Bacalar to Tulum, Quintana Roo, Mexico   December 17, 2023

I had a leisurely morning- there’s always lots of time when you’re up around 4!  I walked to the bus and made my way to Tulum, then walked from the bus depot to the hostel.  In the Central Park there were Christmas scenes-

There’s a nearby church-

with a huge advent wreath-

Outside were their Guadeloupe offerings-

The hostel/hotel has only been open 2 months and is pretty fancy.  My bed-

There are 8 beds in my room but only 5 are taken.  There are 2 swimming pools - one on the ground level-

and one on the roof-

There’s a library-

and a cinema-

After checking in I started walking to the beach, 3.8 km away.  Halfway there I decided to either rent a bike in the morning or take a collectivo so I turned around and came home.  I went to 2 large grocery stores, both close to my hostel and bought groceries for breakfast.  What crazy lineups for the tills!  

I spent the evening upstairs on the roof-

at thc bar for my free welcome margarita then on the balcony of our room.  Tomorrow I’m going to check out the ruins and the beach.  Tulum is the most expensive city in Mexico.  Bikes cost 200 pesos/24 hours ($15.52).  A fairly small dish of ice cream is over $9!  Thinking of that, my bed is a bargain at $24/night.  One guy renting bikes says he pays $1500 for a studio!  What I saw is a nice modern place with wide walking paths on the Main Street.  I appreciate that!