(for the full post, click here)
I first visited Tulum as a twenty year old backpacker. In my memory at least, the place was all but untouched – just a few palapas on a white, powdery beach and a couple of simple restaurants rustling up basic food. I was at the end of my journey, funds were low, so I slept out on the sands, my rucksack tied with a piece of rope around my ankle.
Fast forward sixteen years and it’s a different story. I wasn’t expecting to find the same place I’d left with sand in my toes all those years ago: change is innevitable, it’s part of life. Yet it’s hard to express just how developed this stretch of the Mexican Carribean has become – it’s now an almost uninterrupted strip of resorts spanning the entire 120 kms to Cancun, a giant wall of garish development between land and sea. And it doesn’t feel like the pace is getting much slower.
Still, despite its massive changes – I rank the nearby Tulum Pueblo one of the most souless ‘villages’ I have visited in Mexico – the beach here is still as stunningly beautiful as I remember it. Once I’d tracked down the wonderful camping hangout of Playa Esperanza and connected with a group of travellers who lit up my time there, it felt like I’d come home again…
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Playa Esperanza, a cabana and campsite run by a Mexican and American/Italian couple, who welcomed me in on my first day with a massive beachside feast. A real idyll.
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Storms rolled in and out while I was there. One moment the sky was bathed with sunlight, the next moment it was inky black, and the rain fell in a tirade of fat, heavy drops. After days of oppresive heat, this was exactly what my soul needed. We all leapt into the sea and battled the waves.
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Then the storm passed, and it was clear and hot once more. As you can expect, I never grew tired of being drawn in by its turquoise waters.
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And that fine white sand found its way everywhere. Folds of the tent. Pockets. Ears. Not that I can really complain...
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And happy I was at Playa Esperanza.
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Frenchman Romain and his girlfriend Monica, from Peru, rustling up a communal meal. Even the floor of the kitchen was trademark Carribean sand.
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Monica had also brought some body paint with her, so we all tapped into the inner artists within us...
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The surreal chandelier above the al fresco dinner table, under a grove of conocut trees, lent Playa Esperanza a ‘Pirates of the Carribean’ flavour. Mexican artisans came and went, crafting jewelry from silver, sea shells and forest seeds.
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Louis, who lives and works in the cabanas, off to run some errands on his bicycle.
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Anna pulls some yoga moves on the beach…
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Settled in my little Taptent Rainbow. It survived the heaviest of storms that lashed down, contorting like a restless sleeper. I love being cocooned within its walls while the elements swirl all around.
![P1160691](http://whileoutriding.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/p1160691.jpg)
Just a little further south down the coast lay the future of Tulum, it seems. A string of prestine, ultra stylish lodges and cabanas. As much as I admire businesses with strong environmental models, I’m not convinced by all this apparent bandwagon jumping, unless it really is more than just a label. I mean, doesn't Eco Chic sound a bit ridiculous?! I even saw Eco Romantic!
Hola Cass,
Lovely photo stories!
Need to know: How did the opening of the World Cup go down?: Mexico vs our Bafana Bafana, or rather the Mexican drum vs the Vuvuzela?
er, not too sure. I’m in Guatemala!
I first visited Tulum in1976 . Stayed at Los Palmas next to playa Esperanza for 4 weeks. I now go back once a yr. and stay a lot longer . In 1976 camping was free now $10 per night things change . It did cost $1 to go to Maya village and climbed to top of pyramid , now can not even touch it is roped off . But I still love Tulum with small night clubs that some times have bands that play 70’s rock and roll . Have always get to talk and hang out with loving people .
Agree, there’s still something rather wonderful about the place. And besides, change is inevitable. Thanks for sharing those experiences.