Sunday, November 25, 2007

TULUM BY BIKE AND BUS – TO THE CARIBBEAN BEACH

There is only one Caribbean and here we are just four hours by bus from Merida.From the beach front of Cabañas Punta Piedra we have a clear view of the Mayan ruins of Tulum. On our little folding bikes we left our home in Merida early in the morning to the downtown CAME bus station. then we bused four hours with our bikes stowed aboard to the Caribbean beach. We always draw a crowd when we fold and unfold our little bicycles that miraculously transform in just twelve seconds.

One of the main attractions at Tulum is our grand children. Here I am with three year old Julian who is learning English and proudly came to me to demonstrate his new linguistic talents exclaiming; “Oh my God!”
This is five year old smiling Diego who loves to see me coming so he can get his bicycle tuned. The kids refer to us as their magic grandparents.
Here is the new treasure, grandchild number three, beautifully contented six month old Flor Amber.Sweet little Flor Amber and Jane enjoy affectionate moments in the tropical jungle garden of Luis and Grisel at Tulum.  Luis and Grisel are building apartments and land developing in the local booming economy.


Mama Grisel and Flor Amber are more than just mother and daughter, they are affectionate pals and their love beams out in glowing radiance.





How could you not help but love these precious people who warmly embrace your presence with genuine affection?



A blow-me-down breeze at the beach kept the bugs away our first three days there but turned the Caribbean into a hydrotherapy bath that brutalized our bodies in seconds…but it was salubriously warm and beguiling enticing.






Our thirty-three year old happy-go-lucky Güero fits perfectly into the Tulum beach-scene where he goes with the seasonal flow and does guided tours to the sea reefs and fresh water cenotes.





This is our lovely friend Hilda with her prize son Christian. Hilda and her husband Felix are owners of the resort Puenta Piedra where we stay. Twelve year old Christian is already a certified scuba diver and enthusiastic deep sea fisherman.






This photo of Jane at Punta Piedra resort at Tulum was taken a year ago before the unrelenting sea level rise devastated this beach and the resort structures here.
This  photo was taken in November 2007 and clearly shows the ravages of the sea that took away two meters of beach sand along with countless trees and destroyed several buildings. The hurricane that caused this damage passed one hundred miles south of here and totally flattened everything that it didn’t wash away. Not a leaf was left on a tree there while it cut a swath all the way across Mexico to the State of Tabasco where it flooded 80% of that state. The effects of global warming are approaching at an alarming rate.
The storm also devastated the sea bottom as you can see by these sponges that were torn from the off-shore coral reef that is nearly devoid of life now.

Off shore you can see the second longest coral reef in the world where the waves are breaking. We found this lovely secluded spot biking off the road to enjoy our morning coffee in rare serenity. Development is coming at such a rapidly alarming rate that this precious spot will soon be filled with elbow to elbow highrises.


Our bicycles get us to see and explore things that most tourists fly by.

This is a part of the wild tropical Mexican jungle that is here to see and enjoy if you only go slow enough. Our bicycle tours have added an interesting dimension to life.





Salty sea air is not kind to man made contrivances and rapidly reduces it all to rust.












Coming from town and the main highway on the left is the bicycle path. On the highway is a caravan of rent-a-jeeps headed down the rough washed out bump ridden stone strewn pothole plagued pitiful dead end road to Punta Allen. The lead jeep will at least not eat dust all the way but these cruise ship escapees are paying big bucks for a no-brainer bounce and jolt that sends all wildlife for many miles dashing away and out of sight. When it is all over great raves will be expounded of how these daring adventures conquered the savage Mexican jungle…Ha!


These enterprising young kids turn somebody else’s garbage into spend able cash.

November 2007

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