I have a friend who started traveling in Mexico in April. One of her first stops was Tulum, a small beach town south of Playa del Carmen. Now that I think about it, Tulum and its puddled dirt roads, low houses with fenced front yards, graffiti, locals and tourists biking on cruisers and heavenly sandy beaches remind me so much of the place I first met this girl: Bocas del Toro in Panama.

Anyway, she came here to Tulum just for a bit and ended up staying for six months. It only took me a short walk down one of the side roads from the main avenue to understand that I could’ve easily done that as well. However, this time I only prolonged my stay in Tulum three times.

Doppelgängers and chicken

The good vibe started when I was welcomed by a familiar face. The receptor in my hostel was an Argentinian doppelgänger of my friend from Leuven. His amigos, I found out the following night, knew how to open a bottle of wine with just a pen. And hey, learning new tricks like that is always useful.

Then there was medio pollo con arroz I had in a true Caribbean manner at the pollo joint at the corner. I was sure it will be too much for me and that for next time I will have to learn how to say “a quarter of a chicken” in Spanish, but you know what? Half a chicken doesn’t stand a chance against a hungry gringa.

My Tulum lucky streak went on when I met a super nice bunch of people in my hostel. We spent the next few days seeing the Mayan ruins, hanging out at beaches and cenotes, laughing until our abs hurt and, of course, eating and drinking.

If my first days in Cancun led to some very basic observations, the events of my days in Tulum make up for some very basic guidelines (for traveling and life in general):

Chilli mojitos are to be drunk with a straw…

…or your lips will burn for at least an hour.

Generally, I’m not a fan of spicy food. Black pepper can already be a problem in very mild versions of my mom’s cooking. So ok, Mexico might not be the smartest travel destination in this case, but when in Rome… In Tulum I only had a sip (a zip for all you Germans) of a spicy mojito at a cool bar where they serve mojitos with fresh sugar canes. And go figure: habanero makes your lips burn! Too bad they don’t have straws in that bar – they said it’s not good for the ocean. Oh well.

Amigo will get you far

I’m noticing that whenever you say “amigo”, Mexican gods treat you a bit better. A super funny Irish-Australian guy I met in the hostel basically only knows three words in Spanish: hola, gracias and amigo, and gets around like nobody else. You can say “amigo”, continue in Martian, make a couple of hand gestures and they’ll bring you the best caldo de cameron in town. A colectivo van will appear out of nowhere if you whistle and shout: “Olio! Amigo, we need a ride!” And even if you go on and on about a ceguna* (1) you just visited, the waiter will simply smile and nod… Why? Well, because he’s your amigo.

Don’t be too spontaneous around the pool

One day we were sitting by the pool: a Dutch girl, who has been traveling in South and Central America for seven months now, an Italian 21 year-old staying on a work and travel visa in Canada, and I. The Dutch girl said: “You know what I want to do? I want to push him in the water,” and nodded towards one of the two managers of the hostel – an Argentinian in his twenties – who was cleaning the pool of leaves. The Italian and I looked at each other and knew straight away what the other one was thinking, but Marco said it first: “Uhm wait, maybe he has a phone in his pocket…” She was too far to hear him already, so what followed was a short scream, a frozen look on Argentinian’s face, and a splash. And then: “Ah noo, telefonoo!! Plataaa!!”* (2)

If you want to be spontaneous around the pool, buy a Samsung

After the Argentinian calmed down and was able to come close to the pool again, the Dutch girl, who still felt really bad, mentioned how much better Samsung is than Apple, since Samsungs are waterproof. A moment of silence and four pairs of raised eyebrows later there she was again, heading towards the pool, this time with her phone in her hands, ready to dip it in water to prove us wrong. It hurt our eyes, but she did it and came back with her wet Samsung. No arroz necessary this time, it still works like a charm!

The main street of Tulum after the rain.

Give your brain a break!

I only planned to stay in Tulum for two days, but because it’s such a nice place and we had so much fun, I found myself standing in front of a receptionist without a packed backpack every morning, asking to prolong for another night. After deciding I finally had to go on towards Valladolid, I felt a bit blue for leaving the beach times behind. My friend Krasi, who knows how nostalgic I can get in my real life, was not surprised that I managed to get melancholic even while traveling. So another guideline for myself (thanks, Clara!): You’re on holidays, give your brain a break!

________

* (1) ”ceguna” doesn’t really exist. It is a word invented by the said Irish-Australian who had trouble remembering the word cenote, which is kind of a laguna with fresh water, typically in a cave.

** (2) As far as I know, a one week old iPhone 6S is still buried in arroz on a rooftop of that hostel in Tulum.