’ cube with really high ceilings. The bed is full size; good thing we still get along after 40+ years! I must say I like the decor; a shabby chic bench, table and chair and a hanging pole with hangers for clothes and 5 hooks on the  walls. Quarters are tight but we are managing. The shower has the best water pressure and the hottest water in all of Mexico; in fact you had best be cautious! But the best feature of Howlita is the pool area. It more than makes up for the small room. The water is neck deep and always refreshing! There is a French Press coffee pot and free coffee that has come in handy for us early risers. Breakfast is at 8:30 and consists of fruit, toast, a wee bowl of yogurt and a wee bowl of granola and juice. simple but takes away the hunger pangs. The Wi Fi connection is the best we’ve had! I see a tower right across the street. This morning we saw two Green Jays outside our window! The beach is a good six mile bike ride but the bikes are available on site. The staff is super friendly and the desk personnel speak very good English. Today’s new word for me is ‘antojitos’ which means small snack or appetizers. Mattias, one of the hotel staff, described it as a craving for a food that you might get in the middle of the night.  We also learned that laundries close at 2 on Saturdays and don't open at all on Sundays; important facts when you are living out of a suitcase!

 Room #7

Take a look at the street! This is the condition of most of the side streets in Tulum!

This is the view outside of room #7's window. Every morning at about 7:00 this family would carefully prepare their food carts for the streets. Even the kids might be part of the process, wiping down the containers and lids, making sure that there were ladles and cups on the carts. Sure wish I had discovered what they were selling.

The beach may only be a six mile bike ride from  from our hotel but with sidewalks and bike trails under continuous construction, it is not an easy bike ride. Each of the 3 years we have stayed in Tulum it has been like this. Fortunately Howlita is on a side street, far enough away from the dust and daytime racket. There has been some lively cantina music at night, but it is mostly a peaceful place to stay. On Sunday night as I walked home from church there were firefighters, police and an ambulance all around this hole. Someone had fallen into it! It must've been a bad accident because it took a LONG time and a lot of people to rescue whoever it was. BTW, church was very strange even though it was named Our Lady of Guadalupe and was Roman Catholic, it was nothing like OLG at home!

Dining at night is SO pleasant! This is La Malquerida. and it serves both Mexican and Italian food. Personally, I would go here for the Italian food! But for Pizza, order from Pizzas Mendez and pick it up or have it delivered. We had the "cuatro carnes" (4 meats) last night and it was delicious!

Yesterday was our first beach day in Tulum. First we biked to Piedras Escondidas on a recommendation but the rough water combined with the tons of seaweed changed our minds.

So we went in the other direction to Diamonte K, the same beach we visited last year. They had workers busily raking and hauling away the seaweed and the wave action was not as violent. Yes, it came at a higher peso cost, but the food was great and I went in the water twice and was able to use their showers afterwards. 

And OH, the flowers!