January 18, 2011 (Tulum, Mexico)

What I Left Behind in Minnesota!

I awoke refreshed and energized on Tuesday morning -- my first morning in Mexico. I had slept about eight solid hours (notwithstanding another night of dogs barking until about 2:00 AM), and the temperature was so perfect I didn't need air conditioning. My first realization was that I was starving, so embarked on a mission to find this great breakfast place my hotel proprietor (Liz) had recommended the day before. The name of the place was AZAFRAN, a really basic but cute little place owned and operated by a sweet lady from Germany named Michaela Brand who goes by "Millie". Millie had been running her little restaurant-- specializing in breakfast and lunch- for the past eight years. Her hours were 8:00 to 3:00 at present, but she is planning to move to a 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM operation very soon. She seemed like a woman who loved her business AND living in Tulum. I had a fabulous breakfast Millie called "The Hangover Special" along with her special coffee that was to die for. My favorite thing about eating breakfast in January in Mexico is eating outside under a sweet umbrella!

During breakfast I spoke with a nice lady named Tanya who made her living practicing reflexology in Tulum. Among other things, we discussed Tulum real estate. Everyone says the time for buying in the area has long passed. Tanya says she bought a parcel of land three years ago for the equivalent of about US$20,000 which is now worth about US$80,000 (and she said that seven years ago the same parcel sold for about US$6000). If only we had a crystal ball! Tanya also said development in the Tulum area only really happened in the past few years. Four years ago, she said, none of the shops even bothered with glass windows. After breakfast, I explored "downtown" Tulum for a bit (there's not much to see, unfortunately-- as all the action is down on the beach at the pricier properties along "hotel row" near the famous Maya ruins). With my brain totally relaxed and refreshed, I decided to finally sit down at my (daughter's)  laptop and write the preface to my blog during the peak heat time of the day when smart Mexicans take their traditional "siesta". After a couple of hours of thinking and typing I was ready to tackle the first actual "adventure" of my trip-- an exploration of the famous ruins of the walled Maya city of Tulum. The story will unfold in my next blog entry.

Blog Note:  Hindsite being 20/20 as always, if I was able to have a "do-over" of my "Tulum leg" I would consider adding a couple extra days to explore the nearby Maya ruins at Coba, deep in the jungle but only about 40 miles inland from Tulum. The nearby attractions of Xel-Han (the "world's largest natural aquarium) and the Xcaret "natural park by the sea" would have also been nice to see (although I was concerned that they may be a little high on the "Disney scale").